Images released after devastating pub fire and progress of 'new village'
Your weekly round-up of Ashfield News
Good morning and Happy New Year to you all. It has been just a few short weeks since this newsletter for Ashfield was set up and I wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read it and share with friends and family.
The response so far has been phenomenal and has demonstrated a clear need for a news service in our area. Looking ahead, I’d like to get your views on how often and in what mediums you’d like to receive your news in.
I’ve popped a quick poll below to garner your views. Below that you will find your weekly round-up of Ashfield News.
Ashfield News poll
Pub gutted in major fire
Images have been released showing the devastation caused to an Ashfield pub in a major fire.
Police and firefighters were called to The Blue Bell in Mansfield Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on Wednesday afternoon, January 3.
Roads around the venue, which has not operated for some time, were closed while the emergency services dealt with the incident.
The alarm was raised just after 3pm yesterday and the roads around the venue re-opened around three hours later, though a police cordon remained in place.
The venue has been closed for some time and recently escaped demolition after plans to create homes on the site were rejected.
Ashfield Fire Station released a number of images showing the scale of the devastation. You can read yesterday’s story here.
Big progress on Top Wighay
For years it has stood as an empty stretch of land just waiting for work to begin.
New pictures now show how quickly work is progressing on the Top Wighay housing development, just off the A611.
When it is completed, the ‘new village’, as it has been called, will include more than 800 homes, a school and a multi-million pound Nottinghamshire County Council office.
The land has been earmarked for development for more than 10 years and large parts of the site have now been fenced off as work is under way on the building.
In addition, a number of construction vehicles are now on the site, with mobile work units also in place.
As it was announced work was starting on the county council office, Nottinghamshire County Council leader, Councillor Ben Bradley MP, said: “This a key milestone and shows we are looking to the future. The decision-making function of this Council will be based in the very heart of our county and will help to bring jobs, skills and investment into the wider Hucknall area.
Shoplifter who entered town centre is jailed
A shoplifter who was caught breaking a ban on entering Mansfield town centre has been jailed.
William Gamble, 37, was jailed for 12 weeks last January after stealing from two shops and was given a criminal behaviour order banning him from entering vast areas of the town centre for three years.
Gamble, of no fixed address and who has a long history of theft offences, admitted breaching the order when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on December 21.
The previous day, he was caught by police in Stockwell Gate and subsequently arrested. After admitting the breach, he was jailed for 30 weeks.
Sergeant Alice Bartle, of the Mansfield town centre policing team, said: “Gamble is one of a growing number of prolific shoplifters who are currently the subject of criminal behaviour orders.
“These are civil court orders – applied for by Nottinghamshire Police and granted by magistrates – that prohibit repeat offenders from doing certain things or even being in certain areas.
“As such they are an excellent tool with which to target prolific shoplifters like Gamble and to protect local businesses and shop staff.
“As this case demonstrates, the courts take a particularly dim view of people who flout these orders, and those who do can expect an immediate jail sentence.
“I sincerely hope this result serves not only as a warning to others who are the subject of such orders, but also as encouragement to Gamble to make positive changes in his life.”
Charity bags dumped
Dozens of charity donation bags were dumped at a popular walking site in Ashfield.
The bags, which in this case were for the Child and Teenage Cancer and Leukemia Foundation, would normally be delivered through your letterbox to fill with clothes, toys and other goods to be sold for the charity.
However, images taken on land off Mill Lane, Kirkby Woodhouse, show many were dumped before reaching homes.
Council tax debts written off
Debts worth almost £30,000 were written off by Ashfield District Council in November, new figures show.
A delegated decision made by the authority shows the debts included owed council tax and business rates.
According to the figures, four council tax cases accounting for £5,097.81 were waived in the month, while three cases of business rates being owed, worth a total of £9,561.77, were written off.
In addition, a total of 18 ‘sundry debtors’ worth £15,065.96 were written off. A sundry debtor is a person who receives goods or services from a business in credit or does not make the payment immediately and is liable to pay the business in the future.
Helping at Christmas
Two Ashfield Police officers helped serve Christmas dinner to people who are homeless, alone, or experiencing financial challenges.
The duo from the Sutton-in-Ashfield neighbourhood team, volunteered at the All Saints Community Centre, in Huthwaite, on Christmas Day.
The officers helped the centre’s dedicated team prepare and serve the food - and joined in with festive activities.
PC Frew-McGill said: “We had a great day at the centre and were really taken aback by the care and dedication shown by the volunteers, who were each giving up their Christmas day to help others. The atmosphere was incredible and we were really thankful to be a part of it.
“It was also a really good way for us to reach out to all parts of the community and build stronger connections with people we may otherwise not come into contact with. Ultimately that is what neighbourhood policing is all about so it was definitely time well-spent.
“I’d like to thank the team at All Saints for having us and wish them all the very best for the New Year.”
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Ashfield News. If there is anything we have not included that you would like to see, send an email to matt.bunn@protonmail.com
Nearly £1,000,000 in business rates waived for a company that had multiple contracts with the council.