Community News 2024 10 21

International Repair Day
Have you ever thrown something out because it didn't work? And then had to use your hard-earned cash to replace it? There may be another way...

Saturday was International Repair Day – an annual, worldwide celebration of repairing stuff rather than throwing it out.

And we have cause for celebration right here in Derbyshire where the number of repair cafes has doubled in the last two years from 10 to 20.

The repair cafes are on a mission to mend things for you – FREE of charge. This prevents items from being thrown out needlessly and saves the cost of buying a replacement. It's better for the environment as well with less materials and energy needed to make new goods.

So please bring out your broken small electrical items such as toasters, hairdryers, lamps, radios and headphones. Clothing, garden tools, bikes, computers, hand tools and small items of furniture can also be tackled.

The cafés are very sociable events – often with free or low-cost refreshments and a sense of community. You can learn how to do simple repairs yourself and you may want to volunteer to get involved.

The repair service is free but donations are very welcome.

Goods that are beyond repair can be taken to our household waste recycling centres.

Fraudster to hand over funds
A Derbyshire man who admitted making and selling fake military medals and supplying unauthorised poppy pin badges more than four years ago has been ordered to hand over £58,000 following a court ruling this week.

Henry Lyttel, aged 33, of Ashbourne Road, Mackworth Village, near Derby, received a two-year suspended jail sentence in June 2020 at Derby Crown Court after admitting three charges relating to his business, Croft Militaria Ltd, which he ran from his home address.

The successful prosecution, brought by our Trading Standards team, resulted in the two-year jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and an order to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Following the sentencing in 2020, Proceeds of Crime proceedings were started to try to recover the money made by Lyttel and his Croft Militaria Ltd business.

While a confiscation order for £97,980 was secured, at the time Lyttel was only able to pay just over £2,000.

Trading Standards activated their powers to 'revisit' the original order in June this year. With the help of Derby City Council and a financial investigator, detailed enquiries found that Lyttel had £58,000 of available funds.

After being formally approached by Trading Standards, Lyttel consented to hand over the money. As a result a revised confiscation order was granted on Wednesday 16 October at Derby Crown Court.

£10,000 of the money is recovered directly to the Royal British Legion (RBL) in compensation for the losses suffered by the charity as a result of Lyttel's sales of fake poppy pin badges carrying their trade-marked poppy emblem. The remaining £48,000 will be transferred to the Home Office, with a proportion to be returned to us to contribute to the prosecution and confiscation costs incurred since 2018.

Secondary school applications
If your child is moving up to secondary school next autumn you need to apply for their place now.

The application deadline for children starting secondary school in September 2025 is Thursday 31 October.

Scam QR codes

Our parking officers are warning you not to be fooled by scam QR codes on parking machines.

Fake QR codes used by scammers have been spotted on pay and display machines in Derbyshire, prompting a warning to motorists not to fall for the fake payment method.

A driver in Chesterfield reported being stung by scammers after his bank warned him the payment he'd made using a QR code stuck onto a pay and display machine was suspicious.

An immediate investigation discovered several pay and display machines in Chesterfield had a rogue QR code sticker on them which have now been removed.

The county council does not use QR codes for payments for on-street parking so if there are QR codes on the machines, they're not legitimate.

If you think you may have used a scam QR code to pay for your on-street parking in Derbyshire, or if you see a QR code on a machine, email parking@derbyshire.gov.uk or phone 01629 538671.

Travel Smart Week
How do your children get to school? It's tempting to jump in the car, and sometimes we just have to get to work straight after. But could you take part in Travel Smart Week?

Starting today (Monday 21 October) until Friday 25 October, Travel Smart Week encourages pupils to make the most of their school journey as a way to help them keep fit, beat traffic jams and pollution, as well as making sure they remember to travel safely too. With daily themes about healthier and safer school journeys and some fun learning, like 'Walk and Wheel Tuesday' encouraging travel with a push, pull, stroll, roll, glide, stride or ride, as well as researching how a bicycle works and what forces make you travel faster or slower.

There are 289 primary schools in Derbyshire registered to take part – that's 80% of the total number of 361. They can share the activities they undertake on the Travel Smart X account and Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership on X.

Rogue roofers warning
Our trading standards team is warning residents to be on alert for rogue traders following a report of roofers cold calling at people's homes and offering to carry out work that may not need doing.

Residents are urged to be extra vigilant, and if they suspect someone of being a rogue trader or find themselves confronted by uninvited doorstep sellers to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Rogue traders are a widespread issue in Derbyshire and across the country.

Their tactics range from substandard work and high-pressure sales to organised crime, frequently preying on the elderly and vulnerable for large sums of money. These traders not only approach homes uninvited but also maintain professional-looking websites and advertise in various publications.

Typically, rogue traders begin with small, low-cost jobs, then claim additional work is necessary, ultimately demanding exorbitant fees for minimal or no work.

Our Trading Standards team always recommend people who need work carrying out should find a trusted tradesperson through our Trusted Trader scheme or by contacting Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190.

Drug and alcohol support
Whether you're an employer or employee, you might find this free webinar helpful.

Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire are offering free training for local organisations around drug and alcohol support.

This webinar, delivered by Derbyshire Addictions Advice Service in partnership with Healthy Workplaces Derbyshire, will provide information around drug and alcohol use and how it can affect staff and workplaces.

Any employers or employees in Derbyshire, who want to increase their substance use knowledge to support their colleagues and create a healthier workforce, are welcome.

The first session runs on Tuesday 5 November.