TRAVELLERS who were on Allenton Market have now quit the site – but left their caravans behind.
They had moved on to the site on Sunday and left that night.
A Derby City Council spokeswoman said: "The travellers left the Allenton Market site overnight on Sunday, leaving two of three caravans behind.
"These appear to have been abandoned and arrangements are in place for them to be removed."
She said the cost of this work wouldn't be known until the new year.
The spokeswoman added: "Bailiffs made arrangements to conduct an eviction earlier this week. "However, this proved unnecessary due to the site having been abandoned.
"This group has previously trespassed on the land in November so the council was simply able to enforce the order for possession that was obtained last month. The total legal costs incurred were £110."
DERBY County are Sky Bet's firm favourites on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways by securing three points with victory over promotion rivals Norwich City.
Two defeats in their last three Sky Bet Championship fixtures have seen Steve McClaren's men slip from top spot to third, with Bournemouth at the summit ahead of the hectic Christmas period.
However, the Rams remain 5/2 favourites with the Football League sponsor to win the title and odds-on shots to go up to the Premier League this season.
The Rams suffered a 2-0 defeat at fellow contenders Middlesbrough last Saturday before being beaten by Chelsea in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals, so will be eager to justify their 23/20 price with a win over the Canaries, live on Sky Sports 1HD.
Derby have been a little inconsistent of late with four victories and four defeats in their last eight Championship games but they have lost only one of their last four home meetings with Norwich, although this 2-1 defeat came when they last met in 2010-11.
Norwich have recorded only three League wins since September 16 but look to be finding some form again if the evidence of last week's 5-0 drubbing of Huddersfield Town is anything to go by, although the Terriers did play the majority of the match with 10 men.
Both sides have scored in each of their last five meetings, which is an 8/13 shot this time.
A Derby win and both teams scoring is 3/1 with Sky Bet.
Chris Martin is 9/2 favourite to score first and 5/4 to net anytime while Norwich duo Cameron Jerome and Lewis Grabban, who were both on target in the win over Huddersfield can both be backed at 13/2 and 2/1 apiece in those same markets.
Find Sky Bet's Football League odds here
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"We say that Anthony and Deano Dharam have the leading roles in this conspiracy and we suggest that Paul Dharam and Danielle Dharam played significant roles."
The conspiracy involves 18 people, who have all pleaded guilty to different drugs charges.
They are Anthony Dharam, 26, of Shaftesbury Crescent, Pear Tree; Deano Dharam, 21, of Baseball Drive, Pear Tree; Paul Dharam, 47, Cambridge Street, Normanton; Danielle Dharam, 24, of Leacroft Road, Derby; Tammy Thomas, 29, of Leacroft Road, Derby; Adam Lawrence, 23, of no fixed address; Damien Andrews, 29, of Leacroft Road; Lyndon Foote, 19, of Uppermoor Road, Allenton; Nicholas Jones, 25, of Leacroft Road, Derby; Mariusz Klys, 24, of Shaftesbury Crescent, Pear Tree; Joseph Byrne, 24, of Glengarry Way, Sinfin; Dominic Halliday-Fox, 19, of Walbrook Road, Normanton; Reuben Hudson, 19, of Peregrine Close, Sinfin; Adam Crofts, 31, of Coventry; Adisa Bajric, 27, of Reeves Road, Derby; Abbas Hussain, 22, of Burton Road, Derby; Sara Brochocki, 32, of Cambridge Street, Normanton, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Some of the group were arrested during a series of raids on nine homes including Cambridge Street and Reeves Road, in February.
By the close of yesterday's hearing Foote had been handed a 12-month prison sentence; Hudson was put in a young persons' institution for 16 months; the 17-year-old was handed a four-month sentence; Thomas was jailed for 21 months; and Crofts was jailed for nine months.
IT'S Christmas Eve and everything is poised for your guests to arrive. But how do you manage if one of your guests, or somebody you share your home with, is living with a more advanced form of dementia?
Dementia alters people's perceptions, as Maizie Mears-Owen, Care UK's head of dementia services, explains: "During their training sessions, our teams wear glasses that restrict their vision and have their hearing impaired while people ask them questions – this gives them an idea of how living with dementia affects people."
She says this training provides new perspectives on how we can all help our loved ones enjoy a busy family Christmas. "Begin to prepare them in advance by talking about who will be there, and who those people are to them – niece, grandson, friend. Photographs are very useful for this as it will help them to recognise faces."
Photos can also be useful because people with dementia may be living in a different decade. It is common for people to believe they are at a younger point in their lives. If this is the case, use older photos to explain who people are – and don't get upset if your relative gets names wrong.
MUDDLING MIGHT HAPPEN
"If your mother calls you 'mum', do not get embarrassed and do not correct her – she is just at the point in her mind where you are her mother's age, or she sees something in you that reminds her of her mum," says Mears-Owen. "Embrace it. Be 'mum'. Help her with her food and with opening her presents – she will find it reassuring and calming. Contradicting her will make her feel agitated and confused."
Young children seem to take it all in their stride. However, teenagers can find it upsetting. Mears-Owen suggests talking the issue over together as a family before Christmas, and also recommends Matthew Snyman's book The Dementia Diaries, which follows four young people dealing with their grandparents' dementias.
PREPARE WITH CARE
Christmas Eve is the time to start tapping into family traditions. Mears-Owen says: "If you prepare your vegetables on Christmas Eve night, encourage your loved one to take part. They will feel useful and it can start conversations about Christmases past. Reminiscence is vital to increasing wellbeing and something we do across our 114 care homes. Get them talking about their childhood Christmases as well as yours."
Dementia can take a toll on verbal communication skills. "Music is a great way to connect with someone, as well as being fun," says Mears-Owen. "Even if they cannot sing, they can enjoy tapping out a rhythm and joining in, so why not try a carol service or sing along with a CD?"
MAKE ROOM FOR CALM
Christmas mornings can be frenetic, especially if there are young children in the house. Set aside a quiet and comfortable place for your relative. "The hurly-burly of present opening, noisy toys and over-excited youngsters can prove too much for someone whose senses have changed," says Mears-Owen. "To avoid confusion and anxiety, offer your relative a cup of tea away from the chaos and, if they want it, sit with them and chat."
THE FESTIVE FEAST
The centrepiece of Christmas is the family lunch. Ann Saunders, a Care UK operational director with a personal interest in nutrition in older people, says: "Dementia can take away depth perception and narrow the field of vision, so keep things fairly clear. Hand out crackers when you are going to pull them, limit the amount of crockery and cutlery on the table and use a tablecloth that contrasts with the plates. White-on-white blends in and the person will not know where the plate ends and the cloth begins.
"Try not to crowd the plate. Appetites are small and lots of food adds to confusion. Keep the meat in one section of the plate, the carbs in another and the vegetables separate. It is attractive and clear.
"Tastebuds age and older people often develop a sweet, sour or savoury tooth to compensate. Try adding lemon or lime for that extra zing, use plenty of fresh herbs and try adding a teaspoon of honey to the water you cook the carrots in. The most important thing is that everyone indulges in their favourite treats throughout the day."
Finally, just because someone is living with dementia doesn't mean they can't join in the fun and indulgence with the rest of the family.
IT isn't that long ago that we were bemoaning the soaring cost of petrol.
Back in March, campaigners were pounding on the door of Number 11 Downing Street, calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to cut 3p off a litre of fuel, to help the economic recovery.
That month, the cheapest price for unleaded fuel in Derbyshire stood at 136.9p – offered by Morrisons in Derby and Swadlincote. The Total garage, in Woodville, and Sainsbury's, in Swadlincote, offered the same price.
The cheapest today, according to comparison website PetrolPrices.com, was 110.7 – which can be found at the petrol station at Asda's Spondon store. This is their lowest price since October 2010.
It means that, in the last 10 months, the cost has come down by more than 26p.
But some believe that the prices could come down even further, with motoring organisation the RAC forecasting that it could dip below £1 a litre by early 2015, which would be the lowest price for more than five years.
A spokesman for the RAC said: "Talk of prices going up like a rocket and falling like a feather could not be further from the truth as retailers have been quick to pass on savings at the forecourt."
But the RAC also cautioned that the oil and fuel markets were volatile, and that its forecast could change if factors such as the strength of the pound against the dollar or the global production of oil changed significantly.
The reason why petrol is getting cheaper is because global oil prices have fallen sharply over the past six months. Until the middle of this year, world oil prices had been fairly stable, hovering at around $110 (£68) a barrel.
But since then prices have almost halved, with Brent crude oil falling below $60 a barrel for the first time in more than five years. Meanwhile, US crude oil is below $55 a barrel.
Weak demand in many countries due to poor economic growth, coupled with surging US production, are the two main reasons why the price of crude has fallen so dramatically.
At the same time, the oil cartel Opec (a group of oil producing countries that control a large percentage of the world's oil supply) is refusing to prop up prices by cutting production.
Some major oil producing nations are suffering as a result. For example, Russia is one of the world's largest oil producers.
Its recent interest rate hike to 17% in support of its troubled rouble just shows how heavily its economy relies on energy revenues, with oil and gas accounting for 70% of export incomes.
George Cowcher, chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce for Derbyshire, said: "Any increase in the price of petrol has a huge impact on the economy, not just on businesses but on consumers too, because rising fuel prices reduce their overall spending power and also push up the cost of transporting food, goods and other products – more often than not, these costs are then passed on to the customer.
"While the chamber welcomes the fact that prices have come down, we remain keen to ensure that any wholesale reductions in the cost of fuel are passed on to consumers."
SEVERN Trent has come under fire because two controversial wind turbines in Spondon are still not operational despite being erected a year ago.
Documents seen by the Derby Telegraph state the two structures in Megaloughton Lane should be operational this month.
They were installed in December last year but are located in a "sensitive area", which means when they are switched on they appear as unidentified objects on the air traffic control display at East Midlands Airport.
Spondon councillor Chris Poulter said he wanted to see the turbines working "sooner rather than later".
He said: "We've had no updates from Severn Trent about what is happening with them. From what we've been told by the company, they are very keen to get them working and up and running."
Ray Mellor, of Wingerworth Park Road, said he was not surprised they were still not working full-time.
He said: "It's the same old question: What is going on? I'm just used to them not working now.
"I don't understand why they are not operational and I find it inexplicable. They have put in all of that time, effort and money and nobody is benefiting from them.
"I really would like to think it doesn't bother wildlife and people in the area."
Spondon resident Dave Borrington said the turbines are a "blot on the landscape".
He said: "I think people in Spondon have got used to seeing them, but they want to see them working. I try to think about them as little as possible.
"There is still a lot of bad feeling towards them and I really feel sorry for the people who live near them."
Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham has previously said she was disappointed at the company and felt it had "let people down".
She also said she "expected more from them".
The turbines are expected to produce 10,000 megawatts of electricity a year – the equivalent of supplying about 3,000 homes with power.
Moves to build the turbines began in 2007 and planning permission was granted in 2012.
But building them was not a straightforward process and lifts and motors needed to be installed before power could be sent to the National Grid.
Among local residents' main concerns was the prospect of noise, but these fears have been largely allayed during testing, although Severn Trent said it would be monitoring the situation.
A spokesman for Severn Trent was not available for comment.
In a previous statement, the company has said: "Bringing these turbines to life will generate renewable energy for the next 25 years. We'll take the time needed to get them working safely."
A spokesman for East Midlands Airport was not available for comment.
A CONTROVERSIAL new roundabout could be built on a busy main road into Derby, if plans from a developer get the go-ahead.
But campaigners battling against the scheme for up to 300 homes, which the roundabout would be part of, say it will cause congestion and road safety problems.
Commercial Estates Group (CEG) wants to build the houses on fields off Etwall Road, Mickleover. It had its last application for the site rejected because of issues councillors had with the plans for access from the A516.
CEG had wanted to put traffic lights on the road, but planning officers said the move would have led to road safety and traffic problems.
Now CEG has applied to South Derbyshire District Council to build a roundabout instead.
It has also appealed against the original decision, saying, in its new application, that it "does not accept" the reasons for refusal.
Sue Huskins, 67, of Greenside Court, Mickleover, is one of those opposing the housing scheme, which campaigners believe would lead to roads, doctors' surgeries and schools being overwhelmed.
She said of the roundabout: "I imagine the roundabout would have some of the difficulties that the lights would have.
"I can't comment on safety but this would still slow traffic down at a point where it would otherwise be moving freely."
Mrs Huskins added that it seemed strange to her that the company would be prepared to pay for an expensive roundabout for "just 300 houses".
She said it looked as if the developer wanted to open up more of the area for future housing use.
Councillor John Keith, who represents Mickleover, said: "The consultation for the new application ends in early January and so we're having to make extra efforts to update and work with residents, to make them aware that there is little time to oppose the application and offer them support to do so.
"The island will be inherently dangerous in regard to oncoming traffic from multiple locations and will create unacceptable congestion by amending a currently fast moving and busy dual carriageway.
"It will also not resolve safety and other highways concerns."
No-one from CEG was available to comment but its new application says: "The sole reason for the refusal of the previous application related to the acceptability of the proposed signalised junction arrangement on to the A516.
"The application scheme proposes a roundabout junction, to replace the signalised junction arrangement proposed on the refused scheme.
"This alternative junction arrangement is put forward in order to address the local planning authority and local highway authority's concerns regarding the signalised junction arrangement."
Previously, Charles Johnson from CEG, had said: "The scheme will help to relieve a significant housing shortfall in South Derbyshire and we are committed to providing 30% affordable housing on the site."
The roundabout application will be decided as a stand-alone proposal by the district council by February 26. Councillors would make a decision about the rest of the development at a later date.
Readers could be forgiven for thinking these schoolchildren are just wrapping up warm against the cold but the pupils of Derby Grammar School decided to sport festive jumpers to raise money for the Laura Centre. The charity, which supports grieving parents whose children have died, has been operating in Derby since 2012 but its counsellors had to run their sessions from the Royal Derby Hospital. An appeal was launched to raise £150,000 to establish a base for the charity in the city and, in September this year, members and trustees unveiled their new home in Vernon Street – where counselling sessions will now be run two days a week. The charity still needs funds for day-to-day running costs and Derby Grammar School raised £56.50 by taking part in the Christmas Jumper Day fund-raiser.
A PAIR of jet wash machines have been stolen from a car wash in Derby.
Burglars took the two wall-mounted units and the building's CCTV system after breaking into UK Car Wash, in Chequers Road, close to Pentagon roundabout.
Police, who said the burglary took place sometime between 6.20pm on December 12 and 8.30am on December 13, are appealing for any witnesses.
Anyone with information should call PC Thomas Overton on 101 quoting crime reference number 52596.
