NOTTINGHAM'S Chris Adcock and Peter Mills finished with silver medals after Team England were beaten 3-1 by Malaysia in the badminton Mixed Teams final.

Adcock had put England 1-0 up as he and wife Gabby took the opening rubber, but after Rajiv Ouseph lost, Adcock and partner Andrew Ellis were also beaten.

And defeat for Sarah Walker ensured the gold medal went Malaysia's way.

MANSFIELD swimmer Ollie Hynd clinched gold in the 200 metre Individual Medley at the Commonwealth Games.

The 19-year-old was the clear winner at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, finishing in a time of 2.22.86, 8.39 seconds ahead of Jesse Aungles, with fellow Australian Blake Cochrane third.

Reigning double world champion Hynd had cruised through to the final by finishing first in his heat in a time of 2.26.94.

Hos honour in Glasgow adds to the gold medals he won at last year's World Champions as well as a hat-trick of honours at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Furious travellers have criticised train staff for going on strike.

Engineering and maintenance workers at East Midlands Trains have downed tools over a pay dispute.

The industrial action by members of the Unite Union started on Sunday, July 27 and will continue until 5.59am on Thursday.

Those waiting for replacement buses at Nottingham Station yesterday morning said they felt let down.

The union is calling for the company to improve a 2.75 per cent pay offer for the year ending April 2015, claiming other employees have received more.

Roy Chambers, of Giltbrook, was trying to find the replacement bus to Ipswich.

He said: "I can see their point, but it is doing no good at all. Striking for five days in a row is too much.

"I don't think there was enough notice given and my journey is going to take twice as long."

And commuter Vicky May, of Dronfield, said: "I was supposed to change here for a bus to Peterborough.

"I know there is not a lot the staff can do, but they keep giving conflicting advice which doesn't help.

"I am going to be at least two hours late. I am coming back on Wednesday and I just hope it will be better then.

"The only people they are inconveniencing is members of the public. I am furious about it all."

Until Thursday morning, buses will replace trains on the Robin Hood Line to Mansfield and Worksop and the Nottingham to Newark and Lincoln routes.

Passengers travelling on the Nottingham to Derby and Matlock route will have to get on a bus from Derby to continue their journey.

Commuters going to and from Grantham, Peterborough and Norwich may all need to change trains at Nottingham.

The majority of services will continue to run as normal to and from London, although a number of services may operate with fewer carriages.

A spokesman from East Midlands Trains said: "We are sorry to hear that some of our passengers were frustrated – we share their frustration over the unnecessary action being taken by Unite.

"We have carried out a comprehensive communications campaign over several days to inform our customers of the changes to their service and this will continue until the action comes to an end.

"We have extra staff at Nottingham station to assist passengers and this morning we also arranged a number of taxis in addition to our replacement buses to ensure passengers got to their onward destination."

"We do take all passenger feedback on board and will work to provide the best possible service during this action."

Unite declined to comment.

Have you been affected by the strikes? Get in touch: newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

I READ with interest the notice stating that a police officer will be available to meet for an hour outside the pavilion in Arnold Park between 10am and 11am tomorrow.

This is an ideal opportunity to actually see a policeman in Arnold. They have been missing for a number of years, so therefore the thieves, layabouts, drunks, young villains and druggies have run riot.

We have the weekly sight of the police helicopter flying over, but you would need your binoculars to actually see him or them.

Being Arnold bred and born, and of an age when you didn't go a day without seeing a policeman, I can still feel my ears ringing from the clip round the head from Sergeant Needham for riding two on a bike down Coppice Road.

In those days all the police officers lived in Arnold – Kingswell Road actually had four police houses on it – and all the officers either walked or went to the station on a bike.

And with three shifts per day that meant the police station, actually in Arnold, was manned 24 hours a day 365 days a year and, as I said, this meant you saw a policeman every day.

Also in those days you didn't need to lock your doors, or nail or glue everything down with the fear of having your possessions pinched.

So now we are down to an hour outside the pavilion to see a policeman?

Form a queue and wait your turn, just hope you're not last as he or she will probably finish on the dot of 11am because he or she has been outside for too long!

STUART BARNES

Central Avenue South

Arnold

CYNICS will say Nottingham has enough of a problem finishing off Tram Routes 2 and 3 without worrying about Route 4. But given the bewildering lengths of time it takes to plan and execute major engineering projects in the United Kingdom, it's never too soon to be asking what happens next.

Ponderous strategic planning might be a thing of the past if governments stop talking about investing greater powers in the regions and actually do something about it.

Meanwhile there is no need to wait for passenger analysis on the two lines whose opening has been delayed until early 2015.

Aside from an odd blip two years ago, business on Line 1 has been a massive success. Notwithstanding all the justifiable complaints from Beeston about the impact of construction, the second and third lines will be equally successful.

Last night Broxtowe councillors were looking at the feasibility of a fourth line that would extend the Phoenix Park spur to Kimberley.

It's been talked about before and it makes sense, offering relief to road users on the A610, with its bizarre new speed limits, who have no alternative railway transport this side of Langley Mill.

Compared with the challenges of Beeston, a Kimberley line looks like a penalty kick.

Strategic thought on tram development must also take account of the explosion in green belt housing developments that will take place over the next decade.

Which is why the time to be talking about the next tram routes is not tomorrow, but today.

PLANS to merge the city's two NHS walk-in centres into one urgent care centre have been finalised.

The project will come into effect next April at a new location in Nottingham which has yet to be revealed.

It comes after a period of consultation involving GPs, patients and residents.

The new service will continue to offer walk-in appointments for advice and treatment of minor illness and injuries, while also offering diagnostic services such as X-rays and access to a range of health professionals.

The service will see and treat patients during the same visit where possible and will work with community services and hospitals to have patients transferred when needed.

Maria Principe, director of primary care development and service integration at Nottingham City Clinical Commissioning Group – which buys and plans health services in the area – said: "Now we have the detailed plans in place we will be asking health providers to put forward bids to deliver those services."

She said the project aimed to improve NHS walk-in services and help reduce the numbers of people attending A&E when they could receive care more appropriately elsewhere.

A CLIFTON man has been accused of being involved in the supply of cannabis and possessing criminal property.

Colin Tombs, 43, of Kipling Close, was allegedly linked to the supply at an address in Granton Avenue, Clifton, between April 14, 2013, and December 23, 2013.

He is said to have had criminal property - a quantity of money - in Clifton between November 14, 2013, and December 23, 2013. Tombs has been bailed to attend Nottingham Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on November 17.

THE county council is warning people about the dangers of contracting viral hepatitis.

The disease often has no symptoms and can lead to liver cancer – the second biggest cancer killer .

Both hepatitis B and hepatitis C are passed on when infected blood from one person enters the bloodstream of another.

Jonathan Gribbin is public health consultant at Nottinghamshire County Council. He said: "Infection can have severe long term consequences. The best way to avoid infection is to avoid risky behaviours such as injecting drugs or having unprotected sex with multiple partners.

"Treatments are available, so it is essential that anyone who thinks they may have been at risk, even if it was a long time ago and even if they don't have any symptoms, should seek advice from a doctor or health professional. For people at high risk of hepatitis B, a vaccine is available."

The council is currently producing an assessment of local health needs relating to hepatitis B and C.

Many people with chronic hepatitis B in the UK acquired the infection overseas at birth or during childhood overseas.

Injecting drugs and having unprotected sex are the main causes of hepatitis B infection in the UK.

NOTTINGHAM City Council has agreed to increase its contribution to sexual health services by more than £129,000.

The authority, alongside Notts County Council, funds The Health Shop, which provides information and material concerning a range of sexual heath issues.

A review in March found that while the city contributed £10,250 towards the £219,536 required to run shop, more than 63 per cent of service users were city residents; 22 per cent were county residents.

The decision was signed off by Councillor Alex Norris, portfolio holder for adults, commissioning and Health on Friday, July 25.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, 67, Austrian-born American actor; Lisa Kudrow, 51, American actress (Phoebe in Friends); Hilary Swank, 40, American actress; Laurence Fishburne, 53, American actor famously in The Matrix; singer Kate Bush, 56, (pictured); Christopher Nolan, 44, American movie director.

AN investigation into racist abuse against former Forest star Stan Collymore (pictured) on Twitter has ended, he has said.

Staffordshire Police launched an inquiry after the footballer turned pundit was targeted on the social networking site in January.

But he has said the investigation has finished because the force cannot get hold of "user information".

He tweeted: "Cannock and Staffordshire Police have been exceptional. It's Twitter refusing to give info. Twitter, beyond UK law. For now."

Collymore received the abuse after he suggested Liverpool striker Luis Suarez cheated by diving during a match against Aston Villa.

A spokeswoman for Twitter said it could not comment on individual accounts "for privacy and security reasons".

DRIVERS are being warned of delays on the M1 due to part closures at junction 24.

Work to add a third lane to the south bridge will start on Monday.

The bridge will be closed overnight for the first six weeks, with narrow lanes operating in the day. There will then be two full weekend closures over the weekends of September 12 to 15 and September 19 to 22, from 8pm Friday to 6am on Monday.

The Highways Agency has advised drivers to allow extra time for their journeys, especially if heading for a flight from East Midlands Airport.

PRIVATE rents in and around Nottingham are more affordable than in other parts of the country, according to a study.

Research from Homelet shows that the average rent in the East Midlands is rising by just 0.2 per cent a year compared with more than 11 per cent in London and 6.4 per cent in East Anglia.

The average monthly rent in the region is now £579.

The London market continues to be well ahead of the rest of the country, with the average monthly rent in Greater London £1,412, compared with £694 for the rest of the UK.

Commenting on the report, Martin Totty, Barbon Insurance Group's chief executive, said: "The private rental sector continues to show strong growth, with rental values increasing year on year across the country, with little exception.

"Although average incomes have also been rising, there are parts of the country where we are seeing affordability getting tighter. As a rule of thumb, for a rental property to be affordable, a tenant's gross income must be at least two-and-a-half times his or her annual rent.

"Rents in London have pushed beyond that."

Beeston: An appeal for information has been launched after a car window was smashed and a satnav stolen.

Thieves struck on Hampden Grove at 1am on Monday and broke into an Audi TT.

Police would like information about a male who was seen fleeing from the scene.

He was tall, wearing a light-coloured hood and trousers and was riding a bike.

Kimberley: A house has been broken into and a car stolen.

The burglar entered the house on Knowle Lane between 2pm and 4,45pm on Monday, July 14.

The stole keys to the householder's car before driving off in it.

Worksop: An electric bike, guitar, and leather jacket have been stolen from a garage in Worksop.

Police were called to Shepherds Avenue after the break-in between 7pm on Friday, July 11 and 9am on Saturday, July 12.

Officers are urging residents to look out for their neighbours and increase security around their sheds and outbuildings.

A lawnmower was taken from the shed of a house in Blyth Grove on the same night. The electric bike and lawnmower have since been recovered.

ENTERTAINMENT store Fopp has opened in the Broadmarsh shopping centre just over a week since its Queen Street outlet closed.

The music, film and book shop reopened, eight days after it left its original premises for good.

A barbecue restaurant is now set to move into the old building.

Following the announcement of the Queen Street closure, hundreds signed a petition to help keep it open.

The teenager who started the petition, Hector Lester-George, said he was thrilled about the new shop.

The 17-year-old said: "I've been down a couple of times so far – it's snappy, laid-out, quite cosy.

"I still think it's a real shame that the Queen Street store is gone and it will take a while before word will spread to everyone about where it is.

"Obviously, the ideal dream was that they wouldn't have to move but that dream was over by the time the campaign started.

"The Broadmarsh has been without a real place to bring youth here and since Fopp has such a big reputation in Nottingham it's a big boost for Broadmarsh to get it."

"I'm just happy to see it's still open."

Josh Fowler, 23, from the Lace Market, was in the shop yesterday. He said : "I like what I've seen so far although it's not as spacious as the other one.

"I don't mind having to make the little trip over here – you do have to come further out of town but it's not a big journey.

"If anything, you might not usually come to Broadmarsh and putting it here helps stretch the town out a little further.

"I think Fopp's great – they're all about supporting independent record labels."

Suzie Price, 44, from Beeston, said she preferred the new location.

She said: "I didn't know it was down here until today but it's just around the corner from my work.

"Although I wouldn't mind mooching to the other side of town it's definitely more convenient for me here. I'll be shopping here again soon."

Ben Fawce, 34, from Mapperley, said he preferred the Queen Street store but liked what had been done with the space at the Broadmarsh.

He said: "I think it's cool although the other place was a bit brighter but there's still plenty of stuff to choose from.

"I visit the place a lot – as long as they keep the prices right I'll keep on coming."

FARMERS and shop owners across the county are enjoying a bumper strawberry season this year – and a top local grower says we could be picking them until September.

The good weather has led to a huge increase in stock and sales and an improvement in flavour .

The warmest April in the last 100 years, a wet and mild May and a dry, hot start to the summer has created the perfect growing conditions for soft fruits. Sir John Starkey, owner of Starkey's Fruit in Southwell, hopes to produce 400 tonnes of strawberries this year, an increase of more than 40 tonnes on last year's target.

His business sells strawberries to major supermarket chains as well as local farm shops and fruiterers.

He said: "We began picking in early May this year. When the season starts late it can cause problems. The sunshine helps, particularly with the flavour. I think the season could go on into September as long as the sun is shining we should be able to keep producing."

Retailers across the country have already announced massive strawberry sales – Marks and Spencer reported at the beginning of the month that they had sold 20 million strawberries in seven days. Angela Spowage, shop floor manager at Gonalston Farm Shop near Lowdham, said 2014 has been an exceptionally good year for them.

She said: "We're selling hundreds of punnets a week – last week we sold 443 and we're averaging about 500.

"I think the sales have increased this year by about 20 per cent because of the good growing season.

"You never know when the crop might run out, but if the weather stays good it could keep going."

Nottingham gardeners have joined in too, with allotment holders reporting good crops.

Phil Clare, chairman of Nottingham-based Whitemoor Allotments said the fruit was a big a hit, as always.

He said: "Everyone grows strawberries and some of them have been marvellous this year. Everyone loves them – it's because of their great taste and that they are traditionally English fare."

DRUG peddler Daniel Wright has been jailed for more than five years fleeing with his stash on a bicycle.

Wright was cycling with no lights when he was spotted by police in Alfreton Road, Radford.

Officers ordered him to stop but he pedalled off, Nottingham Crown Court heard yesterday.

Police mounted the pavement in their patrol car to try and block his getaway.

But Wright ditched his bike and dumped items from his pockets as he went.

He hid in the corner of a building but detectives found him and recovered £90, three phones and a variety of drugs.

Wright initially claimed the drugs were for personal use.

But police discovered text messages on the phones indicating he had been supplying heroin and crack cocaine.

He pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply, supplying heroin and crack cocaine, and possessing crack cocaine and cannabis in April 2013.

Judge Michael Pert gave Wright, a long-time drug abuser, a total of five years and eight months in prison.

"You have a criminal record, in particular you have two previous convictions for drug trafficking. You knew the risk you were running last time if you were discovered for a third.

"I deal with you as a street dealer – a street dealer in Class A drugs who has previous convictions for that."

The court heard that 32-year-old Wright, of Reydon Drive, Whitemoor, had previously been convicted of the trafficking offences and possessing amphetamines, cannabis and crack cocaine.

In mitigation, Adrian Reynolds said his client's life had been extremely difficult for various reasons.

His partner reacted badly when she heard he was having a child with another woman and Wright reverted back to drug use, said Mr Reynolds.

"He does appear to be dealing at a modest level," he added.

"It has all the hallmarks that he was a [drugs] runner. He was caught in April 2013.

"He has self-referred to the John Storer Clinic [which helps people with drugs problems].

"He has moved in with his girlfriend. The child was born shortly after he was arrested. His previous partner will still not give him access to children he had with her.

"He has not reverted to using drugs again."

Eastwood: Daniel Brice, 23, of Lynncroft, Eastwood, received a community order after he was found guilty of assault in The Forum nightclub, Burton Street, Nottingham, on January 19. City magistrates ordered him to do 120 hours' unpaid work in 12 months, pay £677 compensation, a £60 victim surcharge and £300 costs.

Forest Fields: Monique Blatherwick, 22, of Cedar Road, Forest Fields, is due to be sentenced for committing criminal damage and assault in February. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court, she pleaded guilty to damaging the windscreen of a Ford Fiesta in Sneinton. She was found guilty of assaulting a man in Sneinton. She has been bailed to appear at court on August 20.

The Meadows: Mark Evans, 36, of no fixed address, will go on trial accused of assaulting a female in The Meadows on July 1. He has been bailed to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on October 24.

Mansfield: Craig Wallstone, 37, of Richmond Street, Mansfield, admitted assaulting a man in the town in March. Magistrates in Mansfield handed Wallstone a community order and unpaid work for 100 hours, to be completed in 12 months under the supervision of the Probation Service. He was ordered to pay £50 compensation, a £60 victim surcharge and costs of £40.

Ravenshead: Jill McBrien, 49, of Waltham Road, Ravenshead, was found guilty of using a hand-held mobile phone while driving in Nottingham on October 11 last year. The city magistrates fined her £85 and ordered her to pay a £20 victim surcharge and costs of £85. Three penalty points will be endorsed on her licence.

Mapperley: Karol Zawiszewski, 31, of Woodborough Road, Mapperley, was fined £350 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court after he was found guilty of assaulting a woman at his address on April 5. He was ordered to pay a £35 victim surcharge and costs of £150.

Wollaton: Stacey Fern, 23, of Radford Bridge Road, Wollaton, was fined £100 after pleading guilty to receiving a stolen Apple iPod in Beeston on January 20. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court, she was ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

Broxtowe Estate: No evidence was offered against Linford Gent, 20, of Beckley Road, Broxtowe, who had denied causing hundreds of pounds of damage to windows. The offence had allegedly happened at an address in Aspley Lane, Aspley, on Boxing Day last year. Magistrates in Nottingham dismissed the case.

Annesley: Kim Pearson, 44, of Byron Road, Annesley, is accused of committing fraud by signing two loan agreements under another woman's name on October 16 last year and on March 21 last year. Pearson is on bail to attend a plea and case management hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on November 14.

Radford: Said Bacht, 44, of Cleveland Close, Radford, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis resin in Clevedon Close on January 17. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court, he was handed a community order and a drug rehabilitation requirement. He will have treatment for drug dependency as a non-resident patient for three months and be supervised by the probation service for nine months. He was ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and costs of £85.

FRIENDS of missing student Tom Nixon are appealing for him to get in touch – a week after he mysteriously went missing.

The 20-year-old from Lenton had just finished his second year studying law at the University of Nottingham and was planning to stay in the city to work over the summer.

But he has not been seen since 1am on Thursday, July 24, when he went to bed at his Elmsthorpe Avenue home, and both Nottinghamshire Police and loved ones now fear for his safety.

The evening before Tom disappeared, he had been having a quiet night in with a friend, playing on his Xbox. He said goodnight and headed to bed, and that was the last time he was seen.

The alarm was raised by his girlfriend, Charlotte Beasant, also 20 and living in Lenton, who was due to meet him on the Thursday morning.

She told the Post: "I have been working at a summer school in Cheltenham and Thursdays are my day off, so he was meant to come down and see me, but he never showed up. I called his friends to just tell them to wake him up and get him out of bed but that's when we found out he was missing.

"I don't care where he has been, I just want him back."

Friends have launched a social media campaign with the #FindTom hashtag, which has been retweeted by high-profile celebrities, including Sarah Millican, Graeme Swann and the band Reverend and The Makers.

Miss Beasant said: "The support has been incredible."

Tom's housemate and best friend, Hattie Spurrell, 20, met him in their first year of university, when they were put in rooms opposite each other in halls.

She said they spent the weekend before his disappearance in Leeds. "He was in such a good mood and a good place. We went out for a few nights out and he just seemed really happy.

"If he is worried about us being annoyed with him [for going missing] he doesn't have to be. We all just love him so much and want him to come home."

Another close friend, Tom Sokolyk, 20, said: "Tom is just a funny, charming guy. He is really into his music and is a big Newcastle United fan. But most of all he is just a really nice guy that would do anything for anyone, with his friends and family always at the heart of what he does. This is why it is so bizarre that he has gone missing; it is completely out of character for Tom."

Dinah Crompton, 20, who has been friends with Tom since they went to college in Wigan and enrolled into the University of Nottingham at the same time, said: "Tom going missing was completely out of the blue. He is such a happy, fun-loving guy and really popular. I just hope he is safe."

Sergeant Vanessa Wake, who is leading, said the force was very concerned for Tom's welfare. "Tom is in his second year at university and is very kind, sociable and described by his parents as caring and thoughtful.

"He is really proud of his roots and is a family man, so they are extremely distressed and worried for his welfare, as it is completely out of character for him to have gone missing. If you are reading this, Tom, please let the police know you are safe. Your family are desperate to see you."

A University of Nottingham spokeswoman said: "We are concerned by the news. We have been in close contact with Nottinghamshire Police since a concern was first raised about his whereabouts."

If you know where Tom is or were in the area at the time he went missing, call police on 101.