Calum McKenzie
BBC News

A man who drove his car into a group of pedestrians while over the drink drive limit has been jailed.

Image source, Google

Bipranjit Singh, 32, of Cossington Street, Leicester, hit the group on Belgrave Road (pictured) in the city in October last year.

A woman broke a kneecap in the crash and a man suffered minor injuries.

Singh pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and drink driving and was jailed for 22 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.

Samantha Fisher
BBC News Online

A "devastating" wild fire has destroyed an estimated 40 to 50 bird nests and about 40 hectares of moorland.

Five members of the Peak District Moorland Group (PDMG) and 30 firefighters fought the blaze in the Goyt Valley, near Buxton, after it started shortly before 18:00 on Sunday.

The fire took about four hours to put out.

Image source, Richard Bailey

Image source, Richard Bailey

Gamekeeper Richard Bailey said fire crews at the scene, who assessed the site, thought it was deliberate.

He said curlew, grouse, pipit, short eared owl, and duck nests had all been destroyed.

East Midlands Today

Several people from Prince Harry's youth projects in Nottingham have been invited to the forthcoming royal wedding.

Each has been involved in trying to transform St Ann's - an inner city community the prince has described as "close to his heart".

More than 1,000 members of the public have been invited to the grounds of Windsor Castle for the nuptials on 19 May.

Image source, PA

Trevor Rose, who runs a community recording studio, is among those with an invite and he said it had been "beautiful" to see the prince fall in love.

He told BBC East Midlands Today: "To have seen and watch Harry grow over the years has been an amazing opportunity.

"He's changed from a boy to a man. There's an amazing look in his eye - the man's in love."

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

A council building was evacuated earlier (12:24) because of the discovery of an "unidentified substance", the fire service has confirmed.

Image source, Google

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said crews from Retford and Loughborough attended Newark and Sherwood District Council's headquarters earlier.

It added that the substance was dealt with and no-one was injured.

The tree is dying from a fungal infection but Nottingham Trent University wants to preserve it.

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

A motorcyclist has died during a crash at the weekend.

Image source, Google

The man was riding along the A5199 towards Husbands Bosworth when he was involved in a collision with a van.

It happened at about 14:30 on Saturday afternoon near the entrance to the Armourgeddon Military Museum.

No-one else was injured in the crash and police are appealing for dashcam footage of the crash.

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

Owners of a dog who was neglected and being "eaten alive" by maggots have avoided jail.

Image source, RSPCA

Son Van Huynh and Hai Hunyh, of Kildare Road, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to eight animal welfare offences relating to the treatment of three dogs.

The RSPCA said all three animals were living in poor conditions, had no access to fresh water and had to be put down.

Susan Hammond, an inspector for the charity, said: "Skye [a Japanese akita dog]... had open wounds on her body which were covered in maggots - her skin was rotting away and she was being eaten alive."

The pair were given 12-week prison sentences, suspended for two years and disqualified from keeping animals for life.

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

Newark and Sherwood District Council tweets...

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

Leicester Tigers forward Luke Hamilton has been named in the Scotland squad for their summer tour of the United States, Canada and Argentina.

Image source, Getty Images

The 26-year-old, who made his debut against New Zealand in November, forms part of a 33-man squad for the trip next month.

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

Newark and Sherwood District Council tweets...

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Engagement and wedding rings have been stolen along with a number of sapphire and diamond rings during a burglary in Mickleover, external.

They were in a red leather box which was taken from the house on Bowland Close at some point between 30 April and 1 May.

A Nintendo DS games console and a pack of 400 cigarettes were also taken.

Image source, Google

Firbeck Hall near Rotherham is Grade II listed but was last used in the late 1980s.

Derby Telegraph

Three men have appeared in court, external in connection with the robbery of £5,000 from a man from outside a Derbyshire hotel.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

A revolutionary swimsuit that caused outrage when it was unveiled in the 1920s is to go on display at a museum in Scotland after being loaned out by Leicestershire County Council.

The Speedo racerback costume for men was produced in the 1920s at a time when swimsuits were made out of wool and had sleeves to protect the wearer's modesty.

The suit, which features the Speedo tick logo, was significantly more tight-fighting than other costumes of the time and was made of silk or cotton which absorbed less water.

The controversial costume - which was barred from some beaches - was key to the success of the Australian company, founded by Scottish immigrant Alexander MacRae.

Image source, PA

The costume is being loaned to the V&A Dundee by the Leicestershire County Council Museums Service, and is believed to be the only one in a UK collection.

Sarah Nicol, collections engagement officer for Leicestershire County Council, said: "When this Speedo suit came up for sale at a local vintage shop, we realised that it was a rare opportunity to acquire a swimsuit of this age, unworn and still with its manufacturer's label attached.

"Although we are a landlocked county we have a large selection of swimwear in our collections, which reflects the history of hosiery and knitted jersey manufacture that was so important in Leicestershire."

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

You are being urged to allow extra time for your journey if you are heading to East Midlands Airport this weekend due to planned roadworks.

Image source, PA

The M1 will be closed in both directions between junction 23A and junction 24 in both directions from Friday 11 until the afternoon of Sunday 13 May.

It is so a new bridge can be put up.

Northbound traffic will be rerouted off the M1 at junction 23A along the A453/A50, before re-joining the M1 at junction 24. Southbound traffic will follow this route in reverse.

Phill Morris, from East Midlands Airport, said: "We are working with our airline partners, local authorities and other key stakeholders to ensure that anyone who is visiting the airport is aware of the likely disruption.

"We will have extra staff on duty to assist and manage this situation to ensure that passengers are not inconvenienced."

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

The parents of a music-loving teenager who died from cancer are to stage a two-day festival in Derbyshire in her honour.

Jess Fairclough (pictured left) was 18 when she died from rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that affects muscles in the body, in November 2015.

Jesstival is due to take place at Gresley Old Hall on 30 June to 1 July, headlined by folk favourites Beans On Toast.

Image source, Family photo/CLIC Sargent

Her mother Tracy said: "Music was a massive part of our beautiful daughter Jess’ life, right up until the moment she died.

"So to honour her memory and raise vital money for CLIC Sargent and Teenage Cancer Trust, we are throwing a huge musical celebration of Jess’ life, so that other teenagers diagnosed with cancer can have the same help and support Jess did."

Calum McKenzie
BBC News

Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon has admitted his squad must learn from their dramatic loss to Durham.

Image source, Getty Images

The Foxes were bowled out for 101, after asking Durham to follow on.

Nixon said: "The captain and the vice-captain spoke in the dressing room and were obviously bitterly disappointed, but there's a lot of good learning moments that came from the game.

"We dominated so much of the game, we had a great fightback when Durham dug deep. The pitch got flatter, our ball got softer and they played their cricket well.

"We're bitterly disappointed, Durham bowled very well and very straight on a pitch that was going up and down."

The result means Leicestershire are still awaiting their first County Championship win since September 2016.

Lee Foster was tracked down after he dumped household waste at three sites in Nottinghamshire.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

A former children's home worker has been jailed, external for raping and indecently assaulting two girls in his care in the 1980s.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Dean Gathercole, from Radcliffe-on-Trent, met them when he worked at the Amberdale Children's home in Stapleford - now called the Clayfields House Secure Unit.

He raped one of the girls at a flat at Amberdale and the other at his mother's home in Radcliffe-on-Trent.

The 53-year-old was jailed for 19 years after being found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and three of rape.

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

Leicester City Council has unveiled ambitious plans to end rough sleeping in the city by 2020.

Image source, Getty Images

The pledge is written into the authority's fourth homelessness strategy which was released last week.

The council has given itself two years to eliminate rough sleeping, despite a report showing that there was an increase in the number of rough sleepers in 2016/17.

It is estimated there are around 36 people sleeping out in the city every night.

Nationally, the government has set up a task force which it says will aim to halve the number of people sleeping rough by 2022 and eliminate it altogether by 2027.

It has pledged £1bn to be spent by councils before 2020 to help tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.