Updates on Thursday, 13 April 2017
HMIC has 'serious concerns' over Bedfordshire Police
Chinese community in Milton Keynes want more police protection
Virgin Trains East Coast staff to stage 48-hour strike
Woodland wedding venue attacked by arsonists
Mariam Issimdar
BBC News
...has come to an end. But don't worry, you can scroll back and catch up on all the day's news and events.
The highlight for me has to be the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh feeding elephants bananas. What's not to love?
Enjoy and have a good evening. We'll be back at 08:00 tomorrow.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt should be a fine end to the day and staying dry this evening, although there could be some patchy light rain by the end of the night.
Temperatures falling to about 6C, that's 43F.
Image source, BBC WeatherTomorrow will be cloudy with some bright spells, but with the cloud increasing from the north we could see some showery outbreaks. Highs of 14C, that's 57F.
BBC Weather has more local forecasts.
David Keller
BBC News
Do you often wander around a town, see these statues of famous people and don't really understand who they are or what they did?
If only they could talk to you...
Well, using the wonder of modern technology, they now can.
The talking statue project, external has been launched in Bedford and allows people to hear the stories of seven of the town's most famous names.
All you have to do is scan the QR code by the statue with your smartphone and said famous person will call you back for a natter.
As you wander around the town you can hear the stories of people including preacher John Bunyan and Big Band leader Glenn Miller.
Matt Berry, of The IT Crowd and Mighty Boosh fame, has voiced John Bunyan, whose 1678 masterpiece The Pilgrim's Progress has outsold every book in publishing history bar the Bible.
Wow.
Image source, Getty ImagesGiving his unique words of wisdom on the project, Berry said: "Being born in Bedford, the John Bunyan statue was an integral part of growing up. Even if you didn't know who he was, you couldn't fail to notice him.
"I like the fact that he went to prison and wrote a best-seller while he was there! So if you should go to prison, why not write a book - because you might get your own statue!"
I'll bear that in mind.
Former England captain and Bedford Blues star David Perry (right) has died at the age of 79.
Image source, Bedford BluesThe number eight made 101 appearances for Bedford and also captained England.
A statement on the club's website, external says: "David, a talismanic No.8, made 101 appearances for Bedford between 1962-66 and was captain in 1962-63 and 1965-66.
"Winning a Cambridge Blue in 1958, Perry went on to join Bedford from Harlequins before gaining 15 England International caps between 1963-66.
"He made 13 appearances at No.8 and two in the second row for his country as well as captaining England in all four games in the Five Nations Championship in 1965."
Cleah Hetherington
BBC Radio Suffolk
Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club’s outgoing director has been talking about the challenge waiting for him at his new club Old Albanians.
Image source, BBC SportGavin Hogg has confirmed he's leaving The Haberden at the end of the current season to take up his new role as head coach at the National League One side in St Albans.
Hogg said he's looking forward to the challenge.
"Playing at National One they've got a great level of support and a good link with Saracens so that's certainly something that really excites me.
"They want to consolidate their place in National One over the next one or two years so I think it's an opportunity for me to go in and hopefully put my stamp and mark and try and introduce some new things that's going to improve it along the way."
Meanwhile, Bury Rugby Club said it is closing in on a new director of rugby and hope to make an announcement shortly after Easter.
The ex-Bedfordshire police officer was awarded £200,000 in 2015 over the racial discrimination.
Read MoreMariam Issimdar
BBC News
Police have named the two women who died in the Cheshunt care home fire at the weekend.
Ivy Spriggs, 91, and 88-year-old Daphne Holloway died after fire took hold of Newgrange Care Home on Cadmore Lane on Saturday.
Image source, Hertfordshire Fire and RescueTheir families have issued the following details about their lives.
"Daphne was born and raised in Waltham Cross, together with her sister. She married Len in 1948 and they lived in Waltham Abbey for a short while, but she was widowed at just 28.
"She brought up their daughter Claire and they have always been devoted to each other.
"She then worked as a farm secretary whilst living in Upshire and then on moving to Cheshunt in the 1970s she worked as an administrator in a building society until her retirement.
"Ivy May Spriggs, nee Rothwell, was born into a family of 12 in Shoreditch, east London. Ivy met the love of her life Len Spriggs when working through the Blitz as a bus conductress.
"They married and had two children, Carole and Maxine. She had seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, who all adored her and she was known as 'naughty nanny Ivy'.
"Ivy had an unforgettable character and was full of life. She was always cracking jokes, making people laugh and extremely mischievous.
"She also could be very blunt and maintained her dignity and values from a hard working background in the East End.
"She had a gift that made everyone feel special in her company and would often charm whoever she met with a song or saying.
"She gave out so much love and was loved back by so many. Never ever to be forgotten."
Jane Killick
BBC Three Counties Radio
A relative of the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has admitted computer hacking.
Christopher Hutcheson, 37, of Welwyn Garden City, admitted attempting to gain access to the computer systems at Gordon Ramsay Holdings Limited .
His father, also called Christopher, 68, and brother Adam, 46, admitted the same charge - conspiring to cause a computer to access programs and data without authority - at the Old Bailey.
Image source, Getty ImagesChristopher Hutcheson Snr is the father of Ramsay's wife, Tana (right).
The charges relate to a plot to hack into the computer system at the firm between 23 October 2010 and 31 March 2011.
The judge adjourned sentencing for reports to be produced.
The monarch meets a 10-month-old calf named in her honour during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo.
Read MoreThe Queen fed seven-year-old Asian elephant Donna during Whipsnade trip.
Read More
Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live
As we've been reporting, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire this morning.
Her Majesty opened the new £2m Centre for Elephant Care, before meeting elephants Donna, Kayleigh and Luca.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh fed seven-year-old Donna while touring the home for the nine Asian elephants.
The Queen opens the new Centre for Elephant Care at Whipsnade Zoo
The custom-designed barn, which has one-metre deep soft sand flooring, is set among 20 acres of paddocks for the herd.
The centre will be open to the public tomorrow.
A Luton museum will reopen after a year-long transformation costing £3.5m.
Read MoreSarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live
The Queen is opening Priory View home in Dunstable this afternoon.
The home has been designed to meet the needs of older residents who want to maintain their independence.
One resident, Pauline, gave the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh a grand tour of her apartment.
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Caroline Kingdon
BBC Local Live
Back to our story on the quality of care homes, which has been highlighted by the charity Independent Age, external .
Its research shows a stark variation of care, with Buckinghamshire and Norfolk having the highest percentage of "inadequate" or "needs improvement" ratings in the east of England - 31% and 29.7% respectively.
This map show she number of individual care homes in these two categories in each local authority area (Bucks doesn't feature in the charity's version of the eastern region):
Image source, Independent AgeNadra Ahmed is the executive chairman of the National Care Association, external . She told me that a "whole generation is being let down".
"The person losing out the most is the service user... a person who's vulnerable and requires a service they've been promised and have already paid for, through taxes and national insurance... we should hang our heads in shame over this," she said.
In the spring budget, the government announced £2bn of funding for social care. But Ms Ahmed says that when the details are looked at closely, the money isn't for frontline services - instead it will go to local authorities.
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Here are some close-up photos of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh opening Whipsnade Zoo's £2m Centre for Elephant Care.
Her Majesty and the Duke took a tour around the centre in Bedfordshire before meeting elephants Donna, Kayleigh and Luca.
Donna was lucky enough to be fed bananas by the royal couple.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
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Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have now left Whipsnade Zoo after opening the new £2m elephant centre.
They arrived just after 11:10 and met elephants Donna, Kayleigh and Luca before feeding Donna a banana.
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The pair are now on their way to officially open the Priory View home in Dunstable before enjoying lunch with the residents.
