Welcome to Issue 304, 22nd March 2008 of our FREE newsletter
Problem Garages
Derelict garages in Long Eaton are up for sale after being used by drug users and homeless people. The buildings on Albert Road have been derelict for some time and are now being sold with a guide price of £435,000. The exact site for sale is number 20 Tamworth Road and 25-31 Albert Road. The property is divided into two parts which are immediately adjoining. At the front stands a two storey building comprising of a showroom with a first floor self contained offices. There is vehicle access from Tamworth Road to a front forecourt and also into the middle of the site where there are a pair of single storey part open sided storage buildings. At the back are the 14 garages in Albert Road. Local residents have been campaigning for something to be done about the garages since March 2007. One resident, Darren Whyley said: "The garages are filled with old televisions, old carpets and shopping trolleys. I live opposite and it looks an absolute eyesore. Some people down the road are trying to sell their houses but they will never sell." However, Mr Whyley is pleased with the efforts that Erewash Borough Council's Neighbourhood Wardens have put in and they have been down to the site and tried to clean it up.
Asbestos Fear
Residents in a Long Eaton street claim work to remove the roof of a disused factory poses a threat to their health by releasing asbestos dust into the air. However, the main contractor on the site says that although asbestos cement roofing sheets are being removed the clouds of dust residents see were in fact nothing more than talcum powder. People living on Highfield Street claim the sub-contractors have not been sticking to guidelines which cover the removal of asbestos. Mr William Nicholson who lives on the corner of College Street and Highfield Street said: "The workmen were knocking out the roof panels with a lump hammer. Clouds of dust were blowing across the street. It is a health hazard." Mr Nicholson also says that he had seen workmen trying to burn the asbestos off the roof using a blow torch. David Stone, a director of William Hill Building Contractors Ltd., the main contractors said that the large quantities of dust were in fact a talcum powder type material. He said: "The whole factory was covered in it inside. It's been left from the former industrial process of the Synflex factory. We lifted the roof and it all blew out. I can appreciate it must have been quite alarming to the residents." Mr Stone said he could not comment on allegations that workers had been hammering the material, but said he had taken resident's concerns very seriously.
Floods Petition
A petition for flood prevention in Sawley has been presented to Leicestershire County Council. The resident, Carol Maddison, of Sawley, presented her petition to the council which had been signed by 514 other residents. Her campaign is for flood prevention on the B6540 road from Long Eaton to the A50 road. The road has a problem with flooding and it constantly floods outside the Plank & Leggitt pub and Marshall's Brickyard as well as the Sawley Marina. The road has recently been closed causing problems for both residents and businesses. Work to resurface the road has been carried out. Carol says: "I have not heard anything yet from the council but I won't let things lie. All it needs is a bit more torrential rain and high winds and the tarmac will be floating around everywhere." Leicestershire County Council say that the petition will be looked into and a further decision will be made whether or not to have the floodbank. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15th.
Cash Boost
The Petersham area of Long Eaton is to become one of the first areas to benefit from the council's Big Lottery Funding as they get ready to receive £30,000 towards a brand new multi-use games area. Funding from the Big Lottery was achieved as part of Erewash Borough Council's Play Strategy. The money was set aside for projects across the borough that will improve the opportunities for play, whether this is a play area for younger children, a Multi-use Games Area (MUGA) or a sporting activity. A MUGA is a fenced facility where many different ball games can be played in safety. It is proposed that the MUGA will be situated on the corner of Petersham Hall on Petersham Green. It is also proposed that the facility will have lighting and will be monitored by a CCTV camera. An event was held to give residents of the area an opportunity to have their say and show their support. This took place on Saturday, March 15th at the Petersham Hall on Grasmere Road. The council's mobile skatepark was also available at the event and was situated on the car park of the Outlook Centre on Briar Gate.
Parking Fine
A Draycott resident claims she was fined £25 after being forced to park illegally at Long Eaton railway station because of a lack of car parking spaces. Nikki Williams, 35, of Cleveland Avenue uses the train every day to travel the country in her work, but she needs to drive to the station because there is no bus link from where she lives. She says she can normally find a place to park as she usually catches early trains, but one day she caught a later train and despite waiting for more than 15 minutes found there was nowhere to park. She said she was then forced to "find an unobtrusive place to park". On returning to her car later that day, she found she had been fined £25. Nikki said: "There's normally about half a dozen cars parked like that in a day, and then there's no room for anything else, so presumably others start parking in residential areas after that." A spokesperson for Erewash Borough Council said that wherever possible people should try to find other ways of getting to the train station. Phillip Wright, of Neighbourhood Services said: "It is the responsibility of our wardens to apply a fixed penalty notice to those who do not use our car parks appropriately, and there can be no exceptions to this rule."
Handbag Stolen
An 82 year old woman had her handbag stolen from a Long Eaton pub. The woman, who was having lunch at the Corner Pin in the Market Place put her handbag down on the floor but noticed that it had gone when she got up to leave. The bag contained credit cards, a diary and a pair of glasses.
Motorbikes Stolen
Three motorcycles have been stolen recently from Long Eaton. The first was a Lifan Moped 125cc which was stolen from the Bridge Street area. The second was taken from a garden in Bennett Street, and this was a Honda 250cc. Finally a Hartford 125cc motorbike was stolen from Thornfield Square. Long Eaton Police are making enquiries and anyone with any information should call 0845 1233333.
Egg-cellent Raffle
The Long Eaton Lions are organising a raffle with the chance to bag yourself a Thornton's egg and chocolates. The charity Easter raffle can be entered for £1 at 35 sales outlets in Long Eaton and surrounding districts. All money raised will go towards the Brackenfield Special School in Long Eaton, Derby Breast Care Unit and the MacMillan Nurses. Each outlet has its own egg worth £30, and each raffle is limited to 100 tickets.
Borough Blitz
This year's Borough Blitz is all fired up and ready to go in the Pride In Erewash Campaign. The blitz aims to target litter and graffiti hot-spots during a four week drive to crack down on grime. Hundreds of local people will be rolling up their sleeves and picking up their cleaning kits to make Erewash green and clean throughout. School children, residents, community groups and local businesses will all be involved across Erewash.
Nominations Invited
The search is on once again for Erewash's most community minded residents as nominations are welcomed for the 2008 Mayor's Awards. Nominations can be made by a friend, relative, workmate or neighbour but the accolade cannot be awarded to serving county, borough or parish councillors or their employees. The Mayor of Erewash, Coun Eileen Knight, said: "Many members of our community work tirelessly for others expecting nothing in return. They are a credit to our borough and should be recognised." The judging panel will be looking for evidence of special qualities and service beyond being just a "good neighbour". The winners will be presented with a commemorative certificate by the mayor at a special ceremony to be held on April 22nd. All nominations will be treated in strictest confidence, although the eventual winners will be asked to take part in a public presentation. Entry forms can be obtained at Long Eaton's Town Hall in the reception area, or you can send full details in a letter addressed to: Susan Dunkley, Mayor and Member Officer, Town Hall, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 5RP.
Kids' Great Day
Tuesday, March 25th looks set to be a great day for sport for the children of Long Eaton. Derbyshire Constabulary have teamed up with Youth Sportz and Schools Plus to hold a full day of sporting activities for children aged between eight and 16 years. The event will be held at the Long Eaton School and has been designed as an Outreach Day which is part of Youth Sportz Easter Camp which is based at the Bramcote School. The Long Eaton project will provide children with the opportunity to take part in various activities including dance, basketball and football. For those who aren't involved in the activities, there will be a mobile skate park available on the day. Youth Sportz are offering limited free places for the event. For more information contact PCSO Victoria Beardall on 0845 1233333. Victoria said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for children to have a fun day full of sport. We hope that the children will also learn a lot about policing and their local community. Hopefully they will take some of this knowledge back to their families and schools."
Man Attacked
A 63 year old Long Eaton man has been assaulted outside his own home. He was punched in the face and sustained facial and head injuries outside his house on Lodge Road. The victim heard a noise outside so he went to check and saw people standing on his driveway. As he went to go back inside, a female ran towards him. He claimed he asked her what she was doing and she hit him. He was then set upon by a man. One person involved has been questioned and released without charge. A male and female were arrested and charged with common assault. They have been granted bail until being brought to trial.
To Catch Vandal
A Long Eaton man is calling for local people to do their bit to help catch a vandal who is daubing the town's buildings with the word "LOST". Tony Mann says wherever you look in the town you can't avoid seeing graffiti and that particular "tag". He said parents should ask their children and the community to join him in mounting a concerted effort to catch the culprit. Mr Mann, of Melbourne Court in Sawley said that examples of the word could be seen at the back of Boots The Chemist in Orchard Street, and behind Partners Stationers on the High Street. He said the culprits have even managed to write the word 40 feet up on a building near Cafe Zing on the High Street. Mr Mann said somebody must know who is doing it and he said: "Somebody must be selling him the spray paint. People should ask their children who he is and report him. It is no use grumbling about the police and the Community Wardens if people do not do their bit to help them." A spokesman for Long Eaton Police said they were investigating the graffiti and there had been arrests in the last six months.
Factory Blaze
Long Eaton firemen were called to a fire at the Old Cheese Factory in Long Eaton. The fire was at the Elms Service Electrical Training on Huss's Lane. The caller to the fire service described the building as being the Old Cheese Factory. There was minimal amount of damage to the building and it looked like a waste bin had been set alight. Long Eaton Police are investigating the blaze.
Handbag Recovered
A handbag which was stolen from a car parked in Long Eaton has been returned to the owner by a man from Toton. The bag was taken from a car on Shakespeare Street. Somebody smashed the passenger window to grab the bag which had been left on the seat. The bag was later found in garages off Norfolk Avenue in Toton. The bag was returned but a purse which contained cash was missing.
Goods Taken
A car which had a number of luxury items inside has been stolen from outside a house on Main Street in Long Eaton. The Seat Stilo was stolen with items which included two MP3 players, a DVD player, a DVD recorder, two handbags, two pairs of wellington boots, a cardigan, a computer game, a driving licence, a passport, cash, cosmetics and a satellite navigation system. Anyone with information about the crime should call Long Eaton Police on 0845 1233333.
Trombone Stolen
A trombone has been stolen from a car parked on Bridge Street in Long Eaton. A side window of the car was smashed and the trombone taken. It is bronze and silver in colour and was in a black case. Nothing else was stolen from the car, and Long Eaton Police are appealing for any information about the incident.
Car Stolen
A car has been stolen from outside a house on Cranfleet Way in Long Eaton. Raiders broke into the house and took the car keys. The intruders got in through a kitchen window, took the keys and drove away in the blue Volkswagen Passat. Also, a handbag which was stolen from a house in Sawley has been recovered from the next door neighbour's garden. The bag, and a number of other items, were taken from the kitchen of a house on Diamond Close off Beresford Road. The intruders got in through an unlocked back door. They stole a handbag but the victim was too upset to give any more details about what was actually stolen.
Cycle Marathon
A 21 year old Long Eaton man is to raise money for the Air Ambulance by getting on his bike - for no less than 16 hours. Daniel Jackson, of Wittering Close is looking for sponsors after he decided he wanted to raise money for the charity after noticing the helicopter flying through the skies near to where he works. His fund raising stint will take place at the West Park Leisure Centre on Wilsthorpe Road on March 25th when he will pedal away on an exercise bike from 6:30am to 10:30pm. Mr Jackson said: "The Air Ambulance do an excellent job for the public, and I thought why can't I do something to help." Money raised will be split jointly between the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance. Anyone who wants to sponsor Mr Jackson can pick a form up from the West Park Leisure Centre. Mr Jackson was surprised when he read on the internet that the Air Ambulance does not receive any direct funding.
Contract Extended
Nottingham Forest's Long Eaton born and bred starlet, Lewis McGugan, has been rewarded for his good performance so far this season with a long term contract with the club. The mid-fielder has been a vital part in Forest's promotion push after breaking into the first team towards the end of last season. The 19 year old who has scored six goals in his 13 month career with Forest has now signed a contract to stay at the club until 2011. Lewis came through the club's youth ranks and he has managed to keep former Celtic and Leicester captain Neil Lennon out of the side.
Fayre Event
More than 100 visitors attended this year's Erewash Funding Fayre in Long Eaton. The Fayre, held at Long Eaton's Town Hall on Derby Road was organised by Erewash Borough Council in partnership with Erewash Council For Voluntary Service. A special market was set up in the foyer of the hall to give representatives of community and voluntary groups an opportunity to talk with funders. Also there were presentations from the Big Lottery Fund, Derbyshire Community Foundation, BBC Children In Need and East Midlands Airport. Coun Carol Hart, Erewash Borough Council's deputy leader said: "I would encourage anyone involved in a local voluntary group to visit the Erewash Funding Fayre. Feel free to drop in any time. It is a great opportunity to find out just what is on offer in this area to help and support the many community groups which are working hard in our borough. This event follows the successful Funding Fayre last held in September 2006, and it is our intention to ensure we hold these events on a regular basis."
News In Brief
Blues On Song
Long Eaton United bounced back from a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Brodsworth to comfortably beat Eccleshill 2-0. Despite a greasy pitch, the blues played some excellent football to put the previous Tuesday's game behind them. United took the lead against Eccleshill after 13 minutes when Alex Steadman coolly fired a low shot past Eccleshill's keeper, Carl Zaborowski into the corner of the net. It was only a matter of time before they increased their lead, but Eccleshill held out to the break. Zaborowski was outstanding in goal for Eccleshill denying Steadman again with an acrobatic save. Eccleshill only had one worthwhile shot on United's goal, and that came in the 44th minute of the first half. The second half saw the blues go further ahead on 61 minutes when Channon North received an astute pass and the big centre forward rounded the keeper and fired into an empty net to secure a 2-0 win.
For Your Amusement
What kids say about Science and Medicine.