CEMETERY DRUG DEALING FEARS No. 316 March 2019
by LUCY STEPHENS
DRUG dealing in Melbourne’s cemetery has increased to the extent that elderly people are now becoming too intimidated to pay their respects to their loved ones, a public meeting heard.
At the latest meeting of Melbourne Parish Council, held at the Assembly Rooms on March 5, parish councillors voiced their concerns about the situation. Parish council chair Sheila Hicklin said: “There has been an increase in drug dealing activity in the cemetery once again. It has been raised with the PCSO and there are now gangs of youths who are moving memorial benches such that Rob (the sexton) has had to take quite an expensive bench inside for fear of it being damaged. It’s just an ongoing problem.” She added: “It’s just a shame that the elderly feel intimidated going into the cemetery when they are paying their respects. It’s so sad that the people daren’t enter the cemetery and feel intimidated.” It was discussed at the meeting that the parish council should raise its concerns about the issue with local police. Cllr David Smith said: “We have a new police sergeant; could we write to the sergeant and voice the concerns of the community and our disappointment this is going on?” People are being encouraged to report any sightings of drug dealing activity to the police. A spokesman for Derbyshire Constabulary told Village Voice: “We have received a small number of reports regarding the behaviour of a group of young people in Melbourne Cemetery. However, there is no further evidence at this time that drug dealing is taking place in the area. “The cemetery, and surrounding area, is patrolled on a regular basis by officers and anyone with any concerns or information should speak directly to an officer, call the 101 non-emergency number or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. “We rely on this information to inform our policing of the area and it is essential that people contact us if there are issues in their area.”
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MONITORING equipment to measure how much residents are affected by noise from East Midlands Airport (EMA) could be coming to Melbourne. The latest meeting of Melbourne Parish Council on March 5 in the Assembly Rooms heard how representatives from the airport were due to come to the village to find a good location for a noise monitor. The airport confirmed the move was part of its Noise Action Plan (NAP) commitment and that it was working with the parish council to identify a location for the equipment. A spokesman for the Kings Newton Residents’ Association and Melbourne Civic Society, who attend the Airport Consultative Committee, commented: “We suggest the noise monitor needs to be under the flightpath for landing aircraft, possibly close to Main Street, Kings Newton. “We will expect EMA to take strong action to curb the loudest noise levels recorded.”
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