POLICE in Canning Circus have confirmed 11 thefts took place in the area in the last six weeks.

There were also three burglaries and one incident of criminal damage.

Five of the thefts were from vehicles, with one person arrested after being caught on CCTV in Western Terrace.

Thefts from vehicles between July 23 and August 30 took place on Tattershall Drive, Parkgate, Lenton Road, Park Terrace and North Road.

The police asked residents to be vigilant and take steps such as washing the ring left on the windscreen by sat-navs.

THE People's Postcode Lottery is calling on Nottingham charities and community groups to work together for a slice of £1 million.

The Dream Fund wants organisations to dream big and think of a large-scale project they can plan over two years and bring to life.

The first prize is £750,000 and the second is £250,000.

The application process began today, with the scheme being launched by Commonwealth and Olympic Games Scottish cycling stars Aileen McGlynn and James McCallum, ambassadors to Dream Fund 2014 winner Play on Pedals.

The Dream Fund has invested more than £1.4 million in over 15 projects.

Applications close on September 30, with winners announced at a charity gala in January.

THREE staff members from Nottinghamshire Healthcare have been shortlisted as finalists in the inaugural East Midlands' Innovation in Healthcare Awards.

Vince Keep and Jane Fennell, of Wathwood Hospital, have been shortlisted in the patient dignity and experience category for their use of technology to help patients maintain social networks.

Ilona Kruppa, from Rampton Hospital, was nominated in the Software and Telehealth category for her work on the Electronic Integrated Care Pathway.

Ms Kruppa, project leader, said: "As there were no similar solutions for us to base our work upon, the project has been demanding and continues to pose challenges on a daily basis."

POLICE have renewed an appeal to track down a woman in connection with meat theft from a supermarket.

She was caught on CCTV in Sainsbury's, in Nottingham Road, Eastwood, on Friday July 25.

The woman is believed to be around 35 years old, has an average build and had her brown hair tied back.

She was wearing a black Motorhead T-shirt with white writing, black tracksuit bottoms, black trainers with pink/red laces and white flashes on the sides.

If you have any information call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 1111.

PLANS for 11 flats above a popular city pub have been withdrawn.

Plans were submitted to Nottingham City Council to turn the first and second floors above The Old Angel Inn into flats.

The work would have required refurbishment as well as the extension of an external staircase tower to allow access to the flats.

But the proposals, put forward by Groundworks Architects on behalf of Landswood de Coy Investment, were withdrawn earlier this week.

The reason for the withdrawal has not yet been disclosed.

BRITISH Gas has launched an investigation after solar panels led to a roof fire at a school.

The company has given more than 90 schools free panels, but has told them improvements will have to be made following the blaze in April at Sutton Bonnington Primary School.

The Mail on Sunday revealed the faults and said two other roof fires had been caused.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire County Council said the panels were installed as part of British Gas's Generation Green project, which gives schools free equipment in return for a Government green subsidy payment.

A 21-YEAR-OLD man will stand trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court after being accused of having a lock knife.

Corey Duffy, of Vernon Avenue, Old Basford, denies having the blade in Green Close, Hucknall, on March 12.

Magistrates in Nottingham have bailed him to attend his trial on October 31 at 2pm.

Newark: A man thought to be in his early 60s is wanted by police after mouthwash was stolen from a Boots store.

The item was taken on Tuesday, August 19.

The man is described as being of medium build, with thinning grey hair. He was wearing a red and blue checked shirt with blue jeans and glasses.

Forest Fields: Police are hunting a man in connection with a burglary at a home in Berridge Road.

A man wearing a hooded tracksuit was pictured on the street in the early hours of Wednesday, June 11.

Police are asking witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

M1: A Tarmac lorry caught fire between junctions 27 and 28 of the motorway.

Firefighters from Ashfield and Stockhill stations were called to the blaze at around 7.40pm on Friday.

They hosed down the flames coming from the back of the vehicle, which had pulled over on to the hard shoulder.

Bobbers Mill: A man is wanted by police in connection with a burglary from a business in Nuthall Road.

A man, described as Asian and of a slim build with dark hair, was captured on CCTV on Monday, August 4. He was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a grey jacket with a collar.

Beeston: Liam Musson, 18, of Redland Drive, pleaded guilty to assaulting a male in Chilwell on August 18. Magistrates in Nottingham bailed him to be sentenced on September 15 at 10am.

The Meadows: Stephanie Bird, 45, of Doncaster Terrace, was fined £300 for dropping litter. Bird admitted she left a cigarette end in Wilford Crescent West on February 13. Nottingham magistrates ordered her to pay a £30 victim surcharge and costs of £226.22.

St Ann's: Ryan Fagan, 20, of Caroline Walk, admitted assaulting a female in Gedling on July 23. He was conditionally discharged for two years and given a restraining order by Nottingham magistrates. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation, a £15 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Hucknall: John Newton, 62, of Holgate Walk, denied speaking to a female when banned from doing so by a restraining order imposed by Nottingham magistrates last August. The offence allegedly happened in Bulwell on December 18. The case has been listed for trial on December 11 at 2pm.

St Ann's : Shane Walker, 26, of Tulip Avenue, received a community order for causing criminal damage to a hotel door and a mobile phone. The offences happened at the Britannia Hotel, Nottingham, on June 1. At Nottingham Magistrates' Court, Walker admitted two charges of criminal damage. He was ordered to be supervised by the probation service for 12 months, pay £190 compensation, a £60 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Bestwood Village: Faith Wood, 36, of Moor Road, has been bailed to attend her trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on November 11 at 2pm. She entered a not guilty plea to being suspected of driving a vehicle and failing to provide a specimen of breath to police in Hucknall on June 18.

Wollaton: Dean Fearnley, 46, of Hawton Crescent, was jailed for 12 weeks for stealing £3,600 of cigarettes from Trinity News, Trinity Square, Nottingham, on July 26. He had entered a guilty plea at the city's magistrates' court earlier this month.

MOTHER-of-three Annika Prescott says she fled her home after part of her kitchen ceiling collapsed and was left unfixed for months.

Miss Prescott, of Bransdale Road in Clifton, claims she narrowly avoided being injured by falling plaster when the ceiling partially caved in back in February.

The 27-year-old, who lives in a council house, is still waiting for the ceiling to be repaired.

She fears the house is not safe to live in and two weeks ago she took her children, Kian-Louis, 10, Oliver, eight, and Dayle, four, to live with her sister-in-law, who has three young children herself and is four months pregnant.

Miss Prescott said: "When the ceiling collapsed I'd just finished washing the pots and was taking some washing out of the washing machine.

"All of a sudden parts of the ceiling just fell down.

"I just freaked out. I screamed up to the kids to tell them to get out of the bathroom, which is above the kitchen, as I was terrified they might fall through.

"The hole was above the sink, so if I'd still been washing the dishes it would have fallen right on top of me."

Miss Prescott blames a leak from the bathroom for causing the problems, and says it was reported to the city council shortly after she moved into the house in July last year.

Since the ceiling collapse, Miss Prescott says the only progress that has been made in fixing the problem is a visit from asbestos removal contractors, who took down the whole ceiling two weeks ago.

She said: "I was horrified when I heard they were testing for asbestos. They left me in there for months, even though it was potentially dangerous.

"I just don't understand why it is taking them so long to sort this out. I have been phoning them all the time."

Nottingham City Homes says it has no record of the collapsed ceiling being reported until April.

A spokesman said: "We have done extensive exploratory works to try to fix the leak.

"The reason it has taken so long is that on a number of occasions we were unable to access the property to carry out testing and repairs."

The spokesman said a plumber would go to the house next week to carry out tests, before the kitchen ceiling is repaired.

FORENSIC teams cordoned off a flowerbed where a bloody jacket, crowbar and wine glass were found, while investigators scoured the site at Newstead Abbey in a bid to solve the mystery.

But the blood may have been just ketchup, and the scene was set up for the next generation of forensic teams at the Emergency Services Day at the ancestral home of the poet Lord Byron.

Among those interested in the demonstration of CSI Newstead Abbey was Daniel Plant, eight, of Linwood Crescent, Ravenshead, who said: "I think joining the police would be cool because I like puzzles and things like that. It's been interesting looking at the fingerprinting stuff, too."

The display of Nottinghamshire Police's crime scene investigation team drew crowds to the event and Helen Turner, a crime scene investigator based in Mansfield, said she enjoyed showing off what she did.

She added: "It's gone really well – there's been loads of interest in the crime scene we've set up here and I've been able to get kids into fingerprinting bottles to see how it works. It's a really good day job, and it's nice to be able to open up today and show what we do in our jobs."

Other hit attractions included a reconstruction of a dramatic air rescue with an RAF Sea King helicopter pulling a casualty from the lake at the Abbey.

Roy Baxter, a retired engineer from Beardall Street, Hucknall, said: "You don't get the chance to see things like this all that often so it's pretty fascinating watching it all work.

"We've had a great day having a nosy around," the 78-year-old added.

Also on display was a replica fire-fighting "squirt" from the Great Fire of London.

"People love finding out about the history of the fire service," said Paul Davidson of the Mansfield Fire Museum.

"It would be hard to put fires out with this now, though!"

WIDOW Maria Lane was left covered in blood after a savage attack on her pet dog by a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Her two-year-old poodle-Jack Russell cross, Elsa, was set upon during a late night walk in West Bridgford.

The dog had to be rushed to an animal hospital for emergency treatment.

Mrs Lane moved to Melton Road two years ago and adopted Elsa from Castlefield Kennels following the death of her husband.

The 57-year-old took Elsa for a walk as usual on Friday, August 22, at around 11pm.

"We were walking along West Street when out of nowhere ran a Staffie. It was at least twice the size of Elsa," she said.

"It attacked Elsa and made her bleed. She has two puncture holes on either side of her tail and cuts and bruises on her legs.

"The owner managed to get this dog off mine and then he said to me that I was lucky that my dog's legs were not broken."

Mrs Lane rushed Elsa to the PDSA Pet Aid Hospital, in Dunkirk Road, where she was treated and given antibiotics.

Mrs Lane said: "I don't drive so I had to pay for a taxi there, and a taxi back. I gave a donation, but the vet's bill must have been near £200.

When Elsa was first adopted she suffered with alopecia and had a nervous disposition.

Mrs Lane said: "I helped her gain more confidence, but now she is scared again.

"I'm scared to go the same route now."

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed they are looking into the incident and talking to both Mrs Lane and the Rushcliffe dog warden.

An RSPCA spokesman said all dog owners have a responsibility to ensure their pets are under control when out in public.

He said: "If you see a dog behaving in an aggressive or dangerous manner in public, you should call the police, as the owner could breaking the law by allowing their animal to be dangerously out of control in a public place."

AN arsonist has been locked up for six years after trying to set fire to a neighbour's home in Long Eaton.

Karl Henderson, of Nottingham Road, Long Eaton, was dubbed "dangerous" by the judge at Derby Crown Court after the 20-year-old posted firelighters doused in white spirit through a letterbox to set fire to the house.

The family who lived there were away at the time and the fire did not spread from the inside of the front door because another neighbour heard the smoke alarm and called the emergency services.

Judge Jonathan Gosling told Henderson: "You admitted at the time you intended to put people's lives at danger.

"You carried it out in the dead of night. You had no way of knowing whether your neighbour was away or not.

"You didn't care whether he or anyone else perished."

Abi Joyce, prosecuting, said that three days before the fire, Henderson called police to his home and said he had tried to strangle his brother.

There was also evidence that a fire had been set on the cooker hob.

Miss Joyce said: "In the back yard newspapers were rolled into a ball next to a barbecue lighter and he was making threats to burn the house."

The court was told that Henderson's mother had been hiding knives and matches from him because of his fascination with them.

Judge Gosling said: "I have concluded you are a dangerous offender."

He sentenced Henderson to six years in a young offenders' institution, with a five-year extended licence period.

Henderson admitted arson with intent to endanger life.

Miss Joyce said that a man and his two daughters shared their time between the house that was set alight and another house, but would often check on the Nottingham Road property late at night.

She said: "Fortunately he had visited on February 19 and removed the post so there was not a huge amount of post."

When the fire service arrived just after 3.30am they saw flames around the bottom of the front door with firelighters jammed in the letterbox.

The watch manager had noticed Henderson in the neighbouring garden, taking "a keen interest" in what was happening, behaving unusually and acting drunk.

The fire only caused damage to the inside of the door, but Miss Joyce told the court: "If it had taken hold, it would have spread as all the doors were open and there were a number of combustible items in the house."

Chris Hallas, in mitigation, said Henderson was a troubled and immature young man and his behaviour was evidence of a "dysfunctional personality".

NOTTINGHAM Forest cannot pat themselves on the back for their flying start to the season – but must instead ensure they capitalise on the hard work they have put in, with manager Stuart Pearce insisting: "We must look forwards now, not backwards."

The Reds lead the Championship ahead of facing fierce rivals Derby County in just less than two weeks, after extending their unbeaten start to the campaign to seven matches with a battling victory at Sheffield Wednesday.

Boss Pearce is delighted with the start made on his return to the City Ground but, as he heads into the international break with his team top of the pile, the former defender said: "If you look back at your former glories, you are finished."

Forest have flourished, despite seeing five of their first seven games come on the road, with progress secured in the Capital One Cup as well, where they will meet Premier League big guns Spurs in the third round.

But with a flurry of home games now on the horizon in the League at least, Pearce says Forest must look to build on what they have done so far, or risk letting their hard work go to waste.

"It is pleasing that we are where we are with so many games having been away. But, looking forward, as I do, the bottom line is that in the next block of games, we have four at home and two away, in the league," he said.

"We have to capitalise on the hard work we have done now, when we look back."

"In this league and in football, there is no mileage in looking back too much, unless you are learning something by doing so," Pearce added.

"That is the only reason you look back. If you look back to enjoy what you have achieved; if you look back at your former glories, you are finished.

"The players realise that and they will certainly realise that, working with me. We are only ever going to be as good as our next game. That next game is Derby."

Pearce accepts there is pressure that comes with sitting at the top of the table – but he wants his players to embrace it.

"The pressure gets cranked up now, because the more games you win, the more pressure will be cranked up on this club; the more expectation there will be from the fans and the more I expect our team to grow," he said.

"I don't have an issue with being top of the table and what that brings, I will take it every day. You are only there because you are winning football matches.

"How you win football matches, whether it be through character, as it was against Wednesday, whether it be through cutting edge, a defending making a vital block or a keeper making a good save, or whether it is through playing good football, it really doesn't matter to me.

"It is about results and trying to get this club where we want to be at the end of this season. That is all that matters."

CAMERAS will be used to combat a surge in fly-tipping after 43 incidents in just 10 days in one part of Nottinghamshire.

Eleven fridges, 55 tyres, five mattresses and 12 bags of bed springs were found in the Gedling area between August 18 and 27, as well as asbestos and carpets.

Gedling Borough Council has vowed to take on the tippers by attaching cameras to trees.

Gravelly Hollow (pictured), in Calverton, is one of the blackspots – despite being just one mile away from a recycling centre.

Large-scale fly-tipping can cost taxpayers £2,000 to clear.

The battery-operated cameras will be installed at Gravelly Hollow – a country lane popular with dog walkers.

The maximum fine for people caught dumping waste is £50,000 and fly-tippers could even end up in prison.

John Clarke, leader of Gedling Borough Council, said: "Fly-tipping will not be tolerated and we must do everything in our power to catch the perpetrators.

"Clearing up these incidents costs the taxpayer and when it's within a mile of a recycling centre and business waste facilities, there is simply no excuse."

The council is concerned by the increase in fly-tipping and fears it could double by next year.

As well as installing CCTV cameras, it will increase patrols, work more closely with police and ramp up investigations in hotspots.

Sheena Cumming, 60, of Mapperley, said: "I think it's horrible when people leave their rubbish outside like that.

"There are so many places where people can take it. It really grates when I see it in the street so I'm pleased the council is taking a hard line."

JUST a two-minute drive down Main Street from Calverton Waste Recycling Centre, and you reach Gravelly Hollow.

The dead-end country lane has a car park and is a haven for ramblers and dog walkers – but twice in ten days, builders' waste has been spotted in the woodland.

The dumping has led to a crackdown by Gedling Borough council, which plans to attach cameras to trees overlooking the site to catch fly-tippers in the area.

A single call-out to clear one tipping can cost the taxpayer £2,000. So why do people chuck their rubbish away so close to a recycling centre?

Gedling charges £14 to pick up one bulky item, £17 for up to three, £22 for up to five and £33 for up to 10 items.

Across Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe charges £13 for a call-out and £7 per item taken away while a similar scheme in Rushcliffe charges £15 and £7.25.

But Erewash residents have not had to pay for a fridge to be collected since April – while 11 were found dumped in Gedling.

In the city, residents can make use of a free collection of larger items such as sofas – which featured three times on the Gedling fly-tipping list.

Alan Clark, portfolio holder for energy and sustainability at the city council, said: "Rural boroughs have a bigger problem because there are more quiet roads with little light."

The Bulwell Forest representative said hotspots in his area included Gala Way, off Hucknall Road, and a spot in Bestwood Road.

He said: "We haven't used cameras but we've caught people by recognising hotspots."

Carol Hart, deputy leader at Erewash, said: "The reason we introduced free bulky waste collection was because of fly tipping. We were inundated with requests when we first did it but it's started to level off now."

Gedling trialled a free collection service in Netherfield in July where residents could leave their rubbish out for removal.

"The amount of stuff outside people's houses was incredible," said Councillor John Clarke, leader of Gedling Borough Council. "We are going to roll this idea out across the borough in the coming months."

But Mr Clarke feels the problem is more than just the cost of removing waste.

"What we're getting is organised tipping," he said. "Unlicensed people are picking stuff up from people's homes and dumping it in farmers' fields or in the middle of the road." Recycling centres were first in line for funding cuts by Nottinghamshire County Council in 2010 .

Gedling Village's recycling centre in Arnold Lane was closed along with Stapleford and Sutton-in-Ashfield, to save a reported £360,000.

"We've consistently had problems at the old Gedling tip," Mr Clarke said.

"Some people just leave the stuff outside even though it's clearly closed. They are just not prepared to drive three- and-a-half miles to Calverton."

Sheena Cumming, 60, of Mapperley, said she was duped by a rogue tradesman.

"A chap came and said he could cut down the trees. He said he was going to take the rubbish away but then I found out he just dumped it."

The council will focus on Gravelly Hollow for its crackdown.

But it is a problem across the borough, with reported dumpings in the last ten days ranging from carpet and underlay in Stoke Lane, Stoke Bardolph to asbestos in Sherbrooke Road, Daybrook.

Gedling's battery-operated tree-mounted cameras will move from area to area.

ARACHNOPHOBES will be hiding behind their sofas from today as September brings the invasion of the eight-legged creature into homes.

The month is known as the beginning of "spider season" as the creepy crawlies come out of their summer hideaways to find mates.

Lawrence Bee, of the British Arachnological Society, said: "Late summer and early autumn months are the optimum times of year for spider appearances; males will be looking for a female to mate with."

The increase in spider appearances may spark fear in many, but the most common spiders found in Nottingham, such as the giant house spider, the daddy long legs and the jumping spider, are unlikely to cause any harm. If the skin is broken by a spider bite, the venom for most people is not poisonous and should not cause more than an irritation.

Mr Bee added: "Often the seriousness of the bite is caused by an infection rather than the venom itself."

If the bite does not settle after one or two days, however, it is recommended that medical attention is sought.

But it is often a difficult time of year for people like student Alice Morris, who lives in Hyson Green.

The 21-year-old said: "There is something unnatural about the way that they walk. I hate the thought of them being in the same room as me."

But Nottingham Trent University insect expert Dr Chris Terrell-Nield said: "This is a natural reaction. We are hardwired to be cautious and it is an evolutionary response."

Jannette Shepperd, of Mapperley, said: "I have a plastic tube. When you turn it on, it sucks them up and you can put them straight into the garden."

Some also think putting conkers in a room's corners stops spiders from entering.

SNEINTON residents are coming together to make local people's voices heard.

Sneinton Neighbourhood Forum has made a formal application to Nottingham City Council to become the official neighbourhood area forum in and around Sneinton.

The application is the first step towards a neighbourhood plan, putting together the thoughts and feelings of local residents to influence future planning decisions.

Community groups and local businesses are joining residents in the process. The plan can be viewed at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/localplan or at Sneinton Library, in Sneinton Boulevard.

Submit views by October 5 in writing or email localplan@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

VOLUNTEERS have set up a new cafe to help people with dementia.

Opening on Thursday, September 11, the Memory Café will be based at the Middle Street Resource Centre, in Beeston.

It has been set up with input from the Alzheimer's Society but will run independently and led by Joan Gavigan.

She said: "Having a new dementia café in Beeston will be really good.

"We have picked a location that is easy to access and the new monthly sessions will be a much needed support service for the many people living with dementia in the area and their carers.

"It is a chance for people affected by the condition to come together and socialise, get advice and guidance and share stories about what is happening to them."

A range of activities, ranging from art and music to dance, will take place at the café, which will run on every second Thursday of the month with subsequent cafés on Thursday, October 9, and Thursday, November 13.

GRUESOME crimes from Nottingham's past are being brought back to life with paper leaflets from the Victorian era.

The handbills – handed out for free in the 1850s and 1860s to spread the news of the day – have survived for more than 150 years.

Mellors & Kirk, of Gregory Street, Lenton, will auction the pieces of history tomorrow and believe the collections could fetch thousands of pounds, with each item expected to sell for £100-£200.

Stories from the bills range from two teenage chimney sweeps stealing soot in Stapleford to a ghastly murder in Sawley.

The leaflet detailing the murder describes how an elderly woman returned to her home, was confronted by an intruder and attacked with a hatchet. Her body was found buried in a dung-heap but "a portion of one leg remained uncovered, which led to its discovery".

The murderer barricaded himself in the cottage, where he was pelted with stones through the window until he was knocked down and arrested.

Legal pursuits are also included in the bills, such as a report of a boxing match held in 1841 featuring Ben Caunt and Nicholas Ward.

Nigel Kirk, auctioneer at Mellors & Kirk, said: "Handbills had to have a direct message and grip the attention of the working and artisan classes. Often they featured a woodcut illustration. They were intended to circulate for no more than one or two days before being thrown away and for this reason they are rarely found. We are anticipating a great deal of interest in the items."

Bev Baker, senior curator and archivist at the Galleries of Justice Museum, in the Lace Market, described the leaflets as a great find. She said: "Such handbills were very popular in Victorian times as a means for people to spread their views.

"The crimes are very typical, as are the severity of the punishments, from five months' imprisonment with hard labour for stealing a pair of boots, to seven years' transportation for stealing three pairs of stockings."

Joe Earp, of Nottingham Hidden History Team, said: "Nottingham is known for its rich history, especially its more bizarre heritage. For Victorian handbills like this to survive is rare and especially with such interesting news items."

LONG-TIME drug user Carl Browne grew £7,000-worth of cannabis to cut the cost of his habit, a court heard.

The 38-year-old of Cranmer Street, Long Eaton, appeared at Derby Crown Court yesterday after police found 25 plants growing in his bedroom.

The court heard that Browne had started taking the drug at 13.

Some of the seized plants were in growing tents while others – including 16 seedlings – were in a propagator.

If they had all been harvested, they could have produced 700 grams – worth up to £7,000 if sold on the streets.

After Browne pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis Judge Advocate Michael Elsom said: "You will know as well as I do that you were a complete fool."

He must carry out 150 hours' community work and pay a £60 Government surcharge.