CHARISMATIC cats are dominating our lives. Apparently, watching silly cat videos takes up 15% of YouTube traffic, which doesn't say a fat lot for our intellect but does suggest we are all as soft as grease under our tough exteriors.

Take my lovely neighbour, a real man's man, ex-Boy Scout, likes big cars, a beer or two and chopping wood, that sort of thing. But when his cat, Billy, rubs round his ankles, as cats do, it's "Haalloooo Billy-Bobs". He gently picks him up, nurses him like a baby, tickles his chin and has even made him a cat deckchair.

I have a soft spot for Billy, too, and can't resist feeding him chunks of chicken and ham. I've always loved cats but had to part company with them due to my flea-bite allergy. Even though I bought every flea killer known to man, it didn't seem to stop the little blighters breeding like rabbits.

It was concern about fleas that left one woman hospitalised for six days recently.

Lesley Pleasant decided to de-flea her daughter's cat, Oscar, by giving him a bath. To say he didn't like it is an under statement.

He sank his claws into Lesley's arm, piercing an artery. It was 30 seconds before her daughter could get the claw out.

Result: a potentially life-threatening blood infection which left Lesley in need of emergency treatment.

This tale resonated with me because one of my best buddies recently ended up in hospital thanks to a cat called Lilly, which appears to be terrorising the estate down south where they both happen to live.

I'll let my pal tell the tale by sharing her e-mail but, just as background, I will explain that she is the proud owner of a cute bichon frise dog, a tiny cat-sized pooch which looks like a cross between a miniature poodle and a lamb. Here's what happened to my chum and her dog, Zacky:

"I was just taking Zacky for a walk when this cat shot out of nowhere like a rocket and went for him. I lifted Zacky up on his lead and held him high but she just leapt up at me, savaging me as she tried to get to him. She sank her claws into my legs and bit me – twice!!

"I was screaming and all the neighbours came running out but they couldn't get the cat off me.

"Eventually, some men smothered the cat in a blanket to stop her attacking me. When I got home I was covered in blood and bruises and crying. The scratches were so long and deep I was advised to ring a doctor and, as soon as I explained how deep the cuts and bites were, I was told to go straight to A&E.

"Because of the danger of blood poisoning they gave me tablets the size of torpedoes – and you know how I can't swallow tablets, Jill!"

So beware my friends, not all cats are as innocent as they look and should not, perhaps, be surging to superstar status on YouTube, just for looking cute, or grumpy. Seen grumpy cat?

Nevertheless, I did suggest to my neighbour that he made some YouTube videoes of Billy-Bobs. Famous cats can now demand appearance fees of up to £300. Yes, I watched Star Paws on TV the other day. The lesson in this cat's tale is, choose your feline friends as carefully as your human ones. A ferocious tiger may lie within.

In the latest of our video flashbacks looking at the life and times of Brian Clough, we are bringing you Brian Clough - The Derby County Years.

The series comes before the Nottingham Forest v Derby County match which is live on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday. Kick-off is at 1.15pm.

THREE new trees in planters and a flower bed installed in Derby city centre have cost the taxpayer about £10,000.

Derby City Council has spent the cash as part of its £1.1 million revamp of the junction of St Peter's Churchyard, East Street and St Peter's Street.

And it has now revealed that this spending has helped unlock another £3 million, enabling the "completion of the whole of St Peter's Street from Victoria Street to The Spot".

Nobody at the council has yet been available to expand on what this means.

Councillor Martin Rawson, cabinet member responsible for regeneration, said the planting at St Peter's Cross "formed an important element of the project, giving a natural feel and presence to the area".

He added: "Their costs, relative to the cost of the overall project and the impact they bring, are in the region of 1%, approximately £10,000.

"The planting will be watered and kept tidy, initially through the contract with the main contractor, for one year.

"After that, the council will carry out this work, although it is hoped that these costs could be paid for through sponsorship with local businesses and this will be explored."

The council was also asked where the trees and planters had come from and what sort they were but has not yet been able to respond.

The St Peter's Cross scheme has seen the junction completely repaved, with space for entertainment, new paving and lighting.

Mr Rawson, deputy council leader and cabinet member for planning, environment and regeneration, said that the £1.1 million spent by the council on the scheme, plus a £1 million investment for revamping The Spot, had formed part of a successful bid for Government funding for St Peter's Street.

He said £3 million had been secured and that "without the city council's investment, this additional funding would not have been secured".

Mr Rawson added: "Further elements of the work are close to completion with the introduction of new architectural lighting on the church to enhance the building now it has been cleaned.

"This will create a space that will help maintain and deliver the city's Purple Flag status and promote the development of family orientated facilities that appeal to all residents and visitors, and support the early evening economy."

The £1.1 million for the St Peter's Cross scheme was from the council's capital budget.

DERBYSHIRE were beaten by 106 runs shortly after tea after being set 261 to win on the third day of their LV County Championship match at the Swalec Stadium.

Three wickets from Mark Footitt and two from Tony Palladino did the job for Derbyshire in the morning as Glamorgan were all out for 181, their last five wickets falling for 36 runs in 17.5 overs.

But Derbyshire struggled second time around against good Glamorgan bowling in conditions more suitable for swing as they were dismissed for 154, with only Wes Durston standing firm before he fell for 72.

Footitt broke through with his fifth ball when David Lloyd was lbw for nought and Palladino then had night watchman Dean Cosker lbw for 13 at 166-7.

A loose shot from Mark Wallace saw him caught at point off Footitt for 14 and there was a third for Footitt when Kieran Bull was caught at slip at 176-9.

The innings was over when Michael Hogan was caught at mid on to give Palladino a second scalp, with Graham Wagg three not out. Footitt finished with 3-46 and Palladino 2-38.

Derbyshire lost Ben Slater in the fifth over as he left a ball from Wagg that flattened his off stump and Billy Godleman was lbw to Michael Hogan for seven to make it 18-2.

There was a further huge blow two overs later when Cheteshwar Pujara tried to turn Hogan off his legs and looped a gentle return catch to the bowler to fall for a duck at 18-3.

Wayne Madsen and Durston held Glamorgan up for 11 overs and put on 46 before David Lloyd came into the attack to have the skipper lbw for 26 and then have Alex Hughes caught down the leg side for nought.

Gareth Cross was lbw to Jim Allenby for nought at 85-6 and that became 101-7 when Wayne White was bowled by Allenby.

But Durston would not abandon a cause looking increasingly lost and reached his half-century off 69 balls with six fours but he finally went for 72, cutting at Hogan and nicking a catch through to the wicketkeeper at 122-8.

It took less than five overs after tea to finish the job, as David Wainwright was caught behind off Hogan, who finished with 4-38, and Footitt was caught at mid off.

A massive solar storm is heading towards the Earth at 2.5 million mph and could mean the Northern Lights will be visible in Derbyshire tonight.

The aurora borealis are usually only visible much further north but the massive solar explosion could mean Derbyshire gets an impressive light show.

The explosion measures 'extreme' on the scale used by astronomers and nothing on this level has been seen for several years - with the storm now heading directly towards Earth. If you take any stunning photos, we would love to see them. E-mail us at newsdesk@derbytelegraph.co.uk

A DEAD rabbit was found in a hutch in "revolting" conditions without food and water by police carrying out a drugs warrant.

The animal was found in Carl Browne's garden, after police discovered flowering cannabis plants inside.

Today, at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court, Browne was given a 12-month community order for not caring for the rabbit and was disqualified from keeping animals for five years.

Last week, he was given another 12-month community order at Derby Crown Court after he admitted producing cannabis.

An RSPCA officer, who was called to the property in Long Eaton, said: "The rabbit was in a very poor condition. I was staggered at the amount of faecal material on the bottom of the hutch – about 4-5in deep."

The officer said that in his 28 years working for the RSPCA he had "never seen such a build-up of excrement" and estimated that the hutch had not been cleaned out in over a year.

Alison Wright, prosecuting, said: "The dead rabbit was beside a bowl of stale food. There was no water and no bedding, just faecal matter."

A vet concluded that the rabbit had not eaten for about a week and said the conditions in which it was kept were "revolting".

Another rabbit was found alive in a hutch in the garden on the same date – January 17.

Browne, of Cranmer Street, admitted while being a person responsible for an animal, failing to supply food, water and bedding and failed to take reasonable steps to stop the rabbit from dying.

Natalie Clines, in mitigation, said: "He has expressed the deep regret that he feels for what happened. He accepts full responsibility for what happened.

"He was in difficult circumstances himself at the time. He was married to his partner for six years – they have three children together – and they all lived together at the accommodation until they separated in June last year."

Miss Clines said the rabbits had been bought by his wife and she had previously taken care of them.

"But following the separation his wife left the family home and the children left with her but she never took the rabbits," said Miss Clines.

"Things were very difficult for him at the time."

Miss Clines said Browne had been suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of something that had happened to him in his childhood.

She said he turned to cannabis and started growing it.

"He was at an ultimate low – he wasn't even in a position to care for himself or anybody at that time."

But she said that he had since received a lot of support from a Christian trust and had made "significant inroads" in dealing with his emotional situation.

Browne must do 80 hours of unpaid work and pay £85 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink has pushed himself into the picture for the vacant Leeds United manager's job.

The former Dutch international, who played for Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Leeds, among others, has been out of work since leaving Antwerp in Belgium at the end of last season.

Recently, he was at Derby County's Moor Farm complex, observing training as a guest of the Rams' head coach Steve McClaren. He was on Forest's coaching staff while McClaren was manager at the City Ground.

"Leeds is a wonderful big club where I had two great years. If they want to talk to me, of course I would talk to them," said Hasselbaink.

He is the second former Leeds striker linked with the club this week: Robbie Fowler has also expressed an interest.

"I've got experience, I know I could take the club forward and I know I can take the club back to where they need to go," added Hasselbaink.

"But what do Leeds United themselves want? That's the most important question. How do they see things? At the moment there are so many things going on they need to sort out first, or maybe they have already."

A THIEF stole a purse from a pensioner as she prayed in a Derby church.

Drug addict James McNally was captured on CCTV rummaging through the worshipper's belongings as she took part in a service.

The theft of the purse – which contained a £10 note and £5 in coins and some bank cards – was discovered when the woman went to collect her handbag.

Heroin user McNally was yesterday jailed for eight months, but is expected to be released on licence almost immediately, having been in custody on remand for more than four months.

A court heard the theft happened at St Mary's Catholic Church in Darley Lane. Former city mayor and Arboretum councillor Fareed Hussain said he was shocked by the crime "in a place where people should be going to cleanse their souls, not pollute them".

Priest Father Peter Ingman said the crime happened at a service on Good Friday.

He said: "It must have been very upsetting for the lady, who had made the effort to come to church on Good Friday and then discovered her purse had been stolen."

Sentencing the 49-year-old, Judge Peter Barrie said: "This was a nasty offence. The thought of someone stealing a purse from a church on Good Friday is quite repellent."

Mr Hussain said he felt the theft was "as low as it gets".

McNally, of no fixed address, admitted the theft when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

The court heard that the incident happened on April 18 when the woman, who is in her late-60s, attended St Mary's for an evening service.

Steven Taylor, prosecuting, said that some of the congregation initially gathered in the Lady Chapel at the church.

"When the group moved into the main body of the church the woman left her handbag in the chapel, believing it to be safe," he said.

Mr Taylor said that CCTV footage from the Lady Chapel showed a man walking in the aisle and stopping where the bag had been left.

He said: "The man looked around before rummaging in the bag in front of him and standing up and walking out."

As McNally left the church he crossed himself before leaving by a side door, said Mr Taylor.

The court heard the victim had seen him and as a result of McNally's appearance and that he did not take part in the service, she believed that he was "up to no good".

Mr Taylor said that McNally had a long history of dishonesty and was a prolific shoplifter. He said the theft of the purse was "opportunist" and the likely motivation was the defendant's heroin use.

Police officers who knew McNally recognised him from the CCTV footage and he was arrested two days later and remanded in custody.

McNally, who represented himself in court, gave no explanation for his actions.

Father Ingman said people had now been advised not to leave their belongings unattended if they were moving around in the church.

RAILWAY memorabilia estimated to be worth almost £20,000 is being auctioned off by the family of an enthusiast who bought a steam train "instead of a sports car".

Richard Shaw, of Ashbourne, died in April this year, aged 60, but was well known for restoring a locomotive steam engine after buying it in 1976.

Born and bred in Derby, Mr Shaw was fascinated by the magnificent steam locomotives he saw working every day as a small boy and he grew up with a particular interest in the history and workings of the Midland Railway.

By the 1970s and 1980s, his interests had widened to include railway literature from the days of the Stockton and Darlington Railway up to the early 20th century and he acquired books and memorabilia from leading antiquarian book dealers and specialist auction houses, including Sotheby's.

His vast collection of memorabilia will go under the hammer at Mellors and Kirk, Auction House, in Gregory Street, Nottingham, next Thursday at 10am and his family hope the items will be bought by a fellow enthusiast.

His wife, June, said: "We very much hope others will be able to derive as much pleasure from Richard's collection as he did.

"He had friends all over the country with a shared interest in steam engines and mechanics and we hope that some of these people will bid for items that bring back happy memories of time spent with Richard.

"Not all the pieces are expensive but they all represent a little bit of Richard."

The collection includes some of the best railway books of the 19th century, including Bourne's Great Western Railway of 1846, which is described by auctioneer Nigel Kirk as "the 'holy grail' for collectors".

It is beautifully illustrated with lithograph plates and is expected to sell for about £2,000.

Other items include a Great Eastern Railway platform bench from 1900, expected to sell for about £250, and a London and North Western Railway station wall clock which could sell for £350.

The highlight of Mr Shaw's collection was his purchase of the SR 4-6-2 West Country Class locomotive 'Hartland', which is now being overhauled on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

AN investigation has been launched by Derby City Council into how it tackles fly-tipping and litter in a bid to see what improvements can be made.

The move comes as part of a raft of measures the council is taking to tackle the problem of dumped rubbish, which is especially blighting the Normanton area.

The findings of the review will influence its policies and form the authority's contribution to a House of Commons inquiry.

It will examine things like the history of the problem and why behaviours have changed, how refuse is collected in the city, the role of education and enforcement, and why the worst hotspots have developed.

The investigation, to be completed next month, has been brought forward after the Government inquiry, requested by Derby North MP Chris Williamson, was announced.

Mr Williamson was influenced by Derby Telegraph articles showing the scale of the problem in Normanton.

Anything from meat to furniture is regularly dumped in the area's streets but there have not been any recent prosecutions in Derby for fly-tipping.

One thing the Government inquiry will look at is whether a change of law is needed to tackle the dumping. The current level of proof needed is the same as that for murder.

Dawn Gee, a member of Normanton Empowerment Team, which has been battling for more to be done about fly-tipping in the area, said she welcomed the review.

She said one thing she hoped would come out of it was council neighbourhoods staff being more "proactive" when it comes to tackling fly-tipping.

Mrs Gee said members of her group had recently proved how affective this can be when they confronted a household about the dumping of mattresses in Young Street.

She said: "We knocked on the door of the house they were propped up against, to ask if the mattresses belonged to this household.

"The response was yes, but they claimed not to have dumped them and still wanted them. They had no explanation why they needed to be on the street. We asked for them to be removed off the street or we would report it as fly-tipping. The mattresses were removed straightaway.

"If we can do this, why can't the council?"

Councillor Asaf Afzal, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and Streetpride, said the council's teams were working hard to keep the streets clean.

He said: "We would love to have officers out on the streets all the time, but the fact of the matter is we don't have the resources.

"I'll continue to encourage everyone to do their bit when it comes to keeping our streets tidy – a place we can be proud of.

"We can only achieve this if we all work together."

To sign our petition calling for a change of law to tackle fly-tipping, visit epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/68218.

DERBY County versus Nottingham Forest, there is always a star next to the game on the fixture list whether played at the iPro Stadium or the City Ground, as on Sunday.

Of course it is not just another game. How can it be given the fierce rivalry and passion?

Yes, it will be about which team plays well, which team defends solidly, and which can nick a goal or five, as Derby did in March. The last meeting finished in a 5-0 victory for the Rams.

The secret to winning 'derby' games, however, comes down to mentality.

Which team can keep its composure, keep calm, keep its nerve in the heat of the battle.

It is very much about playing the game, and not playing the occasion.

Focus, concentration and discipline are crucial amid the pressure and expectation.

This group of Derby players showed on many occasions last season that it can handle big games - QPR at home in the League, Forest as well, and the both legs of the play-off semi-final against Brighton.

They also handled the final well against QPR, but could not find the goal their play deserved.

But last season has gone.

The 5-0 hammering of Forest is in the past.

As Rams head coach told me this afternoon, one of the biggest lessons he learned while working at Manchester United is that once you have "success" you then have to put the medals in the drawer and go again.

Everybody craves a prediction these days.

But how can you predict this fixture?

Look at examples from recent seasons.

In 2011, Derby trailed 1-0 and found themselves down to 10 men, and yet won 2-1.

In 2009, they were two down and bounced back to win 3-2.

And nobody would have predicted a five-goal win back in March.

What I do know about this Derby team is that they are good enough to be in with a better than evens chance in every game, and Sunday is no different.

JACK Hobbs says confidence is high in the Nottingham Forest camp ahead of Sunday's clash with Derby County.

And the defender believes the table-topping Reds have not yet hit top gear, despite starting the campaign with a seven-match unbeaten run.

"Confidence is high, we have scored a few goals and got some good results," said Hobbs. "But we have said as a squad – and it is something the gaffer has picked up on as well – we are top of the league, but we have not yet played to the potential we believe we can.

"That is a positive. Because we feel like there is still so much we can improve on. We can keep the ball better, we can create more chances and just control games better.

"We have shown that we have resilience and character in the games against Sheffield Wednesday and Bournemouth, to scrap and throw bodies on the line.

"But we feel as though there is more to come and we are determined to reach those levels. To be able to say that, when you are sitting at the top of the league, is a great thing for us.

"Sunday would be the ideal time for it all to come together for us; for us to find that level of performance. Hopefully we can."