THE best and brightest apprentices in Notts have been rewarded for their work at an awards ceremony.

Awards in eight categories were handed out at East Midlands Conference Centre.

The event was organised by the Notts Training Network to celebrate the achievements of people who had done well in work-based learning. After the awards were handed out, the overall winner was named as Olivia Herman.

The 22-year-old from Bulwell was given a trophy and a £1,000 cheque. She was also a winner in two other categories – personal achiever of the year and progression learner of the year.

The winner of each category also received a trophy and £300 of vouchers, while runners-up got a trophy and £100 of vouchers.

Thursday's event followed a university graduation-style ceremony at which apprentices from across the county received certificates. The awards were backed by the Duke of York and Universities Minister David Willetts.

The Post has been calling on firms to take on apprentices as part of its Get Notts Working challenge. In a 100-day period last year, 230 new posts were created at city and county firms.

A DERELICT pub which closed shortly after a woman was shot there could be demolished.

A planning application has been submitted to build seven flats on the site of the Vernon pub in Vernon Road, Old Basford.

A 23-year-old woman was shot in the beer garden of the pub on August 17 last year.

The pub closed soon after and has remained boarded up since.

Six people are still on bail as police investigations continue into the case.

Now a planning application has been submitted to Nottingham City Council by Bassi Properties Ltd, of Basford, which wants to convert the vacant pub into seven flats.

Neighbourhood watch member Iris Busley, of Skylark Close in Old Basford, said she approved of the plans because the empty pub looked "horrible".

Ms Busley, 66, said: "It is sad how the pub has closed. Ten years ago it was a nice place to go. I went there quite a lot.

"I think using the pub as flats will make it look better because at the moment it is boarded up and looks horrible.

"It went downhill quickly. I hadn't been in there much over recent years and the shooting was extremely shocking."

Ms Busley, who says her elderly neighbours have raised concerns with neighbourhood watch about the pub standing empty, added: "I know there are a few concerns in the area about who would live in the flats. If the pub is turned into family flats that will be a good thing. It looks awful at the moment."

Christine Castle, 49, of Athorpe Grove, off Vernon Avenue, said it was sad the pub had closed but was pleased a use could be found for it.

She said: "The pub has been there for over 100 years, so for it to end up as flats is quite sad. But I would rather that than it stood empty."

The managing director of Bassi Properties Ltd, Avinash Bassi, said the flats would be geared at young professionals.

He said: "We bought the pub around Christmas time and after speaking to nearby residents we decided to put in a planning application to convert it for residential use.

"Many of the residents said they liked the idea of it being used as flats. There are no plans to use the flats for ex-offenders or those on probation, if people are concerned about that.

"They will be one-bedroom self-contained flats geared at young professionals, with car parking to the rear."

TWO robbers who abandoned a stolen car on the tram tracks during a police chase have been jailed.

Lee Watson and Dominic Wright used knives, a crow bar and a hammer in a spree of shop raids across Notts and Derbyshire last summer.

But their campaign ended when they were chased down by police after stealing the car.

As they tried to get away, they left it on the tracks in Basford and ran off, but were arrested soon afterwards.

Both were found guiltyof five counts of robbery after an eight-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Watson was also found guilty of taking the car.

Detective Sergeant Steve Wragg, who investigated the crimes, said: "The last thing shop workers should expect in their jobs, serving members of the public, is the fear of violence or to be involved in a frightening robbery.

"Some of the staff have as yet been unable to return to work because of the trauma they faced.

"They absolutely did not deserve to be put in this danger."

Watson, 26, of no fixed address, and Wright, 23, of Vale Crescent South, Radford, first robbed Alldays in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, on Tuesday, June 26,

The nest day they robbed the One Stop Shop, Bell Lane, Cinderhill, armed with a knife and a crow bar, which they used to remove two tills from the shop before running off with them.

On the morning of Saturday, June 30, they robbed Morrisons petrol station in Kelham Way, Eastwood, at knifepoint.

Watson jumped on to the counter and threatened workers before the pair fled with money from the safe.

They struck again on Saturday, July 9, at the Texaco Petrol Station in Heanor.

On the following Thursday, July 12, they raided Booze Busters in Nabbs Lane, Hucknall, at 9pm, armed with a hammer.

The next day Watson took a Toyota Avensis from an address in Wood Street, Eastwood, at 7.52am.

Police spotted it at 2pm and gave chase. Watson and Wright drove along the tram tracks in David Lane, Basford.

They abandoned the car on the line, causing tram delays for about two hours.

Police compared the clothes worn during the robberies to those owned by Wright and Watson.

DS Wragg said: "They wore masks and gloves for these offences so there were no fingerprints or DNA left at the scene.

"We used a great deal of forensic work – notably analysing clothing and footwear as well as extensive phone analysis to place them at the crime scenes.

"It was a long process and we had in excess of 30 items for forensic testing but ultimately that work paid off."

Wright was jailed for seven years for robbery. Watson was jailed for eight years for robbery.

He was also handed an extra two month sentence, to run consecutively, after being held in contempt of court for spitting from the dock during the case.

ROSS Gerrard was just 21 months old when his parents became worried about his health.

Mum Joanne, of Mozart Close, Radford, said: "He had a pink lump on his head – his hair was very fair so we could notice it. He was unwell and a bit lethargic."

After another lump appeared, Ross was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre, where blood tests and a biopsy eventually established he had leukaemia.

Treatment began straight away due to the severity of the illness.

Joanne said: "It was very serious – this was very aggressive; they needed to attack it as soon as possible."

Ross had three bouts of chemotherapy and his parents were eventually informed that he would need a bone marrow transplant.

Ross's brother, Cadin, who was five at the time, was a 90 per cent match and became his donor.

Joanne, 42, said: "It's a horrible process. You are put under and have two consultants making holes in the back of your pelvis. It is quite painful."

She added: "Ross's growth has been badly affected. It does not faze him, though, he's a sweetheart."

Joanne welcomed a drug that could help even a few people avoid the operation.

"It would be amazing if it saves children going through what Ross has been through," she added.

IN his seven years, Joe Randall has endured more problems than most people experience in a lifetime.

He was just three when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, although the diagnosis was later changed to myelodysplastic syndrome – a rare disease in children which effects the production of blood cells.

Joe was diagnosed after a blood test revealed a dangerously low score. A bone marrow transplant was going to be necessary.

"Any lower and he would have been in intensive care with his organs shutting down," his mum, Lisa, of Hatfield Avenue, Mansfield, said.

"It was heartbreaking. In a way, were relieved because we knew that something was wrong.

"He had to have a transplant because the condition was so severe."

Joe, who has one older brother, had the bone marrow transplant in November 2011, after a donor from the Anthony Nolan Trust was found.

Lisa, 53, said: "The lead-up to the transplant with the intense chemotherapy was horrible. He was violently sick and ulcerated from mouth to stomach."

Despite the ordeal he has been through, Joe is doing well.

"He's a typical, normal boy. He's in remission.

"We do know any time tomorrow his bone marrow could start rejecting, but you do learn to live with it. It's part of life."

Having experienced the heartache that a bone marrow transplant can cause, Lisa is clear that any drug to help would be welcome.

"It would be amazing. The heartache and what the child and family go through is horrific."

MARKET traders in Clifton fear they could lose business if their stalls are moved when work to extend the tram system begins next month.

The Southchurch Drive market is held every Friday and Saturday and traders sell meat, fruit, vegetables and household items.

There are fears the stalls will have to move, which could lead to fewer customers using them.

Dean Kerry, who has run a fruit and vegetable stall for 25 years, believes the market could stay in the same spot during the work.

He said: "We're being told that we might have to move to another location because we can't load from Southchurch Drive on to the pavement where the stalls are, but I still think it could be possible.

"If we were forced to move, it would cause quite a few issues – the footfall that we have along here on market days is fantastic and it's always busy.

"The market attracts a lot of people because we're on the main shopping street.

"The market here is one of the more successful ones in the city and it would be a shame to harm its viability."

Stallholder Tina Wilson, who sells household items, was worried about any move away from Southchurch Drive.

"We've heard a few sites being mentioned but anywhere away from here is going to cause problems because we just won't get the passing trade," she said.

"The market also supports the local shops too – people walk up and down the street, going between the bank and the chip shop and the market stalls.

"Supporting high streets is something that should be welcomed, not harmed by looking at moving the market."

Mrs Wilson has set up a petition calling on Nottingham City Council's markets and fairs department to keep the market running at its current location.

Marilyn Swainston, 61, of Clifton, was among those keen to sign the petition.

She said: "If they moved the market it would be bad for Clifton – here, it is close to the shops and convenient.

"People often pop out of their house and expect to be down here for an hour and end up spending two because there's plenty going on."

Chris Deas, of Nottingham City Council, said: "The extent of the tram works along Southchurch Drive will increase towards the end of February.

"The works will impact on the market and we will, therefore, be discussing with the traders how to minimise any disruption to their activity.

"This includes considering options to temporarily relocate the traders to a nearby location."

Has your business been affected by the tram works? Email newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk

VILLAGERS in East Leake are worried about an alarming spike in the number of young people committing suicide in the area.

Self-harm support group Harmless said there had been seven suicides in the past 13 months which were either in East Leake or "related to the village", in that the people who had died knew people from the village.

Jamie Johnson was the latest teenager to take his own life while on holiday with his family in Turkey on October 18 last year.

He was only 19 and had struggled to come to terms with the suicide of a friend who killed himself last January.

Jamie's mother Penny Johnson, 39, who runs the village's Nag's Head pub, in Main Street, has started a new support group for young people in East Leake called the Tomorrow Project.

She said: "People are worried about the alarming rise of suicides in the village. We are 1,200 per cent above the national average for suicides in East Leake.

"I don't want anyone to have to go through what I have. That's why I'm doing this."

"The Tomorrow Project was started up by myself in conjunction with Harmless to try and offer support to young people who may be feeling distressed or depressed."

The launch of the new support group will take place today from 7pm. It is running a helpline on 07594 008356.

AN ARMY Commando from Nottingham who kicked a clubber in a savage attack has been spared jail so he can carry on serving his country.

Gunner Karl Sugg was on a night out with comrades after training when they set upon victim Gary McAllen and left him with a fractured jaw and with seven teeth knocked out.

He tried to flee the mob of four or five men by climbing through a hedge, but was grabbed and kicked so hard that an imprint of Sugg's shoe was left on his face.

Sugg, 24, of Stanhope Crescent, Arnold, and Daniel, Sutton, 22, from Scarborough, who serve with 29 Commando of the Royal Artillery at Plymouth, had been drinking in Okehampton when the attack happened.

Both men were told they had escaped prison by a whisker after senior officers pleaded for them to receive suspended sentences which would enable them to continue their military careers.

Sugg and Sutton admitted causing grievous bodily harm in January last year.

At Exeter Crown Court yesterday they were both jailed for 18 months – suspended for two years – ordered to do 200 hours unpaid community work and ordered to pay £3,500 compensation and £700 costs each.

Judge Erik Salomonsen told them: "The two of you, with others, cornered the victim in an alleyway where he was punched to the ground and kicked to the head.

"Nothing he had done deserved the treatment you meted out to him.

"I have seen letters from your superior officers which speak highly of your abilities and future prospects if you remain in the services.

"It is quite clear that if I send you to prison you will lose your careers and the nation will lose your service.

"If you do not, you will face action for bringing your regiment into disrepute. There is no doubt at all your conduct is disgraceful and that you have brought a fine regiment into disrepute."

Tom Bradnock, for Sugg, and Gareth Evans, for Sutton, said they both had promising careers with their regiment and play vital roles in their units, which are shortly to go on standby for active service.

THE redevelopment of Nottingham's ring road has moved a step closer after the city council committed £3.2 million to the project.

The Government has already given the £16.1 million scheme the go-ahead, but the council is waiting for the final sign-off from the Department for Transport, which is contributing £12.8 million.

On Tuesday, the council's executive board backed funding for the scheme. Work could start as early as April and finish in the summer of 2015.

In 2009, the Government had approved plans for a £44 million scheme but this has been watered down after the coalition said costs must be cut.

Some of the main improvements planned include:

Widening the southbound carriageway of Middleton Boulevard from Crown Island, Wollaton, to the QMC.

Western Boulevard widened from two to three lanes in the clockwise direction in three sections: between Crown Island and Beechdale Road, between Beechdale Road and Aspley Lane, and from Aspley Lane to Nuthall Road.

Conversion of Aspley Lane roundabout into a traffic light junction.

Widening the roundabout at the Hucknall Road junction to provide extra lanes.

Road resurfacing in both directions of Western Boulevard between Wilkinson Street and Western Boulevard Spur.

There will also be numerous upgrades to pedestrian and cyclist crossings.

One of the main changes that will not now happen is the widening of Basford bridge.

The ring road is used by up to 48,000 vehicles a day and it is hoped the improvements will cut congestion at bottlenecks.

A NOTTS boy is the first child in the UK to test a pioneering treatment for people with leukaemia.

The drug, Dasatinib, could reduce the need for young leukaemia patients to have bone marrow transplants.

Eleven-year-old James Morley (pictured) has a rare form of leukaemia, and is the first child in the UK to test the new drug out. James's mother Pam said: "Fingers crossed, up to now the drug is actually working."

James, of Sutton-in Ashfield, said: "It has really changed my life I feel proud helping other people."

After years of mystery illnesses, the 11-year-old's parents took him to see an optician, who could see blood cells bursting in his eyes.

James, of Tudor Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, was rushed to King's Mill Hospital and then to the Queen's Medical Centre.

He was diagnosed with Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare illness in children.

Mum Pam said: "We noticed he was a bit tired. His temperature kept spiking but they couldn't find anything wrong with him.

"We kept taking him, we knew something was wrong but they just weren't sure."

But then James's condition worsened.

Pam said: "He started seeing white as red."

After being sent to the Queen's Medical Centre, James was diagnosed a week later and began treatment almost immediately.

"When the consultant told us everything, it just flew over our heads," Pam said.

She said the months since James's diagnosis in April last year had been very difficult.

"The first year of the illness is going to be the worst – at a second's notice you could be taking him back to hospital.

"We're used to it; it's like a day-to-day experience. It was a shock at the start. But you've got to get a grip on life and carry on – you have to pull yourself together.

"It's like a rollercoaster. You don't know when you are getting off or where you are going."

The diagnosis came at the same time that the drug Dasatinib became available for trial on children immediately after diagnosis. It is currently available to adults only after other treatments have failed.

Even though James was the first child in the country to take it, his parents don't spend much time worrying about the drug.

Pam said: "At the moment we don't think about it, we just go from day to day – we don't plan.

"Basically, with the drug, we don't know much. You don't think of the survival rate, it's just a number. You keep going. It's a rare thing for children, it's a case of don't think about it and fight it."

As well as the drug trial, James has to continue with regular chemotherapy.

The youngster, who loves art and drawing, said: "None of us ever really saw it coming."

Emma Astwood is the paediatric haemotology consultant at Nottingham Children's Hospital.

She said: "Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common type of leukaemia, but Philadelphia positive only accounts for three to five per cent of child cases.

"It means the leukaemia is more difficult to treat than normal."

In recent years, a drug called Gleevec has emerged and has improved the prognosis of children suffering with the condition.

Dr Astwood said: "A lot of kids still needed transplants, but it did improve it."

Dasatinib is a more potent version of Gleevec and it is hoped that it could have a major impact on the disease.

"It's a study, so we don't know for definite, but trials suggest it seems beneficial," Dr Astwood said.

Without the drugs, the prognosis for sufferers can be worrying.

Dr Astwood said: "It can kill them. It's difficult to know, but previously the prognosis was about 40-50 per cent survival.

"Ideally, it will take away the need for a bone marrow transplant from children with Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia."

A bone marrow transplant replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells.

But transplants are complicated and have significant risks. In some cases, the transplanted cells recognise the recipient's cells as foreign and try to attack them.

The risk of infection is also increased because the immune system is weakened by intensive chemotherapy which prepares the body for the transplant.

THE Government is set to confirm a station will be built at Toton Sidings as part of new 250mph high-speed rail network – and the new route will also go under East Midlands Airport.

Passengers will be able to hop on one of three trains an hour to London and step out on to the platform at St Pancras just 51 minutes later.

The northbound service from Toton to Leeds would take 29 minutes – and Birmingham would be only 26 minutes away.

The short journey times are expected to transform the way Nottingham does business with other cities and bring up to £3.8 billion of economic benefit to the region.

Prime Minister David Cameron was due to meet leaders of the Core Cities – the nation's eight largest cities, including Nottingham – in Leeds on Monday to discuss details of the £30 billion plans. But details of the scheme were inadvertently leaked yesterday.

The first phase of the "Y-shaped" network – known as High Speed 2 – will be built between London and Birmingham. The second phase will split at Birmingham, with one line heading to Manchester and the other to Leeds, via Toton.

The Department for Transport is expected to announce substantial investment linking Toton station to Nottingham.

The railway line will be the first major line to be built north of London since 1899.

Currently, Toton Sidings is used only by freight trains.

The new high-speed trains will be faster than the French TGV trains, which run at 220mph.

It is understood the Government had considered an alternative proposal to Toton, with a station being built in Derby instead.

But it was eventually decided to locate it nearer to Nottingham, considered by the Government to be one of the country's most important economical centres.

No more details have yet been revealed about how the new route will go under East Midlands Airport.

For reaction to this story see Monday's Post.

NOTTS County's pocket rocket winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce is great at jinking his way past defenders – but today at Leyton Orient he is going to have to side-step sentiment as well.

The Londoner got his big break in League football with Orient just over a decade ago so it is a club that will always hold a special place in his heart.

But he wants to create some special memories with his new club this season by winning promotion into the Championship so he is determined to rip his old one apart and inspire the Magpies to a vital victory.

Campbell-Ryce has actually had two loan spells at Orient in his career.

The first was way back in 2002 when he was sent to get some experience in the League by his first club Charlton Athletic, who were in the Premiership at the time.

He also spent four months there at the end of last season, after being frozen out at Bristol City.

He joined Notts last summer on a two-year deal and has since hit the ground running at Meadow Lane, scoring six goals in his first 19 league games for them and terrorising defences in League One.

He is not just a goalscorer either – but a goalmaker and he set up Enoch Showunmi to fire the Magpies to a 1-0 win against Oldham Athletic on home soil in midweek, which has put them back into the top-half of the table ahead of their trip to London. That win followed a battling 1-1 draw against title-favourites Sheffield United with ten men.

After a dip in form at the end of last year, Notts look to be getting back on track and with games in hand on every team above them they are expected to quickly rise back up into the top-six, where they have spent most of the season.

"The last two games were massive for us," said Campbell-Ryce.

"Getting a draw against Sheff U, a team everyone expects to go up, after playing with ten men for so long and conceding in the first minute was a great result and we could have beat Oldham by a lot more than one goal, but it was nice to get a win and a clean-sheet. We've just got to stay positive.

"I wouldn't go over the top and say everything is rosy again after a couple of good results, but we're in a better position now and we've a few games in hand as well. But they are only good when you win them and we know what this league is like, everybody can beat everybody."

Having netted his first league goal for the club against the Latics, Showunmi looks set to start back-to-back league games for the first time this season against Orient – and Campbell-Ryce thinks he can strike fear into defenders.

"Everybody was made up for him when he scored because we all want him to do well," he added. "He's had a tough first half of the season where he's not really been given a chance.

"But the gaffer played him and I thought he did well in his first start for a little while.

"Everybody loves a big target man to aim for. He's a player that can win headers, get hold of the ball and pose problems for defences.

"Even though he's so big, he's mobile. He can still run the channels and all the rest of it.

"He kind of scares defenders with his size and presence."

The game at Orient is the first of four away games in 11 days.

It is followed by trips to Portsmouth, Hartlepool United and Stevenage.

Notts will clock up over 1,100 miles – and Campbell-Ryce believes they can rack up a lot of points as well because they are unbeaten on the road in almost a year.

But he has also warned that just because Orient, Pompey, Hartlepool and Stevenage are all below 12th-placed Notts in the table that does not guarantee success.

"Our away form is good, but you're only as good as your next game," he said. "We could lose today and the record will go out of the window, so we have to be at the top of our game to make sure that doesn't happen."

A LACE Market nightclub could lose its licence following complaints about noise late at night.

Complaints about Penthouse nightclub in Broadway stem back to September 2011 – with most relating to the noise coming from the queue and outside smoking area.

Nottingham City Council's licensing panel will now meet on February 5 to decide what action to take. It has the power to modify or completely revoke the club's licence.

In his statement to the licensing panel, Andy Moger, who lives opposite the club in Broadway House, Stoney Street, said: "Noise in the street by patrons of this venue begins in the evening and runs all the way through to the early hours of the morning."

He argues that when the club was closed, due to water damage, from July to September last year, there were "no problems" at all.

He added: "Fighting outside by patrons of this venue is far from a rare incident, in fact it would be more accurate to say that it is now rare for a night to pass without incidents of fighting and violence.

"On occasion brawls have ended up with people being thrown against Broadway House and blood splatters all over the external walls and doors of the building, which is thoroughly unpleasant for those of us living there."

Steve Hazzledine, who also lives at Broadway House, said it was not just street noise.

"The playing of amplified music with accompanying bass is so loud that it is audible in the bedrooms and living areas of Broadway House," he said.

There have also been complaints about taxis beeping horns in the early hours. The club opened in November 2010 in the building that was formerly run as Faces.

The licence is held by Harinder Singh Dhadli. His mother Amarjit, who helps out with the running of the club, said they had taken numerous measures to reduce noise.

She said: "We put extra barriers in place to contain people queuing around Penthouse.

"We also have four doormen outside and their job is to tell people to be quiet. We have big placards telling people to be quiet."

She said they had also suggested moving the smoking area to the roof, or back of the building, but so far the landlord had not agreed.

She added: "A doorman is there asking them to keep their voices down. They're only talking, not shouting and if someone does raise their voice the doorman asks them to keep their voice down and if they don't they are removed."

She added that on some days that residents complained about the club was not open or did not have bass speakers fitted as they were being repaired. The club employs about 60 people.

Derek Moss, on the city council's noise and pollution control team, says measures that could be introduced include refusing entry to the premises between midnight and 3am – and ensuring sound cannot be heard in Broadway House.

A TOTAL of 200 jobs are under threat after one of Notts' major bus companies ceased to operate, following financial trouble.

Premiere Travel Ltd stopped running all its 19 bus routes in Notts, Leicestershire and Derbyshire at 5pm yesterday.

Trent Barton and Nottingham City Transport are taking over some routes and will accept Premiere tickets.

Premiere also runs school buses in the boroughs of Gedling and Rushcliffe.

Notts County Council says it has made arrangements to secure replacement school buses to operate from Monday.

Accountancy and business advice firm RSM Tenon, which had been appointed to help Premiere find a buyer, said yesterday no buyer could be found.

Paul Finnity, partner at RSM Tenon, said: "Several parties, including RSM Tenon, were working together to find a suitable buyer for Premiere.

"However, we have been unable to secure a buyer and are now carrying out an orderly wind-down of the business.

"We are hoping that Premiere employees will be taken on by the companies which take over the routes which Premiere has been running."

Ashley Jones, 21, of Oakington Close, Bestwood, who works as yard operator for Premier, started looking for new jobs as soon as he heard wages would not be paid yesterday.

"I don't know when and how I will get the money they owe me," he said. "The uncertainty is horrible.

"I have my car insurance to pay and have to fill up my car's fuel tank, which normally costs £70."

Mr Jones, who lives with his wife and three-year-old daughter, also said he was disappointed at the way the company had dealt with the crisis.

"I've not had any communication from directors or managers," he said. "No one from Premiere has contacted me and I would not have found out, if it hadn't been for that colleague, who contacted me late on Thursday night."

Adam Pike, 18, of East Bridgford, also works as yard operator for Premiere.

He said: "I really don't know what to do. I have 97 pence left in my bank account and not enough food to last me all week.

Mr Pike's parents, Alison, 43, and Darren Pike, 40, also work for Premiere, as drivers.

He said: "My parents are struggling too, so I can't borrow money from them. It's my dad's birthday today, but they won't be able to do anything for it, because there is no money."

Sharon Wood, of Shardlow, was waiting at a bus stop in Friar Lane at around 5.30pm yesterday for the Red 5, when she was told by the Post that her bus company would not be running her route.

The Marks and Spencer employee said: "I'd better catch another bus.

"To be honest I'm not surprised, I had known there was a bus war going on and fares were getting lower and lower.

"Premiere were cheap, but I guess it wasn't sustainable."

Premiere had previously denied rumours it was facing financial difficulties.

But the Post revealed yesterday that the business was on the verge of administration after it filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator on Monday.

The company was in negotiations throughout the day yesterday and it was announced at 5pm that a sale had been unsuccessful and that it would be winding down.

Jeff Counsell, managing director of Trent Barton and Kinchbus, said: "We will be taking steps to ensure that bus users who hold Premiere travel tickets will be able to use them free of charge on our services, and we will exchange their period tickets for a Trent Barton or Kinchbus equivalent.

"We have extra staff and buses in place to help from today, including a replacement Kinchbus 9 service between Loughborough and Nottingham."

MATEJ Vydra returned to haunt Nottingham Forest for the second time this season, as another double from the Czech striker helped Watford claim an easy 3-0 success at the City Ground.

Vydra netted both goals as Watford triumphed 2-0 at Vicarage Road and, either side of a goal from Troy Deeney, he again fired twice to secure three points for Gianfranco Zola's side.

Forest had hoped to demonstrate their promotion credentials by beating one of the sides in the top six. But it was the Hornets who suggested that they may be equipped to challenge for a place in the top flight, as they comfortably swept aside Alex McLeish's side.

The Scotsman will be hoping that, before he heads back to former club Birmingham next weekend, Forest will be able to strengthen their squad in the transfer market again, following a match that suggested there is still room for improvement.

Darius Henderson, the striker signed from Millwall on Thursday, did make his debut as a late substitute. But, by that point, Watford had already all but secured the points.

There was a cagey start to the game, with neither side managing to carve out an opportunity of note in the opening ten minutes.

Forest had named an attacking side, with Simon Cox playing just behind the pairing of Billy Sharp and Dexter Blackstock up front. But, with Watford fielding a three man central defence, the Reds were finding the Hornets hard to break down.

The home side did win two early corners, but did not manage to threaten Manuel Almunia's goal.

It was Watford who should have taken the lead when Troy Deeney turned Danny Collins too easily on the edge of the box, before surging through on goal, where he stabbed a shot wide with the outside of his right boot, when he should really have scored.

But, in the 20th minute, Watford did break the deadlock, via an incisive flurry of passing football. Nathaniel Chalobah threaded a neat ball down the right for Deeney, who was allowed the room to cut the ball back into the centre, where Vydra was well placed to side-foot home from close range.

Almen Abdi would have doubled Watford's advantage, if not for a fine save from Darlow, who got a hand to his powerful, driven shot.

Then Forest had to produce some desperate defending, as Watford piled the pressure on their goal. Abdi's corner was crisply volleyed at the far post by Nyron Nosworthy, with Collins forced to clear off the line. Then Billy Sharp had to clear off the line when Joel Ekstrand connected with the loose ball, driving it back towards goal.

But it looked like a second goal was coming – and that proved to be the case. Chalobah again delivered the defence splitting ball, this time to send Vydra racing clear, with the striker unselfishly squaring for Deeney to fire into an empty net, with Deeney having rushed out to close down the Czech.

Collins came close to reducing the arrears with a towering header from a Cohen free kick that looped narrowly wide of the post. While Almunia dived nervously across goal as Cox angled a shot that flashed just the wrong side of the opposite upright.

Blackstock also missed a great opportunity in injury time, volleying wide after a Cohen cross had been flicked on.

Forest made a change at the interval, with Andy Reid brought on in place of Simon Gillett.

But it was Cox who almost engineered an immediate breakthrough, with a driving run and clever cross causing chaos in the Watford defence, where Marco Cassetti produced a vital clearance as Sharp stood poised at the far post.

Watford continued to carve out chances as well, however, with Chalbobah testing Darlow with a crisp shot, following a swift counter attack. A similar quick break saw Deeney sent racing into the box again, but he was again off target with his shot, fortunately for the home side.

A flash of skill from Halford took him into space down the left and his cross found Cox in the centre, but the striker could not muster the power to test the keeper. While Blackstock shot over the bar, having created the room for a shot on the edge of the box.

Radi Majewski was then introduced off the bench, in place of Cox. Sharp forced a diving save from Almunia with a volley, driven into the ground, that bounced up awkwardly for the keeper.

But it was Vydra, the man who had netted twice against Forest in the game at Watford, who again found the net, with an outstanding finish. When Ward's headed clearance fell to the striker, he played a simple one-two with Abdi, before lifting a clever shot over the advancing Darlow.

Henderson was handed his Forest debut when he was brought on in place of Blackstock, but the striker would have needed to make a truly remarkable impact to drag Forest back into a game that had already been decided.

Forest: Darlow, Jara, Ward, Collins, Halford, Gillett (Reid 45), Cohen, Lansbury, Cox (Majewski 61), Blackstock (Henderson 77), Sharp. Subs: Evtimov, Harding, McGugan, Greening.

Watford: Almunia, Deeney, Doyley, Pudil, Vydra, Abdi, Cassetti (Hall 70), Nosworthy, Battocchio (Hogg 78), Chalobah (Yeates 86), Ekstrand. Subs: Eustace, Bond, Geijo, Forestieri.

Referee: Andy Haines, Tyne and Wear.

Attendance: 20,732

NOTTS County's record-breaking unbeaten away run was ended today.

After being undefeated in 22 games, stretching all the way back to last February, the Magpies lost 2-1 at Leyton Orient in League One.

They conceded twice in four minutes in the second half, David Mooney and Mathieu Baudry scoring for the home side.

Jeff Hughes hit back for Notts, but it did not inspire a fightback.

The Magpies were completely unchanged from their 1-0 midweek win against Oldham Athletic at Meadow Lane.

Striker Enoch Showunmi, who scored his first league goal for Notts against the Latics, partnered leading-scorer Yoann Arquin in attack and Alan Judge, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Hughes, captain Neal Bishop and Andre Boucaud were named in an attacking midfield.

Dean Leacock, Gary Liddle and Alan Sheehan started in defence, in front of goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

Orient were first to threaten on three minutes.

Mooney beat Sheehan, swung a dangerous cross into the penalty area to Lee Cook and he volleyed wide of Bialkowski's left-hand post.

Notts hit back on six minutes.

Hughes skipped past Scott Cuthbert on the left wing and squared the ball to Judge, he rolled it across the edge of the box to Bishop and he drove a shot at goal that was blocked by Lloyd James.

Mooney then wasted a good chance to put the home side ahead on eight minutes, slicing a shot wide from inside the box, and Bialkowski was hurt in a challenge with Charlie MacDonald soon after.

The two went in for a 50-50 ball inside the penalty area, but the Magpies' No.1 ended up with a head injury and MacDonald was booked.

Bialkowski had his head bandaged during lengthy treatment on the pitch, but looked very shaky when he stood back up so was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by rookie goalkeeper Fabian Spiess.

It took Notts time to get back into their stride after the blow of losing Bialkowski, though Bishop got forward well on 25 minutes and drove a low cross into the six-yard box that was hacked clear and Sheehan rifled wide from 30 yards on 31 minutes.

Spiess was then called into action for the first time – and he did well, confidently parrying away a powerful effort from Cook.

Sheehan then caused havoc with two free-kicks.

Orient goalkeeper Jamie Jones clawed the first one away under pressure from Hughes on 39 minutes and a minute later the Notts left-back lifted the ball into the box again and it fell to Campbell-Ryce, but he blazed a shot high over the crossbar.

There were eight minutes of injury time at the end of the first half because of Bialkowski's injury and Arquin went close to breaking the deadlock in the second minute of it, crashing a header against the bar from eight yards from a right-wing cross into the box by Campbell-Ryce.

Showunmi then almost put Notts ahead, pouncing on the ball inside the six-yard box at a corner and heading it at goal, but James headed it off the line.

The first chance of the second half also fell to the Magpies' No.9.

Campbell-Ryce made it with a good cross into the box from the right wing, but Showunmi headed over the bar.

Spiess then made two great saves to deny the home side.

The first of them was on 56 minutes as midfielder Martin Rowlands fired in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area that took a wicked deflection and fell to Baudry.

He flicked the ball at goal from close-range, but Spiess leapt to his left and somehow clawed it away.

The second save was just two minutes later, as Mooney was put through into the box and attempted to steer a low shot into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Racing off his line, Spiess saved with his legs to keep Notts level.

He was soon beaten, however, as Orient took the lead on 65 minutes, Mooney scoring from close range after Cook had fired a shot against the bar.

The Magpies went 2-0 down three minutes later.

They were undone from a corner as Cook swung the ball into the box and Baudry steered it into the net from six yards.

There was then another long stoppage because ref Lee Collins suffered an injury and had to be replaced.

When the game restarted Notts pulled a goal back on 78 minutes, Hughes stroking a shot past Jones from inside the box

Hughes then headed wide in the closing minutes as the Magpies pushed for a late equaliser.

Spiess also made another couple of good saves to stop Orient killing the game off.

There were six minutes of injury time at the end and Notts kept going, but could not rescue a draw.

ORIENT: Jones, Cuthbert, Chorley, Baudry, Sawyer, Odubajo, Rowlands (Smith, 93), James, Cook (Cox, 85), MacDonald, Mooney. Subs: Griffith, Symes, Grainger, Obafemi, Omozusi.

NOTTS: Bialkowski (Spiess, 18), Liddle, Leacock, Sheehan, Bishop, Boucaud, Campbell-Ryce, Hughes, Judge (Bencherif, 88), Arquin (Nangle, 69), Showunmi. Subs: Kelly, Smith, Mahon, Labadie.

ATTENDANCE: 3,578 (446 away).

IT may be two years away but the first shots have been fired in the General Election campaign in Nottingham.

Grant Shapps, minister without portfolio, visited shops in Bramcote Lane, Wollaton, yesterday, accompanied by Conservative candidate for Nottingham South Rowena Holland.

They chatted to shopkeepers about how business was faring on the high street and Mrs Holland revealed some of her plans for the forthcoming election campaign.

Mr Shapps said he was confident she could take the seat from Labour MP Lilian Greenwood.

He said: "We are here today because Nottingham South is one of the most critical battlegrounds for the Conservative Party. It is somewhere we need to win if we are to get the next majority.

"Rowena is a very popular candidate who only narrowly missed out on being elected last time.

"She is already known to the community and people know how hard she works.

"We think gaining Nottingham South in 2015 is a realistic aim."

Mrs Holland, a councillor in North West Leicestershire, said she was confident of gaining more votes than during the previous election.

She said: "Today is the start of my campaign. From now forward I am going to be out in the streets in the constituency as often as possible, meeting people and listening to their concerns."

She said that, despite changes to council tax benefits, which will come into force in April, people on lower incomes in Nottingham South would not be badly affected if they were in work.

She added: "There is a very strong work ethic in Nottingham South.

"We are raising the level at which people pay tax to £10,000, which is very important to people here. The changes work out at 42,000 in the constituency paying lower income tax and 2,000 people not paying income tax at all as of April."

Lilian Greenwood won the seat with 15,209 votes in 2010.

Linda Woodings, Labour's constituency chairman for Nottingham South, said: "Labour believes that working families shouldn't have to pay the price of Tory failure. Here in Nottingham South, people are really starting to feel the effects of the Coalition's failed policies.

"Over 6,000 families in Nottingham South alone and over 23,000 families throughout the city are being hit by the new benefits cap, whilst at the same time the Government is cutting taxes for millionaires."

A NEW recycling service is being introduced to residents of 15,000 flats across the city.

They will be given plastic "survival" bags to store their recyclables. These can then be placed in communal rubbish bins before they are separated by the council.

The move will enable people living in flats to recycle paper, card, plastics and cans and should increase the amount of recycled waste in the city by two per cent.

Most city flats have no kerbside recycling service at present, forcing residents to lug boxes of rubbish to recycling points at supermarkets.

The council has received £726,000 from the Government to make it happen and in return, the council has promised to run the service for at least five years. Waste collections will continue as they are, which for most flats is on a weekly basis.

Councillor Alan Clark, portfolio holder for energy and sustainability, said: "The figures clearly show that people do recycle more if you make it nice and easy.

"It gives everybody now, whether they live in a house or flat, the ability to separate their waste and recycle easily."

He added: "We're going to run out of raw materials if we keep sending them to the incinerator or landfill."

The recycling bags are now being rolled out across the city and should all be in place by July. They will be available for all flats that have shared communal bins – whether council-owned or private.

The mixed recycling and rubbish bins will be taken away to a large recycling centre where the bags will be opened and separated.

Dan Russell, 22, who lives in a flat in Park Avenue, Mapperley Park, welcomed the news.

He said: "I don't recycle now, I just chuck everything in one bin, so the new scheme sounds great. I would definitely start recycling if it was made easy."

Adam Clarkson, 30, who lives in a flat in St Mary's Gate, in the city centre, said: "At the moment, we have one big bin for old clothes and one for everything else. Anything the council is doing to encourage recycling is very positive. I will definitely start recycling."

The city council first introduced brown recycling bins with grey lids for houses in 2007.

Last year, it ended its food waste recycling scheme and closed nine recycling sites across the city to save £342,000 per year.

The food recycling scheme was introduced two years ago as a pilot for 21,000 properties in Sneinton, The Meadows, St Ann's, Radford and The Arboretum.

Residents were given small bins for food waste, which was collected and composted. But the council said it was too expensive because the waste had to be transported to Norfolk.

IT WAS fast becoming a stick to beat them with, their travel woes haunting their promotion push.

Every time they took to the team coach, there was almost a feeling of trepidation.

Heavy 4-1 defeats to Gateshead, Grimsby and Cambridge came in a sequence of eight away league matches that threw up just a solitary victory – at Kidderminster in August.

But, of late, things are changing.

A steel has developed within the Stags squad on the road, they are making themselves hard to beat.

And when they arrive at Edgar Street tonight, they will do so on the back of four straight away Blue Square Bet Premier victories.

They have put Macclesfield, Alfreton, Stockport and Southport to the sword.

But after no game at the weekend, they have had ten days to freshen up although the recent snow played havoc with training plans cancelled after the heavy downfall on Friday night.

Before that, they recorded another away win at Notts County's Burton training base last week, winning 4-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

And manager Paul Cox is confident ahead of tonight's road trip, with his side just three points off the play-offs with games in hand.

"It's going well for us away from home at the moment, the lads are looking resilient and getting back to how we performed last season," he said.

"We have had two good performances against Stockport and Southport and we need to carry that on now.

"The games are coming thick and fast and we are going to need the whole squad. And that is why the performance of the lads in the friendly last week impressed me.

"There is a hunger about the squad and a desire, which is what I want to see.

"We were set to train on Saturday morning but that had to be cancelled because of the adverse weather conditions.

"Everywhere was shut up and covered in snow so I took in a game and apart from that, it was a quiet weekend.

"But we have a lot of games coming up now and it is a big chance for us."

Hereford have won just once in their last seven matches in all competitions and have drawn their last three games.

Cox knows what to expect from the Bulls, but also knows his side face a hectic schedule with seven games next month including away trips to Newport, Hyde, Luton and Lincoln.

And March will be even busier with nine games pencilled in.

That is why he is keen to bolster his squad this month and says everybody at the One Call Stadium will get their chance.

But he is remaining patient over new signings, knowing loan players can still be brought in a week after the January transfer window slams shut.

Cox, who has a few triallists in this week in training, said: "We are a bit closer to some deals but with some of them it is how long is a piece of string? You think you're close and then somebody else comes in at the last minute.

"I am not going to panic and jump two-footed into something.

"But we do have a lot of games coming up in a short space of time and it does not take a rocket scientist to work out all of the squad is going to called upon and that we need to strengthen to improve us.

"However, we are on a good run at present away from home and we need to keep that going at Hereford."

Midfielder Jamie Hand has extended his loan spell at Hayes & Yeading by a further month.