A NEW aircraft powered solely by Derby-built Rolls-Royce technology has been cleared to start operating commercial flights after receiving its certificate of airworthiness.

After completing a rigorous testing schedule, the Airbus A350-900 XWB, powered exclusively by Trent XWB engines designed, developed and built at Rolls-Royce's civil aerospace division in Sinfin, has received its Type Certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

With certification from the Federal Aviation Administration set to follow shortly, the A350 will be free to start passenger services with launch customer Qatar Airways before the end of the year.

Airbus said that the certification document was signed earlier today by EASA's executive director, Patrick Ky.

The document was then handed over to Airbus' executive vice-president for engineering, Charles Champion and Airbus' A350 XWB chief engineer, Gordon McConnell.

Airbus president and chief executive Fabrice Bregier said: "Receiving the A350-900 Type Certification from EASA is a great achievement for Airbus and for all our partners who have contributed to designing, building and certificating this fantastic, new generation aircraft.

"The A350-900 is now ready to fly from the nest and be enjoyed by airlines and passengers."

The Trent XWB is the world's most efficient large civil aero engine and the fastest-selling Trent engine ever, with more than 1,400 sold.

Rolls-Royce engineers worked closely with Airbus to support aircraft certification, producing over 180 reports to validate interfaces between the engine and airframe.

Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce's president of civil large engines, said: "We congratulate Airbus on this achievement, which is another chapter in the A350 XWB's continuing success story.

"We look forward to continuing to support Airbus as we work towards the aircraft's entry into service later this year."

The Trent XWB has now completed more than 11,000 hours of ground and flight testing.

Ground testing took place at Rolls-Royce's Derby site, Spain's space agency, the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial in Madrid, the Global Aerospace Centre for Icing and Environmental Research in Canada, the Rolls-Royce outdoor jet engine testing facility at John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In all, five aircraft took part in the testing programme to achieve certification - accumulating 2,600 test flight hours.

DERBY'S Central Library will be closing temporarily in early October while work is done on essential fire safety improvements.

The library will be closed from Monday and will not reopen until 10am on Monday, October 20.

People will be able to use any other Derby library with their library card or reserve books online.

ANTHONY Griffiths Junior launched Mickleover Sports to victory in their FA Cup second qualifying round replay last night.

His early goal was the perfect start for Sports, Chris Palmer adding a second from the penalty spot with less than 15 minutes to go after Bedworth were reduced to 10 men.

And Andy Dales completed the scoring with Mickleover's third.

Sports will now welcome Blyth Spartans to Station Road for a third qualifying round clash.

JAMES Clarke's first thought when his car broke down on the busy A38 was for the safety of his family and fellow motorists.

Mr Clarke, his wife and one of his daughters were stranded in the car when it broke down on the inside lane at night.

He tried to push it on to the roadside verge to put it in a safe position, but, tragically, was fatally injured when a passing vehicle hit his Vauxhall Astra.

He was taken to hospital where he later died.

His wife, Mandy, 40, of Willington, said: "It was a very busy road and it would have definitely caused a big smash. He was very anxious to get us safe."

The collision happened on the northbound carriageway at Clay Mills, Burton, at 10.35pm on Friday, September 12.

Mrs Clarke said: "We had broken down on the inside lane of the A38 and I was behind the wheel.

"James pushed me to where it was safe which was a well-lit area so it would not cause a pile-up.

"It was typical of my husband, he would never put anybody in danger because it would have been a fatal crash with how busy that stretch of road is.

"He was selfless and he did everything a dad should do, and he knew that."

His mum, Lyn Clarke, said: "When I heard what he did it did not surprise me. He would give his life in a blink.

"James was very family-orientated and there was not a selfish bone in his body and this proves that.

"Everybody feels the same way and that is how I brought him up."

Mr Clarke was a partner in the building firm MDL Derby and previously worked at Toyota.

He leaves two daughters, Beth, 16, and Georgia, 12.

The family had days previously just got back from a holiday of a lifetime in Mexico.

His mother said: "James was completely dedicated to all of the family and would do everything he could for the girls.

"He would always help people and gave away freebies, especially to older people. He did jobs for people and would never said no.

"He would always say morning to people. He went out in Derby and was also very popular in the village.

"He was funny and had a fantastic sense of humour."

The memories of the holiday in Mexico are providing the family with some comfort after the tragedy. His wife said the family went on quite a few vacations but this was really special.

Mrs Clarke said: "We had only been back from Mexico for a week. The memories will stick with us as a family because it was amazing.

"It was where we went as a honeymoon and we wanted to take the girls.

"We met some lovely families who we spent the holiday with. Apart from the honeymoon, it was the best time of our life.

"We had good holidays all over the world."

Mr Clarke trained as a plumber when he was younger, before his career path took a different route.

He moved to Willington in 2001, having previously lived in West Hallam.

The family have more than 100 sympathy cards in their house and hundreds of mourners are expected to gather at his funeral next Monday at St Michael's Church in Willington.

The service will start at 1.45pm.

Mrs Clarke said: "It has left me devastated. There are no other words to describe it.

"If James loved you, then you knew it. Although he was known for his great personality, he was also there for people when his friends had a crisis. He would knock on their door and support them. His ways had a big influence on the family.

"We have a very close family and we will stick together."

Only family flowers are requested at the funeral and all donations are going towards Help For Heroes, a charity close to Mr Clarke's heart.

His mother said: "James knew people in the forces and he was a very patriotic man. He was very proud of them and believed in Queen and Country.

"The funeral will be a celebration of his life and it will be a chance to reflect his manner. It's all about reflecting all of those silly moments and the daft things he did."

THE owner of a Derbyshire gems business has literally struck gold with a mobile refinery he has built which can help mining companies process the precious metal more quickly and easily.

Stephen Brimble, who owns Ripley-based Cresta Gems, has designed and built the state-of-the-art precious metals refinery and assaying lab, which can help miners quickly work out the purity and value of the gold they have uncovered.

Mr Brimble was commissioned to come up with the refinery by African gold mining firm Pommelo Ltd, based in Zimbabwe, earlier this year.

He was approached due to his expertise and knowledge in the field of precious metal refining and the assaying of precious metals, particularly his knowledge of the gold mining industries' requirements and Fair Trade gold processing.

He previously set up a government-certified Assay Office in Central Africa in 2008 and designed and built a precious metals refinery in Birmingham.

But his latest invention is different because it is all housed in the back of an articulated lorry, which can travel to gold mining sites.

Mr Brimble said his invention has the capacity to refine up to 24 kilos of fine gold and 50 kilos of pure silver per day, which equates to around £600,000 per day.

He said: "Probably the most important factor of success in prospecting and gold recovery milling operations is the speed, cost and accuracy of determining the value of the ore to be processed.

"An assaying lab is where the purity of the precious metal is accurately measured to determine the value.

"The assay lab we have built is mobile and utilises an automated X-ray facility that provides accurate results with faster processing times than conventional fire assay methods.

"And with it being mobile it is ideal for moving from mine site to mine site."

Due to the sensitivity of the project, the plant was built in a secret location in the UK. It has now been shipped to Africa.

Mr Brimble said: "I am now getting inquiries from mining companies in the US who want something similar."

Ed Holme, chairman of Pommelo Ltd said: "The new refinery and assay plant is a great investment to add to Pommelo's portfolio because we will be able to quickly identify key gold-producing mine sites in Zimbabwe by utilising the assaying lab and by producing 99.9% pure gold bars through the refinery."

AN international engineering firm, which has a site in Derbyshire, is due to appear in court today for allegedly exposing employees and members of the public to potentially-fatal legionella bacteria.

Chromalloy, which has a site in Somercotes and refurbishes turbine blades, is alleged to have failed to properly manage the risk of bacteria growing in its cooling towers for over a year, from May 2011.

It is due to appear at Chesterfield Magistrates' Court at 10am for a first hearing.

During a visit to the Somercotes site in May 2012, a Health and Safety Executive inspector alleges he felt spray on his face, saw the yard's surface was wet and that nearby cooling towers were corroded.

AN airline is to start flying again from East Midlands Airport after an 18-year absence by offering direct flights to Dublin.

Aer Lingus Regional has announced it will start operating twice-daily return flights between the Castle Donington airport and Dublin Airport from February 15.

The airline, operated by Stobart Air, expects to carry up to 70,000 customers in the first year.

It is hoped that the route will prove popular with customers as it offers convenient connection to Aer Lingus transatlantic services and US immigration and customs pre-clearance through Dublin.

The service means that passengers are treated as domestic passengers on arrival in the US and so avoid long delays often associated with security checks.

Simon Fagan, chief commercial officer for Stobart Air, said: "We are delighted to return to East Midlands Airport to launch this route to Dublin after 18 years.

"Derby, Leicester and Nottingham have thriving business communities. The availability of a twice daily return service to the business capital in Ireland means that business passengers will benefit from a convenient schedule which accommodates a day return."

Eight miles of bunting, which has provided a backdrop to Ashbourne's celebrations for decades, could be under threat.

Each year a small number of volunteers stores, repairs, erects and takes down the bunting.

But they say they need to find more than £4,000 urgently to repair faded and worn sections of the bunting and replace some of the flags that are put up alongside it.

Help is also required for the few nights each year when the team take to the streets to hang up the bunting and 200 flags.

Anyone able to support the town's bunting with either financial contributions or offers of help is asked to call of the the team's core members, Stuart Lees, on 07970 847758.

DERBY is in the top ten cities of the UK where people are most likely to have their mobile phones stolen, research released today says.

The city comes eighth in the list, which is topped by London, followed by Leeds and then Manchester.

The new data, from the specialist gadget insurer Protect Your Bubble, is based on claims from the UK's 30 biggest towns and cities.

Collected between January to June, 8.8% of all claims they received are from mobile phone owners in Derby.

The figure is higher than neighbouring Nottingham at 7.6% and nearby Leicester with 6.7%.

London tops the chart at and 14% of claims from Leeds are for theft – higher than any other locations in a list of the UK's 30 biggest towns and cities.

In third place is Manchester, where 12% of all claims are for theft.

But thefts in London and Leeds are down by almost a third on last year, having decreased by 29% and 32% respectively.

Across all 30 of the UK's largest towns and cities, theft claims are down 28%, while damage claims are up by almost a third at 31%.

Comparing mobile thefts for the same period a year earlier, just six cities have seen incidents of theft rise. The biggest increases were seen in Plymouth and Preston, where thefts have more than doubled – up 167% and 113% respectively, and Nottingham, where thefts have risen by half over the past 12 months.

Stephen Ebbett, global director of Protect Your Bubble, said: "The sharp decline in mobile thefts will be welcome news to the victims of muggers and pickpockets.

"It could suggest mobile owners are being more cautious with their hardware, that policing is getting tougher, or that the proliferation of security apps that use GPS is helping the police to locate thieves and fight mobile and tablet crime."

A DERBYSHIRE village is set to lose its branch of a bank because of a fall in the number of people using it.

RBS NatWest has confirmed that its Duffield branch will close on January 7 because the number of transactions it handles has fallen by 24% over the last few years.

The bank said that, on average, only 26 customers use the branch on a weekly basis. RBS NatWest has blamed changes in the way people bank. Since 2010, it has seen branch network activity fall by 30%, while the number of people banking online or via mobile devices has grown by more than 200%.

When the branch closes, RBS NatWest customers in Duffield will have to travel almost three miles to a branch in Belper. The bank is also putting an agreement in place with the local Post Office, where customers can withdraw cash, check balances and make deposits free of charge.

It is not known yet whether staff at the branch will be made redundant or will be transferred to other areas of the business.

In a statement, the bank said: "We've advised staff and we're writing to our customers to make them aware of the closure and the different ways they can still bank with us.

"If customers or local businesses are concerned about how this will impact their banking, they can go into the branch where they can discuss it with staff."

If you missed our coverage of the day a giant water slide came to Mickleover - or just want to re-live the event - watch this great video from Huub Design.

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TWO sets of friends of murdered medical student Neil Dalton will compete in a charity football match to raise money in his memory.

Neil's friends from Derbyshire will play medical students at Newcastle University, where the 22-year-old studied.

Neil, of Ambergate, and fellow student Aidan Brunger were killed on the street in the town of Kuching in Borneo on August 6 after a night out during their six-week hospital placement in the country.

The money raised at the match will go towards the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity close to his heart because he was on the stem cell register.

Neil's former club, Belper United, will play Newcastle University Medics 2nd XI, whom Neil captained.

Jamie Jones, a former teammate of Neil at Belper United, is relishing the opportunity to welcome his friends from university to the club.

The 22-year-old, of St James Close, said: "We had a conversation with guys at Newcastle not long after this tragedy happened and said it would be great it we could organise a match. It is all out of respect for Neil, and I'm sure he would have loved to been able to play.

"I'm really looking forward to it. We have a charity raffle on the day and there is some great prizes.

"I had the honour of playing football with Neil since we were youngsters."

The Belper United side will be a mixture of players Neil played with, including a former teacher from Belper School. The match will take place on Sunday, October 12, at Belper Town Football Club.

Jamie said he understands the standard of the Newcastle side was strong. He said: "They seem to have had quite a lot of success with Neil as captain. I've spoken to a couple of our lads and we are up for the challenge."

Fellow Belper United team mate Ash Dhindsa said he was really looking forward to the match.

He said: "Neil's friends and those who are helping to organise the day are looking for support from local businesses and individuals to donate items for the raffle and charity auction.

"However large or small, we would be very thankful for any donations we receive in the next couple of weeks as all the proceeds will go to a great cause."

Anybody with items should email Jamie on dt.jjones@googlemail. com

IAN Holloway says his Millwall side need to tighten up their defence ahead of Saturday's Championship clash with Derby County.

The home fans booed their side off at the break after goals from Clayton Donaldson and David Cotterill put the Blues is command.

Holloway's double half-time change saw Richard Chaplow and Aiden O'Brien enter the fray and their introduction livened up the hosts with Lee Gregory reducing the arrears nine minutes after the restart before the visitors got a third.

Holloway said: "We've got to stop defending like that, we've got to stop the long ball getting hit over our head and them scoring.

"They've had four shots and scored three.

"It is very déjà-vu, so we've just got a lot of work to do."

The Lions are now without a win in five games after an impressive start to the season, form which has seen them tumble alarmingly down the Championship table from the play-off places.

Holloway said: "It is a good job we had that good start because it would be a lot worse now if we hadn't of won those first two games, wouldn't it?

"The positives for me were that no-one folded. We had a terrible spell where we go in at half-time 2-0 down and we managed to get ourselves back in it - and for all intents and purposes I expected to get something.

"I thought the crowd were great, I thought they loved the fact Aiden O'Brien came on. I thought he did fantastically well."

THE acting chairman of Birmingham City, Peter Pannu, will not have his contract renewed by the club.

The Blues have issued a statement which reads: "Birmingham City Football Club can confirm that the service agreement of Peter Pannu will not be renewed beyond 30 September 2014.

"Panagiotis Pavlakis (Panos) will continue to act as representative of the BCFC Board in the UK and oversee the day-to-day running of the club with full support from the UK management team.

"BCFC wishes Mr Pannu all the best for the future."

Pannu signed a consultancy agreement with Carson Yeung for five years in September 2009. It was through his company Asia Rays Ltd.

Derbyshire police have today unveiled plans to crack down hard on speeding drivers.

Officers will focus on catching speeders on 110 routes where people face a higher risk of being killed or hurt as a result of motorists travelling too fast.

The new speeding action plan has been drawn up following a detailed review of Derbyshire casualty figures and speed data.

Motorists have been warned they can expect to find police speed enforcement officers in many new locations around the county.

Chief Inspector Tracy Lewis, head of roads policing in Derbyshire, said: "Our goal is to keep people safe. That's why we're so keen to publicise these higher risk routes where we'll be focusing our efforts.

"We want to discourage people from speeding rather than catch them as the fear of speeding traffic is blighting so many of our communities who look to us for help."

Chief Inspector Lewis added: "We also want to remind people that a small increase in speed makes a big difference to the amount of harm you will cause if you hit someone. The risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph rather than at 30mph.'

In order to detect speeding, the police use:

• in-car computers

• hand-held laser guns

• cameras fitted to liveried vans and motorcycles

• cameras in yellow roadside boxes

The police also help communities take action against speeding through their Community Speed Watch scheme. Through the scheme, volunteers are trained to monitor speed in their area using hand-held laser guns. Drivers found to be travelling above the limit then receive a letter from the police reminding them about the dangers of travelling too fast.

The 110 roads to be targeted:

1. A38
2. A50
3. A5004 Long Hill, Whaley Bridge
4. A5111 Raynesway to Alvaston
5. A5111 Warwick Avenue, Derby
6. A514 Hartshorne
7. A514 Swadlincote
8. A514 Ticknall
9. A515, Parsley Hay, Bakewell
10. A52
11. A52 Ashbourne Road, Kirk Langley
12. A52 Mackworth
13. A52 Main Road, Brailsford
14. A52 Shirley Hollow
15. A5250 Burton Road, Littleover
16. A57 Snake Pass
17. A6 Allestree
18. A6 Alvaston to Raynesway
19. A6 Ashford in the Water
20. A6 Bakewell Road, Darley Dale
21. A6 Cromford to Ambergate
22. A6 Derby Road, Cromford
23. A6 Duffield Road, Derby
24. A6 Furness Vale to Newtown
25. A6 London Road, Derby
26. A6 Northwood, Darley Dale
27. A6005 Nottingham Road, Borrowash
28. A6007 Codnor to Heanor
29. A6015 Hayfield Road, New Mills
30. A6015 New Mills
31. A608 Morley
32. A608 Smalley
33. A609 Kilbourne Road, Belper
34. A609 Stanley Common
35. A61 Alfreton - Higham
36. A610 Ladygrove, Sawmills
37. A610 Nottingham Road, Woodlinkin
38. A6135 Station Rd, Renishaw
39. A615 Alfreton Road, Tansley
40. A615 Matlock Green
41. A615 Tansley to Wessington
42. A615 Wessington
43. A616 Clowne
44. A616 Mansfield Road, Creswell
45. A617 Glapwell to Pleasley
46. A6175 North Wingfield
47. A619 Baslow Road, Bakewell
48. A623 Calver
49. A623 Peak Forest to Barmoor Clough
50. A623 Stoney Middleton to Peak Forest
51. A624 Glossop
52. A624 Glossop Road, Little Hayfield
53. A625 Froggatt
54. A626 Marple Road, Charlesworth
55. A632 Chesterfield Road, Matlock
56. A632 Hady Hill, Chesterfield
57. A632 Station Road, Bolsover
58. Acorn Way Chaddesden
59. Aldred's Lane, Heanor
60. Alfreton Road, Blackwell
61. B5010 London Road, Shardlow
62. B5023 Broadway, Duffield
63. B5059 Dale Road, Buxton
64. B5353 Park Road, Newhall, Swadlincote
65. B600 Nottingham Road, Alfreton
66. B6002 Wilsthorpe Road, Long Eaton
67. B6039 Chesterfield Road, Holmewood
68. B6050 Station Road, Brimington, Chesterfield
69. B6051 Newbold Road, Chesterfield
70. B6052 Whittington, Chesterfield
71. B6057 Sheffield Rd, Stonegravels
72. B6057 Unstone
73. B6179 Butterley Hill, Ripley
74. B6179 Little Eaton
75. B6179 Ripley to Marehay
76. B6407 Common Lane, Shirebrook
77. B6418 Chesterfield Road, Shuttlewood
78. Birchover Way, Allestree
79. Birkin Lane, Temple Normanton
80. Blagreaves Lane Derby
81. Boulton Lane, Alvaston
82. Buttermilk Lane, Bolsover
83. Carr Lane, Dronfield Woodhouse
84. Chalons Way, Ilkeston
85. Codnor Denby Lane, Codnor
86. Derby Road, Stanley Village
87. Far Laund, Belper
88. Grampian Way, Stenson Fields, Derby
89. Greenwood Avenue, Ilkeston
90. Hartshay Hill, Ripley
91. Hearthcote Road, Swadlincote
92. High Lane, Ridgeway
93. High Street, Repton
94. Kedleston Road, Derby
95. Leabrooks to Riddings
96. Leapley Lane, Yeaveley
97. Leashaw, Holloway
98. Leek Road, Buxton
99. Long Lane, Charlesworth
100. Main Road, Hulland Ward
101. Main Road, Ridgeway
102. Max Road, Chaddesden
103. Scropton Road, Scropton
104. Sheffield Road, Hathersage
105. Stenson Road, Stenson Fields
106. Stoney Lane, Spondon
107. Victoria Avenue, Ockbrook
108. Welbeck Road, Bolsover
109. Wood Lane, New Hall, Swadlincote
110. Wragley Way, Sinfin, Derby

THE following people have all been prosecuted for watching a colour television without having a valid licence:

KAREL Kotlar, 49, of Colwyn Avenue, Derby, was fined £200, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on April 7.

DEBORAH Lisle, 35, of Godfrey Drive, Kirk Hallam, was fined £135, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence between March 30 and May 1.

KERRY Little, 39, of Oregon Way, Chaddesden, was fined £200, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on May 26.

KATIE Lounds, 25, of Chapel Street, Ripley, was fined £200, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence between March 30 and May 1.

SAMANTHA Maltby, 40, of California Gardens, Derby, was fined £37, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence between March 20 and 26.

TOYAH Marie Manning, 33, of Selkirk Street, Derby, was fined £200, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on March 5.

DONNA Sarah Jane Mayes, 25, of Andrew Avenue, Ilkeston, was fined £37, ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on March 26.