DONT GET WRECKED

 If you are planning to party during the festive season, please be aware of the legal limits when driving.  Our message is simple, The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving as even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit. Book a taxi, appoint a designated driver, or take a walk, but don’t be tempted to drive if you’re planning to party. You’ll not only be putting your own life at risk, but also the lives of others.

 Drink driving  The legal alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. In Scotland the limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 22 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

There is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit, since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you've eaten and other factors.

It's impossible to get alcohol out of your system quickly, it always takes time. A shower, a cup of coffee or other ways of ‘sobering up’ may make you feel better but won’t remove the alcohol from your system.

If you've been out drinking, you may still be affected by alcohol the next day and could lose your licence if you drive and are still over the legal limit.

Alcohol affects everyone differently and any amount can impair your ability to drive. The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving as even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit. 

If you’re driving, don’t drink any alcohol at all.

 Drug driving  It's an offence to drive with any of 17 controlled drugs above a specified level in your blood. This includes illegal and legally prescribed drugs.

The limit set for each drug is different, and for illegal drugs the limits set are extremely low. They aren't zero to rule out any accidental exposure (eg from passive smoking).

You should always check with your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure about whether your prescription or over-the-counter medication will affect your ability to drive.

FLOODS

 Fresh flood scares as Babet grants continue 

Council emergency teams started the week by working late into the night amid fresh flood alerts in Erewash – barely a month after the town hall launched a huge effort to get grant aid to locals following the havoc of Storm Babet. 

The latest quick response – in the wake of heavy rain and melting snow – came as residents and businesses continued flocking to apply for financial assistance over October’s floods. The more recent torrents appeared to have largely spared homes – but council crews toiled until midnight delivering three tonnes of sandbags to the Station Road area of Ilkeston (Monday, 4th December). The Environment Agency had issued a yellow flood warning there for the River Erewash – although this was downgraded by the following morning (Tuesday, 5th December). Sandbags were also delivered to houses in Borrowash along the A52. In Risley the main road was flooded. An elderly lady was rescued after her car got stuck in water. 

Hotspots known to be liable to flooding included Wilne Road at Sawley, which was described as impassable. The Foundry Park industrial estate at Stanton by Dale was also affected. It lies beside Trowell Marsh. October’s flooding saw Erewash offer supplies of sandbags to parish councils so locals could get hold of them faster. Residents flooded after Storm Babet have been entitled to sums of up to £500 via the council. The Community Relief Grants – which are funded by the government – can still be applied for via the authority’s website. 

People should log in via their My Erewash accounts for more details – as should businesses which may be entitled to payouts worth up to £2,500. 

The website also has information about Council Tax discounts. Erewash’s leader Councillor James Dawson said as heavy rain on Thursday led to yet more alerts over water levels in the River Erewash, the Trent and Bottle Brook: 

      “It is a relief that the latest flooding has not been anywhere near the scale of that from Storm Babet. But with a long winter ahead it is vital that people have flood plans prepared if they fear their properties are at risk.” 

20MPH

 Long Eaton 20mph zone rejected by County Councillors 

Maggie Throup, Member of Parliament for Erewash, has welcomed the news that Derbyshire County Council Councillors have rejected proposals to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit in Long Eaton at Council Cabinet meeting today.  

 The Green Towns 20mph Public Consultation was held earlier this year and asked residents for their views on proposals to introduce a blanket 20mph speed limit in Long Eaton. In total of 306 responses were received, with 63 in favour and 184 against, 59 blank responses were received. In her response to the consultation, Maggie opposed the proposals on a number of grounds. Maggie commented: 

“I am delighted that Derbyshire County Council Councillors have listened to my concerns as well as the wider community’s and have turned down proposals to introduce a 20mph zone across Long Eaton. It is clear that these proposals were extremely unpopular and would have had a detrimental impact on Long Eaton businesses and residents. I’m grateful to everyone in Long Eaton and Erewash who took part in the consultation. This is a resounding victory for Long Eaton residents.” 

Maggie submitted her comments to the County Council urging it not to go ahead with the 20mph zone in Long Eaton. You can view Maggie’s submission to the consultation here.  

SCAM EMAILS

This is just for awareness, there has been a report of a scam email asking for £500 in Bitcoin. The email may also contain your Password and some threatening language. The advise is to immediately change your email password and if you have a banking app, the password for this a well just as a precaution. It is also important to remember not to click any links on any email that you believe it be fraudulent in anyway. Please stay safe online at all times, and find attached a document about all the different types of fraud. 

 https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/derbyshire/campaigns/2023/your-essential-guide-to-help-prevent-fraud---derbyshire-constabulary.pdf  

 PCSO Coggins 13148. 

DUCHESS THEATRE

Sweet Charity follows the romantic trials and tribulations of Charity Hope Valentine, “a girl who wanted to be loved.” Charity is a taxi dancer, a dance partner-for-hire at a seedy dance hall in New York City.  Though the job may be decidedly undesirable, Charity’s hopeful romanticism and unfailing optimism lift her out of her circumstances and help her reach for a life beyond. In the past, she’s been strung along and hung out to dry by a series of bad relationships and lousier men. When she meets Oscar, a neurotic, shy actuary seemingly from another world, will she finally find true love at last? 

One of the most famous shows by legendary director /choreographer Bob Fosse and with a laugh-a-minute script by the incomparable Neil Simon, every audience is destined to fall in love with Charity’s limitless spirit, as she lives life “hopefully ever after.” Including classic songs such as; Hey Big Spender, Rich Man's Frug, If My Friends Could See Me Now, There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This, Rhythm of Life and more. 

Duchess Theatre Derbyshire Tue 12th Dec 2023, 7:30PM