Police warn drivers "this is not your personal racetrack"
Plus: Children's play centre announces plan for new 'role play town'
Good morning, readers, and welcome to your latest Thursday briefing from Ashfield News. Today, a police warning to nuisance drivers, a play centre announces expansion plans, Hucknall Market prepares to celebrate 150 years and much more.
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Police warning over illegal street racing
Police have warned illegal street racing and anti-social driving will not be tolerated as a targeted operation cracks down on dangerous drivers.
Operation Wheelspin launched in October last year to deal with car cruising across the county, with latest figures indicating it has led to a 20% drop in offences.
The force says it has been tackling the issue with a mixture of education and enforcement, with marked and unmarked cars being used to target nuisance drivers.
Among hotspot areas for unlicensed meets is Junction 27 of the M1 in Annesley.
PC Abigail Green, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Nottinghamshire is not a personal racetrack and we have a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial driving.
“Stunts, collisions, and excessive speed by often young and inexperienced drivers can result in life-changing injuries and fatalities on our roads.
“Our robust response sends a clear message that motorists from across the county and wider region who travel here to race will be prosecuted.”
As part of the operation so far, action has been taken against 181 drivers across Nottinghamshire, which has included cars being seized and drivers being taken to court.
As part of the educational aspect of the operation, the force has trialled a new diversionary course in Ashfield, which acts in a similar way to a speed awareness course and is delivered by the fire service.
Officers have also worked with Ashfield District Council to enforce a Public Space Protection Order, which bans anti-social driving across the district.
Motorists who breach the PSPO are issued a £100 fine and offered a reduced penalty if they accept a place on the educational course, which outlines the law and the consequences of crashes and dangerous driving.
Failure to attend the course results in the reinstatement of the full fine.
Those who go on to complete the course but continue to reoffend face the risk of further prosecution, a civil injunction and a criminal behaviour order.
Charles Edwards, Ashfield District Council’s executive director – operations, said: “We know how worrying vehicle nuisance crime can be for residents and we have heard these concerns and acted.
“We want to do everything we can to make Ashfield a safer place to live and work.
“This order gives police more powers in Ashfield to deal with this kind of behaviour and give residents more peace of mind. We will act when this is reported to our teams.
“This is a warning to anyone taking part in this behaviour – we will not tolerate it and you will be fined.”
Outdoor expansion for play centre
An adventure play and party centre has announced plans to expand.
Oceans in Wood Lane, Hucknall, boasts an underwater-themed play area, wavy slide and café.
Now, it has announced on social media it plans to create a new “role play town” at its outdoor area.
A spokesperson said: “We are expanding and going outside. A new Role Play Town is opening soon at Oceans.
“Let your little one’s imagination run wild by exploring our new Role Play Town.”
An opening date has not yet been announced but customers are advised to keep checking online for the latest information.
Dealer supplied vast quantities of cocaine
A drug dealer has been jailed after an investigation revealed he was supplying large amounts of cocaine in the Mansfield and Ashfield area.
Officers seized Jovan Gregory’s mobile phone when he was arrested on other matters in July 2024.
A series of messages recovered from the device showed Gregory was supplying Class A drugs to customers.
The discovery led to raids in Mansfield and Kirkby-in-Ashfield on November 6 last year.
Gregory, 28, was arrested at his home in Cedar Street, Mansfield, where officers found deal bags, weighing scales, designer clothes and large amounts of cash.
When they searched a second home in Mattley Avenue, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, police found a safe containing more than 260g of cocaine in vacuum-packed bags, as well as more cash.
Gregory was jailed for three years and four months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, April 17 after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Detective Constable Rebecca Pottage, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We recovered evidence Gregory was making a substantial amount of money from selling drugs in the community.
“It was no surprise to discover drugs, cash and designer goods when we searched these two properties connected with him.
“We know Class A drugs ruin the lives of very vulnerable people and anyone found to be involved in their supply can expect a robust response from the force.”
Celebrating 150 years of market
A celebration event will be held this weekend to celebrate 150 years of Hucknall Market.
Food stalls, entertainment, historical exhibits and addditional market traders will be at the event on Saturday, April 26.
It will take place at the Hucknall Market Place car park and High Street from 10am-3pm.
Among the food and drink stalls will be All My Sins Cakes and Bakes, Koala Kitchen, Outlaw Cookie Club and the Sweet House Bakery.
Meanwhile, traders at the event will include booksellers, fruit and veg traders and a jewellery stall.
A spokesperson for Ashfield District Council, which is hosting the event, said: “Visitors can look forward to additional traders from the Ashfield Food and Drink Festival, live music, historical exhibits, children’s entertainment and special period attractions.”
Roman silver coins to go on display
A hoard of Roman silver coins found by a metal detector user near Mansfield Woodhouse in 2007 has gone on display.
The 22 coins were declared as treasure and purchased by Mansfield Museum in 2009, where they are now on show to the public.
The coins form the centrepiece of the museum’s collection of coins and banknotes which have gone on display after years in storage.
The exhibition is called Money Talks: Stories from the Coins and will run until Saturday, June 28.
Dr Anja Thompson-Rohde, Mansfield District Council’s collections officer, who curated the exhibition, said: “Coins are my favourite type of artefact – I find them beautiful and fascinating, and I even wrote my PhD on the English coins of William the Conqueror. There are so many brilliant stories hidden in our small change and I love revealing them to people.
“The museum’s collection has mostly been in storage for a long time, and I really wanted to get them out and show them to people.”
Disqualified driver caught behind the wheel
A disqualified driver has been jailed after he was caught behind the wheel by police.
Alex Dale, 26, was banned from the roads in 2023 after narrowly escaping a jail sentence for a dangerous driving offence committed in 2019.
Dale was spotted behind the wheel of a black Seat Leon on January 21 this year.
The car had been flagged by an automatic number plate recognition camera as potentially travelling on false plates and was subsequently pulled over in Abbot Road, Mansfield.
Dale, of Foxhill Road East, Carlton, admitted to the offence in interview and later pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance.
He appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday April 15 and was jailed for 13 months.