ALMOST 80 people used Derby's night shelter in its first month of operation this winter, including the recent cold snap.

Staff from Derby City Mission, which operates the night shelter at a different church in the city each evening for up to 35 people, are bracing themselves for possible further cold weather.

Phil Morton, Derby Nightshelter manager, said: "We saw a definite increase during the colder nights, but it has tailed off again now the milder weather has arrived.

"Before the cold snap we had on average of 15 people staying each night and during the cold period this increased to 20 per night.

"But there were some nights, when the weather was at its coldest, that we had the maximum number of people come in to get warm and have a meal.

"They didn't sleep, and that's not something we wanted to encourage, but decided to allow it because of the cold."

The night shelter was first set up in December 2013 through to the end of March 2014 in an attempt to prevent rough sleepers dying on Derby's streets over the winter.

It attracted more than 200 different people over the four months and a large number of them were successfully given advice and help about changing their lifestyle – another aim of the Derby Nightshelter project.

The current project started on December 1, 2014, and will run to the end of March, costing about £75,000, which is raised through donations.

A Christmas dinner at Ozzy Road Baptist Church served 71 people, thanks to volunteers who gave up their time.

Mr Morton said: "I think the success we have had in supporting the people who stayed here last year has meant there have been slightly lower numbers staying this year.

"We are working much harder this year at trying to help and move on our guests much quicker and we have already helped six guests to find accommodation. But while there are 79 different people still looking for a bed for the night, there is still a need in our city."

Donations are always welcome and currently gloves and socks are desperately needed. Anyone wanting to donate can call Derby 460346.

IT was, sadly, just about the most predictable Derby New Year headline to emerge – "Festering rubbish in Normanton's streets again".

Here's what we said in this column last month, after the city council announced there would be no refuse collections over the Christmas and New Year period:

"Some householders will dump rubbish in the street – or it will be spilling out of bins.

"That is already a sizeable problem in Derby – it could become considerably worse over the holiday fortnight."

And, if we had been running a gambling book on where the problem would be most visible, the odds on Normanton would have been prohibitively low.

And so it has proved, to the satisfaction of nobody – apart, perhaps, from the selfish folk who decided to dump their rubbish in their or, more probably, a neighbouring street.

The council argued it could save £100,000 by not having collections over this period.

It refused to accept the blindingly-obvious argument, put forward by plenty of people, that households generate more rubbish – packaging and food leftovers in particular – at this time of year than at any other time.

The council's defence to the renewed criticism coming its way about the sickening state of Normanton's streets is that other suburbs managed to avoid emulating those scenes despite the lack of bin collections.

Well done to those residents.

They should not have had to manage without a binman visit – other authorities, such as Erewash, maintained a good service – but they showed it was possible if they were prepared to put up with a full bin bag or two crammed away somewhere.

As for the Normanton offenders, it seems they need little or no excuse to drag down the area's appearance and reputation which others are so desperate to repair.

Start the prosecutions – it is the only answer.

A VERDICT of death by industrial disease has been recorded on a man who spent decades at workplaces containing asbestos.

Graham Bancroft, of Keele Drive, Church Gresley, was a cabinet maker, carpenter and joiner, both in the UK and in South Africa, during his working life, and it is thought he was exposed to asbestos several times over the years.

He developed mesothelioma as a result of his exposure, and lost his fight against the disease last September.

He was 69.

Andrew Haigh, coroner for South Staffordshire, recorded a verdict of death by industrial disease, following a hearing at Burton Town Hall yesterday.

He told the inquest: "Graham was only 69 when he died, which nowadays is a young age to die.

"In 2012 he developed mesothelioma in his abdomen, which is nearly always asbestos related.

"He has undergone treatment for his mesothelioma, including surgery, and he had a number of hospital admissions.

"With the diagnoses that Graham had, the prognosis was probably poor in any event, because mesothelioma is a horrible condition."

DERBY actor Jack O'Connellsays he is honoured to have received a Bafta nomination.

His onscreen performances in '71, Starred Up and his recent starring role in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken have earned him a place on the five-person shortlist.

The EE Rising Star Award is in its 10th year and will be voted for by the public, with the winner announced at the award ceremony on Sunday, February 8.

Stiff competition will be provided by Margot Robbie, who was brilliant alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, playing millionaire stock broker Jordan Belford's wife, Naomi.

Jack, 24, grew up in Alvaston and attended Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy.

He said: "Thank you to Bafta and the jury.

"I'm honoured to be considered for the EE Rising Star Award amongst such a talented field, especially for films which I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of."

Jack's nomination is a testament to his consistently impressive performances across a number of challenging roles last year.

He first appeared in the hotly anticipated 300: Rise of an Empire, sequel to the hugely successful 2006 war epic 300 starring Gerard Butler.

Playing Calisto, an athletic, muscular soldier fighting in the Greek army against God-King Xerxes and his army of Persians, showed that Jack was physically ready to take on mature film roles.

This was followed by his performance in the lead role of Starred Up, where he plays a troubled teenager who is put into an adult prison.

His portrayal of a British soldier abandoned and lost following a riot in Belfast in Yann Demange's '71 also received widespread acclaim.

But it was his performance as war hero and Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie's Unbroken, released in the UK on Boxing Day last year, that catapulted him to stardom.

Jack's good relationship with his director was made up with the now infamous "Ay up me duck" moment at the Hollywood Film Awards.

Angelina highly commended him before presenting him with the New Hollywood award, joking that he was "the least Hollywood artist I know".

The Baftas awards take place on February 8 at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.

To vote for Jack, visit https://explore.ee.co.uk/bafta.

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DERBY aero engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced major plans to modernise its city operations, which could eventually include a new "aerospace campus".

The firm has said it wants to invest "significantly" in its civil aerospace division at Sinfin, replacing ageing buildings that date back to the 1940s with brand new ones.

The company wants to site the new buildings on a brand new campus at Sinfin, while also making improvements to the road network.

Firstly, the firm is proposing to move Victory Road so that, instead of cutting the Rolls-Royce site in two, it will run around the north-eastern edge, connecting Merrill Way to Moor Lane.

It would then redesign large areas of its site to create the aerospace campus, which would be similar to ones Rolls-Royce already has in Bristol and in the US and Singapore.

If the company receives all the relevant planning permissions from Derby City Council, it hopes that work on a new road will start in 2016, with the new campus taking shape in 2017-18.

A Rolls-Royce spokesman said: "Some of the buildings on our main Derby site are many years old and no longer fit for purpose.

"We need to modernise our facilities to help us continue to be competitive and continue to meet the needs of our customers.

"This is a long-term programme. Our wider plans for a campus are at an early stage in their development and, as they evolve, we'll share more details."

The news is another sign that Rolls-Royce is committed to Derby for the long term.

In November, after the firm announced that it was planning to shed 300 jobs at Derby over the next 18 months, fears emerged that Rolls-Royce might be considering its future in the city – it is Derby's largest private sector employer, with around 10,000 people based at Sinfin alone.

But, last month, the firm said Derby had been chosen as the main production hub of the Trent XWB, billed as the world's most efficient wide-body engine.

The XWB, which will exclusively power the Airbus A350, is the fastest-selling Trent engine ever. And Rolls-Royce has invested £30 million in the Derby site to expand its production facilities so it can deliver a huge list of XWB orders, with 40 customers ordering a combined total of more than 1,500 engines.

Council leader Councillor Ranjit Banwait said: "Derby City Council has had a briefing with the Rolls-Royce executive team regarding their plans and this commitment is significant to Derby.

"We are now in discussion with them to facilitate these plans. This project will deliver a world-class campus for a world-class company."

John Forkin, of Marketing Derby, said: "Rolls-Royce is one of the world's greatest companies and Derby is their largest single location. It is fantastic news to see this level of commitment into the future."

Rolls-Royce has been in Derby since 1906 – and it first bought land at Sinfin in 1914. Today, the Rolls-Royce site covers 300 acres.

Before applying for permission to modernise the Sinfin site, the firm wants to hold talks with people in the community and its staff in order to get their views.

People will able to find out more about the proposals at two public consultation events at the firm's Learning and Development Centre, in Wilmore Road on Friday, January 16, from 2pm to 7pm and Saturday, January 17, from 9am to 1pm.

Comments can be e-mailed by Friday, January 30, to AerospaceCampusFeedback@Rolls-Royce.com or Aerospace Campus Feedback, JH2, Rolls-Royce Plc, PO Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ.

BUSINESS PARK PROGRESS

ROLLS-ROYCE'S proposed improvements to its Sinfin site come as work progresses on a major business park, on land adjacent to the civil aerospace business.

Last month, a ceremony was held to mark the official start of work on the first phase of Infinity Park Derby.

Costing £200 million, it will be the largest scheme to be delivered in the city over the next decade – and one of the most significant developments in Derby for 30 years.

The 250-acre commercial and technology park aims to provide a home for high-tech companies, particularly those involved in advanced manufacturing and engineering. It is hoped that, once completed, it will be home to about 8,000 workers.

The first phase of work involves putting in a new road, linking Sinfin to the A50 at Chellaston – known as the T12 link road.

It is hoped the development will replicate the success of Pride Park, a commercial area that is today home to hundreds of businesses and thousands of staff.

Rolls-Royce said that one of the reasons why it wants to improve its Sinfin site and the surrounding road network is because of the extra traffic Infinity Park will bring.

The firm said: "The development of the T12 link road to the A50 is expected to bring more traffic to Victory Road and the junction with Moor Lane will come under further pressure."

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BURTON Albion have signed defender Stefan Maletic from Dutch club Achilles 29 on a deal until the end of the season.
The 6ft 4in Bosnian centre-back will wear the number 34 shirt for the Brewers.
Maletic, 27, has also played in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Bosnia.

DERBY City Council is taking another look at its budget plans to see if there is any way it can find the money to keep Moorways swimming pool open for another year.

And a senior officer has said the authority "may well look at" an idea from a teenager who suggested that a discount travel card for young people could be partially saved if it became means tested.

Both points emerged at a meeting held at the city's Council House tonight so people could have their say about the authority's proposed budget for 2015-16.

The council says it must save £22 million in the face of cuts to its grant from the Government, inflation, and other pressures like new duties for looking after carers.

It is proposing to close the swimming pool in April in an attempt to claw back £350,000 towards those savings.

But a petition calling for this not to happen until a replacement is available has more than 6,000 signatures.

Last night, council leader Ranjit Banwait said: "We are going through the budget again to see if there's anything else we can squeeze out of it. I can't give any commitment beyond that because I don't want to raise my own expectations."

The budget proposals also include scrapping funding for the b_line travel card which currently gives 11,400 youngsters in the city at third off bus travel. It says the move would save £170,000 a year.

Philip Hutchinson, 16, of Normanton, one of about 80 people at the event, said he believed the council should look at only giving the cards to those who need it most.

He suggested they could be offered to youngsters who qualify for free school meals.

He said: "Cutting b_line will affect families on low incomes seeing as they are the ones, more often than not, using public transport."

The council's deputy chief executive Paul Robinson said there were complications to the idea.

He said you would have to work out whether the same criteria that mean you can have access to free school meals should mean you can get a b_line card.

And he added that Derbyshire County Council, which also funds the card, would have to agree to have the same system.

But he said: "In principle it's something we could look at. We may well look at."

Also criticised was a proposal to reduce the authority's pest control service so that it can respond to about 800 calls a year instead of 2,500.

A 32-year-old Allestree woman, who did not want to be named, said this could lead to private companies putting their fees up.

CHRIS Williamson is absolutely right to state "If you want a better future for our country, the power is in your hands" (January 2).

The Bishop of Derby hits the nail on the head when he stated that the general public are fed up of politics and, I suspect, politicians.

The cuts which we are all having to endure are horrendous and result from the national debt of trillions inherited from the last Labour government.

Chris refers to the banks and the part that they played in this, and he is right to do so, but he omits to mention the part which his government had in granting freedom and independence to that industry.

Gordon Brown admitted that his programme was a big mistake and that he had to admit responsibility.

Whilst talking about Gordon's financial acumen, let's look at his raid on public pensions. Bob Maxwell's raid on the Mirror Group pension resulted in a loss of some £350 million of the Mirror Group pension fund and he was, quite rightly, pilloried over this.

Gordon has reduced the value of retirement funds by at least £100 billion.

I will not make reference to the mis-handling of the disastrous sale of part of our gold reserves, simply to say "Yes Chris, we will most certainly have a choice at the next election".

Peter Makin

Albert Street

Belper

FRIENDS of 'entertaining and eccentric' TV soap actor Trevor Smith, whose body was discovered in a Derbyshire quarry, said the news had come as a massive shock.

Mr Smith, 42, who was also known as Trevor Hancock, was reported missing from his home in Wirksworth at 9.49pm on Monday night.

A spokesman for Derbyshire police last night confirmed that the body found in Middle Peak Quarry just outside Wirksworth on Tuesday, was Mr Smith's.

Friend Paddy Fitton-Jones, of Cromford Road, Wirksworth, works at the Piccalilli cafe in the town, where Mr Smith, who had appeared in Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, visited.

Paddy said: "He was a very funny guy and really entertaining. He was very popular around Wirksworth because of how talented he was.

"When I heard the news about him going missing I thought it was a little bit scary because I thought it didn't look good. He didn't chase fame, I think he just wanted to be happy."

Paddy said Mr Smith had recently directed a play, The Elephant Man, in Liverpool and was still acting.

The cafe owner Magnus Moorhouse described Mr Smith as "an eccentric".

He said: "I think he was happy but frustrated. He had an agent but he didn't quite break through as an actor. He said he was a perfectionist.

It makes me think he was chasing something. He will be really missed. I got the feeling there was a sadness there."

Derby actress Gwen Taylor has sent her sincere condolences to the family.

Gwen, who has also appeared in Coronation Street but did not work with Mr Smith, said: "This is so sad and very tragic. I hope he was not in any pain. My heart bleeds for him. It's very concerning when you hear of these things in our profession.

"Being in Coronation Street does give you a certain amount of kudos. When a fellow Derbyshire actor dies it's very sad.

"I have family from that area of Derbyshire and they are the salt of the earth people."

Joshua Vallance, of Pittywood Road, Wirksworth, had spent months working near Mr Smith's home and he had got to know him.

He said: "This is a massive shock. He was a real character and very passionate person.

"He was always friendly and we had a good laugh with him when we were working. We had some good banter."

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CHELSEA right-back Todd Kane has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old was on loan with League One side Bristol City and was set to stay until January 18.

But Kane, who has yet to play a first-team game for the Blues, only started three games while with City and was recalled by the Premier League leaders.

Reds boss Stuart Pearce said: "It's important. Todd gives us another option at full-back."

Wolves defender Kortney Hause has signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal, keeping him at Molineux until 2018.

The 19-year-old has played four games for Wolves this season after returning from a loan spell at Gillingham in League One.

Hause's promotion to the first team has coincided with a marked improvement in their form, with the youngster yet to lose in a Wolves shirt after three wins and a draw from his four starts.

The England U20 international signed for Wolves in January 2014 from Wycombe Wanderers.

"I am delighted that Kortney has agreed a new contract," said Wolves boss Kenny Jackett.

Hamilton boss Alex Neil remains in Norwich as he continues talks over the vacant manager's role at the Sky Bet Championship club.

The 33-year-old, who also still plays for the Accies as a midfielder, was given permission to speak to Norwich by Hamilton and was still in the city on Thursday morning discussing the position.

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JON Clare – remember him? Not so long since, he was regarded as one of the most promising all-rounders in county cricket but now he barely comes into the conversation.

The reason why is not hard to see. He has hardly played for the last year and a half.

This has been an 18-month nightmare for the 28-year-old – a struggle to overcome a back problem that has not only prevented him from playing, it has caused coaches, team-mates and supporters to openly suggest he simply did not want to play.

It is one thing to have your ability called into question. Quite another to have them doubt your heart.

"It's been tough – really, really tough," he said. "I've had to try to stay level-headed but it's been so frustrating because no-one knew what I was going through and they just thought 'he's being soft'.

"A lot of the lads didn't know what was wrong and they were questioning how hard I was working and things like that.

"From your team-mates, that's pretty hard to take.

"Every coach has doubted me because everyone knows what I can do and over the last three years I've only produced it in tiny periods. I knew there was something wrong but every time I went for an MRI it wasn't showing anything.

"I had no evidence of anything otherwise but not for one minute did I doubt there was not something wrong. I knew we would find it in the end and we have eventually."

After numerous injections, epidurals and consultations, a specialist in London identified the problem as a stress fracture in Clare's spine that had not healed properly since it first occurred when he was 16.

His body had compensated for the weakness it caused to his left side by putting extra stress on his right and led to two more undetected stress fractures on his right in the last three years.

"In my mind, I knew that made sense," Clare added. "I've not completed a season for the last three years and my problems at the end of the season kept getting earlier.

"All the way through last summer we were going down every single avenue. I could gym fine, I could run fine, I could swim but as soon as I came to bowl 100% I couldn't get anywhere near how I wanted.

"We went for the scan in London and the surgeon said he'd seen a couple like this before and he was really positive that my spine would be as strong as it would ever be.

"I came away thinking 'yes, we've actually got something here'. Even though I knew I was going to be out for three to six months after the operation I was pleased the problem was getting sorted."

Clare had the operation in London on November 17. A small piece of bone from his hip was used to repair the "non-union", where the bones from the original fracture had failed to fuse together properly.

He will return to London to see how well the graft has worked on February 17 and could be back in action by the end of April.

Then Clare has to start to win back the hearts and minds of those who doubted him. As this is also the final year of his contract, this truly is a make or break season for him.

But he says not only will Derbyshire supporters see the old Jon Clare – the one who took 43 first-class wickets and averaged just under 33 with the bat in 2011 – he believes he will be better than ever.

"I can't tell you how excited I am about next year. I've been bowling the whole of my career with a big stress fracture in my left-hand side and I just think the sky's the limit for me this season," he said.

"I'm in the final year of my contract but I won't be thinking about that. I'm just really excited to play and show everyone what I can do – and a bit more.

"I feel fresh, my mind's fresh, I'm rejuvenated and I've got my hunger back for cricket, which I'd lost a bit because of what I'd been through.

"Every time I bowled I was hurting and it was really hard work to get out of bed every morning. I used to get in the pool every day and still not feel great, then I'd ask the other bowlers how they were feeling and they would be all right, so I just thought I was a stiff person.

"There is no way I'm going to break down through my back any more – the surgeon's assured me of that. I'll never feel as bad as I have over the last three years, mentally. It's like a weight has been shifted.

"I just can't wait to get going"

BBC Three TV show Don't Tell The Bride now looking for Derbyshire couples who would love to get married THIS YEAR.

Would a £12,000 wedding be a dream come true for you?

If you fancy it, and are any good at keeping a secret, email dttb@applyfortheshow.com

The show, which is now in its ninth series, gives grooms-to-be sole responsibility for organising every detail of their big day, from venue and cake to decorations and wedding dress – but the catch is that the bride must have no involvement!

I HAVE lived seven years of my life in France, having served as a paratrooper in the French Foreign Legion and as a pastor of a French Church. I go there most years on holiday and have travelled the length of the country on a bicycle – a wonderful experience.

I love France and I love the French. The result of those seven years has meant that its founding principles of Liberte, Egalite and Fratenite – freedom, equality, and brotherhood – have become ideologically sacred to me. So the news of Wednesday's attacks shock me to the core of my being.

I noticed that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has called the attack "brutal, demonic and cowardly". It has since come to light that the alleged perpetrators were only 18 years old.

As an Anglican minister, I live and work in Normanton, where large parts of the population in the parish where I serve are of the Muslim faith. This attack has deeply misrepresented the faith that my neighbours hold.

Therefore, it is vital that in Derby we do not embrace Islamaphobia and that we continue to work hard to keep the excellent community relations that we have in the city.

So what should be my Christian response to this barbaric and – yes, I will join with my archbishop in calling it demonic – attack on the founding principles of any Western democracy?

Firstly, the criminals who perpetrated this crime are those who are wicked and cowardly, not my neighbours. Muslims are my fellow human beings, friends and citizens of the city in which I live.

Secondly, we need to stand united as citizens to defend the principles of liberty, equality and brotherhood.

A defence of the liberty that allows you to practise your faith, hold an opinion, disagree and to stand for your principles, even if they are distasteful to me. I constantly hear people blaspheme the name of Jesus. It is offensive to me. But, I uphold people's right to hold that opinion.

Equality, that whoever you are, whatever your gender, faith, sexuality, political opinion, nationality or ideology, we recognise your right to live as an equal citizen under the law of this land.

Brotherhood, that we stand with you in your rights, we do not allow people to scapegoat you and we will work with you for a fair and equitable society – working with you to make our society a good place to live and work.

The editorial team of Charlie Hebdo gave their lives for these principles. For me, these are things worth dying for.

Church deacon Alasdair Kay is chief executive of Derby City Mission, which runs projects such as the Street Pastors, food banks, debt welfare and advice clinics and the Derby Churches Night Shelter.

A CORONER has concluded that a 37-year-old lorry driver from Derby took his own life.

The body of Kieran Fisher was found by his former partner and her brother-in-law at his home in Watermeadow Road, Alvaston, on June 29. An inquest in Derby was told they had gone there amid concerns for his safety and found his body after borrowing a ladder and climbing in through a bedroom window.

A post-mortem examination gave a cause of death as hanging and Louise Pinder, assistant coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, reached a conclusion that Mr Fisher, who was a driver for 3663, took his own life.

JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink says Stefen Maletic will bring a no-nonsense approach to Burton Albion.

The Brewers boss snapped up the 27-year-old centre-half from Dutch club Achilles 29 yesterday.

He has been given a deal until the end of the season – and Hasselbaink says he fits the bill for a League Two stopper.

"He's a no-nonsense defender and a big boy," he said. "He's strong and he likes the physical attributes of defending – and that's something we need.

"He will bring a challenge in for the other two boys who are playing.

"He can play on the right or the left of central defence, has got experience, has played in Germany, Holland and Sweden so he has the experience. He knows about countries and speaks English perfectly."

Hasselbaink's signing of the Belgrade-born stopper completes a year-long chase began while he was in charge at Belgian side Royal Antwerp.

Then, the Brewers chief left the club before Maletic could sign – but he has now got his man on a six-month deal.

Meanwhile, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, who has made a place at the back his own since signing for Albion, initially on loan a year ago, is facing a longer than expected spell on the sidelines.

He came off with what was expected to be a pulled calf against Tranmere Rovers on Boxing Day.

But scans have revealed a slight tear and he could be out for around a month.

"We needed to bring in a centre-half because Shane is injured and has a little tear," said Hasselbaink.

"We don't know how long it's going to take, it normally would take three or four weeks.

"It might be that he breaks down when he comes back and Ian Sharps we had already said was available.

"So we had to do something and that's why we brought him (Maletic) in."

A CITY councillor has criticised plans to remove three planters in Mackworth at a cost of nearly £1,500.

Former Mayor of Derby and Mackworth councillor Lisa Higginbottom said the plans to remove the structures from Mackworth "made her very angry".

She believes the work is a waste of money at a time of cuts and says locals will miss them.

She added that she thought the money should be saved and reinvested into hanging baskets.

Mrs Higginbottom said: "In my view, the planters are a simple way of spreading a little sunshine when in bloom. To pay nearly £1,500 to remove them for no reason is not justifiable. It's not right.

"I can't understand the reasoning for it. We need to encourage local community spirit for people to keep planting in them, looking after them and maintaining them.

"There is no need to spend this money.

"By all means they can be removed or replaced when and if changes are made to parking in the future but not yet.

"There are future plans for Mackworth and I'm all for progress.

"But until that happens, they should not be moved. I'm incensed at this decision because it's being spent on destruction."

But fellow Mackworth councillor Paul Pegg believes locals would not maintain the plants.

He said reinvesting £1,500 into hanging baskets is "a lot of money for three months of the year".

He said: "We always get the same volunteers all of the time. That's a fact of life. That's where I'm coming from, I'm a realist.

"It's not realistic to keep them there. Locals will not maintain them."

But Mrs Higginbottom said: "If people are encouraged, then yes they will.

"It's about getting people engaged and talking to locals about what they want to happen.

"I'm sure they will want the planters to stay. In the summer they are really special and look good."

She also dismissed any concerns that the planters were causing problems for disabled people.

She said: "I've spoken to people who use the disabled bays and they have not expressed concern."

Local resident Karen Smith said she wanted them to stay.

Karen, 44, of Chiswick Close, said: "Nearly £1,500 is a lot of money for that work to be carried out.

"It seems a waste when there is not a problem with them.

"They should not be removed because they are part of the shopping area and they brighten it up.

"They are not an eyesore when they don't have plants in – and when they do they look very nice. They look lovely and it would be a shame to see them go."

RADIO Derby presenter Colin Bloomfield insists he is being "realistic" about his health after encouraging news about his brain tumours – but says he is looking forward to getting back to doing a daily show.

Doctors have revealed cancerous tumours on his brain were "stable".

Now the 32-year-old, who also has lumps on his lungs and liver, says he is to return to BBC Radio Derby in February to present the drive-time show.

Colin said he was actively attending the gym, along with football matches, and said he was keen to start back at work properly.

From the first week of February, Colin will be presenting on BBC Radio Derby from 4pm to 7pm.

He added: "It's nice to live my life on a normal basis. I've had so much time off work, I am ready to go back.

"I have been doing the odd newsroom shift but from the first week of February I'll be back to presenting.

"The problem with the disease I have is that you never know what is around the corner.

"I'm quite realistic and I know there is still a massive road ahead."

This Christmas was the first since the death of Colin's father, Lawrie, who died at the age of 80 – only days after Colin found out that his cancer had spread.

Colin said: "I wasn't overly looking forward to Christmas this year but it turned out to be really nice.

"I had a lovely Christmas with my mum and auntie and a nice New Year's Eve in London.

"When it comes to big occasions and events such as Christmas, that's when I think, will this be my last?

"I am living my live on a short-term basis but I have got to stay positive."

Colin is due to undergo a full body scan at the beginning of February to discover whether the tumours in the rest of his body have grown.

He recently started a new combinational drug, which he takes morning and evening.

And his latest brain scan results have revealed that tumours on his brain have not grown.

Colin said: "The drug is only short-term but I feel fine and have no side effects. I am feeling positive at this moment in time."

Colin, who was first diagnosed with cancer in 2001, is battling stage-four melanoma.

He was diagnosed with brain tumours in May and has undergone several different treatments in a bid to shrink the growths.

At the time he was told he may only have a few months to live.

But according to his latest brain scan, his tumours have remained the same size.

Colin said: "I was happy but also slightly disappointed that they had not shrunk.

"The drug I was on last summer shrunk my tumours dramatically so I was hoping for the same but at least they haven't grown. It is still good news and a positive step forward."