DECORATING your home in the colours of your favourite football team isn't unheard of. 

But one die-hard Magpies fan has taken it to new levels – by giving his new houseboat a Notts County theme. 

The club emblem sits proudly on the top of the boat and the owner's other love – rock band Queen – led to the boat being called The Show Must Go On. 

The boat belongs to Darryl Tennyson, 62, who took the boat out on its maiden voyage to Sawley Marina on Wednesday after it was painted near County's Meadow Lane stadium. 

Mr Tennyson said: "Seeing it on the river is one of the happiest moments of the past 10 years for me. 

"I didn't think it could ever look this good – they've done a cracking job at the boat yard. 

"I've been a Magpies fan for more than 40 years so it was obvious what the theme was going to be." 

The narrowboat which used to belong to a national hire company was bought just three months ago for £31,000 after Mr Tennyson sold off his home. 

The paint job cost a further £250. 

He said: "I reckon this is probably the first boat to be decorated like this and definitely the first person who will have Notts County's logo on their house." 

He was joined on the first voyage in County livery with his son John, 42, from Long Eaton. 

The trip from Trent Bridge to Sawley was expected to take five hours. 

John, himself a big Notts fan, said: "It's been crazy these past 24 hours. I put a photo up on Twitter with the boat and since then my phone has just been ringing and ringing. 

"It would be great to get to games on the boat and the parking would be easier too." 

As well as the new lease of life for the boat featuring Notts County colours, Queen's phoenix emblem is on the bow of the boat. 

John said: "The Show Must Go On is pretty fitting name – not only for Notts County but also with my dad selling the house." 

And when asked whether he would be adverse to Notts holding an open boat tour – instead of an open-top bus tour – after their next cup win, he said: "It would be an honour and because the boat is slower, the ride would take longer."

Jurors are deliberating to reach a verdict in the trial of a woman who allegedly killed Mansfield man Emiel Blankert.

Michelle Swift, 48, of Ladybrook Place, Mansfield, had been in a relationship with Mr Blankert for 17 years.

Prosecutors claim she delivered a "significant blunt force injury" to Mr Blankert's abdomen by some means last December, leaving him with serious internal injuries in the abdomen and rupturing his bowel.

By the time 48-year-old Mr Blankert was admitted to hospital, his condition had deteriorated and he died a few days later, Nottingham Crown Court earlier heard.

CCTV has painted a picture for the jury about the movements of Swift, who denies murder, on the day of the alleged attack on Dutch national Mr Blankert, who lived with her in Mansfield. 

Judge Michael Stokes QC finished his summing up to the jury late afternoon on Tuesday, July 1.

Record shop Rough Trade have announced they will be opening a new store in Nottingham in the Autumn.

The store confirmed the news on their Twitter account this afternoon and said: "We're going to give it our best to make the city proud. 

"Arguably, it'll be our finest store, yet."

Rough Trade have said more details will be announced over the coming weeks and the store have launched the hashtag #RoughTradeNottingham.

The Post understands that the new store will be based in Broad Street.

The news comes just days after music fans launched a campaign to keep record store Fopp, in Queen Street, open after the shop's future in the city was thrown into doubt.

The store will be moving from its premises in "mid to late July" to make way for a new barbecue restaurant.

Do you welcome plans for Rough Trade to open a store in Nottingham? Get in touch: newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

Nature lovers are being encouraged to explore their gardens as part of a national event to track moth populations.

Moth Night 2014 starts on Thursday July 3 and runs for the next three days.

The event is an annual moth recording throughout the country and staff at Attenborough Nature Reserve want people to send them their recordings and photographs.

Assistant manager Tim Sexton said: "Of the 2,500 species of moths recorded in Britain, 28 per cent have declined nationally since 1968.

"In the 20th century alone 62 species became extinct with four more presumed to be.

Many of our once common species are slowly disappearing from our countryside and green spaces.

"With this in mind, surveys like Moth Night are incredibly important if we are to protect this great diversity of moths for future generations.

"While Attenborough Nature Reserve is probably best known for its birds, moths have been extensively studied on the site since the late 1960s.

"In that time some 450 species have been discovered making them the second-most recorded group of organisms on the reserve after plants." Moths play a vital role in the natural environment.

They are important pollinators of plants and an excellent indicator of the health of wild habitats.

They also provide food for other wildlife. Adult moths are a major source of food for bats and moth caterpillars form an essential part of the diet of young birds – a typical brood of blue tit chicks can eat 1,000 caterpillars a day.

Nottinghamshire moth recorder Dr Sheila Wright, based at Wollaton Hall, said: "Moths are important not only in their own right, but as food for birds, reptiles, and mammals such as bats.

"Without moths and other invertebrates, these other animals will suffer and decline too.

"It is therefore important both to protect the habitat of moths and to monitor how they are doing. By participating in moth watches, people can help to collect valuable information about where moths are found, and how well they are doing."

Some of the most striking species of moth that can be found are: The lobster moth – whose caterpillar bears an uncanny resemblance to the edible crustacean. Red-necked footman – its folded wings resemble the long, stiff coat worn by Victorian footmen.

The Pine Hawk-moth – large, mottled grey species. Orange moth – an earthy orange-coloured variety.

Woodland habitats are important for moths but they are increasingly under threat from development, tree disease, habitat loss and competition from non-native species.

Head of surveys Richard Fox, from Butterfly Conservation, said: "Woodlands are very important habitats and many have never been surveyed for moths.

"Around two-thirds of the UK's larger moths can be found in wooded areas and there are many woodland specialists. Some 37 per cent of threatened UK moths are associated with woodland. "We know that British moths are generally in decline, especially in the south, but the causes are unclear.

"Better monitoring of woodland would help clarify whether woodland moths are declining and what the causes might be."

Moth videos and photos can be sent to enquiries@attenboroughnaturecentre.co.uk but the files should be no bigger than 1mb.

Fraudster Daniel Glasby masterminded a £28,000 con – then spun a web of lies to blame innocent people.

He had been working as an air conditioning sales engineer for a Stapleford-based company when he invoiced two companies for goods. 

His boss queried the invoices but Glasby gave an explanation and denied any wrongdoing, Nottingham Crown Court heard on Wednesday, July 2.

Glasby's  employer remained suspicion and went to police.

He then claimed he had supplied the goods, including air conditioning copper tubing, to a man and provided the buyer's apparent e-mail address as he was in Australia. 

The case was delayed due to the availability of this apparent witness in Oz. 

Glasby, 41, of Greenwood Road, Carlton, pretended to be him via the e-mail address he supplied, making contact with police via computers in libraries and from his mother's Mapperley address. 

He even persisted in his bogus attempt to deceive everyone, including the court, with the same story until he came clean.

He admitted fraud between May 1, 2012, and September 30, 2012, and was jailed for 21 months. 

Judge Michael Stokes QC told Glasby, a married father-of-two, he had been of previous good character.

"It may be a lot of this was done out of desperation," he said.

"Had you pleaded guilty early there would have been a slight prospect of you suspending the sentence but your actions over the last year has meant that is quite out of the question." 

The court heard Glasby's former boss felt upset and disturbed that a trusted member of staff, in a privileged position, needed to get cash through deception, the court heard. 

Glasby's barrister, Siward James Moore, said: "He was sending e-mails from his mother's own address which was a desperate attempt, in my submission, to cover his tracks and was always going to be discovered." 

Glasby is living rent-free in his father's house and is not in a position to repay the company where he worked for eight months. 

Proceeds of crime inquiries are under way and feedback on his finances will be mentioned in court on September 10.

Police have blocked off city centre streets and warned drivers to stay away after a road traffic collision on Thursday. 

The incident happened during morning rush hour where Lower Parliament Street meets with Pennyfoot Street. 

Both Pennyfoot Street and Fisher Gate have been closed. 

Nottingham City Transport warned of delays to the Lilac Line, Red Line, Pathfinder 100 and CityLink2 buses. 

 More information to follow... 

QPR are the latest club to be linked with a move for highly rated Nottingham Forest defender Jamaal Lascelles.

Reports in London suggest the 20-year-old has been the subject of a seven-figure bid from newly promoted QPR.

Harry Redknapp's side are looking to bolster their defence following their rise back into the Premier League.

They had been close to sealing a move for former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, 35, although that deal appears to have stalled temporarily over a wage issue.

But it seems the London club are also targeting a player at the opposite end of his career, in the form of Lascelles.

Lascelles, who has previously been of interest to Arsenal and Everton, established himself as a first team regular last season, playing more games in the Reds back four than any other player.

The product of the Forest youth academy has played for England at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level and was called up to the under-21 squad last season.

Lascelles, who will be a key part of Stuart Pearce's plans this coming season, put pen to paper on a new four-year contract last season, as Forest looked to tie up the long-term future of one of their brightest prospects.

A 70-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital after a collision on the A46. 

The man was driving northbound on the road around Willoughby-on-the-Wold when he collided with a central reservation. 

Two fire engines attended the incident just before 10am on Thursday, along with a specialist rescue vehicle, to free the man and clear the scene. 

Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire Air Ambulance took the man to the Queen's Medical Centre at 10:41am.

East Midlands Airport could be subject to new security measures as the government ups its game in tackling terrorism. 

The move is in response to a warning from the US government that al-Qaeda groups in Syria and Yemen were developing new explosives to use on planes that were harder to detect. 

The department for homeland security warned other countries with direct routes into the US that security measures should be raised to tackle the threat. 

A statement from the transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said UK aviation security was constantly under review but today's new measures were deemed appropriate to keep people safe. 

He said: "We have taken the decision to step up some of our aviation security measures. For obvious reasons we will not be commenting in detail on those changes. 

"The majority of passengers should not experience significant disruption. There will be no change to the threat level, which remains at substantial. 

"The safety and security of the public is our paramount concern. The UK has some of the most robust aviation security measures and we will continue to take all the steps necessary to ensure that public safety is maintained." 

East Midlands Airport predominantly deals with European destinations, but in November last year airline Jet2 introduced flights to New York. 

A spokeswoman from the airport said no new advice was being offered to passengers, but it was unable to share details of whether its security was being ramped up. 

A statement from the secretary of the department of homeland security in the US, Jeh Johnson, said: "We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry. 

"These communications are an important part of our commitment to providing our security partners with situational awareness about the current environment and protecting the travelling public."

STUART Pearce says Nottingham Forest's new head of recruitment will have a vital role to play – because new additions are still required to bolster the club's promotion push. 

The Reds boss believes the recent appointment of John Marshall will be a crucial piece in the jigsaw at the City Ground. 

Pearce has already made three additions to his squad, in the form of strikers Matty Fryatt and Lars Veldwijk and young defender Louis Laing. 

But the Reds legend believes the squad needs further strengthening before the new Championship season kicks off – and hopes Marshall, who has performed a similar role at Fulham and Leicester and was a scout within the England set-up, can play an important role. 

"John worked at the FA, for as long as I was there, as a scout, at all the major tournaments," said the former England under-21 coach, who took his first full training session at the Nigel Doughty Academy yesterday. 

"I know him very well as an individual, he is a very trustworthy man. He has a massive knowledge base of the game and of players.

"That is going to be vital to us. We let a number of players go in the summer and we need to recruit at this stage. 

"The chairman has been very helpful so far and I am sure that, going forward, he will be quite aware of the need to bring in a few new faces in before the start of the season, to realistically stage a decent challenge on the title." 

Prior to yesterday, Forest's players had been put through two days of rigorous fitness testing. Pearce was very impressed with the results. 

"We have tested the players over the last few days and I have sat with the conditioning coach to discuss things," he said. 

"He has been very impressed with some of the figures we have had back. 

"I addressed the players on May 6, at the back end of the season, and told them what was expected of them as individuals. They have come back, to a man, in good condition. 

"It is a case of building on their good condition now and getting them to that first game of the season fully fit. 

"That is the trick of a pre-season, it is not about slogging them. It is making sure that, come the first game of the season, I have a squad to pick from that is fully fit and does not have too many injuries." 

Pearce himself cannot wait to get started in his role. 

"I have been working from afar over the last couple of months since I had conversations with Fawaz about coming in," he said. 

"It is nice to be back through the door. It is a great club, it is good to be back involved here. It has a lot going for it, this football club. "It is down to me to galvanise the club, from top to bottom, and make sure we all move forward together. The players are back in anger as well and back on the grass. 

"For me to have the chance to get to know them better is a positive thing."

Drivers are facing more delays on the M1 following a road traffic collision. 

The incident happened just before midday on Thursday at the northbound exit of junction 26 where it meets the A610. 

A lorry has gone over on the road with the driver inside. 

An ambulance was called but they only suffered from minor injuries. 

The roundabout at the junction is closed whilst emergency services clear the scene. 

The traffic signals at the exit have also been damaged so motorists are being warned to approach the road with caution.

Police have charged a man with GBH, robbery, dangerous driving and driving without insurance, following an incident in Mansfield. 

On Tuesday June 24, a man was found with serious head injuries in the car park of National Tyres in Chesterfield Road and his car had been stolen. 

William Doran, 32, of Ravenscliffe, Bradford, has been charged with the offences and appeared before Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Thursday. 

He has been remanded in custody until Thursday July 17 when he is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court. 

A 47-year-old man from Leeds has also been arrested in connection with the incident. He remains in custody pending further investigation work. 

The victim remains in hospital in a stable condition.