DERBY athletics supporters who watched Calli Thackery win the women's event in a personal best time of 35.46 had better make the most of a glimpse of one of England's most promising middle-distance runners.

Thackery, who hails from the far north-east of the county, in Killamarsh, and runs for Sheffield club Hallamshire Harriers, may not be back to defend her title next year.

The 20-year-old is due to go to the United States on a sports scholarship, although she still has to choose which university.

Thackery was ranked third in the UK's under-20s at 3000m last year and fourth at 5000m.

She is number one at 5k and 10k in the under-20s for 2013 so far. But she maintains that she had no great expectations about winning the Derby 10k at her first attempt.

"My friend was running so I decided to have a go," she said.

"You can never tell with 10ks – you never know who's going to be in them. But I felt really good from the start.

"It's a windy course and people had told me 'you'll never get a PB there' but I just went for it and knocked five seconds off, so I'm really pleased.

"I even felt I could have gone faster – I had a lot left at the end."

MYSTERY surrounds an elaborate 16th-century gold perfume bottle stopper found in South Derbyshire by a pair of metal detector enthusiasts.

The tiny top, which has 16 rubies set within its 1.5cm diameter, is believed to have its origins in Goa or Sri Lanka.

The find has been described by experts as an important one but it is not known how the object ended up where it did or how much it is worth.

The two amateur metal detectorists – Tim Corser, of Ilkeston, and Peter Jones, of Hulland Ward – said they were "gobsmacked" when they dug it up.

Mr Corser, said: "I couldn't believe it. It came right up in the first spade when I got to that spot.

"It was incredibly lucky that it hadn't been harmed in all those years.

"I thought initially that the stones were garnets. The fact that none have been lost is amazing.

"And the workmanship on the pieces, for saying that they are so small and there were no magnifying glasses, is remarkable."

The stopper was sent to the British Museum for analysis and, at an inquest at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court, assistant deputy coroner Paul McCandless declared it to be treasure trove – property of the Crown.

Mr McCandless said: "It really is the most beautiful object and the workmanship is extremely good."

While it is now in the possession of the British Museum, Derby Museum and Art Gallery has already expressed an interest in displaying the piece.

Roger Shelley, principle keeper at the Derby museum, said: "There's a bit of a blank at the museum in terms of artefacts from the period of time this item was made. Why it was there is a mystery.

All finders of gold and silver objects over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996.

If an inquest decides they are treasure, they become the property of the Crown, but the finders are paid the full market value, which is determined by an adjudication panel.

The money is paid equally to the finder and land owner.

The location of the site is being kept under wraps but Mr Corser and Mr Jones are planning further digs.

Mr Jones said: "You don't just look at a field and think, 'That looks good to dig in'. You have to put in a lot of effort. Hopefully, we'll be back with more finds."

A PHONE mast that has towered over an Alvaston neighbourhood for more than a year – to the horror of residents – was finally taken down yesterday.

Orange, which later became Everything Everywhere (EE), put up the equipment in Elvaston Lane, Alvaston, 13 months ago.

But last month, the company was told it must take down the controversial 20-metre mast – to the delight of campaigners who fought for its removal.

The city council had it allowed the mast to go up under "emergency planning rules", which allowed it to stay without formal planning consent for six months.

The council said the use of these powers was "effectively" valid as it was intended to replace a mast on Yarmouth House, which was scheduled to be demolished.

But campaigners were furious that the "eyesore" had been put up after no public consultation.

After months of legal wrangling following the city council's refusal to extend the mast's stay to three years, the authority demanded the equipment be removed.

In a letter which the Derby Telegraph has seen, the authority said it would "commence enforcement proceedings" if EE did not remove the mast within three months.

David Gale, a member of campaign group Roam (Remove Orange's Alvaston Mast), rang the Derby Telegraph offices yesterday morning to say the mast was being taken down.

He said: "This is a complete victory for all of those residents that have stood up to this illegal mast. It's also one in the eye for those councillors who told residents that the mast was up for three years and that there was nothing that they could do about it.

"What we need now is an explanation of how the council's planning department could recommend the mast's erection in the full knowledge that it was an illegal structure."

Paul Clarke, head of development management at the city council, said previously the authority did nothing wrong in allowing the mast to be put up. He added planning rules permitted the mast to be put up for six months to allow the demolition of Yarmouth House, which was knocked down over the summer.

EE is now expected to seeking planning permission to build a replacement mast elsewhere in the area.

No-one from the company was available for comment yesterday.

WHEN the grenade landed near his feet, soldier Luke Walton ran instinctively for the nearest alleyway – but it was too late.

The dark green bomb erupted in a burst of razor sharp shrapnel, a chunk of which tore through the father-of-one's body armour, gouging a hole in his side.

Though he didn't realise it at the time, Sgt Walton, of Derby, was only an inch away from death.

Now, his experience has inspired his sister, Zoe Parkin, to raise money for military charity Help for Heroes.

Sgt Walton said: "If the shrapnel had gone into my lung, which it nearly did, it would have killed me.

"It left a two-inch scar but it could have been much worse."

When the bomb went off, Sgt Walton had been on his second tour of Afghanistan, checking sentry positions in a rural area in September last year. He said: "I went forward with a platoon of about 16 men from our operating base.

"We went up to a checkpoint which was a former compound we had occupied. "There were other compounds to one side and green (agricultural) areas to the other and we were looking out for any Taliban attacks.

"When the grenade came over, it was mid-afternoon and hot. I was with an interpreter at the time and I heard the sound of a detonator going off. I glimpsed the grenade rolling towards the interpreter.

"I shouted up for people to take cover and ran towards an alleyway but got hit by shrapnel."

He said he only felt a slight pain at first but noticed the blood and afterwards, told his platoon-mates he had been hit.

He said: "A medic treated me there, cleaned the wound up and I was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Camp Bastion.

"I was going on leave anyway, luckily, so I came home to Derby. But a couple of weeks later I was back in the thick of it."

Sgt Walton serves with the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and said he had wanted to join the forces since he was a young boy.

He said: "My dad and my uncle both served and I joined up when I was 18. It was something I always wanted to do."

He lives with his wife Marlene and son Kai, seven, and said he was happy to continue his career in the forces.

He said: "I am going out to Jordan to help train the local people there soon."

Zoe is raising money in honour of her brother by having a sponsored head shave.

The 38-year-old, of Brickyard Lane, Belper, will go under the scissors in May and said: "I was going to have my hair cut anyway and my brother was one of the lucky ones so I wanted to say thank you, I suppose.

"I wanted to help all those servicemen who do get injured."

She said she had raised more than £300 so far for the charity.

If you would like to sponsor Zoe or make a donation you can further details at www.bmycharity.com/zoeleanne

THE only surprise about Rich Weir's victory in yesterday's Derby 10k was that it was his first in his home event.

The Derby AC runner, now 28, has been there or thereabouts on the middle-to-long-distance scene since his teens and another England vest is far from out of the question at some point.

But injuries have usually got in the way of a good shot at the Derby 10k before and the last time he ran it, in 2009, he came third.

Weir was just over a minute faster than in his last attempt as he won in 30.41, nine seconds ahead of Notts AC's Alastair Watson.

"It's one that I've wanted to win at some point," said Weir, who will concentrate on 1500m on the track in the summer.

"I've had injury problems before in the winter and have felt that a 10k wouldn't be a good idea just before the track season starts.

"But this has been the first winter in a while I've not had any problems, so I was probably in the best possible position to win.

"I won the Trafford 10k last month in 29.50 but the Derby race was never going to be that quick, with its tight turns and some cobbled streets.

"People always ask me if I'm doing the 10k and, when I'm not, they always want to know why.

"Now, when they ask, at least I can tell them I won it in 2013.

"The other question I always get asked is whether I'm doing the London Marathon but I won't be doing that one any time soon!"

Weir goes into the track season in good heart and still feels there are improvements to come.

"I'm going to drop back down to 1500m and I have my first one next weekend in the Northern League for Derby," he added.

"I still feel I can get a bit off my best times and I shall aim to peak for the UK trials."

A COUPLE left distraught after the hotel where they had booked their £5,000 wedding closed were full of happiness on Saturday as they tied the knot elsewhere.

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.

In stepped Callow Hall – a beautiful country house hotel in Mapleton, near Ashbourne, where staff arranged for the couple to get married at the venue with very short notice. Surrounded by the picturesque hills of the Peak District, the couple exchanged vows in front of family and friends.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph, Mr Cooksey, 54, said the week leading up to the wedding had been difficult but that he could not have been more relaxed once everything was sorted.

With hours to go until the ceremony, he said: "I'm as calm and cool as a cucumber. I've been playing golf with my usher and nephew to relax.

"Everything is all good today."

AN inspirational mum battling terminal cancer joined thousands of runners to take part in her second Derby 10k.

Maxine Smith-Foulds finished the race in 1.22.44, beating her target time of an hour and a half.

She entered with colleagues in the Cooper Parry business team challenge.

At the race finish line inside Derby County's Pride Park Stadium, 36-year-old Maxine, who is fighting cancer for the second time, said: "I can't believe I've got around the whole way.

"It wasn't my best idea to sign up to run the whole 10k. My condition has got worse and I'm not running as much as I used to.

"I'm having treatment at the minute but I wasn't going to let that stop me running the 10k.

"I didn't want to let my workmates down and I didn't want to let myself down either. I was determined to do it. I'm a fighter."

Maxine, who married long-term partner Ben in September, is mum to two-year-old Alfie.

She said: "They were cheering me on from the sidelines and I saw them a couple of times around the route.

"Ben was going nuts at me for signing up to do it but I'm glad I've done it. It was hard but worth it."

ILKESTON and Matlock Town battle it out for Derbyshire Senior Cup honours this evening.

The Evo-Stik League Premier Division rivals go head-to-head in tonight's final at Chesterfield's Proact Stadium (7.45pm).

It will be the second time in four days that the teams have met, having played out a 1-1 draw in the league on Saturday.

Ilkeson are without veteran striker Gary Ricketts due to suspension, while injured duo Dan Partridge and Jack Watts are both major doubts.

Matlock are waiting on the fitness of Adam Yates, Micky Harcourt and stalwart James Lukic.

After winning promotion last season, Ilkeston boss Kevin Wilson believes county cup success – to go with a mid-table league finish – would represent a successful campaign.

"When you set off at the start of a new season, winning something is one of your top priorities – and we have a great chance to do that," he said.

"If we can – and with the way the younger players have developed and we have consolidated – then maybe we can look at the past 12 months and say they have gone even better than expected."

Tickets for tonight's final are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for concessions and £2 for children aged 12 and under.

THESE sporty teenagers picked up awards at a glitzy ceremony at The Pingle School.

More than 500 people attended the annual event, which featured prize-winners from all years and all sports. The awards were presented by Olympic and Commonwealth swimmer Ross Davenport.

The Pingle Sports Personality of the Year was Lewis White, a year eight student who has won district and county honours in disabled swimming and is currently taking part in the British International Disability Championships in Sheffield.

Another event has seen the installation of signs at Derbyshire Dales District Council play areas asking adults not to smoke.

In a joint initiative with Derbyshire Action on Smoking, the council – which runs large play areas in Ashbourne, Bakewell and Matlock – will be displaying no smoking signs designed by local schoolchildren. Youngster Callum Deekin is pictured with his sign.

District council environmental health officer Karen Carpenter said: "We are delighted to be the first district council in Derbyshire to try this approach.

"While we don't have the power to make our parks smoke-free, we believe adults are more likely to take heed of an appeal that is coming to them direct from young people."

Children at Treetops Castle Garden Nursery, in Duffield, celebrated St George's Day by making flags and baking cakes which they decorated with red strawberry laces and white icing. Matilda Taylor, four, Harry Turner, three, Toby Parkin, four, and Alexia Clewley, three, are pictured with their flags.

A group of friends from Swadlincote have set up Curly Magpie to organise vintage and handmade craft fairs.

Sarah Towers, Clare Chalmers and Leanne Mace are running a vintage fair and tea rooms event on Saturday from 10am at Swadlincote Town Hall in The Delph.

Waveschool, a swimming school, held a charity swimming event to raise money for Marie Curie Trust and Pingle School. The youngsters raised more than £2,000 and a cheque was presented by Ross Davenport.

And six-year-old Grace Holland, of Belper, and her pet dog, Donut, came first in the Child's Best Friend category at the Newark Dog Show.

A DERBY aid worker is operating alongside former Prime Minister Tony Blair to boost tourism in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Kelly Wright, of Chellaston, has worked for the Department for International Development (DFID) for the past six years.

She has been in Jerusalem since September last year, working to help encourage westerners to visit. She said: "I came out to Jerusalem because of a job opportunity that came up internally. It's been amazing."

The 31-year-old is working with Mr Blair and his team of experts in Jerusalem.

As well as working as assistant to the head of the DFID's mission there, she provides advice on developing the Palestinian economy in the tourism sector.

She said: "The West Bank is incredibly beautiful to hike in and has such rich cultural heritage. People are doing great things to promote that, for example the Abraham's Path Initiative. It is a privilege to be contributing to small but meaningful progress on tourism here.

"A more vibrant service industry for tourism will ultimately lead to more prosperity for the Palestinian economy. More travellers to all parts of the Holy Land can only benefit both Israel and the Palestinian state."

Kelly studied for a master's degree in international relations at Leeds University before being offered a graduate position at DFID which has since taken her to Whitehall in the DFID secretary of state's office, to Kosovo, and now to Jerusalem.

She said: "I feel incredibly lucky to be doing this job, seeing the world, coming into contact with inspiring people and impressive leaders, and feeling in some very small way that what I do every day may make a real difference.

"Working alongside Tony Blair has been really fascinating. It's interesting to see how the leaders operate and I've learnt a lot from them.

"Working in international development does, however, bring you face to face with some harsh realities, and I've seen and experienced anyone's fair share of those in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

"The absence of real freedom of movement and access to resources for building a sustainable future – something we take for granted in the UK – is striking.''

She said the aim was to promote the features and assets Palestine already has – not just pilgrimages.

"It's one of those places that everybody should see," she said. It really is amazing. So much has grown out of the Jewish, Palestinian and Roman history here. It is a raw and authentic setting."

Kelly will return to the UK next month where she will continue to work in the DFID's Middle East region department in London.

She said: "Finishing my post here and coming back to the UK will be really hard, I'm going to miss it here.

"But Derby is still my home and I'm sure there are plenty other interesting jobs to do."

A KILLER jailed for smashing his friend's head in with a rock "knew what he was doing", a judge has said.

Michael Wayne Carroll, known as Wayne, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bludgeoning Alexander Blick to death in Matlock Library gardens.

The 44-year-old was also told he would serve a minimum of seven years and be treated under the Mental Health Act because of the attack.

Carroll, of Upper Greenhill Gardens, Matlock, had denied the manslaughter of Mr Blick, from Matlock Bath. He was found guilty following a seven-day trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Sentencing Carroll, Judge Michael Stokes QC said: "You intended to kill Mr Blick and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest you knew what you were doing.

"Despite your illness and the use of drink and drugs I am driven to conclude your mind was working sufficiently well to take steps to cover up your actions and this is not usually the case in cases of diminished responsibility.

"I am also satisfied that the doctors have identified a personality disorder."

Over the course of the trial, the court heard that Carroll and Mr Blick were in a group of friends who spent much of their time drinking alcohol in Hall Leys Park in Matlock.

After the group's day-long drinking session, Mr Blick's body was discovered on October 16, 2011, in the gardens off Steep Turnpike, by a local resident.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, said Carroll suffered from mental health problems but had deliberately tried to evade responsibility for the crime by getting rid of some evidence.

Police began to piece together the 42-year-old's last movements and discovered that he had spent the previous day drinking with Carroll in the town.

Carroll said he had drunk a couple of cans of strong lager and taken the drug speed on October 15, 2011.

After Mr Blick's death, blood-splattered shoes were found at Carroll's flat – and blood-stained clothing was discovered in bushes close by.

Mr Blick, 42, of Dale Road, Matlock Bath, who was originally from Plymouth, had moved to Matlock three months before his death.

Friends of the pair had told the jury that the two men had fallen out the day Mr Blick was killed.

After the trial, Detective Superintendent Andy Stokes, senior investigating officer said: "We don't know why Carroll launched this particularly nasty attack on his friend and we may never know.

"I hope this conviction brings some form of closure for Mr Blick's friends and family, who have waited 18 months for justice."

BUSINESS owners in Borrowash have urged Erewash Borough Council to consider installing CCTV after incidents of racist abuse and a number of burglaries in the village.

At a meeting last night, they asked the county's deputy police and crime commissioner, Hardyal Dhindsa, to throw his weight behind the appeal.

The worried business people highlighted the fact that the Co-operative supermarket had been burgled twice in the past four weeks.

And Mahmood Wadud, the owner of the Bay of Bengal, the restaurant where the meeting was held, also talked about incidents affecting his staff.

He said: "At the end of last year, we had a couple of incidents that were very distressing.

"Firstly, a person drove past and threw three eggs at my staff and swore and were racist to us.

"Then a group of youths were swearing at us as we left the restaurant and I was worried that they would attack the front of the shop.

"I think CCTV would be a good idea in the area, especially between 10.30pm and midnight."

Councillor Dhindsa agreed to take on their concerns and look into what could be done.

He said: "I will speak to the [police] force to look at the possible allocation of more officers in the area at specific times. I will also speak to Erewash Borough Council to see what their plans are in regards to CCTV."

The issue of CCTV is one which has dogged the borough since a report into the matter was supposed to have been released last October.

The borough council's opposition Labour group has called for the findings of the report to be released but as of yet, none have been.

Helen Clark, chair of Erewash Labour local government committee, said: "This is getting very serious.

"People's livelihoods are at risk. People want answers and they want them now."

Mike Wallis, Erewash councillor and lead member for culture and leisure in the borough, said: "£140,000 has been set aside for CCTV in the borough. However, we set up an independent report to look into the matter and this has taken longer than anticipated.

"The decision has been made to upgrade the infrastructure in the back office area and then look at the cameras which we have at our disposal and where they would be most effective."

Mr Wallis pointed out that crime in Borrowash was falling. He said: "I regularly walk round with the local police officer and we have not been made aware of any anti-social behaviour out of the ordinary. There have been the recent incidents at the Co-op but, in general, crime in the area is falling, not increasing."

Mr Dhindsa said: "In Derbyshire and Borrowash crime is falling but I always say that one victim is one too many. I will look into the issues that have been raised and deal with them appropriately."

A 20-YEAR-OLD woman was last night in hospital after being involved in a collision with a tipper lorry in Spondon.

The incident happened in Station Road, at about 1.40pm yesterday.

The ambulance service was called to the scene to take care of the female casualty, who sustained leg injuries and was taken to Royal Derby Hospital, where she remained last night.

Her injuries were described as "not life-threatening".

Pat Draper, who lives on the road where the collision happened, said she was alerted to the crash by her neighbour.

She said: "I went to see what had happened and I saw the woman on the floor.

"The driver was crouched down so my husband sat him down on a wheelie bin. He was very much in shock. I felt sorry for her as well as him.

"The road was shut off until about 3.30pm. This road is awful for traffic, there is always a lot of cars and lorries coming along."

THE need for a new minibus to take disadvantaged children on much-needed holidays to Skegness has become more urgent in the past few days.

Just over a week ago, the Derby Telegraph launched the Give Us A Break appeal to raise £30,000 for a replacement minibus for the Derbyshire Children's Holiday Centre.

The centre has until June to raise the money because the current minibus is reaching the end of its working life.

Now Bill Tomlinson, chairman of the charity's trust board, has been told during a routine check that the minibus's exhaust is showing signs of blowing.

He said: "It would cost in the region of £500 to replace the exhaust but ideally we don't want to do that because it would be like throwing good money after bad in the light of trying to replace the minibus.

"I'm told the situation is still manageable but it is a worry because we don't want to be without a minibus.

"What was a serious situation has just taken on much more urgent need."

The holiday centre has been providing holidays for needy children in Derbyshire since 1891 and survives on public donations. About £17,000 a month is needed to keep the centre going.

Each year, 450 children benefit from a five-day break between Easter and October, although the numbers of youngsters put forward by schools and social services exceed this figure by up to 200.

Mr Tomlinson said: "The minibus is still perfectly safe for us to use. Without it, the children would not be able to travel to and from the east coast or go out on trips while they are there."

Well over £1,200 has been raised so far, thanks to the generosity of readers, many of whom are already raising money for the centre itself.

Some of the money is coming through the Justgiving website and other amounts have been sent direct to the charity via Freepost.

Some people have decided to donate money through their businesses and among the latest to step forward to do this is the CR Garage, in Wincanton Close, off Ascot Drive. It has promised to donate £1 for every car or light van that has an MoT test there over the next few weeks.

Owner Jon Wildsmith said: "I have been aware of the charity for some time and, because it's a really worthwhile cause, we wanted to do our bit.

"It would be a shame if the children could not have their holidays and the money could not be found for a new minibus."

DERBY'S hospital trust has been nominated for an award for its training of student nurses from two universities – as criticism rages nationwide about nursing in the NHS.

Derby's hospitals work with the universities of Derby and Nottingham through the School of Nursing at the Royal Derby Hospital. While studying for degrees, budding nurses also complete shifts on hospital wards to get hands-on training and work with mentors.

The teaming up of the two universities with the hospital has been shortlisted in the partnership of the year category in the 2013 Student Nursing Times Awards.

These aim to acknowledge student nurses – or those who train them – who go the "extra mile" or who influence the future of nursing.

Representatives from the partnership will be in London tomorrow for the awards ceremony.

Karen Hill, senior nurse at Derby's hospitals, said: "Hospitals traditionally work with a university but we work with two and work closely together. We're not duplicating or repeating work or resources – we're able to maximise them. Very few places do what we do, hence why we are so chuffed to be put forward for this award."

The news comes soon after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that NHS staff should have a legal duty to be honest about mistakes – in the wake of an inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal.

Robert Francis QC's report looked into failings at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust but also at wider-ranging reforms of the NHS.

Mr Hunt also called for aspiring nurses to have to work for up to a year as healthcare assistants or support workers before they could apply to become nurses.

Student nurses Gemma Connor, 24, and Ian Ellwood, 23, who both study at the University of Derby, did not entirely agree with Mr Hunt's latter comment.

Ian said: "The idea of spending a year at a hospital before training is grasping at nothing really, because it's on a course like this that you get that experience.''

Gemma said: "On the course, you spend about 50% of your time on the wards and you wouldn't stick it out if you weren't caring or compassionate."

Dr Bill Whitehead, assistant subject head for nursing at the university, said: "Our student nurses are not there to stand and watch but they are not being relied on during a shift, so it gives them chance to learn. It's wonderful to see our partnership be acknowledged."

Elaine Cook, head of nursing at the University of Nottingham, said: "'We are delighted to be nominated, as it is a reflection of the commitment of all of us as partners to provide the best possible educational experience for the next generation of nurses."

GEORGE Osborne has told the Derby Telegraph the UK is "under-skilled" and needs more apprenticeships.

That is why people should vote for a Conservative-run Derbyshire County Council at Thursday's local elections, he argued.

The Tories have pledged to create 1,000 more apprenticeships if they are kept in power at County Hall, Matlock.

It is a manifesto pledge that Mr Osborne said would help scores of youngsters find work despite the "difficult economic situation".

On a visit to the Telegraph's Meadow Road offices, Mr Osborne said the country should be more like Germany when it came to training young people.

The Chancellor said: "As a country, we are under-skilled. We haven't got the mix right (between offering higher education and apprenticeships).

"We've under-valued vocational education, not like in Germany. When we look at growth businesses in this country, like Rolls-Royce, they have a highly skilled workforce.

"At the moment, we are not producing enough good people through vocational education. We have got firms at the cutting-edge of world engineering that aren't able to find kids with the right skills. That tells us something.

Mr Osborne said one of those firms was Draycott company EPM Technology, which manufactures high-performance parts for Formula 1 teams.

The Chancellor visited it yesterday accompanied by the county council's Conservative leader, Andrew Lewer.

Mr Osborne said Mr Lewer only had one rival for the County Hall hotseat – Labour's Anne Western – dismissing UKIP's claim that it was a serious contender.

Mr Osborne said: "UKIP are talking themselves up. The actual choice on Thursday is between a Conservative county council and a Labour county council.

"That choice is simple. If you want a council that is going to freeze council tax, help people get a mortgage and create 1,000 apprenticeships, then you vote for a Conservative council.

"If you want higher council tax bills and worse public services, you vote Labour."

Anne Western, leader of Derbyshire Labour, hit back and said her group has also pledged to create apprenticeships if elected in Derbyshire.

She said a Labour-run council would develop an economic development strategy and "redesign" the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to make it "more effective".

AN ambulance technician left a collapsed party-goer in the care of his friends because he felt "intimidated" – and the man stopped breathing 10 minutes later.

Ian Wilson put Jason Dance – who had been drinking absinthe – into the recovery position and then left the house party in Allenton because he felt "claustrophobic and intimidated".

Mr Wilson admitted to his manager he had "messed up".

An inquest into Mr Dance's death heard how Mr Wilson was part of a two-person crew sent to the house, in Griffin Close.

Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner's Court was told that Mr Dance, 33, of Bingham Street, Allenton, had been drinking heavily throughout the day, including "a large quantity" of 80% volume sprit absinthe. He collapsed in the garden and friends dialled 999.

Mr Wilson and East Midlands Ambulance Service colleague Louise Stanley arrived and Mr Wilson carried out some "basic observations" on Mr Dance, who was lying on his back and snoring.

Coroner Dr Robert Hunter was told how they then put Mr Dance in the recovery position and left him with friends.

But, less than 10 minutes later, a second 999 call was made from the party to say that Mr Dance, who worked as a baker, had stopped breathing and had turned blue. By the time the ambulance team arrived back at the house he was dead.

Giving evidence on the first day of the inquest yesterday, Louisa Allcock, a paramedic team leader, told the court how she had been called to the house about an hour after the death.

She said: "When I arrived, Ian was standing against a wall. A policeman asked me if it was common procedure to attend to a patient that was not feeling coherent and then to leave them with their friends. I said no, it was not normal procedure at all."

Dr Hunter asked Miss Allcock what Mr Wilson told her.

She said: "He explained he had gone to the premises where a patient had collapsed through drink.

"He was reported to have drunk a lot of the spirit absinthe and Ian said he checked him over before saying to a friend of the patient 'can you keep an eye on him?' before putting him in the recovery position and leaving.

"They [Mr Wilson and Miss Stanley] did some basic observations and felt it was all right to leave the patient.

"Ian told me he had not felt comfortable with the situation because it was a party and there was alcohol involved. He said he felt claustrophobic and intimidated by the people crowding around. He said he wanted to get out of the situation."

Dr Hunter and Miss Allcock discussed what procedures were standard practice for a trained technician like Mr Wilson to perform when called to a collapsed person. These included heart monitoring, oxygen monitoring and taking the temperature.

Miss Allcock said: "At some point during the conversation, Ian did say he had made a mistake."

Dr Hunter said: "He told you he had messed up?"

Miss Allcock said: "Yes, he was shaking his head."

Mr Dance had worked at Marcers Bakery, in Brighton Road, Alvaston, since leaving school at the age of 16.

His mother Janet previously told the Derby Telegraph how his elder brother, Gary, died at the age of 38 in 2008, after being the victim of a street attack.

The court was told that on the day he died, on the evening of August 14, 2010, Mr Dance had been to watch a football match and had been drinking heavily all day.

Dr David Wilson, a pathologist who carried out the first post mortem examination, gave a cause of death as alcohol toxicity.

Professor Guy Ruttey, a specialist Home Office pathologist, carried out a second post mortem examination and said the amount of alcohol found in Mr Dance's system, which was 10 times the legal drink drive limit, "would be enough to kill him."

The inquest continues.

JAMES Bailey, Callum Ball and Tom Naylor are returning to Derby County after their respective loan spells ended.

Midfielder Bailey has been with Coventry City since September, while striker Ball has been on a season-long loan with the Sky Blues, who finished their League One campaign on Saturday.

Naylor has been on loan since February to Blue Square Bet Premier side Grimsby Town, who were knocked out of the play-offs by Newport County at the weekend.

RECYCLING collections could be stopped in nearly 140 Derby streets to make it easier for households to deal with their waste – to the dismay of environmentalists.

Derby City Council is proposing the change in parts of Abbey, Arboretum, Mackworth and Normanton wards, and says it will not be considered anywhere else.

The move would be aimed at cutting fly-tipping, missed collections due to rubbish going in the wrong bins, and litter in the streets.

City environmentalists are alarmed by the proposal, claiming it could send out the wrong message.

Peter Robinson, chairman of Derby Climate Coalition – which campaigns on environmental issues – said the council had accepted it had a "civic duty to minimise greenhouse gasses".

He said: "Abandoning recycling for some areas will give the wrong message to residents in Derby, undoing much good work. By giving a mixed message it will probably also impact negatively in other areas too."

Simon Bacon, chairman of Sinfin and Spondon Against Incineration, a group battling plans for a waste treatment plant which the city council has confirmed will go ahead in Sinfin, was "horrified". He said: "To stop recycling stops those who do recycle from doing so – that cannot possibly be right."

The plans would see brown and blue bin collection services withdrawn from 138 streets which the council described as "not best suited" to its current refuse recycling services from Monday, October 28. Rubbish would go into black bins, which would be collected weekly instead of fortnightly.

One resident, Tracey Biggs, who lives in Twyford Street – one of the roads that could be affected – said she did not want the change because she did recycle, but she added: "I can understand why they would do it. There's not many of us that do recycle. After the bin men come, there are a lot of red tags (used to show contaminated bins) about."

The Derby Telegraph looked inside one brown bin – meant for garden and food waste in another affected road, Hartington Street – and found cans and bottles.

Councillor Ranjit Banwait, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and Streetpride, described the weekly black bin service as "a radical proposal" but said there were certain groups of people for whom recycling was "way down their list of priorities".

He said the council had tried educating people about recycling in places like Normanton and Arboretum but the message "simply isn't getting through". Mr Banwait said this could be down to a variety of reasons including a lack of education or language barriers.

A report by council officers ahead of a meeting of the neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny board today says another issue is properties rented to students which "typically have a high turnover of tenants and have limited access to the rear of the property, making it difficult to manage waste".

Mr Banwait said: "We are talking about communities where there are pockets of deprivation and poverty.

"These are people who are concerned about how they will put food on the table, how they will afford school uniforms. The last thing on their minds is separating cardboard from their plastics. It is not sending out the wrong message. I'm asking the whole of Derby to be sympathetic to people who are clearly less able to cope in the current tough times."

He plans to consult with council officers and neighbourhood boards before deciding whether the plans go ahead. It could be that the changes are trialled in one area before taking place elsewhere.

Asked if the move would mean the council giving up on recycling in the four areas, Mr Banwait said the changes would not be permanent.

AN international rail consultancy based in Derby has expanded its presence in the city by taking the lease on another building on Pride Park.

Interfleet Technology has signed a deal for a 6,000sq ft office in Pride Place, which will complement its existing headquarters in nearby Pride Parkway.

The firm, which provides a range of services and expertise to the rail industry, needed more space because its head office at Interfleet House was reaching full capacity, with almost 300 people working from there.

The Pride Place site, which the firm will share with banking giant HSBC, will be the new home of Interfleet's group staff, who are relocating from Interfleet House.

This will free up space to accommodate the growth of Interfleet's UK business, particularly its new infrastructure team.

The firm has been looking to create more space for its Derby electrification and plant team, which has outgrown its allocated office space on the back of strong demand for its services.

The UK rail network is enjoying a massive investment from the Government to electrify large swathes of track. This includes the electrification of the Midland Main Line, which is costing more than £500 million.

The expansion also comes at the start of a new era for Interfleet.

In March, its long-standing managing director, David Rollin, retired after almost 20 years at the firm.

His role has been taken over by Richard George, who was director of transport at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As well as offices in the UK, Interfleet has bases across the world, in countries including Australia, Canada, India and the US. It employs 600 people worldwide.

The firm offers a range of consultancy services covering business management, infrastructure and railway systems and rolling stock.

Nick Hosking, director of Derby commercial property agents Innes England, completed the deal for Pride Place, which was built by Derby developer Cedar House Investments.

He said that Interfleet had signed a lease on the offices which runs until 2017.

He said: "We're delighted to be involved in ensuring Interfleet continues to grow and remains one of Derby's biggest and most important employers.

"It's also excellent news for Derby's reputation as an important hub of the rail industry."