Hunt on for masked night‑time raider after string of break‑ins across Gedling borough

Police are trying to track down a man suspected of carrying out a spree of late‑night business burglaries across Nottingham and Gedling.

Since early July, restaurants, takeaways and other small businesses have been repeatedly targeted, with intruders smashing their way through glass windows before grabbing cash from inside. Shops in Mapperley, Sherwood and Carrington have all reported similar break‑ins, with CCTV capturing a man wearing a hat and face covering at several scenes.

Alcohol, electrical items and tills have been taken during the raids, which all happened in the middle of the night or the early hours. Officers now believe the same suspect is responsible and have released multiple images in a bid to identify him.

Inspector Steve King said the victims were “extremely upset” and urged anyone who recognises the man to come forward. Patrols have been stepped up in affected areas, while officers are visiting local businesses to offer security advice.

He warned that burglars often rely on easy opportunities, urging businesses to lock all windows and doors, check CCTV and alarms regularly, and avoid leaving cash on site overnight.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Risk some school pupils could be left “totally without” a school place next year

There is a risk that hundreds of Nottinghamshire pupils could be left without a school place in their local area following “significantly less” funding from the government.

Nottinghamshire County Council has highlighted a concerning picture for how many secondary school places will be available from September 2027.

In a cabinet report from July, the authority says its pot of money from the government that goes towards ensuring it can provide enough school places in the area is”significantly less” this year, leaving it in a vulnerable position.

Councils rely on government funding to support their school expansion projects, where authorities submit current pupil projections based on planning area to the Department for Education (DfE) each year to help these decisions, but funding settlements are made over several years and do not always align with the current needs of an area.

Between January 2018 and January 2026, the number of year seven pupils in Nottinghamshire increased by 10 per cent, from 8,703 to 9,578, and recent projections suggest this demand is “likely to remain high” until slowly declining from the 2029 to 2030 academic year.

The council has already made moves to help with this high demand, creating 1,700 additional secondary places since 2022, assisting an extra 303 year seven places opening up for 2026 to 2027 within existing school buildings and by pushing forward with school building projects set to “boost” secondary school capacity for 2027 to 2030.

But now, the authority is having to “pause” these projects across Serlby Park Academy, Carlton Academy, South Nottinghamshire Academy and Lady Bay Primary School  – worth over £10 million – due to the authority not having the money available that it had anticipated.

Due to the reduced funding, striking figures from the cabinet’s report currently suggest approximately 28 year seven pupils in the county could be “totally without” a school place in September 2027, with “similar shortages” anticipated for the following two years.

The authority says in September 2027 and September 2028 there will be an “insufficiency” of school places in Hucknall, Worksop, Harworth,
Retford, Broxtowe South, Carlton, Mansfield, Warsop, Rainworth, East Leake, Rushcliffe East and West Bridgford, which could result in around 338 pupils having to be transported out of their local area to access a school.

Speaking in July’s cabinet meeting, Councillor Rory Green (Ref), cabinet member for children and families, called the halting of the projects a “sensible” decision and means the authority is not “just walking blindly” into them without the needed funding, adding: “A pause means ‘pause’, it doesn’t mean ‘no, never again’.”

Cllr James Walker-Gurley (Ref), cabinet member for Economic Development and Asset Management, said “there’s nothing to panic about right now”, saying: “In September next year, we may potentially fall short of places, so that gives us the summer holidays next year as well to get everything ready, so we are being proactive.

“We’re working again as members to lobby MPs, we’re doing everything we should be in a proactive manner.”

Council leader, Mick Barton (Ref), has written to the Secretary of State for Education to lobby for more government funding to ensure the building projects to increase secondary capacity can get back on track, to help avoid shortfalls in pupil places coming to fruition.

He wrote: “The current position in Nottinghamshire is that the cost of required places across the county is presently outstripping the available funding. We expected a further allocation of Basic Need funding this year which was not forthcoming.

“If left unaddressed, the downstream effects could see impacts on the sufficiency of school places, with fewer parents obtaining their first preference school for their child.

“We have been in dialogue with your officials about funding but this is yet to yield results… I would point out that we have an excellent track record in school building and refurbishment, with a valued and experienced team and supply chain.”

In a statement Wayne Bexton, the council’s Director of Economy, Environment and Assets, said: “This year we did not get a further allocation of funding as expected, therefore we currently do not have the funding available to complete five projects at four schools/academies we had planned, worth over £10 million.

“We have no other option than to put these [expansion] projects on hold. These four schools/academies now face uncertainty about sufficient school places for local children and families in 2027/2028.”

Dr Orlaith Green, the council’s Temporary Director of Education, Learning and Inclusion, said the authority is “urgently lobbying” the government for funding.

She said: “We have made the relevant schools and academies aware of the situation and recommend they write to their MP and Department for Education to describe the impact this could have for their schools, pupils and wider community.

“In Nottinghamshire to date, we have a strong track record providing school places, with the majority of families being offered their first choice school place each year – we want to do everything we can to ensure this continues.

“We remain ready to deliver all these projects if and when funding is made available to us.”

The Carlton Academy expansion was due to deliver an extra 40 year seven places for 2027 to 2028 onwards.

The government’s allocation to the council was £76.7 million from 2023/24 through to 2027/28, where the forecast was based on data the authority provided on pupil projections until September 2028.

In Spring 2027, the DfE is due to bring forward its next funding allocation to help local authorities supply sufficient school places going forward, where any council projections will be taken into account.

The DfE was contacted for comment but did not respond at the time of publication.

By Lauren Monaghan (Local Democracy Reporter)

Police warn businesses in borough after spike in late‑night break‑ins

Retail crime is back in the spotlight after locals flagged it as a growing concern — and police say they’ve seen a sharp rise in commercial burglaries in recent weeks.

Officers report that most of the incidents involve opportunistic thieves targeting businesses they believe will offer an easy win. Doors left unlocked, windows not fully secured and cash kept on site overnight are all proving tempting for criminals looking for quick access.

Police are now urging business owners to tighten up security and make their premises harder to break into. The local policing team says they’re working to track down offenders, but stressed that simple steps taken by businesses can make a major difference.

Anyone who experiences a break‑in or has information about suspicious activity is asked to report it online at nottinghamshire.police.uk, via the force’s web chat, or by calling 101. Those wanting to stay completely anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through their online form.

Residents are also being encouraged to share their concerns through the priority survey, which helps police understand what issues matter most in each neighbourhood.

You can take part in the survey HERE

📸 Photo of the Day...

🌤️ Weather update

Your borough weather forecast for the next few days...

TODAY: ☀️ Today will be dry and settled with some hot sunshine developing, once any early patches of mist clear. Some cloud will edge in during the day, just turning the sunshine a little hazy in places. There'll be hot sunshine to end the day, and clear spells this evening. However, cloud will gradually increase overnight perhaps with an isolated shower breaking out later.

THURSDAY: ☁️ There will be a fair amount of cloud around on Thursday morning, with a small chance of a shower. Skies will brighten from the into the afternoon. Feeling fresher.

FRIDAY: ☀️ It looks largely dry on Friday and during the weekend. Though remaining a little cooler and fresher there will be some warm spells of sunshine at times, with gentle winds.