Pause for ShirleyLong Eaton High Street Project.

Last updated 12/08/2026.

A huge £10million construction project in an Erewash gran’s hometown briefly came to a halt – as shopworkers joined crowds lining the streets for her funeral procession.

The final journey of much-loved local character Shirley Kidsley saw the council help to arrange for her hearse to make its way through the pedestrianised heart of Long Eaton. Shirley, pictured, was a familiar face on the High Street until her death at the age of 87.Shirley

Crews involved in the colossal revamp of the town centre paused to join those paying tribute as the widow’s coffin passed by. Former textile industry worker Shirley was known locally as “Pocket Rocket” – owing to her big energy and diminutive stature. She was regularly spotted strolling through town even though her daughter Dawn would push her around in a wheelchair. Dawn recalled fondly: “People would call and say, ‘We've just seen your mum walking down the High Street on her own!’"

Shirley’s funeral service was the last ever to be held at West Park Chapel, where none had taken place for years. Her family bought her a plot decades ago so she could be laid to rest next to her husband.

An onlooker as her cortege solemnly proceeded along the High Street said: “It was heartwarming to see the workmen down tools and take their hats off to pay their respects.”

Shops are continuing to open as usual while Long Eaton gets a huge makeover in a showcase project that is being funded by £25million of government Town Deal investment. The work affects Tamworth Road, which the county council has closed to southbound traffic until December. Information about the impact on buses is available from Trentbarton.

“We appreciate that the work to widen Tamworth Road’s pavements is going to mean longer journeys so would urge drivers to allow more time for their trips. At the same we are keen to reiterate our message to local people and others visiting the town: Shops and businesses remain open – so please support them.”


Open as Normal Heras banner

Diversion signs along Tamworth Road.Long Eaton High Street Project.

Last updated 05/08/2026.

Drivers using a busy route through one of Erewash’s towns face detours until December – as it becomes one-way while contractors crack on with giving Long Eaton a huge £10million revamp.

Tamworth Road north of Long Eaton Station is already traffic calmed to encourage vehicles to use either Wilsthorpe Road or Fields Farm Road as through routes. The temporary closure of its southbound lane means traffic will have to use those alternatives.

Northbound vehicles will continue to be able to drive along Tamworth Road. Traffic from the A6005 Nottingham to Derby Road will still able to access the Lawrence Street car park for the town centre via Fletcher Gate.

Diversions will be in place from 7pm on Sunday 2 August. Erewash council apologised for the inconvenience to road users while pavement widening is carried out.
The work forms part of a showcase project to breathe new life into the town centre – where the council is stressing businesses are continuing to open as usual amid a huge makeover.

The smart new look focuses on the High Street and is being funded by the Long Eaton Town Deal, which is £25million of regeneration money that the authority clinched from the Government. The bonanza has been fuelling a host of projects in the town. The refurbishment of its centre is the biggest of them.

A council official said: “The diversions for traffic wanting to turn south into Tamworth Road take effect on Sunday 2 August from 7pm – and we have done our best to alert vehicle users by putting up warning signs in advance. Between 2 August and 7 August there are also likely to be night-time closures from 7pm to 5am – and the Market Place taxi rank will be closed. 

An alternative rank will be in use on Main Street outside the 3 Counties Snooker hall. Bus users can get more information from TrentBarton about how all the closures will impact routes.

“We appreciate that the work to widen Tamworth Road’s pavements is going to mean longer journeys so would urge drivers to allow more time for their trips. At the same we are keen to reiterate our message to local people and others visiting the town: Shops and businesses remain open – so please support them.”

Brit Mills Bridge Span

New bridge’s opening is scorcher for Mayor

Walking and Cycling Project.

Last updated: 02/07/2026.

A new bridge that spares residents a half-mile trek to get to the other side of their town’s canal has officially opened – with a ceremonial crossing of it by Erewash’s Mayor on the hottest day of the year.

The borough’s civic leader Cllr Greg Maskalick defied blistering 33°C heat to don his chain of office and cut the ribbon in Long Eaton, where he was joined by a town hall delegation and the local MP.

Greg hailed the new footbridge and cycleway at Britannia Mills as a huge boost to connectivity in the town. It has been constructed at a cost of around £2.1million at a former industrial site where new homes have been built. The Mayor said after he traversed the span: “It may be sweltering – but this is truly a cool new way to get across the Erewash Canal.”

The crossing is just one of a string of exciting “Town Deal” projects funded by £25million of regeneration investment that the council secured from the government.

A spectacular second bridge that will become a new local landmark is taking shape close to the centre of town at Broad Street. Meanwhile the area around the High Street is being radically transformed at a cost of £10million to turn it into a sizzling hub for shopping and leisure.

Brit Mills Bridge CrossingAmong those at the opening of the Britannia Mills Bridge was Erewash’s leader Cllr James Dawson. He said: “While the Broad Street bridge is replacing a structure that was nearing the end of its lifespan, the crossing here near Canal Street has been built where no bridge stood before. It will be a tremendous time-saver for local people.” Local businessman Richard Ledger, who chairs the Long Eaton Town Deal Board, said: “There are more than 100 new affordable homes at Britannia Mills, which was an old lace-making complex. The now thriving community there will be overjoyed at the bridge halving the previous mile-long distance between canal crossings.”

The borough council’s key partners in the bridge project – including the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency and Futures Housing – were thanked by the authority. One local who has already warmed to the new crossing described it as “brilliant” – adding on Facebook: “It will be a great asset. Much easier to get into town from the Canal Street area.” Another recalled how as a child he used to swim across the canal. He wrote fondly: “Happy days.”

Erewash’s MP Adam Thompson followed the Mayor across the new bridge just weeks after taking to a canoe with the 15th Long Eaton Sea Scout & Guide Group for their “Big Paddle Clean Up 2026”. It was the second time he had joined the effort to keep the canal pristine. Adam said of the bridge: “Until now, if you wanted to cross the canal between Derby Road and Bennett Street Lock, you were looking at nearly a mile between crossings. That’s a long way to go out of your way. This new bridge cuts that distance roughly in half, making it easier than ever for people from northern Long Eaton to get to the canal, river, and town centre, whether on foot or by bike.”

Local firm Stepnell won the contract to construct the crossing. Its director Tom Sewell said: “It is fantastic to celebrate the opening, having worked closely with Erewash Borough Council and the wider community to deliver a high-quality bridge that will enhance access into the town centre as part of the Long Eaton Town Deal.

“As a business based nearby in Beeston and also being involved in the Broad Street bridge, we are continuing to strengthen our connection with the community as we help to bring this complex long-term transformation to life.” His company arranged for an ice cream van to be at the opening of the bridge on Thursday 25 June – which was officially Erewash’s hottest June day on record.

Broad Street bridge and waterfrontHelp Name Long Eaton's New Bridge

Walking and Cycling Project.

Last updated: 02/07/2026.

A spectacular new canal bridge linking the centre of one of Erewash’s towns to its much-loved park is fast taking shape – sparking a plea by the borough council for local people to help name it.

The dramatic structure in Long Eaton features a sweeping curve and will form part of an entire new waterfront – where the footway and cycle crossing is poised to become an iconic landmark.

It boasts a soaring arch, the construction of which can be viewed in this video.

The bridge at Broad Street replaces a tired old metal one that was dismantled as it neared the end of its lifespan – and which was built so low that for almost a century towpath users needed to duck under it.

Erewash Borough Council’s leader Cllr James Dawson said: “The new bridge across the Erewash Canal will be a truly magnificent connection to West Park – and its imaginative design not only makes the most of what is a challenging location but means no-one risks banging their heads.

“Funding for the structure has come from Government regeneration investment as part of Long Eaton’s £25million Town Deal – which is money the council battled to clinch for local people. It is only fitting that the people themselves should get a chance to name it.”

People have until 11.59pm on Sunday 19 July to submit names for the bridge here: 

Name the new bridge at Broad Street Long Eaton | Let's Talk Erewash. 

The previous foot crossing was affectionately referred to as the Green Bridge. The new one’s name should ideally reflect Long Eaton’s heritage, according to local businessman Richard Ledger, who chairs the Town Deal Board. He said: “I can well imagine that we get a lot of jokey suggestions along the lines of ‘Bridgey McBridgeface’, but we are seeking a name that will proudly stand the test of time while paying tribute to our town’s rich history.”

He pointed to Long Eaton’s lacemaking industry as a possible inspiration. Elements of the bridge will reflect this. A floral design in the balustrade will echo the kind of wedding lace that Harrington Mill was famed for. Handrails will be red like the thread used in lacemaking to highlight a repair – signifying how the bridge stitches together the two sides of the canal. 

Another suggestion could be The Dame Laura Knight Bridge – in honour of the acclaimed Long Eaton-born painter who blazed a trail for women artists in the 20th century. A trail dedicated to the late Dame Laura – celebrated for her iconic wartime imagery – forms part of a huge revamp to the centre of town that is currently taking place thanks to the Town Deal. Click here to find out more about her: Laura Knight: She Won an Olympic Medal in Painting

The best names will be shortlisted by a panel. Members of the Long Eaton Town Deal Board will then hold a vote ahead of the bridge’s official opening, which is scheduled for this autumn.

High Street Visualisation 2

Drop in to get updates on town’s £10m revamp

Long Eaton High Street Project.

Last updated 01/07/2026.

PEOPLE keen to know more about a huge £10million makeover that is transforming the heart of their Erewash town are being invited to monthly “drop-in” events so they can be kept up to speed.

The first of the specially arranged sessions for them to meet some of those behind the new vision for Long Eaton is on Tuesday 7 July. The venue is a former drapers shop on the High Street – where work on the town’s colossal revamp got underway at the start of June.

Residents and local business people are being encouraged to get the lowdown by popping into No22 – now a popular bar called Rowells – from 11am to 2pm.

Further sessions will be held on the first Tuesday of each month. The aim is to provide updates and the opportunity to ask questions about how work is progressing to turn the High Street and nearby Tamworth Road into a thriving destination for shopping and leisure.

The transformation is thanks to the £25million Long Eaton Town Deal – which has been funding a string of projects after Erewash Borough Council clinched the regeneration investment from the government. A successful town hall exhibition in the run-up to the High Street work starting was a previous chance for people to ask all about the project.

Local business leader Richard Ledger, who chairs the Town Deal Board, said: “The High Street project is definitely the showcase one and has taken years of meticulous planning – not least to ensure that shops and businesses can remain open while work is underway. This is something we are very keen to stress.” Signs have even been put up around town to underline the message.

The remodelled town centre will be greener and more welcoming – while boasting a vibrant new main square. Design elements include benches that have been made to look like comfy sofas – in a tribute to Long Eaton’s proud furniture-making industry.

There will also be a trail dedicated to one of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th Century – the late Dame Laura Knight. She was born in the town.

The refurbishment of the High Street and Tamworth Road – which will get wider pavements – is due to be completed by next spring. Town Deal chair Richard said: “It is going to be a truly massive boost for Long Eaton.”

 

Funded by UK Gov stacked

  1. Business as usual while work takes place
  2. Long Eaton revamp: Drop in for preview on 13 May
  3. Long Eaton’s £10million revamp to start in June
  4. Bridge comes down as town gets two new ones