FACTORY workers were left shocked after Boots announced that it is cutting 200 jobs.

Parent company Alliance Boots announced the news to workers yesterday at its Beeston factory.

The health and beauty retailer currently employs 1,200 factory staff at Beeston, but over the next two years this figure will be reduced to 1,000.

The decision has been made so the company can step up production of Boots own products and reduce contract production for other firms.

Alex Gourlay, chief executive of Alliance Boots, Health and Beauty, said that the company would refocus the business on activities where it has a sustained competitive advantage, including its leading beauty and skin-care product brands.

Mr Gourlay said the job losses were regrettable and staff would have an opportunity to redeploy, where possible.

He went on to say the long-term aim of the firm was to keep manufacturing in Nottingham.

"By modernising and improving the efficiency of our Nottingham factory, we strengthen its position for the future and make it more suited to support the increasing global footprint of our product brands," said Mr Gourlay.

"It is an important step in our continued efforts to keep contract manufacturing in the UK, despite the on-going challenges that the industry faces."

Most of the staff were told about the cuts in meetings before their shifts started.

However, those leaving the factory at 2pm were still struggling to come to terms with the news.

Production line worker Tibor Jura, from Long Eaton, said: "We had a meeting about what is happening and everyone seems to understand.

"I think most of the cuts are going from the night staff. I work in the day so it is a relief for me, but I feel for those that are at risk of losing their job.

The Boots factory, D10, manufactures 45 per cent for its own stores and 55 per cent for other firms, with products such as toothpastes.

A SHOPPER received a parking fine – for spending too long in the supermarket.

Wendy Hart was punished after spending nearly three hours – and more than £100 – at the Asda store in Arnold.

The supermarket allows people to park there for free for up to two-and-a-half hours.

But her husband, Michael, received a fine in the post nearly two weeks after the visit as she had been there for two hours and 57 minutes.

Mr Hart, 63, of Yatesbury Crescent, Strelley, said: "I'm astonished they can fine us for being in their car park – and therefore their shop – for too long."

Mrs Hart, 52, visited the store with her sister on February 16 and Mr Hart received the parking charge notice on March 1.

It stated Mrs Hart drove into the Asda car park at 10.10am on February 16 and left at 1.07pm and added that the £70 fine would be reduced to £40 if it was paid within 14 days.

The couple phoned Smart Parking Ltd, which issued the ticket, and were told the fine would be quashed if they had a receipt for their visit to Asda.

But Mr Hart said it had been thrown away in the days between visiting the store and receiving the notice.

Mr Hart said: "If we had saved the receipt for two weeks, we could have sent it to Smart Parking Ltd and the fine would have been cancelled.

"We would normally use Asda in Hyson Green and have never been fined for taking a long time to spend our money, so have never thought it necessary to save old receipts.

"I don't know of any other supermarket that fines its customers for taking more than two-and-a-half hours to do their shopping."

He added: "Since the ticket, we've gone to the Morrisons in Bulwell instead."

However, after being contacted by the Post, Asda yesterday decided to refund the £40 fine.

A spokesman said: "We know that being able to park quickly and safely is our customers' top priority, and we do everything we can to make sure there are spaces free.

"However we are happy to review parking charges on a case by case basis, where a customer has a genuine reason to be at the store.

"It looks like Mrs Hart spent a little longer than usual shopping, so we decided to refund charge on this occasion.

"We would like to remind customers that if they think they will be taking longer than usual to do their weekly shop, to let the customer service desk know."

Mrs Hart welcomed the refund.

She said: "I'm thrilled. I was hoping that they would because I always use Asda and wanted to continue to.

"I'm pleased I can now go there again. I'll now be more aware of the charges."

AN INNOVATIVE way of growing herbs with 5ft Farmer Dave pointing the way; a children's health and safety book using fictional character Peter the Purple Penguin; a series of calendars celebrating a school's 500th anniversary.

You could be forgiven for thinking these are the ideas of high-flying marketing executives or perhaps a bid to impress Lord Sugar himself on The Apprentice TV programme.

Think again.

They are the top three entries at the Nottingham City Final of the 2013 Young Enterprise Awards.

Groups of pupils from schools in the city and the surrounding area started up small companies and developed their own products from scratch.

At Wednesday's awards ceremony at Nottingham Trent University, the top three were named.

The winners were West Bridgford School team Roots, who developed the Farmer Dave idea. The two runners-up were Rushcliffe School company Rushco's Peter the Purple Penguin book and Sterling's Nottingham High School calendars.

These three qualified for the Notts final, where they will face two other companies from the Newark and Mansfield area, at the University of Nottingham on April 24.

Meanwhile, other accolades were handed out, from the most innovative project to the best company report.

David Greenwood, Notts area manager for Young Enterprise, said: "This is the 50th year of this competition and I have to say that each year we see improvements in the entries we have.

"The talent on show has been exceptional. These young people have a tremendous future. In a relatively short space of time they have developed some really good products."

The Notts winners will go forward to the East Midlands finals, for a chance to claim a place in the national and possibly European finals.

Here are the awards which were handed out at the Nottingham Young Enterprise Awards 2013.

Overall winner: Roots

Runners-up: Rushco; Sterling

Best market day/trade fair stand: Signed

Best company report: Skyline

Most innovative product: Rushco

Best presentation: Sterling

Sheriff of Nottingham special award: Spitfire

I F at first you don't succeed, churn out a sequel. The original G.I. Joe film, subtitled The Rise Of Cobra, opened at the peak of the 2009 summer blockbuster season to a blitzkrieg of largely negative reviews. Aimed predominantly at teenage boys with limited attention spans, the all-guns-blazing romp based on the popular line of military action figures stormed past 300 million dollars in worldwide box office takings.

Money talks louder than a flimsy script, weak characterisation and clumsy digital effects, so director Jon M Chu (Step Up 3D) locks and loads for this bigger-budget sequel, which raises the action ante with eye-jangling set pieces and bruising showdowns.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is slicker and more entertaining than its predecessor. However, the bar wasn't set particularly high.

Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick sensibly kill off swathes of their cast in the explosive opening sequence in order to focus attention on a handful of undernourished characters.

Once the dust settles, we learn that arch-villain Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) is in "stasis" in a subterranean prison and his henchman Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) is installed in the White House, impersonating the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce).

Zartan frames the G.I. Joes as traitors to the American cause and wipes out most of the brave men and women in order to clear the way for the rise of the Cobra terrorist network.

Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (DJ Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) survive the bloodbath and quickly realise that the order to terminate must have come from the upper echelons of power.

"There's only one man who could authorise an attack like that," growls Roadblock, "and I voted for him."

So the Joes march back to American soil and seek help from legendary retired operative General Joseph Colton (Bruce Willis).

Meanwhile, evil agent Firefly (Ray Stevenson) masterminds Cobra Commander's escape and mute swordsman Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and ninja Jinx (Elodie Yung) travel to the Himalayas to capture heinous henchman Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun).

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is preoccupied with spectacle over substance but does deliver a few pulse-racing thrills and spills that make good use of the 3D.

A cliff-hanging Himalayas sword fight incorporates vertiginous shots of bodies tumbling to terra firma, and when Firefly unleashes a swarm of tiny mechanised insects, they buzz about the screen, apparently close enough to swat.

Johnson, Channing Tatum, Willis and co flex their pecs, discharge hundreds of bullets and perform gravity-defying leaps in the name of world peace.

But they still can't save London from being reduced to rubble by a nuclear detonation.

That's the price we pay for turning our noses up to the first film.

JAZZ vocalist Suzanne Mellard returns to the Lion on Sunday for the lunchtime session. Suzanne's stunning vocal talents have been featured with many notable jazz stars: Bill Watrous, Mundell Lowe and Dave O'Higgins among them, and she's performed with John Dankworth and Cleo Laine at The Stables, Wavendon. Suzanne formed her first quartet in the late 1990s, singing jazz standards.

TALENTED saxophonist Amy Roberts won the 2011 British Jazz Award as Rising Star and has appeared at many British and international jazz clubs and prestigious festivals. Her quintet plays at Risley Park Traditional Jazz Club, Derby Road, Risley, on Wednesday. Amy, from West Cornwall and a student at the Royal Northern College of Music, made her first visit to New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 2007 where she was lucky enough to play in clubs on the famous Bourbon Street. This breathtaking quintet features Tom Kincaid (piano), Jim Swinnerton (bass) and Nick Milward (drums) plus phenomenal reedsman John Hallam.

RICHARD Exall's Shooting Stars is a relatively new band formed in 2008 from musicians already established on the UK traditional scene. The group makes its first appearance for Nottingham Rhythm Club in the Stadium Leisure Snooker Club, Nottingham Road, Basford, on Thursday. The front line, made up from members of the Chris Barber Big Band, features Exall (reeds), Pete Rudeforth (trumpet) and Bob Hunt (trombone). The AShooting Stars' rhythm section, from the Pasadena Roof and Cotton Club Orchestras, is: Graham Roberts (banjo/guitar), Graham Read (bass/tuba/bass sax) and John Watson (drums).

MELODY Baku plays her two local monthly gigs in the coming week; first with her group Take 4 at The Goose at Gamston on Tuesday and at the Earl Of Chesterfield, Manor Lane, Shelford, on Wednesday, where she will be accompanied by guitarist Paul Martin.

NEXT Friday, Beeston JazzClub presents one of the UK's foremost jazz trombonists, Dennis Rollins, and, with BoHoP keyboard maestro Neil Hunter absent for the club's April gig, another club favourite is featured – award winning guitarist Matt Chandler.

FIRSTLY, apologies for the gig information in last week's column – due to illness, neither of the main guests featured were able to make their dates.

No such problems this week as Easter, which was at one time a most vibrant time on the folk scene with lots of festivals starting the season and big guests around the clubs, has now become one of the quietest times of the year.

However the main feature of the week is at the Guitar Bar, Hotel Deux, Clumber Avenue, Sherwood Rise, which tonight presents Nottingham songwriter Andy Whittle (pictured).

Andy made his presence known a few years back with his debut album Old Fashioned Dream which was closely followed by the excellent A Songmaker's Tale before he surprised us all with the more rock-influenced Moon Enough To See and then reverting to the acoustic field with his most recent offering Reflections Of An Illusion.

We are promised that this year should see some new material and tonight might just be the opportunity to experience this.

Also tonight there will be a singers' and performers' night at Second Time Around, Star Inn, Middle Street, Beeston, while the Brewtown Folk Club holds a singaround at the Old Cottage Tavern, Burton.

Mansfield Folk Club at the Black Bull in Woodhouse Road will have a singers' night on Monday, as will both Belper Folk Club at the Old King's Head, Days Lane, and the Vernon Arms in Locko Road, Spondon, on Tuesday.

Singers' nights again on Wednesday at Ilkeston Folk Club, The Stute, Rugby Club, Hallam Fields Road, and at Carrington Triangle, The Gladstone, Loscoe Road, Carrington.

IT was a "daft accident" which nearly cost Jason Swift his life.

The 28-year-old was heading home on his motorbike after a visit to Matlock with his brother, Jamie, when his life changed forever.

As he went around a bend his Honda CVR 600 bike hit something in the road, throwing him off and into the path of a passing car.

After getting crushed beneath the car's back wheels, Jason was left unconscious and fighting for his life – all just yards from his home.

Jason, 28, of Oakdale Road, South Normanton, said: "I can't remember the accident. The first thing I can remember is waking up in hospital months later.

"It was just a daft accident. I didn't know just how close I was to death.

"When people tell me, it just shows just how much everyone did for me."

Jason came off his bike in Storth Lane, South Normanton, at around 4pm on May 28 last year. His fiancée, Charlotte Hobster, 27, who grew up in Nuthall, got a phone call at around 4.30pm saying he had had an accident and it was "really bad".

She arrived to find more than 100 people crowded around Jason, who had stopped breathing and was being treated by air ambulance medics.

Charlotte said: "I remember doctors trying to clear people away because there was such a massive crowd. As I got there the air ambulance staff were dealing with him and they had cut all his leathers off.

"An off-duty nurse had seen him come off and started CPR.

"He had monitors all over him and was totally unconscious, he had stopped breathing. They were breathing for him in the air ambulance."

Jason was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre by helicopter and straight to theatre, where he underwent an eight-hour operation to save his life.

He had punctured both of his lungs, had bleeding to the front of his brain, various fractures to his neck and a broken right shoulder blade.

The impact of the accident had also caused nerve damage to his right arm and torn the main artery from his heart to that arm, meaning he was bleeding internally.

He needed to be given five units of blood to replace that lost due to the bleeding.

Charlotte said: "On the GCS Scale – which measures consciousness – Jason was a three. Fifteen is normal, so he was barely there.

"He was critical for days and he'd suffered life-threatening injuries to his chest and brain. His chest was horrendous – he was on a ventilator for a long time and kept having chest infections.

"He totally wasted away. He was normally about 15-and-a-half stone, but he dropped to 11st 10lbs in hospital."

During his battle, Jason spent around seven weeks in intensive care at the QMC, before being transferred to the high-dependency unit and the new D9 Major Trauma Centre.

Jason is one of 44 "unexpected" survivors treated at the centre in the last year – people who were extremely close to death.

The trauma centre is due to celebrate its first anniversary on Monday.

Since its launch, it has seen about 60 major trauma cases each month. More than 500 patients have been cared for.

A total of 91 patients were brought into the unit via an air ambulance, while 61 people required stabilisation at a local trauma unit before being transferred to the centre.

Jason's treatment also saw him transferred to Nottingham's City Hospital to the Linden Lodge neurological rehabilitation unit, before being discharged from hospital on October 15 last year – nearly five months after the accident.

He has been left with a four-month gap in his memory, has lost the use of his right arm, and has had to learn to walk again.

He has also been told it could take up to 18 months for his brain to fully heal.

Charlotte said: "He's really, really positive. I think sometimes when we talk about how bad he was he cannot believe it.

"We've been back to see the nurses and doctors and they can't believe the difference in him.

"They were all amazing, so good and really supportive."

Jason, who had worked as a pylon engineer for Balfour Beattie for six years prior to the accident, said: "It's been hard. I've always been an athletic person.

"If I'm honest, I just want to get on with life. I don't want to stop.

"I know there's lots I can't do now but I'm still going to get as good as I can."

He added: "I had to learn to walk again. That was one of the weirdest things ever.

"I woke up and couldn't walk because I'd been laid down for that long, and my brain had forgotten.

"It took about four or five sessions to be able to walk again without someone's hand on me, but I'm totally fine now.

"I'm just hoping I can do something in the offices, helping to train other people to do my job."

Of the Major Trauma Unit's help, Jason said: "They were all brilliant at helping me.

"I also couldn't have done it without the help of Charlotte, and my family and friends."

SURGEON Daren Forward was acting as major trauma consultant when Jason arrived at the QMC following his accident.

He said: "I was the first person to see him as he came through the door, and coordinated his immediate treatment.

"He had chest and head injuries, a fractured shoulder blade, neck, and ribs, and a major blood vessel to his right arm had been torn near his collarbone.

"He had collapsed lungs on both sides, and a bleed on the brain. Most of his injuries were concentrated in the head and neck region, and were consistent with leaving his motorbike at speed and hitting something.

"At that stage, his head and chest injuries, and the bleeding, meant Jason had three different reasons to die.

"We got him incubated, put tubes down his throat, and put chest drains in each side to reduce the pressure so he could be ventilated properly.

"With his arm, the focus was keeping him alive and then trying to identify why it was bleeding, stop it, and restore circulation. He also had a number of scans to the head, chest and arm, all within the first 30 minutes of arriving.

"That half-hour window for people on the edge is critical."

Nearly a year on, Mr Forward said it was fantastic to see the extent of Jason's recovery.

He said: "You see people like Jason completely wiped out, dead in the bed, and nearly a year later they are back. It's pretty amazing really.

"People clearly surviving who would have died is a fantastic achievement for everyone in the hospital. It's a huge team effort by the nurses, porters, those in the blood bank, radiographers, and paramedics.

"There's probably hundreds of people involved in that one person's care."

Of the benefits the Major Trauma Centre has brought, he added: "The main impact is that critical patients are now coming to the right place first time, and the quality of care is better and as perfect as it can be.

"With people like Jason, the centre is making that difference in the first 24 hours between them dying and surviving."

THE blues commence tonight with the pedal to the metal and caning it down to Rock City for a gig by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (pictured).

This blues, garage rock, folk revival, neo psychedelia band began in San Francisco began in 1998, influenced by the Rolling Stones, the Verve, Velvet Underground and Jesus and The Mary Chain. The gig is one of only six in the UK in the wake of their latest studio album, Specter At The Feast.

For punters who want more blues-centred music, tonight The Approach features the voice, piano and keen sense of humour of Dino Baptiste.

Trent Navigation is offering husband and wife blues duo The Red Dirt Skinners.

The Greyhound, Beeston, has Steelyard, with their blues-rock originals and carefully crafted covers.

Last but not least, The Flowerpot, Derby, is showcasing that legendary blues rock band The Pretty Things on their 50th anniversary tour.

The band got their name from the 1955 Bo Diddley song of the same name and they earned their reputation from their controversial lyrics, ultra-long hair and alternative stage attire.

Sunday takes blues fans to the Diamond, Sutton-in- Ashfield, for the return of the latest in the line of UK's new breed of guitarists destined for the top. Ben Poole was inspired by blues and rock and has combined it into to his own sound.

Ben first came to prominence as lead guitarist with Dani Wilde's band but it was soon obvious that he had talent in his own right and, while still playing for Dani, he forged a solo and band career. Total Guitar Magazine has even gone as far as classing him as, "the next Joe Bonamassa".

Finishing the blues for the week is an accomplished musician who became a great favourite at Millers: Matt Woosey is doing a solo acoustic set at The Flowerpot, Derby, on Wednesday.

THE Post has been inundated with e-mails from readers who were lucky enough to be at the arena for May's star performance.

Sue Stevenson was in the second row.

She said: "When he burst on stage, the audience went wild.

"It was an incredible end to what was one of the best musicals I've ever seen."

After waiting four years to see the show, Sarah Rickard was thrilled to see her idol live on stage.

She said: "It was amazing to have Brian May turn up. It was truly incredible."

Just as the musical was coming to an end with the intro to Bohemian Rhapsody, rock legend Brian May appeared from the back of the stage.

Judy Wood said: "The noise from the crowd was amazing.

"At 68 years old I was clapping, jumping up and down, screaming and crying, all at the same time."

Ade Handley said: "A talented cast and a rocking band, they played all the Queen favourites with class.

"Brian May comes on with 'old red' and gets the audience into a frenzy.

"He finished Bohemian Rhapsody in the only way Brian could, draped in a beam of light, guitar held high and rocked."

Margaret Adams would recommend the show to anyone who hasn't seen it.

She said: "The show was fantastic, well worth going to see.

"The icing on the cake was definitely the appearance of Brian May. What a fantastic end to the show."

PEOPLE are being asked to look out for a Notts burglar who walked out of an open prison.

Jerry Connors, 26, absconded from HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire on Wednesday.

Connors was sentenced in December at Nottingham Crown Court to 32 months in prison for burglary and theft.

He is described as white, 5ft 7ins tall, of stocky build, with short dark brown hair, green eyes, and has an Irish accent.

His last known address was is in Nottingham.

Anyone with any information about where he is should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A MAN from Gedling has been fined for throwing a mobile phone near to the pitch during a football match at Nottingham Forest's City Ground. Ben Padgett, 18, of Jessops Lane, has to pay £110 after he admitted throwing the phone on August 28 last year. Magistrates in Nottingham did not impose a football banning order, because Padgett had no history of football-related violence on his record and it was felt "disproportionate" in the circumstances. He admitted an offence under the Football (Offences) Act 1991. As well as the fine, he will pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £85.

GERALD Fanning, 42, of Greenwood Road, Bakersfield, has pleaded not guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit. Fanning is alleged to have driven over the drink-drive limit in Burton Road, Carlton, on July 1 last year. Fanning is due to stand trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on May 28 and has been granted bail until that date.

THOMAS Inglis, 18, of Park Road, Radcliffe-on-Trent, has pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in East Bridgford on November 10 last year. he also admitted failing to surrender to custody at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on February 12, having been bailed. Inglis was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim and to pay £85 towards costs. He was also made subject of a community order which requires him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

SUZANNE Thomas, 30, of Sneinton Dale, Sneinton, has pleaded guilty to stealing £7 of magazines, Pepperami and sandwiches from the Nisa Local store in Oakdale Road, Sneinton, on March 7. She was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £35 towards costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

AIDAN Newbold, 20, of Willow Hill Close, is accused of assaulting a male in Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, last October. Magistrates in Nottingham will hear his trial on May 28. Newbold, who denies assault, is on unconditional bail.

ETHAN Buck, 19, of Almond Close, Kimberley, denies assaulting a male. Magistrates in Nottingham heard that the alleged offence happened in Eastwood Road, Kimberley, on March 2. His trial will be listed at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on May 22. He is on conditional bail.

WAYNE Elkington , 36, of Lime Tree Road, Hucknall, is to have a trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. He is accused of resisting a police constable when he was on duty in Hucknall on February 2 this year. He further denies using threatening behaviour in Hucknall on February 1. He is on unconditional bail to attend his trial on June 18.

THEO Foster, 21, of Birchover Road, Bilborough, is to appear at Nottingham Crown Court. He is charged with possessing 98.92 grams of cocaine and a quantity of cannabis with intent to supply on September 14 last year. He is on conditional bail to attend a plea and case management hearing on July 11.

SCOTT Raynor, 37, of McIntosh Road, Gedling, is accused of fraud. It is alleged he presented stolen cheques to various post offices in Notts between October 1 and December 31 last year. He is on unconditional bail to attend Nottingham Magistrates' Court on May 17.

GARY Wells, 42, of Shipstone Street, New Basford, has been charged with assaulting a male in Nottingham on December 17 last year. He entered a not guilty plea at Nottingham Magistrates' Court and now awaits his trial on May 22. He is on unconditional bail.

A MAN has been charged with road traffic offences in Beeston. Tobias Clarke, 25, of Edmund Close, Sheffield, is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, April 2. He allegedly drove a Vauxhall Astra, in Chilwell Road, without due care and attention on July 13 last year. He also allegedly had an accident and failed to stop or report the accident on the same date.

A PENSIONER is to appear in court accused of assaulting a male. Morris Parker, 74, of Carroll Gardens, The Meadows, will have a trial on May 16 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. It is alleged he assaulted the male in Ranmere Road, Beechdale, on August 27 last year. He is on unconditional bail.

CLAIRE Scrivins , 32, of Bestwood Lodge Drive, Bestwood Park, has been fined £165 for failing to reveal the identity of the driver of a Fiat Punto. She was found guilty of the offence at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. The person who had been driving the Fiat was allegedly guilty of a road traffic offence in Arnold on or about December 12, 2011. As well as the fine, she is required to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £70.

MAX Fearon, 23, of Albert Street, Newark, was fined £110 for an offence involving a policeman. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court, he pleaded guilty to obstructing the officer in the execution of his duty in Newark on March 15. As well as the fine, he is required to pay compensation of £75, a victim surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.

IT has been nearly three years since Angela Tomlin lost her battle with cancer.

But her husband Russell, 70, relives the events of her final weeks every day.

He was so appalled by the care she was receiving that he began to keep a diary.

It makes for difficult reading and details a catalogue of problems, including:

A doctor at City Hospital being regularly one or more hours late

Doctors not being clear when explaining diagnoses and treatment

A bathroom covered in urine and faeces being shared by both men and women due to the female one being broken.

"It's very difficult, I don't think I will ever be able to get closure," said Mr Tomlin,

"It was dreadful. The lack of communication and empathy we received was unacceptable, as was the nursing care after Angie's operation. I've lost all faith in the NHS as a result."

In one incident, Angela was said to have crawled to the bathroom after an operation.

Mr Tomlin, from Toton, has complained to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust twice through their Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and then to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, asking for an independent review to be carried out.

Although the ombudsman's report concluded there appeared to be "some shortcomings in the communication and nursing care" given to Mrs Tomlin, who was 64 when she died, they declined to investigate the matter further.

Undeterred, Mr Tomlin has taken his diary and concerns to Broxtowe MP and health minister, Anna Soubry.

Mrs Tomlin was first diagnosed with endometrial cancer – which affects the womb lining – in 2007, about 15 years after having a hysterectomy.

After successful treatment she was in remission until July 2009, when she had to go through another course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In August 2010 Mr Tomlin said they were told by their doctor at City Hospital that there was no more treatment available and that Mrs Tomlin had weeks to months left.

By this time Mrs Tomlin had also been diagnosed with a colovaginal fistula. They were advised the only way to treat this was a colostomy, which Angela was not strong enough to withstand.

They arranged a second opinion at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where Mr Tomlin said they were told Mrs Tomlin had a 70 per cent chance of response to the procedure and agreed to treat her. Mr Tomlin said: "The question that I can't get out of my mind is why did they refuse further treatment at the QMC and agree to it at Leicester?

"I can't help but feel it might have made some difference to Angie's recovery if she'd had the colostomy sooner."

The ombudsman's report states it would not have made any difference when Mrs Tomlin had the colostomy.

The operation was eventually carried out at the Queen's Medical Centre in September 2010 and Mrs Tomlin was allowed home ten days after and appeared to be recovering.

However, in October she began to deteriorate and was rushed in to hospital, where she was diagnosed with an internal infection.

In the next six days Mr Tomlin said his wife began to improve but was then diagnosed with MRSA and continued to deteriorate. She died at home on October 31, 2010.

RESIDENTS who claim council tax benefit could be £138 worse off over the next year due to Government changes, it has been claimed.

From Monday, the national council tax benefit scheme will be abolished under the Welfare Reform Act, with responsibility for discounts being passed on to local councils.

Nottingham City Council has opposed the change, saying it will mean thousands of people in the city will be worse off.

The authority says the amount of money it has been given by the Government to set up a new council tax support scheme is lower than what residents received on existing council tax benefits.

The existing benefits reduce the amount of council tax that low-income households have to pay.

Now anti-poverty think-tank the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has claimed more than two million households in England will pay at least £138 a year more council tax from next week because of the benefit changes.

Nottingham East MP Chris Leslie said: "Potentially in the St Ann's, Hyson Green, and Sneinton areas of my constituency, there are a lot of people who have been on 100 per cent council tax benefits because of their low or no-income status.

"I think from next week it's going to really dawn on people and be quite a burden, especially when combined with other benefit changes also due to come into force. This is going to be a real hit to their limited spare income."

He added: I'm very worried about what will happen in six months' time when these people find it impossible to meet their payments and find themselves before the courts."

Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood said: "This report, written by an influential independent organisation, confirms that once again it will be Nottingham's poorest people who will be hit by the Government's cuts to local councils.

"19,000 people in Nottingham will have to find extra money for council tax bills as a result of the Tory-led Government's latest changes.

"Some of them face a double-whammy as they are also being hit by the bedroom tax. The Government is unfairly targeting Nottingham's most vulnerable families whilst simultaneously cutting taxes for millionaires."

Christopher Sneap, 52, of Wollaton Park, receives council tax benefit.

He said: "My cost of living will go up. I will struggle.

"Although I also receive a disability benefit, these changes will mean a big chunk of my allowances will have to cover the extra council tax."

A 50-year-old man from the Arboretum, who also claims council tax benefit and asked not to be named, said: "They are penalising those who have very little. It should be those who have the most money being targeted.

"If you want the economy to recover, money needs to be moving. How can you move money amongst those who haven't got anything?"

Nottingham City Council's deputy leader, Councillor Graham Chapman, said: "This change is a very expensive way of hurting a lot of poor people as it will cost £5m to set up.

"Although the cut is billed as 10 per cent, when you take into account that we are expected, by law, to protect pensioners, and then take into account inflation, the cut for those who will be affected is actually a great deal more than that, and year on year it'll get worse.

"It is unfair and it is taking spending power out of the economy at a time when we need to provide growth to create jobs."

The research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found 232 local authorities had devised schemes that would demand council tax from everyone regardless of income, while 58 will retain current levels of support for families.

The organisation concluded: "This restructuring of the benefits system, together with a 10 per cent cut in funding, will create considerable challenges for local authorities, advice services and benefit recipients alike."

It added: "Cuts to means-tested benefits exclusively hit lower-income households.

"When council tax support is introduced, most councils will start to collect a tax from families previously deemed too poor to pay.

"With approximately two million working-age council tax benefit claimants in poverty, and a further 300,000 just above it, an increase in council tax will invariably push more people into poverty or deeper into poverty."

A spokeswoman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: "Council tax benefit spending doubled under Labour and welfare reform is a vital part of help to tackle the deficit that we inherited. The localisation of council tax benefit will give councils stronger incentives to cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people back into work."

POLICE say they are uncovering the true extent of the illegal growing of Cannabis in Notts after a rise in tip-offs.

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers began a campaign in Notts last week to try to get people to spot clues that could suggest the drug is being produced near them.

It follows a report last year which showed that, as of December 2011, Notts had the eighth highest number of cannabis farms raided in 54 UK police force areas since April that year.

And the report from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) shows that between April 2010 and April 2011, 200 farms were uncovered in Notts.

Inspector David Cain, a drugs crime specialist with Notts Police, said: "The amount of cannabis 'farms' we have raided over the last few years has increased due to the proactive nature of our policing and an increase in the intelligence we are receiving.

"Over the last few years, with the changes in classification, cannabis has been in the media more often, which has heightened the public awareness of the drug.

"This has led to an increase of reporting as people are more aware of what the drug smells and looks like."

Cannabis was downgraded by the Government to a class C drug in 2004, but regraded back up to class B in 2009.

The Crimestoppers campaign includes posting "scratch and sniff" cards through Notts letter boxes to help people develop a nose for the smell of growing cannabis.

It also warned of the drug's links with organised crime.

Mr Cain said: "The nature of the set-up of these cannabis 'farms' means that those involved are often organised criminals.

"They often work in groups to identify multiple addresses and go in and set up the equipment.

"Criminals often get involved because of the potential amount of money involved."

He added: "We are determined to combat this type of crime and therefore act on intelligence to raid cannabis cultivations – prosecuting those involved."

But one anti-youth crime campaigner told the Post he was worried about how easy it appeared to be for Notts teenagers to buy the drug.

Clayton Byfield, who ran a youth bus in Notts for the No Gun Organisation (NGO) until it ran out of funding a year ago, said: "Young people are definitely smoking more of it. People see it as not exactly the crime of the century – however, I see a lot of young lads driving around smoking it and I think it is responsible for a lot of road accidents and attitude.

"It is easily available."

Mr Cain added: "We specifically put money aside into a 'drugs fund' for proactive operations."

TEN straight victories have seen Mansfield Town excel into pole position for the title and promotion.

And the 1-0 victory against Nuneaton on Tuesday put them one point off leaders Kidderminster with three games in hand.

They are also five points in front of Wrexham with eight games to go and it has brought an added pressure.

It is Mansfield's to lose and, in midweek, you could sense nervousness in the crowd as the game dragged on goalless with chance after chance being missed before they eventually won.

A roadblock was thrown in their way when James Jennings, so excellent at left-back since joining in January from Cambridge, went off with a hamstring injury and will now miss the rest of the campaign.

But such is Stags' stature and attraction, they swooped yesterday to sign promising left-back Greg Taylor on an emergency loan from Luton Town.

And with four games in the space of eight days, there is a huge opportunity to take a real stranglehold on the Blue Square Bet Premier.

But Cox has told his players, and supporters, to embrace the run-in and hold no fear as they look to make it over the finishing line first.

First up are Tamworth away tomorrow before entertaining Gateshead on Easter Monday.

A trip to Wrexham follows on Thursday night before an even longer journey to Barrow less than 48 hours later.

Cox said: "My message is do not be nervous. We are all in this game to enjoy it and the support the other night was immense.

"Even though we did not play particularly well, they stuck with us and we got the win.

"We can't afford to be anxious or stress about what is at stake. This is why we take part in this sport.

"It is what I am in it for, it is what the supporters are in it for and the lads have just got to enjoy it.

"I don't want anybody to feel pressure. We just have to go for it. We must embrace it.

"We are playing for the title, for promotion and it doesn't get much better than that.

"There is no point worrying about failure. It is all positive and we just have to give it our best shot but certainly not fear it."

Ritchie Sutton, George Pilkington and Lee Beevers could all play at left-back but Cox did not want to be left short if other injuries arise or suspensions, with Beevers on eight cautions and two yellows away from an automatic two-game ban.

That is why the manager was delighted to bring in Taylor on an emergency loan yesterday.

The 23-year-old old has played 20 times for the Hatters this season and has also spent time on loan at Tamworth this term, who Stags face tomorrow.

Cox said: "He's a natural left-back, with good ability both in defence and going forward. The next eight games are important and we need to be sure that all bases are covered. He'll be a very good addition to the squad."

The Stags manager said he will have to rotate his squad in the coming games.

But he also added: "We look fresh now, that break did us good and after getting that game out of the way on Tuesday, we will be sharp.

"We will play tomorrow and then have a warm down and see where we are at on Sunday.

"These lads can physically cope with the demands so I would expect most to be ready to play again on Monday. If changes need to be made, I am positive players who will come in can do a very good job for the team.

"Tamworth is a chance to win another game and I am looking no further than that.

"There will be lots of twists and turns but my job as manager is to make sure those twists are limited as much as possible for our club.

"We want to do it in straight lines and just keeping moving forward, game by game.

"Tamworth will be a difficult test but we will have a solid support and we know what we have to do.

"We have a good chance (of winning the title). But that's all it is at this stage – a chance."