NOTTS County got a point at Preston North End last night – and they did not need to park the team bus in front of their goal to do it.

North End manager Graham Westley foolishly insulted the Magpies and their long unbeaten away record before the game.

"People talk about parking buses, they play a 4-6-0 system!" he said. The headline on the back page of the local newspaper in Preston also read: "Overtake the bus"

Westley's ill-judged words provoked a response from Notts defender Dean Leacock, who took to Twitter and said: "What a funny guy he (Westley) is. He's defo never seen us play before." And he's right. He can't have done.

It looked like it motivated the rest of the Magpies players too, because they gave their all to earn a point in a goalless draw that is so valuable to their promotion challenge.

They certainly rode their luck in the first half and it took goal-line clearances from Gary Liddle and Carl Regan and a few good saves from their No.1 Bartosz Bialkowski to deny North End, but they were far, far better in the second half and deserved to extend their unbeaten run on the road to 19 games.

The Magpies made three changes from their draw at Scunthorpe United.

Striker Lee Hughes scored twice against the Iron, but he was still named on the subs' bench at Deepdale and French forward Yoann Arquin was restored to their attack.

Defender Regan also played for the first time in five weeks, following his recovery from a foot injury, and he joined Dean Leacock, Liddle, who was named PFA fans' player of the month in League One for October before the game, and Alan Sheehan in defence, in front of goalkeeper Bialkowski.

Francois Zoko also replaced Jamal Campbell-Ryce and captain Neal Bishop, Andre Boucaud, Jeff Hughes and Alan Judge completed their line-up.

The Magpies threatened for the first time on ten minutes.

Sheehan hit a magnificent diagonal pass to Judge on the right wing, he beat Preston's left-back Scott Laird, whipped a dangerous cross into the penalty area and Bishop, Zoko and Arquin were all in there, but North End goalkeeper Steve Simonsen confidently plucked the ball out of the air to frustrate the trio.

Notts survived a big scare on 13 minutes, however, as Laird swung a cross into the box from the left for Akpo Sodje and he directed a powerful header just over the crossbar from eight yards.

Bialkowski was then forced into a good save to deny the home side, diving low to his left to hold a shot from Nicky Wroe, Preston's leading scorer this season.

Notts came under increasing pressure as the first half wore on and it took an even better save by Bialkowski to stop Wroe scoring on 18 minutes, after Stuart Beavon had headed Jeffrey Monakana's right-wing cross into his path inside the penalty area.

Wroe seized onto the ball in a split second and smashed it at goal and Bialkowski leapt to his right to parry it away. It was a super save.

Having made those two good saves, the Magpies' No.1 then made a terrible mistake on 34 minutes that so nearly led to Preston taking the lead.

Having controlled a back-pass from Regan, he tried to pass the ball back to the right-back, but hit it straight to Beavon.

He dived at the striker's feet in a desperate attempt to stop him, but he sidestepped the Pole and drove a shot at goal that looked set to break the deadlock until Liddle made the most outstanding headed clearance on the goal line.

That was not the end of the drama, though, because the subsequent corner fell to Beavon and he swept another shot at goal that Regan cleared off the line.

Notts had little reply. Arquin registered their first effort on target on 40 minutes from the edge of the penalty area, but it was all too easy for Simonsen to stop.

Bialkowski then made two more saves from Beavon in the closing minutes of the first half so it was goalless at half-time. The Magpies were very lucky to be level though and they were quickly put under pressure again at the start of the second half.

Monakana threaded a pass through the Notts defence and dangerously into the box for Jack King after less than a minute, but he had strayed offside, fortunately for the Magpies, and King then blazed over the bar from 20 yards.

Notts responded with their first attack on 52 minutes and Jeff Hughes fired a low cross across the six-yard box, Judge slid in, but just missed it.

Boucaud then hit a great pass into the Preston penalty area for Arquin on 59 minutes, but, like King, he was flagged offside, and Judge drove a low cross into the box from the right on 60 minutes that was hacked clear.

The Magpies made a double substitution two minutes later. On came Lee Hughes and Campbell-Ryce and off went Arquin and Zoko.

Lee Hughes is always a threat and Judge tried to swing a cross into the box for him on 66 minutes, but Simonsen punched clear under pressure.

Preston also made a substitution, bringing on Bailey Wright, and he tested Bialkowski with a low shot from 20 yards on 70 minutes, after beating Liddle and Bishop.

The home side were then screaming for a penalty when Sodje went down in the box in a challenge with Regan on 75 minutes, but referee Tony Harrington rightly turned down their protests.

The game was on a knife edge until the very end.

Judge blazed over for the Magpies on 85 minutes and then Bialkowski parried away a cross-cum-shot from Preston sub Lee Holmes on 86 minutes and Sheehan blocked Monakana's rebound effort.

There were four minutes of injury time and it turned nasty right at the death as Campbell-Ryce recklessly lunged in at Laird near to the corner flag and was sent off.

Campbell-Ryce exited down the tunnel, with Laird left on a stretcher and the Magpies left with a point.

PRESTON: Simonsen, Keane (Wright, 55), Huntington, Robertson, Laird, Monakana, Welsh, Wroe, Beavon, King (Holmes, 74), Sodje (Cummins, 82). Subs: Stuckmann, Amoo, Byrom, Elding.

NOTTS: Bialkowski, Regan, Leacock, Liddle, Sheehan, Bishop, Boucaud, J Hughes, Judge (Labadie, 88), Zoko (Campbell-Ryce, 62), Arquin (L Hughes, 62). Subs: Mitchell, Kelly, Mahon, Showunmi.

REFEREE: Tony Harrington (Cleveland).

ATTENDANCE: 8,013

RECYCLING in Nottingham has fallen for the first time in at least six years.

The city council has blamed government funding cuts after the amount of household waste being recycled fell to 33.2 per cent in 2011-12 – down from 37.3 per cent the previous year.

Overall there was 6,000 tonnes less of items including glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, tins and garden waste recycled.

All councils in Notts who dispose of waste saw a fall in recycling, except Gedling.

It comes at a time when recycling rates nationally have continued to rise.

Nigel Lee, of Nottingham Friends of the Earth, said: "This is a serious problem that needs to be resolved.

"It's an example of Government funding cuts going to the point where it is making services worse."

Eco-campaigner Shlomo Dowen, of Mansfield, a member of People Against Incineration, said: "It is a cause for concern. It is frustrating to the point of agonising."

Councillor Alan Clark, the city council's portfolio holder for Energy and Sustainability, said funding cuts had forced the council to axe a trial of food waste collections and reduce the months that it collects garden waste.

He added that council hoped it could turn it around by making it easier for residents in flats to recycle and running a New Year campaign to reinforce the message about what can and can't be recycled.

A Defra report said: "This could indicate that authorities have by now exploited the easiest targets in terms of recycling, and are increasingly facing challenges in influencing behaviour change."

NOTTINGHAM City Council has apologised for "unacceptable" delays after tram construction roadworks overran on a busy city road.

Motorists faced lengthy rush-hour delays when University Boulevard stayed closed when work overran yesterday.

A council spokesman said: "Yesterday morning's disruption is clearly something we do our utmost to prevent. We're sorry about the frustration and delay caused by a combination of overrun tram works, accidents and bad weather.

"We will be speaking to the tram contractor about the unacceptable overrun on the overnight work and how this can be avoided in future."

A spokeswoman for contractors Taylor Woodrow Alstom, which is constructing Nottingham's two new tram lines, said: "Work on University Boulevard was scheduled to take place as part of a permitted night closure and the weather prolonged this overnight activity. We are very sorry for the disruption caused by this.

"We work hard to try and minimise the impact of our activities at all times. We currently have more than 40 working sites across the city and we are very disappointed that in this instance, we haven't done so successfully."

The situation was worsened by a two-car collision which caused the A52 Clifton Boulevard to be closed for more than an hour. One car flipped on to its roof and another was damaged at 7.20am. The road reopened at 8.45am.

The male driver of the overturned Toyota was taken to Queen's Medical Centre. The driver of the other car, a Daewoo, was unhurt.

The council spokesman added: "Once major roads start to become clogged, there is a limit to what we can do. Nottingham is particularly vulnerable to this, which is one of the reasons we invest so much in public transport improvements."

MORE than £250,000 in taxpayers' money has been spent on political assistants at the city and county councils over the last five years.

Political assistants, who can earn up to £34,986, can be responsible for a range of tasks including managing the day-to-day operation of a party's group office, ensuring that group members are aware of national party policy, and supporting the training and development of councillors within the group.

Figures obtained by the Post through a Freedom of Information request show that the city council has spent £224,927 on political assistants for the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats since 2009, with no expenditure in the two years previously; and the county council £29,100 on a post for the Conservative party in the financial year 2009-10, with no expenditure in any of the last five years.

No other district and borough councils in the county have spent public cash on the posts.

The expenditure has been criticised by the Taxpayers' Alliance, who said it should stop.

"There is absolutely no justification for landing council tax payers with a bill for party political advisers," Jonathan Isaby, political director of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said.

"The fact that so many councils in Nottinghamshire function perfectly well without them is clear evidence that they are unnecessary.

This spending should cease as a matter of urgency."

Resident Erika Drinkwater, 31, of Berridge Road, Forest Fields, said: "I think spending public cash like this is ridiculous. And I never see anything to show for it, like visible improvements."

Matt Ashton, politics lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, said: "Political assistants have been contentious ever since their introduction.

"The chief problem is that the job title is so elastic. It could be argued that local political parties are right to spend money on assistants if it helps them perform their traditional functions, for example by performing certain routine tasks so councillors have more time to spend on important matters like helping the parties communicate with the wider public.

"However, it could equally be argued that councillors are paid to do a job and that, in time of ever increasing austerity, political assistants are yet a further drain on public money.""

But Jayne Francis-Ward, assistant chief executive officer at the county council, said: "Under the council's current constitution political parties are able to have a political assistant.

"In 2009 the newly appointed Conservative administration requested to have a political assistant. Other political groups did not request one at that time. No political groups have had a political assistant since 2010.

"All councils provide elected members with some dedicated administrative and/or research officer support. People have elected councillors to represent them and do a job, and they need some support to do this.

"These posts are not funded by political parties."

Councillor Jason Zadrozny, leader of the nine Lib Dems on the council, said his party was using the support of administration support officer, who gets paid around £18,000 a year.

"We decided against having a political assistant because we felt it would not be right for the public to pay for political support."

Alan Rhodes, leader of the Labour 16-strong group at the county council, who use a researcher and administrator, said: "We don't think it is justifiable in times like these when cuts are being made."

The ruling Labour group on the city council declined to comment, and the Conservative group was unavailable to comment.

Tony Sutton, former leader of the Lib Dems on the city council, said he believed employing a part-time political assistant for the party was providing "good value for money for the taxpayer".

Are you affected by this story? Call Winnie on 0115 905 1963 or e-mail winnie.agbonlahor@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

LEADING Indian politicians and a film star will be at a national award ceremony in Nottingham on Saturday.

The UK edition of the Global Punjabi Society Awards are expected to attract about 250 people to the Indian Community Centre in Hucknall Road, Sherwood.

Society officials said bringing the awards to Nottingham was a coup after the previous two were held in Leicester.

Expected guests include Amar Singh – of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament – and fellow Indian politician and Bollywood film actress Jaya Prada.

Society advisor Mohan Khera, of West Bridgford, said: "People are coming from all over the country. It's an achievement to have the awards here and we're very excited."

The society was set up to support and honour people originally from Punjab, a state in India. It has branches in Qatar, Thailand, the UAE and New Delhi, where its headquarters is.

The UK chapter has held a national ceremony for the last four years with a committee in Delhi picking the winners.

Officials decided to hold this year's event in Nottingham to try to spread the influence of the awards around the UK.

Anyone can nominate someone to win an award, which are open to people from across India.

About 12 people will win awards on Saturday night, with winners expected to be drawn from fields including medicine, business and the arts.

There are no specific categories – awards are handed out for people who have excelled in any particular field.

Mr Khera moved to Nottingham in 1987, giving up a director-level position at a firm in India. He got a job at Boots before becoming a civil servant for HM Customs and Excise.

Dr Jas Bilkhu, who will also be among the guests, moved to Nottingham from Punjab as a teenager in 1960.

He became a GP in Radcliffe-on-Trent and then a postgraduate dean at the University of Nottingham, before retiring three years ago.

Dr Bilkhu, 66, said: "There's a significant Punjabi community living in Nottingham now and it is about recognising their achievements.

"The idea is to honour people who have made significant achievements for themselves and the communities in which they live. If Punjabis do well in this country they make India and Punjab proud."

He hoped having the awards in the city would create a forum to promote culture.

"It's fantastic to meet people from other professions who have achieved so much in their fields," he added. "The atmosphere is electric."

Tickets for Saturday's event, at 7pm, are still available at £30 each including a champagne reception and three-course meal. Call 07710 356162.

A TEENAGE cyclist who died after being hit by a car at a busy road junction may have had his view blocked by stationary traffic, an inquest heard.

Joshua Dale, 14, of Colwick, had reached the middle of the Colwick Loop Road, at the junction with Mile End Road, when he began to cycle across next part of the road.

But while the first lane of traffic was stationary waiting to turn right, Joshua was hit by a car in the next lane which was going straight on.

The Carlton le Willows Academy pupil was thrown from his bike and died from head injuries 11 days later. He was not wearing a cycle helmet.

PC Andrew Fletcher, a forensic collision investigator who examined the scene, raised questions about the junction's safety.

He said: "It's not clear whether he (Joshua) did look or not, but maybe he didn't.

"He's gone straight out into the road. He may have been misled by the stationary traffic."

He said that worn markings at the crossing saying "wait for the green man" had been repainted after the crash.

The driver of the car which hit Joshua, Martin Matthews, said the traffic in the right-turn filter lane had also blocked his view.

He said: "Everything happened so quickly," he said. "I stopped the vehicle and remember seeing the bike bouncing in front of the car."

In a statement Mr Matthews made to police after he was told Joshua had died, he said: "I felt devastated. I feel awful for his family and what they must be going through and his friends."

Joshua's mother, Faith Dale, spent 11 days by his bedside before he died.

Notts Coroner Mairin Casey recorded a verdict of accidental death at Nottingham Coroner's Court yesterday.

She said: "It's beyond comprehension to me what Faith Dale is going through.

"I have a son who is not greatly older."

MARTIN Haag deserves a new deal as head coach of Nottingham Rugby, says captain Brent Wilson.

Haag signed a one-year contract when he took charge of the Green and Whites this season and has since made a great start to his reign at Meadow Lane, leading them up to third place in the standings in the Championship.

They have won six of their first nine league games and the best of those was a 63-7 mauling of last season's table-toppers and Haag's old club Bristol on home soil earlier this month.

Nottingham have also claimed big home wins against London Scottish and Jersey and beaten Leeds, Moseley and Plymouth Albion.

They look set to go on and clinch a place in the promotion play-offs and Wilson hopes his boss agrees a new deal with the club.

"In the short amount of time that he has been here, we have seen some big changes and they have all been promising as we head in the right direction," he said.

"It would be great to see him stay and push on and be the one that leads us to the Premiership."

It is Haag's first job as a head coach, but he was a forwards coach at Bristol when they won promotion into the Premiership.

Chairman Alistair Bow said: "We're very pleased with his performance.

"We're happy with him and he's happy at Nottingham.

"His contract is not due to be discussed yet, but we will sit down at a time that suits everyone.

"We don't have a history of chopping and changing our coaches, or players for that matter. We like continuity."

While talks over Haag's future are not imminent, Bow revealed the club has started looking to keep hold of players, like Wilson, whose contracts end this season.

Nottingham face Doncaster Knights on home soil on Sunday (3pm) after a two-week break from action, following their 29-9 defeat to league leaders Newcastle.

The team lost 27-13 to the Knights in the British and Irish Cup at Meadow Lane only a month ago.

But Haag rested some of his star players in that tie and the Greens will be back at full strength for this game.

"We're coming to the halfway stage of the season now and we're very pleased with the start we've made," added Bow.

"We said right at the start our aim was to finish in the top-four and we're more confident than ever we can do that."

A MUSLIM family who had just moved into a new home are "disgusted" after a cross wrapped in ham was set alight and left on their doorstep.

Police are investigating the incident which happened in Bingham on Tuesday evening.

The family do not want to be identified but the dad, a 39-year-old who was recently made redundant from his job as a collection agent for Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "There was a knock on the door and I went to open it. Nobody was there, but the cross was propped up against the door.

"It was alight, and it fell into the house when I opened the door. I noticed sliced ham was tied to it."

Consumption of pork and ham or any "flesh of swine" is forbidden in Islam.

The family had lived in West Bridgford but the 31-year-old mum and two boys, aged eight and 10, moved to Bingham about three weeks ago after the parents separated.

The dad still lives in West Bridgford, but was in the house in Edinburgh Drive, Bingham, on Tuesday helping the family settle in.

He added: "I'm disgusted and shocked. My wife is in bits – she's very angry and in fear of her life. I don't want to leave my wife and kids here."

Neighbours were shocked by the incident.

Sarah Winter, 32, of nearby Hill Drive said: "It's awful. I see the lady walking her kids to school and, as a mum myself, I really feel for her. What a terrible thing to have happened.

"I've lived here all my life and I've never heard of anything like this before."

Flora Smith, 71, also of Hill Drive said: "I'm shocked to hear that has happened. I wouldn't say people in this area are racist at all. Putting something like that outside someone's house is very upsetting and I'm very shocked about it."

A resident of Edinburgh Drive, who did not want to be named, added: "Straightaway you think 'that must mean something' for someone to have gone to the lengths of putting a cross with ham on it together."

Police said they were investigating the incident, which happened in at 6.40pm, and appealed for anyone who may have seen someone running away from the scene to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A spokeswoman said police were also still investigating two incidents in recent months where graffiti had been daubed on an Asian takeaway in Bingham.

CHURCH leaders in Notts say they are disappointed at the Church of England's vote against women bishops.

The measure fell at the final hurdle by just six votes in the General Synod on Tuesday.

Supporters vowed to continue their campaign but it could be five years before another vote is held.

The Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Right Reverend Paul Butler, wrote to all his clergy and ministers to say: "I am personally very disappointed. Many will also be angry and bewildered and everyone will need time to take stock and reflect on what we do next."

The Bishop will be setting up an open meeting, open to anyone, in the next few weeks to look at future options.

He added: "This was the letter I honestly did not want to have to send, after yesterday's vote. But we are all called to continue to live out our calling to join together in the transforming mission of God.

"Many will feel Synod's decision has hindered that work, but it emphatically has not stopped it. God will keep working, and so must we."

Liz Murray, assistant curate for the Eastwood and Brinsley with Underwood parish, which has two churches, also spoke out against the decision.

"I am surprised and disappointed," she said. "I really thought it would go through.

"This is a major blow to the Church, but I think we can survive it.

"And I think for the wider Anglican community it seems a little embarrassing, because New Zealand, states in Africa, Australia and America all have women priests already.

"But my hopes are high this will be revisited soon."

The draft measure was carried in the three houses of the General Synod but failed to gain the necessary two thirds majority among lay members.

The House of Bishops voted 44 in favour, with three against and two recorded abstentions. In the House of Clergy, 148 voted in favour, 45 against and there were no abstentions.

But in the House of Laity, 74 voted against, compared to 132 in favour with no abstentions.

Supporters of women bishops were "devastated" and betrayed.

Sally Barnes, of campaign group Women and the Church (Watch), said she and her colleagues were "very angry".

She said: "My initial reaction is one of deep sorrow at the missed opportunity, especially as we know that the House of Bishops really wanted it to go through.

"We have always said that the way of voting people into the Synod needs a wider electorate to get a wider representation of views because they've gone against the stated view of the wider Church."

A MAN has been convicted for the second time of bludgeoning his elderly neighbour to death.

Peter Smith, 48, was originally jailed for the murder of Hilda Owen in 2008 but had the conviction overturned.

However yesterday at Nottingham Crown Court a jury again found him guilty.

He was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum of 27 years before being considered for parole.

Mrs Owen, 71, was found dead at her home in West Hill, Skegby, in March 2007.

A Home Office post-mortem examination found she had died from severe head injuries caused by a blunt instrument and a screwdriver. There was also evidence of strangulation.

Smith, who had reported finding Mrs Owen's body, was arrested a few weeks later and charged with her murder.

He originally went on trial in November 2008 and after being found guilty was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison.

However in April 2010 he was granted the right to an appeal, which led to the conviction being overturned in May 2011 and a retrial ordered based on the poor quality of fingerprint evidence.

The retrial began in October and had to be restarted three times as the jury had to be discharged.

During the seven-week hearing, the prosecution argued that Smith, who had large debts, had befriended Mrs Owen to gain access to her money and that had been his motive for murdering her.

He even bought a will-making kit shortly before her murder, backdated it and filled it out in her name, stating that her property would be left to him after her death.

The jury was sent out on Tuesday morning and came back with the verdict yesterday. After the hearing, Detective Superintendent Paul Cottee said: "Once again, a jury has found Peter Smith guilty of the brutal murder of Hilda Owen.

"The evidence against Smith in terms of motive, his behaviour prior to Mrs Owen's murder and his movements on and immediately after the day of her murder was overwhelming.

"Smith exercised his legal right to appeal and was granted a retrial. This has obviously placed significant demands upon police time and has also come at a cost to the taxpayer, yet has ultimately reached the same result as the original proceedings.

"Nevertheless, it was essential that the right outcome was achieved and we believe that, once again, it has."

Mr Cottee added: "This process has also meant that Mrs Owen's relatives have again had to endure details of the ordeal she would have suffered at the hands of her killer.

"However, they can now be assured that the man who murdered her has been returned to prison, where he will remain for a very long time."

THE Nottingham Post and its website thisisnottingham.co.uk are to join a new media group which plans to "transform" the regional media industry.

The Post's parent company, Northcliffe Media, is to join a new business, Local World, in a deal worth more than £50m.

Nottingham Post Media Group also publishes Admag and the Nottingham and Long Eaton Topper. It will remain in its current offices, where 200 people work on producing the Post, its website ThisisNottingham.co.uk, and sister publications like the magazine Nottinghamshire Today.

Steve Hollingsworth, publisher of the Nottingham Post Media Group, said: "This is an exciting day and the start of a new era in the history of a newspaper which goes back more than 140 years.

"The past few years have been a challenge for many businesses, but we are now embarking on a journey which puts us at the heart of a long-term strategy to provide people and businesses in Nottingham and beyond with the news, information and services they need

"The Post's reputation is built on being the trusted source of the very best in local journalism and that is the foundation that the whole of Local World is based on."

He went on: "We live in an era of technological change and our business has evolved to take advantage of these new opportunities, particularly through our website ThisisNottingham. The demand for local news and information is, if anything, even stronger than before and we intend to use all forms of media to make sure our audiences and customers are served."

Nottingham Post Media Group will become part of a business which comprises 16 daily newspapers, 34 paid-for weekly newspapers, 45 free weeklies and a portfolio of websites with more than seven million unique users each month.

Steve Auckland, the current boss of the Post's parent company, will be chief executive of Local World.

He said: "Local World intends to transform regional publishing with the creation of a one-stop shop for all local content and commerce across all platforms."

PLANS to use the power of the River Trent to provide electricity for 800 homes are on hold after a successful legal challenge by anglers.

The Canal and River Trust and the Small Hydro Company, wanted to build a £3m hydro-electric power plant in the river at Sawley Weir, which would provide electricity through the National Grid.

The two bodies also had plans for a similar scheme at Gunthorpe Weir which would power 1,200 homes.

But after a four-day hearing at Nottingham County Court, Fish Legal – the legal wing of the Anglers' Trust – was granted an injunction.

Fish Legal was acting for the Pride of Derby Angling Association, which had concerns over access to the river.

Anglers would have had to go through a security gate to raised metal platforms to fish, and the association said the scheme would have destroyed its 1,200 members' enjoyment.

The decision means those behind the plans must either appeal, or try and find another site with different access.

George Elliott, a member of Fish Legal, the Angling Trust and the Pride of Derby Angling Association, said: "I have fished at Sawley Weir for decades and have caught barbel, pike, carp, chub, dace, perch and roach from the weirpool. I am so pleased that we will be able to carry on fishing there in the future."

The schemes both involved propeller-type turbines in concrete channels.

A spokesman for the Canal and River Trust said: "We are disappointed by the outcome. The judge has made it clear that this case relates solely to access and the physical ability to fish from the bank in relation to a specific scheme design at this particular location – and not the quality of the fishery."

He said the judge had given permission for an appeal, and the trust was considering whether to proceed.

He added: "This includes Gunthorpe, where we have both planning permission and consent from the Environment Agency to proceed with a hydro scheme, again with Small Hydro Company."

The company has revealed plans for 25 hydro-generator stations built on rivers including the Trent and the Severn.

REBECCA Adlington is enjoying much-earned downtime – and her coach doesn't expect her to make a decision on her future until after Christmas.

Long-time mentor Bill Furniss was with the Mansfield star as she added two bronze medals at the London Olympics to the two golds she won in Beijing in 2008, in the 400m and 800m freestyle.

And the queen of British swimming, who is also the reigning Commonwealth champion over the same distances and a world and European champion, has taken a few months off.

The 23-year-old completed a charity bike ride in Zambia last month and has made a number of TV appearances.

Head coach Furniss said his charge had been putting in a few pool sessions to keep up her fitness levels.

But added: "She is having a good break and will make her mind up whether she is going to carry on and go for the Commonwealths after Christmas.

"I have not discussed it with her and she has intimated in the media she will not be doing another Olympics.

"The Commonwealths are next. She is an ambassador for those and I'm sure she would like to do it, but she is not going to rush into anything.

"If she chooses to, she knows she has to dedicate herself fully towards it. She knows you can't just half do it – you are going there to try and win them.

"I want her to have a break so I certainly won't be talking to her about it until after Christmas."