THE childhood sweetheart of landslide victim Charlotte Blackman has described for the first time the moments leading up to her death.

Charlotte, 22, from Heanor, was killed by tonnes of falling rock while on a family holiday in Dorset in July.

Matthew Carnell said he pulled Charlotte's younger brother Mitchell into the sea to avoid the landslide as rocks rained down from the cliffs above.

But he was unable to save Charlotte, who was killed instantly.

An inquest has now opened into the death at Dorset Coroner's Court, Bournemouth.

Matthew, 22, told the hearing: "All five of us decided to go for a walk while Rachel (Charlotte's mum) set up camp.

"I noticed ahead a cloud of dust, it could even have been smoke from a fire, drifting out to sea and within seconds it had cleared."

Mr Carnell said: "We walked along the beach and stopped to play in a rock pool for half an hour.

"We carried on walking then 15 minutes later decided to turn around and walk back.

"Within a minute of turning around I saw two small stones falling down the cliff face. I immediately looked up to the cliff and saw almost half of it collapse.

"Within the blink of an eye I saw what was happening. I heard a crashing sound grabbed Mitchell and ran a few metres into the sea.

"There was a dust cloud and I couldn't see anything."

Mr Carnell said the boulders that had fallen from the cliff ranged in size from a football to a stack of hay.

He said: "I tried to move the small boulders out of the way. People approached and told us to get out of the way. I heard them shouting It was complete chaos. All I could think of was to find Charlotte and get her out."

Other eye-witnesses at the hearing revealed that they had seen at least one other landslide before the fatal one.

Miss Blackman's family raised issues in court with the lack of signs in the area, which is a private beach used by customers of the Freshwater Holiday Park, near to a National Trust-owned beach.

Her father Kevin Blackman, who was injured in the landslide, on July 24, said: "The route we used to approach the beach from the holiday camp meant we didn't see any warning signs. There should be some near the playing fields so kids can see them."

Helen Mann, National Trust property manager in Dorset said: "The access to Freshwater beach is not owned by the National Trust.

"Signs on the beach itself can't be sustained. The beach has been closed, we own some of it, but we can't physically stop people going on it.

"We try to keep people safe as best we can. But we can't close all the beaches."

Sherriff Payne, coroner for Dorset, said: "I will make a report to Freshwater Holiday Park.

"They will have to make their signs more visible and keep them in locations where they will be seen.

"The National Trust has replaced 42 signs since July. It is an ongoing task that is impossible. The effects of the sea make their task more difficult.

Charlotte's post-mortem investigation concluded she died instantaneously of multiple injuries.

In summing up Mr Payne recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: "Charlotte sadly died as a result of an accident – an act of nature that nobody could have expected."

BRYN Sumpton, 32, of Foxhill Road, Carlton, is accused of perverting the course of justice in Carlton on November 4 this year. He allegedly reported a vehicle was stolen in order to prevent his prosecution for failing to stop, failing to report a road traffic accident and drink-driving. His case will be heard at Nottingham Crown Court on April 8. He is on unconditional bail.

ANJUDETTE Lee, 27, of Maple Street, Hyson Green, will go on trial in the new year accused of four offences. It is alleged she assaulted two men in Nottingham, used violence to enter premises in St Ann's and had with her an offensive weapon, namely a broken wooden chair leg, all on November 28. She pleaded not guilty to all the allegations on November 29. Her trial is listed at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on February 1. She is on conditional bail.

EDWIN Robinson, 44, of Waterloo Road, Beeston, will be tried on a charge of assaulting a woman in Beeston. He has been granted conditional bail to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court for his trial on February 1. He pleaded not guilty at a hearing on November 28.

MARK Bingley, 28, of Nottingham Road, Basford, is accused of theft at the Co-op in West Bridgford. It is alleged that he stole brandy worth £101 on October 26. He will appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on January 23 at 2pm. He is on conditional bail.

LINDSEY Howitt, 27, of Lime Tree Road, Hucknall, is charged with theft. It is alleged that she stole cigarettes and alcohol, valued at £20, from a convenience store in Hucknall on December 9 this year. She entered a not guilty plea at a hearing on December 10. The case was adjourned until February 7. Howitt was released on conditional bail to await her trial.

KATHERYN Veitch , 30, of Gonalston Lane, Hoveringham, will have a trial accused of driving a Honda without due care and attention at Lowdham Level Crossing on July 10. After pleading not guilty at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, her case was adjourned until January 9.

JONATHAN Noon, 45, of Huthwaite Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, has denied failing to comply with a red traffic light at the junction of Lower Parliament Street and Southwell Road, Nottingham, in a Chrysler Grand Voyager on November 11 last year. His case was adjourned until January 21 for a plea and case management hearing.

CLAIRE Scrivens, 31, of Brook Avenue, Arnold, is charged with two road traffic offences. She is alleged to have failed to comply with a red traffic light at the junction of Valley Road and Nottingham Road, Nottingham, in a Fiat Punto on November 4 last year. She is further alleged to have not provided police with information about the identity of the driver of the Fiat. The driver was allegedly guilty of a road traffic offence on or about December 12. Magistrates in Nottingham adjourned proceedings until January 21.

ALBERT Copeland, 61, of Frinton Road, Broxtowe Estate, is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on January 3. He was found guilty on December 10 of a road traffic offence. Magistrates in Nottingham heard he failed to comply with a red traffic light at the junction of the A6514 Western Boulevard and A610 Nuthall Road, Nottingham, in a Mercedes on September 23 last year. An adjournment was agreed before magistrates consider disqualifying him from driving in the New Year.

DUANE Finch, 49, of Lincoln Street, Old Basford, is to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on February 22. He is accused of producing and possessing cannabis, possessing amphetamine and dishonestly using electricity valued at £2,313.66. The offences all allegedly happened in Basford on May 23. Finch is on unconditional bail.

RONALD Armstrong, 71, of West Way, Uttoxeter, is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on January 7. He is charged with driving a Mercedes Sprinter van on the A46, in Widmerpool, without due care and attention on June 29.

GAVIN Daniel, 27, of Park Crescent, Eastwood, is accused of driving without due care and attention on the A610 at Nuthall on April 12. His case will be listed at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on January 7.

AN allegation against Danielle Grey, 25, of Muskham Avenue, Ilkeston, was withdrawn at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. She allegedly left a cigarette end in Old Market Square, Nottingham, on June 15.

MANZUR Kasemi, 31, of Chadwick Road, Bobbersmill, has been fined £250 for driving without insurance in Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham. He is also required to pay a £15 victim surcharge. His driving licence will be endorsed with six penalty points. He admitted the offence by post at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. He also admitted that he was driving the BMW in Upper Parliament and plied for hire when he was not a licensed taxi on September 7. No separate penalty was imposed.

POLICE are appealing for information about a missing Nottingham student.

George Ford is believed to have left his home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, at about 3am on Sunday.

The 20-year-old is white, around 6ft 1ins tall, with brown, wavy shoulder-length hair. He was last seen wearing a green T-shirt with Hitchhike Morocco on the front, grey combat trousers, a brown satchel bag and black DC trainers with blue detail.

Although he can drive, George does not have access to a car. Police believe he could be in Nottingham, where he attends university.

Anyone who has seen George should call police on 101 quoting incident 175 of December 16.

WORK on a £168m revamp of one of the region's most congested roads will start by the end of January.

Campaigners have been calling for the widening of the A453 for years and now Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has announced that work will begin next month.

The scheme involves widening the A453 to a dual carriageway between Junction 24 of the M1 and the Crusader Roundabout, on the edge of Clifton, and to a four-lane single-carriageway through Clifton to the Farnborough Road junction.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said disruption would be kept to a minimum.

He said: "The aim is to keep two lanes running during the work in the day, but it is likely that there will be some closures and possibly full closures.

"If there are any full closures it will be kept to a minimum."

Traffic management measures will be put in place during January, including a new temporary 40mph speed limit from the M1 to the edge of Clifton and a temporary 30mph speed limit though Clifton itself.

It is expected the project will be completed by the summer of 2015.

Kevin McCormack, chairman of the Clifton Village Residents' Association, said the work had been a long time coming.

He added: "We knew something needed to be done. It is getting bad on this road. It is evident that it has got to be done at some point."

However, Mr McCormack does have concerns about the work."I think the construction will cause an awful lot of upheaval," he said. "There's a lot of concern."

Finalised plans including dates of works are expected to be revealed in early January.

The factory manager for Imperial Tobacco in Nottingham, Ian King, said the move would benefit both members of staff and distribution drivers at their Lenton factory.

He added: "We've been calling for this, along with the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, for years.

"It will help the lorries get to the M1 more quickly. We support it and we are right behind them. It will be worth the temporary disruption to get it done."

The chief financial and operations officer at Nottingham Trent University, which has a campus on the A453 in Clifton, also welcomed the announcement.

Stephen Jackson said: "Anything that improves the road infrastructure and makes it easier to travel in and out of Nottingham is a good thing. And what's good for Nottingham is good for us."

He added: "Our students and staff at the Clifton Campus, as well as the university as a whole, will undoubtedly benefit from reduced journey times and we very much look forward to the completion of the scheme."

Calls to upgrade the road date back to the 1960s.

The Post has also run its own campaign to get the road upgraded.

Notts County Council leader Councillor Kay Cutts said: "I am delighted that we are now within weeks of seeing construction work begin on the A453.

"The county council and the local business community campaigned long and hard for its improvement, with the county council putting £20 million into the scheme.

"The news that work is set to begin in the new year is fantastic news for everyone in Notts.

"The improvements to this vital route, combined with the planned extension to East Midlands Airport, will bring huge benefits to the Notts economy and the East Midlands as a whole."

Councillor Neil Clarke, leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, said: "This is just what the region has been waiting for – I couldn't be happier that work is starting sooner rather than later. The road in its current state is a bottleneck that delays the efficient flow of trade and traffic and halts the economic recovery of the borough."

The Highways Agency will be holding public information exhibitions at Clifton Leisure Centre on Southchurch Drive, on Friday January 11, from 2pm to 8pm, and on Saturday January 12 from 10am to 4pm.

TRIBUTES have been paid to a mother-of-two killed in a car crash as she drove her children to school.

Anne Brooks, 50, from Cropwell Butler, near Bingham, was driving her seven-year-old son and four-year-old daughter to school when the accident happened on Monday.

Her car crashed off the road and ended up in a ditch in Swab's Lane, in south Notts, at around 9am.

Mrs Brooks was pronounced dead at the scene but both her children managed to get out unharmed.

Anne's husband, Jon Brooks, has now paid tribute to her in a statement released through Notts Police yesterday.

He said: "Anne was the best mum, wife and friend in the world.

"This incident has meant that the biggest part of me has been taken away.

"Anne was my number one fan, who believed in me and made me the person I am today, I will miss her more than words can express."

Mrs Brooks was driving a grey Volkswagen Golf along Swab's Lane at around 9am when the crash happened.

The road is a country lane between the villages of Kinoulton and Cropwell Bishop.

Police crash investigators do not currently believe any other person or vehicle was involved in the crash.

Cropwell Butler is in the ward covered by Rushcliffe Borough Councillor Gordon Moore, who said he had been "personally shocked" by the tragedy after hearing about it yesterday.

He said: "It's absolutely tragic for the village. Cropwell Butler is a good community and has good community spirit and this will be dreadful news for them.

"People will be devastated. It's such a dreadful tragedy."

Officers would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the crash.

Investigators are also keen to hear from anyone who thinks they may have followed Mrs Brooks' car before the incident.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Constable Helen Neaverson on 101 extension 800 2225, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a 24.5-metre-high wind turbine at a former landfill site have been given the go ahead.

FCC Environment, which is in charge of the now closed Burntstump landfill site, off the A614 Ollerton Road, near Arnold, asked Gedling Borough Council for permission to build the micro-turbine to produce power for pumps used at the site.

The company said the wind turbine, which can generate up to 11KW of electricity to pump leachate – liquid produced from rubbish processing – would save 13 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.

Councillors have now followed a recommendation by officers to approve permission.

The project was criticised by Calverton Parish Council, which said the turbine would be in the green belt and close to a proposed special protection area for nightjars.

FCC Environment said there were no outstanding wildlife objections from Natural England, the Notts Wildlife Trust or Notts County Council's ecology team.

CITY council leader Jon Collins has warned that courts will become "clogged up" with people unable to pay council tax after government cuts.

The current national Council Tax Benefit scheme is to be abolished under the Welfare Reform Act next year.

It will mean responsibility for discounts will no longer be the Government's responsibility but local councils from April.

As a result, the city council is consulting on a scheme to ensure those with the lowest incomes only pay 8.5 per cent of their bill for a year.

However after that, they will be expected to pay 20 per cent.

Speaking at a city council executive board meeting, Mr Collins said: "This will have the same kind of impact on people that the poll tax did. Very simply because we will be having to collect small amounts of money from people who will struggle to pay it, who will therefore get into arrears.

"We will be forced to collect this money, which will add to their debts, and will end up in court, which will lead to further debts.

"People will be unable to pay or refuse and court will be clogged up with people facing custodial sentences."

The Government has announced a £100 million "transition fund" for councils that introduce schemes that meet specific criteria.

One of these is that people who get a 100 per cent discount, must not pay more than 8.5 per cent under the new scheme. It means the city council could receive a £775,000 grant.

The grant is not available for 2014-15, so the council is likely to enforce its original plans then, which would see everyone paying a minimum of 20 per cent.

Pensioners will not be affected by the changes.

THE countdown is on for people to donate food for hungry families this Christmas, as part of the Post's Five Tons of Tins campaign.

With just five days to go until the campaign ends on Christmas Eve, we are encouraging people to make sure they hand in their tin collections to their nearest food bank in time for the big count.

Schools, churches, businesses and community groups have been collecting since October 21, when we launched our ambitious target to collect five tons of tins – equivalent to more than 11,000 tins – for local food banks.

Sue Goodfellow, manager at the Pretty Windows Day Nursery, in Sneinton, said the children and their parents had helped fill four boxes since the nursery joined the campaign.

Mrs Goodfellow said: "Our pre-school children have been wonderful at bringing in tins and we can see that our parents and staff have been right behind them.

"The children have learnt about the importance of giving to people in need and about not asking Santa for too many presents."

She added that it wasn't just people associated with the nursery who were handing in tins.

She said: "We've had people randomly handing armfuls of tins to us as well. We love helping out in our local community and it has been great to see such overwhelming support from everyone in the area for the Five Tons of Tins campaign."

The Clifton food bank has also seen an increase in donations thanks to the Post's campaign. Wendy White, a volunteer at the food bank, said: "It has been extremely busy with people dropping stuff off all the time.

"We are so grateful to the Post for publicising food banks and letting people know where to bring tins to. It has really helped."

She added that, due to the overwhelming number of donations, the food bank was able to start handing out "double" packages this Christmas.

She said: "We have been able to sort out two packages for families in need instead of one so that they have enough for over the Christmas period. The support has been wonderful."

Cropwell Butler Methodist Chapel, in Tithby Road, Cropwell Butler, will hold a collection for tins at its Christmas Eve service, which starts at 6.30pm.

Church member Marian Henstock said: "We heard about the Post's campaign and thought it would be good to support it.

"We know that in this day and age there is a great need for food banks in Notts and we thought as a church we should be involved in helping out."

People who have collected tins should hand them in to their nearest food bank by Christmas Eve, mentioning they are a contribution to the Five Tons of Tins campaign. A list of food banks was included with the collection box.

If you would like to let us know how your collection is going, or if you have been helped by a food bank and would like to tell your story, contact Emily Winsor on 0115 905 1951 or e-mail emily.winsor@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk.

ALAN Judge says he has no interest in talking to other clubs in the new year.

The Irish midfielder's future at Notts County is still up in the air, after he turned down the Magpies' first offer of a new deal at Meadow Lane back in August.

Notts have not tabled an improved contract since then and Judge's existing deal expires at the end of this season.

He is likely to attract interest in January because of his form for the Magpies and he could talk to a club about a move if they come in for him, but he said: "I'm not looking towards that at all.

"I want to get Notts into the Championship."

After serving a one-game suspension, Judge came back into the line-up last night as the Magpies crashed out of the FA Cup, losing 3-0 to League Two Rotherham in their second-round replay at Meadow Lane.

He said: "I'm now looking forward to the rest of the season and to finishing it off here as well.

"I'll just be focusing on giving everything I can for Notts."

Judge is one of several big players out of contract at Meadow Lane next summer.

"I haven't heard anything (about a new deal)," he added.

"I'm just concentrating on playing and that's it. I've told my agent not to talk to me unless he hears something.

"Usually he's on the phone wanting to meet me, but it's pretty quiet at the minute."

Judge has now set his sights on Leyton Orient on home soil on Saturday.

Notts have won only four league games at Meadow Lane this season and have slipped down to eighth in League One, but Judge believes they can rise back into the top-six.

"Christmas is a big time and we've got a good run of fixtures," he said.

"That's no disrespect to the teams we're playing, but if we can pick up six points from our next two or three games we could be back in third or fourth place.

"I'm always looking up, I don't want to be looking behind.

"We haven't gone on a run yet. I know we were unbeaten for eight games until we lost to Brentford, but we've not gone on a run where we've won two or three on the bounce.

"A lot of other teams have had their go and I'm sure ours will come soon enough."

FLEXIBILITY can become Nottingham Forest's biggest strength this season, says Simon Gillett.

Forest have started their last three games with different formations.

While manager Sean O'Driscoll has frequently shown himself to be willing to change tactics during games.

Midfielder Gillett admits the Reds squad is still developing, when it comes to having that adaptability.

But he also believes it can become one of their most potent weapons once the players do become accustomed to O'Driscoll's tactical tinkering.

"That flexibility can be a strength, without question. You need to be able to adapt," said Gillett, who was also with O'Driscoll at Doncaster Rovers.

"I have played under Sean before in games where we have changed formation three or four times.

"That is probably something I am used to. But perhaps the rest of the guys need to get used to it still.

"But there is more than enough ability and understanding in the squad to be able to do that.

"That can be another string to our bow. That ability to adapt can be a big strength for us."

Gillett says Forest do put in the hours on the training ground to make sure they are comfortable with various formations.

"We work on things a lot on the training ground. It is about using people in the right positions, not just throwing them together," he said.

"We have players who can fit into a large number of positions, that is always useful. In midfield we have plenty of players who are flexible, but it is the same up front as well."

Gillett warns Forest will have to be at their best when they travel to face in-form Watford on Saturday.

"Every week you look and Watford seem to have scored a load of goals again," he said. "They have made a lot of changes and are different to their previous teams.

"They have a lot of Italians and they seem to be doing well. They like to play football and we have to be wary of their threats. We have to look at their strengths and counter them."

DISABLED schoolchildren singing carols for charity ended up with a £140 parking fine in Nottingham city centre.

Oak Field School and Sports College pupils spent an hour singing to raise money for Emmanuel House, which helps homeless people, on Monday.

Two specially adapted minibuses – marked "ambulance" on the side – dropped them off in Low Pavement and returned to pick them up at about 2pm.

As the children in wheelchairs were being lifted into the vehicles a warden wrote out tickets for each ambulance.

Several passers-by were so shocked they stopped to challenge the decision and later e-mailed the Post to express their concern.

When the Post contacted Nottingham City Council it immediately apologised and had the fine revoked.

Head teacher David Stewart, who had intended to appeal against the fine himself, was pleased but said the ticket should never have been issued.

"It's the irony of it," he said.

"The youngsters had all gone carol singing to raise money for Emmanuel House, which the city council has cut funding from, and then they ended up with a £140 fine.

"These children are also wheelchair users so trying to get them anywhere in the city is difficult so it does take time.

"An able-bodied person could be in and out of a bus in a second but we have to lift the wheelchair in and then make sure its clamped, which is what was happening when the ticket was issued and people passing by just couldn't believe it was happening.

"I know people have a job to do and it is a no loading zone but these are not boxes being loaded into a van, these are children getting on a bus and if you were that person I think you would use a bit of judgement."

Mr Stewart said using public transport was not an option for the Bilborough-based school, as there were too many pupils in wheelchairs for a whole class to fit on one bus.

The carol singing session raised a total of £369.55 for Emmanuel House.

Liz Silver, of the Notts Disabled People's Movement, said although the city centre wasn't bad for disabled people this incident showed that more flexibility was needed, adding: "It's completely out of order and I can't understand why anyone would do it.

"It's ludicrous and shows a complete lack of awareness.

"Generally the city isn't bad for accessibility and blue badge holders can apply for access into area where vehicles wouldn't normally be allowed but a school like this should have instant access and it shows there needs to be more flexibility."

Wayne Rogers, who works in Lister Gate, witnessed the tickets being issued and described it as disgraceful.

He added: "I took the images from my place of work as I was so disgusted with the action of this person. I was not the only one and several other passers-by took pictures."

Shelley Mawby also e-mailed the Post.

She said: "A group of people gathered and were as shocked as me. When confronted, the warden said 'I'm just doing my job'. It was unbelievable."

The city council said that parking enforcement officers were entitled to use their own judgement and that as a result of the incident all civil enforcement officers would be reminded about the need to exercise discretion while carrying out their duties.

A spokesman said: "Our civil enforcement officers are expected to, and usually do, exercise discretion and judgement when dealing with situations where there may be a technical breach of regulations but where wider circumstances or sensitivities should be taken into account.

"If in any doubt, they can call managers to ask for advice about how best to proceed. We are sorry this didn't happen on this occasion and for any upset this may have caused."

Have you been the victim of an over-zealous warden? Contact our newsdesk on 0115 905 1967 or e-mail newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

THIS was an FA Cup nightmare.

Notts County have enjoyed some wonderful moments in the Cup in the past few seasons, beating Sunderland and giving Premier League giants Manchester City an almighty scare.

But there will be no great adventure this season, after they were well and truly dumped out 3-0 by League Two Rotherham United in a second round replay at Meadow Lane last night.

The Magpies were shocking in the first half and pressed the self-destruct button big time in a mad 30 minutes, in which they conceded all three goals and Damion Stewart saw red for an elbow.

Ben Pringle fired the Millers ahead with an early goal and then Mark Bradley and Daniel Nardiello completed the upset before half-time.

Notts put up a fight in the second half, but it was too little, too late.

The big news before kick-off was that the Magpies' No.1 goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski suffered an injury in training on Monday and so was out of the tie.

With the giant Pole sidelined for the first time this season, Notts gave a debut to 20-year-old rookie goalkeeper Liam Mitchell.

The Magpies were also forced into making another change at the back because Dean Leacock was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Stewart replaced him at the heart of the back-four.

Despite the loss of two of those two key men, Notts were boosted by the return of Alan Judge from suspension and also their leading scorer Yoann Arquin, who scored a wonder volley in a 1-1 draw in the first game between the two sides.

The young French striker started in attack, after missing their 2-1 home league defeat against Brentford.

Mitchell, a Nottingham lad, quickly showed his ability by making a great save to deny Millers' midfielder Michael O'Connor after just five minutes.

O'Connor smashed a powerful low shot towards the bottom left corner of the net from 25 yards that would have beaten a lot of goalkeepers, but Mitchell dived rapidly to his right and tipped it past a post at full stretch.

Mitchell also punched away two corners that were whipped dangerously into the six-yard box in the opening minutes, but there was nothing he could do to stop the visitors taking a 1-0 lead on ten minutes through Pringle.

It was his goal that cancelled out Arquin's opener at the New York Stadium to force the replay and the ex-Ilkeston Town and Derby County man inflicted more hurt on the Magpies by curling a shot beyond Mitchell and inside his left-hand post from 25 yards.

It got worse for Notts 12 minutes later as Rotherham doubled their lead.

Pringle was involved once again, swinging a corner into the box that fell to Bradley at the far post and he turned the ball past Mitchell from close range.

The Magpies looked completely shell-shocked, but going 2-0 down sparked them into life and Judge fired in a shot from inside the penalty area that was blocked on 24 minutes and captain Neal Bishop forced Millers' goalkeeper Andy Warrington into a save with a close-range header five minutes later.

Their hopes of staging a fightback were dealt a blow soon after though because Stewart was sent off for elbowing Rotherham striker Alex Revell in the face on 30 minutes as they raced to seize onto the ball.

The Jamaica international trudged off down the tunnel, leaving Notts two goals down with ten men.

Mitchell then made a great one-on-save to deny Nardiello on 36 minutes, but he could not stop him piling more misery on the Magpies just five minutes later as he scored to make it 3-0.

The away fans were chanting 'easy, easy!', after Lee Freckling raced forward down the right, crossed into the box and Nardiello rifled past Mitchell from five yards.

There was a bit of controversy about the goal though because Frecklington had hit a pass forward for Revell and he was flagged offside so the Magpies' players stopped, but Frecklington was then allowed to race onto his own pass before setting up Nardiello.

The tie looked all over at half-time, but Notts made a triple substitution at the start of the second half in an attempt to spark a comeback.

Andre Boucaud, Jeff Hughes and Arquin were all left in the dressing-room and Joss Labadie, Francois Zoko and Enoch Showunmi were all thrown on.

Labadie was quickly in the thick of it, driving a shot at goal from the edge of the penalty area that flew just wide of the top left corner of the net, and Showunmi made his presence felt in the opening minutes as well.

The towering No.9 almost got on the end of a right-wing cross into the box by Judge on 60 minutes as well, but the visitors hit back quickly and almost scored a fourth goal a minute later, Frecklington beating Mitchell to a through ball and stroking a shot just wide of the far post.

Frecklington threatened again on 66 minutes, firing wide from 20 yards, and Mitchell was forced to parry an effort from Pringle past his right-hand post minutes later. The young keeper than tipped over a long-range shot from Revell, before Liddle forced Warrington into a save with a header on 81 minutes.

Zoko then headed a right-wing cross into the penalty from Julian Kelly well wide in injury time and that proved the Magpies' last chance to salvage any pride.

They kept going until the bitter end, but there was no way back for Keith Curle's men and a lot of fans had left their seats long before the end. Those that stayed booed when the final whistle went.

It was a bad, bad night for Notts. The worst for a long time.

NOTTS: Mitchell, Kelly, D Stewart (sent off, 30), Liddle, Sheehan, Campbell-Ryce, Bishop, Boucaud (Labadie, 46), J Hughes (Zoko, 46), Judge, Arquin (Showunmi, 46). Subs: Pilkington, Regan, Bencherif, Mahon.

ROTHERHAM: Warrington, Bradley, Arnason, Mullins, O'Connell (Cameron, 74), Pringle, Taylor (Rose, 86), O'Connor, Frecklington, Nardiello (Walker, 90), Revell. Subs: Shearer, Odejayi, Agard, Denton.

Attendance: 2,990

A 30-YEAR-OLD man has been remanded in custody following a city centre stabbing.

Nathaniel Robert Smart, of Queens Bower Road, Bestwood Park, was charged with GBH after a 25-year-old man was stabbed outside the Coco Lounge bar in George Street at around 1.10am on Sunday.

Smart was also charged with possession of cannabis and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was remanded in custody at Nottingham Magistrates' Court yesterday. His next appearance will be at Nottingham Crown Court and is understood to be in the next few days.

The Search for a new manager is underway at Hucknall's oldest sunday morning football club, Barfly's after manager Dean Wealthall stepped down after four seasons in charge.

The club, now located at H20 on Hucknall High Street after moving from their spiritual home at the Plough and Harrow in 2011, stated their thanks to Wealthall and immediately began the search for a new manager to lead them into a new era.

Chairman and stalwart Tony Knowles said, "Dean did a fantastic job in taking us up to the Premier Premier and to the County Cup final but he felt it was time to move on."

Due to work commitments and the frustrating lack of players, Wealthall felt that the time was right for someone else to come in and take the club forward.  There were also rumours that Barfly's had decided to call it a day after twenty five years but after a crisis meeting on the 16th of December it was clear that there was massive support from the committee, players past and present and many supporters and the club reiterated their desire to continue and would be looking for a new manger to lead them into a brand new era for the Barfly's.

The club have also appealed for players and anyone who would like to sponsor the club to come forward and, with a strong committee and a large loyal fan base which is the envy of many local teams, it was clear there is real will for the club to continue.

Chairman Tony Knowles said "In the words of Mark Twain reports of the death of the Barfly's have been greatly exaggerated!"  Seriously though, no-one wanted the club to fold and there were some real feelings in the meeting and it is clear that historic Barfly's must and will continue ."

The club are looking for a new manager with real commitment and any interested parties or any players interested in joining the Barfly's revolution should contact Tony Knowles directly on 07946870925.  The closing date for applications is the 29th of December.

Tony said, "a New Year is almost upon us and now is the time to move forward and take Barfly's into 2013."