Headache over access and security at Nottingham train station
The right of way was put over the bridge after an earlier crossing further down the tracks was demolished.But this has left EMR with two seemingly opposing obligations - public passage and station security.It said fare evasion from Nottingham could total £1.1m annually and barrier-free access from the bridge facilitated this.Additionally, the firm said 62% of violent and anti-social behaviour occurred between 19:00 and 06:00.From 18 August, the time the stairs are fenced off will be extended from the current 23:00 to 05:00 to between 19:00 and 06:00.
Michael O'Callaghan-Staples, head of station experience for EMR, said the firm was always looking for longer term fixes. "It's a unique situation and this is the solution we have got available to us at the moment," he said."We will continue to work with stakeholders to work out a more rounded solution in the long term."He also admitted they had discussed the right of way itself with the city council."We have engaged with Nottingham City Council about the rerouting or closure of the public right of way," he added."But that is a complex process and we continue to work with our partners at Nottingham City Council to see what the opportunities are for that space."
Steve Jones from Rail Future, which campaigns for passenger rights and rail improvements, recognised EMR was in a difficult situation.He said: "It is rare in such a large station to have this right to public access."Nottingham station also has the issue that the main entrance is at the western end, but a lot of the train activity, especially with regional services, takes place at the eastern end."It's a long walk, which can be more than an inconvenience if you are changing trains and can't access the bridge."Those minutes can make the difference between catching your train or not, so it's a serious issue."However, Mr Jones accepted fare evasion losses are "unsustainable".He said: "Our solution, and one we have been calling for for some time, is there is a need for another bridge at Nottingham station, at the eastern end."This would be a big investment but if it avoids the £1.1m loss EMR claims, it has a good business case and it would, with lifts the current bridge lacks, be an enormous benefit to passengers."
Rail users also expressed reservations about the system.Martha Marigmen said: "I almost exclusively use this bridge because it's far more convenient to get a taxi or just walk home."It takes a lot longer when you have to go through the main entrance and if you want to crack down on fare evasion, check the tickets on every train."Carl Phillips added: "For the able bodied it's not much of an issue but for those with pushchairs or mobility issues it's more of an inconvenience."Fare dodging is a problem but I think a lot of that comes down to the cost of public transport, which is ridiculous."Nottingham City Council declined to comment on the issue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Showjumper, 37, and horse rider, 26, face jail after being found guilty over threesome with underage girl
A horse riding instructor and woman rider are facing jail for targeting an underage teenage girl for threesome sex. Equestrian boss Guy Simmonds, 37, and fellow rider Lauren Jarvis, 26, plotted the sex session despite knowing the schoolgirl was under 16 - and the pair then agreed a 'pact of silence' after horse riding lessons. A court heard the pair had 'no doubt at all' that the schoolgirl was under 16 before the threesome and vowed to keep it secret. They have now been found guilty of sexual activity with a child.. Prosecutor James Hartson said: 'At all times he knew how old she was and so did Jarvis. The victim told him herself in one of the very first messages she sent him. 'They didn't care about her age when they were planning and engaging in a so-called threesome with the victim. 'They also knew what they did was wrong and they agreed a pact of silence when they got wind she had started to talk about it.' Cardiff Crown Court heard Simmonds bragged he was a 'top showjumper' after targeting the underage girl on Facebook. Mr Hartson said there was a 'clear element of grooming behaviour' from Simmonds before the threesome in Jarvis' home in January last year. In one message read to court, the girl asked Simmonds what he would make her do and he replied: 'You will both do what daddy says. It will be fun.' Simmonds later messaged Jarvis saying: 'Hey, I have a feeling that she has said about us. 'If anyone asks for sake of both of us nothing ever happened that night xx.' Jarvis replied: 'Hey, who's she told? 'Oh god has she really, what's she trying to do, make our lives hell? Of course I will xx.' The court heard Simmonds told police in interview he did not have any from of sexual contact with the victim. But he made calls to his mother from prison instructing her to pay the victim's 'fickle' family £50,0000 to drop the charges. He said: 'There is £20,000 in my account. Just f***ing give it to them. 'I don't care. £20,000 now and then £10,000 a year for three years.' Simmonds claimed he had been given permission to 'stray' from his partner Rebecca Dimes, 34, on the condition she 'did not want to know anything about it.' Jarvis claimed any messages about a threesome were 'banter and a wind up'. Simmonds, of Undy in Gwent, and Jarvis, from Newport, were both found guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child. Simmonds was found not guilty on five other charges of sexual activity with a child relating to the same victim. Judge Lucy Crowther adjourned the case for sentencing on September 29.
Times
8 minutes ago
- Times
Neil Woodford and his firm fined £46m over fund's collapse
The fallen fund manager Neil Woodford and his defunct firm have been fined £46 million for their role in the collapse of their high-profile fund, and he was banned from any senior City role including managing money for retail investors. The Financial Conduct Authority said Woodford, whose asset management empire collapsed in 2019 after its principal Woodford Equity Income Fund was capsized by a wave of redemption requests, was not fit and proper to run retail funds or hold any senior City role. Woodford, 65, is facing a £5.9 million fine while Woodford Investment Management, of which he is the majority shareholder, is being hit with a £40 million penalty. Woodford's personal penalty was doubled on the grounds that a smaller sum would not have had been a sufficient deterrent to prevent other fund managers making the same choices, the FCA said. The size of the fine was also determined by Woodford's 'extremely prominent profile' in the investment industry and because of the damage he had inflicted on confidence in the wider retail fund management sector. The judgments remain 'provisional' as Woodford, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, is challenging them in the Upper Tribunal. Responding to the watchdog's decision notice, he said he strongly disagreed with it and suggested he would expose the FCA's own regulatory failings in the affair. The tribunal case, he said, would 'shed much-needed light on the events leading to and following the fund's suspension, including the regulator's role in those events'. Hundreds of thousands of investors were left out of pocket when the Woodford Equity Income Fund was suspended in 2019 and later put into liquidation. They have got back £1 billion less than the value of their holdings on the day the £3.6 billion fund was suspended. • Johanna Noble: Woodford scandal shows why we still need to name and shame Woodford's reputation sank from a lionised stockpicking genius to negligent incompetent in the space of a few months. At the heart of the matter was Woodford's refusal to accept any responsibility for managing the liquidity of the Woodford Equity Income Fund so it was able to withstand redemption requests without resorting to a fire sale of assets, the FCA said. At his zenith, Woodford attracted more than £15 billion of institutional and investor money when he defected from Invesco Perpetual with a superlative track record to set up his own firm WIM in 2014. In the four years before the collapse he and his co-founder Craig Newman extracted £98 million in dividends from WIM. Woodford used the money to indulge his passion for Ferraris and Porsches, a stable of horses, a 423-hectare Cotswold farm and a £6.35 million Devon holiday home. • Neil Woodford's tearful video claim: 'We did nothing wrong' The FCA concluded that between July 2018 and June 2019 WIM and Woodford made 'unreasonable and inappropriate investment decisions' and 'disproportionately sold more liquid investments [those that are easier to sell] and bought less liquid ones over this period'. Steve Smart, joint enforcement director at the FCA, said: 'Being a leader in financial services comes with responsibilities as well as profile. Mr Woodford simply doesn't accept he had any role in managing the liquidity of the fund. The very minimum investors should expect is those managing their money make sensible decisions and take their senior role seriously. Neither Neil Woodford nor Woodford Investment Management did so, putting at risk the money people had entrusted them with.' The honours forfeiture committee in the Cabinet Office has come under fresh pressure to remove the CBE awarded to Woodford in 2013 for services to the UK economy. A campaign group including MPs and financial think tanks renewed its call for the honour to be revoked because of the 'terrible harm' he caused. Woodford has argued that the bulk of investor losses were down to the decision to liquidate the Woodford Equity Income Fund rather than reopen it after the suspension pause. The FCA accepted that Woodford's conduct did not amount to a lack of integrity, but was merely negligent.
Telegraph
8 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Speeding motorcyclist incriminated himself in social media post
A motorcyclist who filmed himself speeding at almost 100 mph was caught on his dash-cam footage after it went viral on Instagram. Benjamin Males, 22, was incriminated by his social media post, which attracted more than a million views when he uploaded the video in April, despite his efforts to conceal his identity by tagging the video's location as Mexico. The footage showed the motorcyclist speeding along country roads in Shropshire at 98mph and pulling dangerous wheelies. The rider also went on to have several near misses and reached speeds of 89 mph in a 50 mph zone in wet conditions, according to West Mercia Police. 'An appalling disregard for road safety' At one point, he almost lost control after zooming across a roundabout, and his front wheel can be seen lifting off the ground. Police officers were able to identify Males as the rider in the footage and said the video showed 'an appalling disregard for road safety'. He was arrested and charged with five counts of dangerous driving, which he pleaded guilty to at Telford Magistrates Court on Wednesday, July 30. Males of Shrewsbury was disqualified from driving for 18 months, after which he must then pass an extended test. 'Dangerous behaviour on our roads' He was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, given a rehabilitation order and fined £199. PC Jack Jackson, from Telford's Operational Policing Unit, said: 'I want to make it absolutely clear that we will take robust action when we see dangerous behaviour on our roads, including when it's posted online. 'The footage in this case, uploaded by Males himself to Instagram, showed an appalling disregard for road safety. 'His conviction should serve as a stark warning that social media is not a shield from prosecution. 'We have at our disposal a variety of means to identify individuals from social media, even when they take extra measures to obscure their identity, and this serves as proof of the effectiveness of our investigations. 'Dangerous riding doesn't just put the rider at risk, it endangers innocent road users and influences others to copy reckless behaviour. 'If you choose to put lives at risk on our roads, you can expect to be held accountable.'
