News

Eighteen blank firearms handed in during first weeks of amnesty

An amnesty which began at the start of February has seen 18 blank firemarms handed into Police Stations in Derbyshire. Under Operation Pivot, a national firearms amnesty, running throughout the month, there is a focus on five models of imitation firearms, which have been shown to be readily convertible by testing from the NCA, and are therefore illegal. These models are: 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92 blank firing self-loading pistol 8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police blank firing self-loading […]

19 February 2026 22

Derbyshire

Arrest warning after police officer abused on Facebook

By Nigel Slater - Local Democracy Reporting Service People could face arrest after a Derbyshire Police officer was abused on Facebook, the force has warned. The warning comes after dozens of comments were directed towards a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) one one of the force’s verified Facebook pages where the officer was telling people what their Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) was working on. However, the officer was inundated with more than 200 comments, of which police said many were […]

18 February 2026 44

Richard Blackmore from The East Midlands Chamber

News

Challenging time for business despite inflation drop to 3%

East Midlands Chamber has welcomed a large fall in inflation to 3% but warned firms face ‘a wall of pressure’ from high costs and high unemployment, with supportive measures needed from policymakers. The latest annual inflation data from the Office for National Statistics for the 12 months to January is a significant drop from 3.4% but above the Bank of England’s 2% target. East Midlands Chamber Director of Policy and Insight Richard Blackmore said: “Inflation is one of the greatest […]

18 February 2026 14

Derby

New images and video reveal scale of Derby Market Place vision

New images and a video have revealed the scale and ambition behind plans to redevelop Derby city centre’s Market Place. Last month, plans to regenerate the area – including the Assembly Rooms – were lodged with Derby City Council. The proposals, which are being brought forward by VINCI UK Developments and ION Developments, working in partnership as preferred developer with the city council, follow two rounds of public consultation. The city council is currently reviewing the submitted plans – but […]

18 February 2026 34

The area for which the dispersal order has been applied

Long Eaton

Dispersal order put into place in Long Eaton Town Centre

A dispersal order has been put in place for Long Eaton Town Centre following increased reports of anti-social behaviour. The Section 34 notice was approved to run from 4:10pm on Tuesday 17th February until midnight on Wednesday 18th February, covering the area pictured. It means local officers have the power to ask a group of two or more people to leave the dispersal area if they are committing anti-social behaviour, or if officers believe they may, or are likely to, […]

17 February 2026 121

Derbyshire

No drop from 6% unemployment underlines scale of support needed in the East Midlands

Flexible skills funds for SMEs and a single portal for firms to access apprenticeships are among actions called for by East Midlands Chamber to get more candidates into jobs as unemployment in the region remains unchanged at its highest level since 2020. The latest estimated unemployment data from the Office for National Statistics for over 16s in the region covers October to December 2025 and is the second three-month period in succession, after September to November, at 6%. East Midlands […]

17 February 2026 16

The Best Western hotel in Bostocks Lane, Sandiacre. Image from Google.

Derbyshire

Derbyshire County Council calls for timeline on plans for asylum seeker hotel closure

By Jon Cooper - Local Democracy Reporting Service Derbyshire County Council has agreed to call upon MPs to demand a clear timeline on the Government’s plans to shut down its controversial asylum seeker hotel system which the authority says currently allows for as many as 565 men to be housed in three areas of the county. The council, which is led by a Reform UK administration, voted by a majority at a meeting on February 11th to approve Cllr Paul […]

17 February 2026 54

Derbyshire

Tough new cyber laws will strengthen UK’s defences against online attacks, says PCC

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has welcomed plans to make online public services safer and more secure to protect the public from cybercrime. The Derbyshire PCC, who is Joint National Lead for Cybercrime on behalf of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and sits of the Board of the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre, said the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons last week, would better protect British […]

17 February 2026 11

Community Notices

Families encouraged to check MMR vaccinations ahead of half term as measles cases rise across parts of the country

Families across the East Midlands are being encouraged to use the half term school break to check their children’s measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations are up to date. The call comes as the latest measles data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that from 1 January to 9 February 2026, there have been 96 cases of measles in England, with 79 cases in the 4 weeks since 12th January. During the whole of 2025, there were 22 […]

16 February 2026 15

Eighteen blank firearms handed in during first weeks of amnesty

Arrest warning after police officer abused on Facebook

Challenging time for business despite inflation drop to 3%

New images and video reveal scale of Derby Market Place vision

Dispersal order put into place in Long Eaton Town Centre

No drop from 6% unemployment underlines scale of support needed in the East Midlands

Derbyshire County Council calls for timeline on plans for asylum seeker hotel closure

Tough new cyber laws will strengthen UK’s defences against online attacks, says PCC

Families encouraged to check MMR vaccinations ahead of half term as measles cases rise across parts of the country

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