WORK is progressing on a new post office in Derby city centre, which will replace two existing branches.

Workers have almost completed the frontage of the Babington Court building in Babington Lane, which will replace Crown Post Office branches in Midland Road and Victoria Street.

The Post Office has promised a more modern branch, longer opening hours, an open-plan layout and better access.

There will be 10 counter positions, as well as four self-serve "post and go" terminals.

The branch will also have two rooms where people will be able to get advice on matters such as mortgages and credit cards.

The Post Office said it was shutting the branches in May because they had both seen a decline in customers.

But unions have claimed the move is a "cost-cutting" exercise. Last month, 4,000 staff working in 373 Crown Post Offices took part in a 24-hour strike in protest at the closures.

Nationally, the Post Office is closing up to 70 Crown offices and replacing them with franchises in shops.

The Babington Lane branch will offer customers the usual services, with longer opening hours, from 8.30am until 6pm on weekdays – apart from Tuesday, when it will open at 9am.

Saturday opening will be 9am to 5.30pm. It will be closed on Sundays. No opening date has yet been set.

MORE than 2,300 children in Derbyshire are estimated to have taken up smoking in the past year.

The figure was released by national group Smokefree Action Coalition, which is calling on the Government to standardise tobacco packaging.

The group, whose members include Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, said all tobacco products should be sold in packs of uniform size, shape and design – known as plain packs.

A spokeswoman for the charities said: "It's now over a year since the Government launched a public consultation on tobacco packaging.

"Since then, 2,312 children in Derbyshire will have taken up smoking.

"To reduce this number in future, health groups are calling on the Government to introduce legislation requiring standard tobacco packaging so that children will no longer be tempted by glitzy, branded packaging to take up the habit."

A CHEMIST who worked part time as a church minister – holding weddings and funerals for many of his customers – has died aged 82.

Eric Dixon was known as the "man who dispensed faith" for his dual career choice.

His wife of 60 years, Rita, said her husband was a "kind, gentle man".

She said: "I didn't realise just how popular he was until he died. We have had so much sympathy, so many people have told me how much they liked him. His funeral was packed, people were standing. He was just full of love for everybody."

Born in 1931, Mr Dixon, of Mickleover, trained as an apprentice pharmacist at Housley Pharmacy in Spondon.

In 1953, he married Rita and, a couple of years later, the couple moved to Africa, where Mr Dixon had landed a job for the West Africa Drug Company.

Mrs Dixon said: "I have so many fond memories of Africa. Eric ran the main pharmacy, first in Ghana and then in Nigeria, but had to travel out to the villages from time to time, going along all these tiny bush roads."

While out in Africa, the couple had two children, Richard, 56, and Robert, 54.

Robert said he admired his father's work ethic: "He was quite a pioneer out in Africa and was one of the most important pharmacists in the areas where he worked."

The family returned to the UK in 1959 and Mr Dixon took up a position as a pharmacist, working, over the next few decades, at a series of Derby pharmacies, including Vernon Street and Ashbourne Road.

It was in 1982 that Mr Dixon was ordained as an Anglican minister, completing an Open University course at the University of Nottingham.

Robert said: "He felt he had this calling and wanted to study to be a reverend.

"It was something he had thought about and wanted to do and he juggled it well, incorporating it into his work life.

"He was associated with All Saints Church in Mackworth and would help out on Sundays or whenever he could. He would perform weddings and funerals.

"Customers used to come in and ask him to do their services. He would joke with them, ask them for a prior date for their funerals."

In September 2011, Mr Dixon, who also had four grandchildren, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and, in January this year, was taken into the Macmillan Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Robert said: "He had his birthday in there and, though he was very weak, the amazing Macmillan nurses helped him and my mum celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. It was fitting that he died on Easter Sunday – he said he wanted to live until then – and his final words were 'I am at peace'."

Mr Dixon's funeral was held at St John's Church in Mickleover, with a cremation afterwards at Markeaton Crematorium.

COUNCIL leaders in Derby are holding a series of meetings on the city's streets.

Derby city councillors will be patrolling different sections of the city to find out about the problems facing neighbourhoods.

The Cabinet On Patrol initiative will start with a walk around the Blagreaves ward on Wednesday to see members of the local community.

This is the first of a series of monthly walkabouts in which members of the city council's cabinet, which represents key council services, will visit local communities to listen to residents about the major issues affecting their quality of life.

The idea is to make it easier for local people to raise issues face to face with the leadership of the council on the doorstep, or joining them on a walkabout of local streets to draw their attention to issues.

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, deputy leader of the council, said: "Derby's communities are facing some tough issues in the face of Government cuts and so it's extremely important that, as the people's local representatives, the cabinet gets out into the community to talk to people at their homes to find out what they are concerned about and their hopes for the future.

"We'll be asking residents to name their top three issues of most concern to them right now and will be taking action to help."

Local residents are invited to join the cabinet and the new neighbourhood officer for Blagreaves on Wednesday at noon, starting at Warwick House care home in Bonsall Avenue.

The launch of the scheme follows a series of patrols organised for people to walk around neighbourhoods with their local councillors.

Patrols on foot were brought in by the council to help reduce fear of crime and highlight issues that need to be tackled.

Mr Banwait said: "The patrols centre on the idea of bringing back traditional community values and encouraging local people to look out for one another."

CONSUMER goods manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser has reported a strong start to 2013 – thanks to a severe cold and flu season in the US.

The firm, which has a factory in Sinfin, said sales in the first three months of this year were £2.52 billion – up 7% compared to the same period last year.

The figure was ahead of the expectations of analysts, who had predicted revenues of £2.47 billion.

Reckitt makes a range of products, including Strepsils lozenges and Mucinex decongestant, which have proven popular in America.

The company also makes cleaning products, such as Cillit Bang, some of which are made at its Sinfin Lane factory. But, recently, Reckitt has been shifting its focus to the fast-growing health and hygiene sector. It is also targeting emerging markets and wants them to make up half its sales by 2015.

Chief executive Rakesh Kapoor said: "We are pleased with a strong start to the year. We expect continued challenging market conditions but remain confident that we can achieve our full-year targets of 5% to 6% total net revenue growth."

AIRCRAFT manufacturer Boeing has started replacing batteries on grounded 787 Dreamliners, some of which are powered by Derby-built Rolls-Royce engines.

All 50 Dreamliners, including those powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, were grounded earlier this year after batteries on some planes emitted smoke.

Boeing has said it has now started replacing batteries on some of the aircraft, moving them a step closer to flying again.

Japan's All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines are among the first carriers that will have the batteries replaced.

The grounding has cost Boeing an estimated £393 million.

A FAMILY who installed a high-tech CCTV system at their home were stunned to find footage of a thief spending eight minutes stealing items from a car parked on their driveway.

The Millward family, who live in Taunton Close, Alvaston, were victims of the raid in the early hours of last Monday.

They said the footage shows a man getting inside Simon Millward's BMW vehicle, which was parked on the drive, at about 4am.

Simon, 24, said it was on his way to work later that morning when he realised his iPod was missing.

He said: "I noticed it was not there but I thought I had probably left it inside.

"I drove to work and thought about it all day. I looked in my glove box and it wasn't there.

"My watch had also gone from the centre console."

Simon said he returned home on his lunch break and viewed the CCTV footage, which showed a man trying to open car doors.

"You see him trying my Dad's car but couldn't get in," he said.

"Unfortunately, the night before I was doing some work on the fencing and completely forgot to lock my car and set the alarm."

Simon said the footage showed the man go into his car and search it for around eight minutes.

Simon, who works as a technician at Mercedes, at the Pentagon Island, said he was now having a new alarm system fitted to his car.

"It was my fault for leaving my car unlocked but, at the end of the day, we did not used to have this problem, it's only just recently."

The family had CCTV installed outside their home following a break-in last September.

Simon said: "My dad fell asleep and a man came into the house. He stood over him to get his laptop and my dad woke up and scared him off."

The Derby Telegraph previously reported how three weeks ago pensioners Mick and Catherine Fletcher caught an intruder snooping around a house in Alvaston.

Since the incident, a neighbour in Glastonbury Road, has had four bikes stolen from a garage.

Simon said the family would be tightening their security at home. He said: "The crime rate has gone through the roof in Alvaston.

"My dad works away in the US a lot and mum works early mornings about 4am and she is scared to death of going outside because she goes out at that time in the morning."

He said the family prepared a copy of the CCTV footage for police, but it was not collected until yesterday.

Detective Inspector Malcolm Bibbings said: "I have been made aware of this incident, whereby an officer has requested a copy of the CCTV and that the CCTV had not been picked up.

"The CCTV has now been recovered by detectives from the volume crime unit at Cotton Lane police station.

"There was a delay in collecting the footage, which is one part of our ongoing investigation into this crime.

"The footage has since been viewed and the identify of the offender is unknown.

"The investigation into this crime is still continuing and we are keeping an open mind as to whether or not it is linked to other, similar crimes in the immediate area.

"I would appeal to members of the public to help us identify those captured on the CCTV by calling Derbyshire Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111."

A BALLOT of staff at brewing giant Molson Coors over whether to take industrial action will start at the end of the month.

The Unite union claims that the plant's 455-strong workforce, who brew beers such as Carling, face being sacked after June 14 and reinstated on inferior pay and conditions.

It also claims the management's package of proposals includes slashing the wages of 184 brewery technicians and 41 operatives by up to £9,000 a year.

Earlier this month, the union revealed that its members had voted in favour of a ballot on strike action.

That ballot will now open on Tuesday next week, closing on May 28.

Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said: "Our members – the vast majority of the workforce – are very angry at the hard-line attitude of the management."

A COUPLE were left distraught after the hotel where they had booked their £5,000 wedding apparently closed, failing to return their money or calls.

Only days before they were due to marry, Geoff Cooksey and Sara Smith learned that the Izaak Walton Hotel in Dovedale had, it seemed, shut up shop.

Despite bombarding the place with phone calls and e-mails, the couple were left with a wedding planned but nowhere to hold it.

Mr Cooksey, 54, said he and Ms Smith had managed to find an alternative place to hold their big day – but claimed were still thousands of pounds out of pocket.

He said: "I'm an emotional wreck; we both are. I'm taking tablets to help me sleep and, while Sara seems okay from the outside, inside she's devastated.

"We just want to know what the owners of the hotel are playing at. Why have they done this?"

No one from the Izaak Walton Hotel was available for comment and, while the hotel's website was accessible, the booking calendar online last night listed every day until January as sold out.

Mr Cooksey, of Rodsley, near Ashbourne, said he and Ms Smith met on an internet dating site five years ago.

He said: "We decided to get married this year and we had fallen in love with Derbyshire, in particular Dovedale. We went there to find a venue and saw the Izaak Walton and thought it would be ideal."

He said they met with staff there to plan their wedding and, in January this year, paid £5,020 for exclusive use of the hotel between Friday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28.

He said the problems began when the hotel, having closed in January for staff holidays, failed to open again in time for Easter.

He said: "The website then went down and their phone line cut off. I have had e-mails from them promising to get in touch but we have had no other response.

"We went ahead and invited about 80 people.

"Many of them paid deposits for rooms and no one, including us, has had any money back."

The couple have since been offered the use of Callow Hall, in nearby Mappleton, and are on course to be married this weekend.

SOME of the winners at a prestigious Derby arts event have been revealed.

Dozens of entrants have been taking part in this year's Derby Arts Festival, including a range of singers who have competed in a variety of different vocal categories.

The vocal contest took place on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at the United Reformed Church, in Becketwell Lane, Derby.

On Friday, some of the highlighted solo winners were: Miranda Pickering Symes (vocal solo 10 years and under); Abigail Barker (vocal solo 12 and under); Sam McKenzie (vocal solo under 21); Sam McKenzie (boys' vocal solo changed voice); Curran Doherty (girls' vocal solo 13 to 16); Aine O'Neill-Mason (girl chorister solo 16 and under).

On Saturday, some of the highlighted solo winners were: Freddie Woodyatt (novice solo 17 and over); Charlie-Beth Odell Seal (ladies' vocal solo 17 and over); John Hart (gentlemen's vocal solo 17 and over); Ruth Paul (Ivor Novello solo); Ruth Paul (operatic solo); Sabrina Sandhu (commercial music solo). The festival continues this week.

A TELEVISION drama filmed in Derbyshire is still attracting millions of viewers as it heads into its penultimate episode.

Episode four of BBC1 series The Village raked in 4.8 million viewers between 9pm and 10pm on Sunday.

The 19.4% share of the viewing audience for that hour was slightly down on the previous Sunday's figure of five million.

Starring actors John Simm and Maxine Peake, the series charts life in a Derbyshire village, starting in 1914. Filmed in locations including Hayfield, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Edale, the series also features Derby actors.

Luke Williams, 20, plays the role of Paul, who millions of viewers saw proposing to Agnes, played by 19-year-old Chloe Harris, in the first episode, which attracted six million viewers. Luke and Chloe both attended Chellaston Academy.

Nick Preston, 17, of Allenton, another former Chellaston pupil, will play Alf, who will be introduced in the final episode.

The Village is also doing great things for tourism in the area, with visitor numbers expected to rise at the filming locations.

Follow our live tweets for the last two episodes on Twitter, @Derby Telegraph.

DERBY aero engine-maker Rolls-Royce has secured an order worth just more than £1 billion from the parent company of British Airways.

The order, which has been placed by International Airlines Group, is for Trent XWB engines to power a fleet of 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.

IAG also has an option to buy engines for a further 18 Airbus XWBs – which would bring the total number to 36 aircraft.

The deal includes a TotalCare agreement, which will see Rolls-Royce look after the engines throughout their service life.

The Trent XWB (extra wide body), which was designed and developed in Derby, is yet to go into production.

In February last year, the engine took to the skies for the first time on a "flying test bed" on the wing of an Airbus A380. And, in February this year, the Trent XWB was awarded European Aviation Safety Agency certification, clearing the way for it to start powering aircraft next year.

The Trent XWB has been specifically designed for the Airbus A350 – and Rolls-Royce, which has its civil aerospace division at Sinfin, is the sole engine supplier for the aircraft.

The A350-1000 aircraft, which is what IAG has ordered, is powered exclusively by the higher-thrust version of the Trent XWB.

IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said: "The A350-1000 will bring many benefits to our fleet. Its size and range will be an excellent fit for our existing network and, with lower unit costs, there is an opportunity to operate a new range of destinations profitably.

"This will not only bring greater flexibility to our network but also more choice for our customers."

Despite not yet going into production, the Trent XWB is Rolls-Royce's fastest-selling Trent engine. So far, the company has sold more than 1,200.

Mark King, Rolls-Royce's president of aerospace, said: "The Trent XWB has already proven itself in test flights to be the most efficient large aero engine flying today.

"The engine is demonstrating outstanding operational and environmental performance in its development programme.

"We are delighted IAG have chosen our higher-thrust version of the Trent XWB, which builds on that success."

The announcement follows recent confirmation by IAG that Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines will power 18 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft – joining 24 that are already on order.

British Airways already operates the Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 747, 757, 767 and 777, and the Trent 900-powered A380 is due to enter service later this year.

THE first signs of spring are finally being seen in Derbyshire and across the country – prompting national health experts to issue warnings about hay fever.

National newspapers have indicated pollen counts could soar this summer because of the late spring.

But – while our picture shows youngster Elektra Brown, nine making the most of the better weather – Dr Markus Henn, GP principal at Littlewick Medical Centre, in Ilkeston, said hay fever sufferers should always take action sooner rather than later to enjoy a "trouble-free spring and summer".

Dr Henn, who is also vice-chairman of the Erewash Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "I would urge all hay fever sufferers to seek advice from their pharmacist or GP as soon as they can.

"Avoiding high pollen exposure may sometimes be possible by staying indoors, along with keeping doors and windows shut or driving with the car windows closed. Sufferers should avoid cutting the grass, or do it at a time when pollen levels are lower, while a head-to-toe shower and change of clothes can prevent pollen spreading.

"And the Met Office's pollen count facility on its website provides information five days in advance."

POLICE arrested a 23-year-old man during a raid on a suspected cannabis factory.

Officers carried out a search warrant at a house in Kedleston Close, Long Eaton, yesterday morning.

They seized a number of suspected cannabis plants inside the property during the search, which took place at about 8.30am.

Suspected cannabis growing kit was also found.

A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of producing a class B drug and has since been bailed pending further enquiries.

Derbyshire police are cracking down on cannabis farms and are urging people to get in touch with information on suspected drug production on 101.

Members of the public can also call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A DOG had to be rescued by firefighters after a blaze broke out in a house.

Fire crews from Alfreton and Ripley were called to a property in King Street, Alfreton, just before 4pm yesterday.

A fire had started in a flat and two firefighters equipped with breathing equipment tackled the flames.

One occupant was already outside the flat when crews got there and was treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation.

A dog was rescued from the first floor of the flat by firemen, who had cleared the scene by 4.30pm.

THERE was a happy hen-ding for the story of a plucky chicken which hitch-hiked more than 40 miles from Derbyshire to Yorkshire.

Agatha the hen, who lives in Derby Road, Morley, took flight on a delivery van that visited her owner, Melanie Brookes.

She gave the driver a fright when she jumped out of his van further along his route – after winging it more than 40 miles to Hathersage.

And that was the last Mrs Brookes had heard of her feathery pet's adventures until she paid a visit to the village and was reunited with the egg-straordinary creature.

Mrs Brookes said: "I knew that she had made it to Hathersage and was apparently at a place called Hog Hall, a farm in the village.

"I did some searching on the internet about the place and went along at the weekend.

"But, when I got there, we found that the farmland was gated off. There was an intercom system but I felt awkward using that and asking about Agatha."

Instead, Mrs Brookes went to the farm next door and spoke with the farmer there.

She said: "I told him why I was there and he said a man called Geoffrey had her.

"He said Geoffrey had been working at Hog Hall and had found her and had her in with his hens."

Eventually, she was reunited with Agatha and said she was "just so happy" to see her again.

She said: "I'm still smiling about it all now.

"I have bought Agatha back to Morley and she is back on top of the roost again. She has a friend, another hen, and the two are inseparable again.

"It was quite an adventure but I'm sure she is happy to be home to roost."

FOLLOWING Singleton's jailing, the school where he worked, which cannot be named for legal reasons, issued a statement in which it spoke of the impact of his crimes.

A school spokesman said: "This has been a difficult and upsetting time for everyone affected by what Russell Singleton has done.

"Staff, governors and pupils were all deeply shocked by his behaviour, his breach of trust and the impact on our pupils, the school and local community.

"We worked closely with the police to help them with their investigation and we're pleased it has now reached a successful conclusion.

"Staff and governors take the safety and interests of our pupils very seriously.

"Parents can be confident that we will take appropriate action where there is wrong-doing and pupils know they can talk to us if they have concerns. We have and will continue to work hard and do all we can to ensure every child is safe when they are at school and in our care.

"Importantly, we will continue to provide a high quality education for all our students so they all face successful futures."