BBC Weather

It's a wet start today which will clear to leave a dry spell before more rain arrives followed by a few sunny spells this afternoon.

Today is also expected to be blustery but mild with highs of about 13C and the winds will ease overnight.

As we head towards dawn tomorrow, it will be dry with clear spells which could lead to a few mist and fog patches with a minimum temperature of 2C.

This lovely wet weather photograph was taken in Kegworth, Leicestershire, by BBC Weather Watcher Scrappy.

Image source, Scrappy

The over 40s are told they can get a jab but the offer is later withdrawn.

Eddie Bisknell
Local Democracy Reporter

More than 700 Covid-19 fines have been handed out to lockdown rulebreakers by Derbyshire Police in the last month.

The county's police and crime commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa said 176 Covid fines were issued last week alone.

Recently officers fined eight people in Matlock for breaking Covid rules, saying the tourist hotspot resembled a "bank holiday".

Image source, Stuart Woodman

In another incident in Repton, a man who drove from London to Derbyshire to collect a wardrobe claimed he had "forgotten about lockdown".

In a report to the county's police and crime panel, Mr Dhindsa said that there had been 388 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the force and a total of 7% of the workforce was currently off work after contracting Covid-19.

The report reveals that since the start of the pandemic, the force has – up until March 2 – handed out 1,605 fines to people breaching Covid guidance in the county and city.

Nottinghamshire Police handed out nearly 2,000 Covid-19 fines by mid-February.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

People aged 40 and over can now book to have a coronavirus vaccination in Nottinghamshire.

The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said those who are eligible can make an appointment from today using the online booking link, external or by calling the booking line.

Image source, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG

Amanda Sullivan, accountable officer at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, said: “We know the public has been waiting patiently for their turn to be vaccinated and now we are able to open up the programme further to include all those aged 40 and over.

"We are vaccinating huge numbers of people and over the comings week we will see more younger people in our communities receiving the vaccine. It’s a significant milestone for the programme."

The latest news, sport, travel and weather for the East Midlands.

BBC Weather

It's a dry and settled start to the week.

The best of the sunshine will be through the morning and while there will still be some bright spells this afternoon, cloud will tend to increase with highs of 12C.

This evening will be dry but cloudy and spells of rain will move down during the early hours of tomorrow morning with a minimum of 6C expected.

In Cotgrave, the sky is looking blue and a little cloudy this morning in this lovely snap by BBC Weather Watcher Curly Claire.

Image source, Curly Claire

Naima Ben-Moussa says she understands what other women have gone through after abuse as a child.

Metehan is due to fly to the US to have Zolgensma but the drug has now been approved by the NHS.

John Jefferies drove at Sam Donner and his friend after one of them damaged his car, a court hears.

Police say there has been "growing alarm" over dog thefts after a number of "distressing incidents".

Rob Sissons
East Midlands Today Reporter

Dr John Brewin also told the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire coronavirus briefing that the county's vaccination programme was back on track after supply problems this week.

He said the county will be back to delivering about 80,000 jabs next week and they were currently up to the over-55s.

The briefing was told 80% of care home staff and residents had been vaccinated, along with more than 70% of social care workers and 72% of unpaid carers.

Image source, Reuters

Rob Sissons
East Midlands Today Reporter

Health bosses have said there are now fewer patients in Nottinghamshire's hospitals with Covid-19 than there were in the first wave in April.

Dr John Brewin, chief executive of the Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust, said it was the first time since October that patient numbers were below the first peak of the pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

At a health briefing for the county, he said there had been 83 admissions this week compared with 153 the previous week.

The total number of patients with coronavirus in the county's hospitals is currently 274.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's another windy day, with lengthy sunny spells as well as scattered showers expected.

A few of the showers could be quite heavy and we may get some hail too.

Temperatures are due to range between 8C and 9C and wind gusts could be up to 45mph.

With the rain and sunshine expected, perhaps we may see more rainbows like this captured by BBC Weather Watcher Maggie T Howlett in East Leake, Nottinghamshire yesterday.

Image source, Maggie T Howlett

Debbie Yates encouraged the boy to miss school and meet her daily, a court hears.

All the East Midlands' major native breeds, such as Border Leicester sheep, are under threat.

Leicestershire sign Australia opener Marcus Harris for this summer's County Championship and One-Day Cup.

Sheffield City region mayor Dan Jarvis said the rail upgrade will bring a "significant boost".

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A man has been seriously injured and another arrested after a crash involving four cars and a lorry on the M1.

The vehicles collided on the northbound carriageway between Junction 20 for Lutterworth and Junction 21 for Leicester just before 18:30 on Wednesday.

Image source, Google

The man, in his 30s, was taken to the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

He remains in hospital in a serious condition.

A number of other people were also taken to hospital as a precaution, police said.

After officers arrived at the scene, a 24-year-old man was arrested nearby on suspicion of failing to stop.

He remains in custody.

Both sides of the motorway were closed to allow emergency services to attend the scene but have since reopened.

BBC Weather

The weather will continue to be blustery today, with winds between 45mph and 50mph.

A Met Office yellow warning is in place for wind until 15:00 today, meaning strong winds accompanied by heavy and blustery showers may bring disruption to parts of England and Wales.

Here, it will be unsettled at times but we should see the return of sunshine as we go through this morning and into this afternoon although there will still be some showers throughout the day.

The wind should ease a little bit this afternoon, but it is still going to be fairly breezy through to the evening, with temperatures expected to get up to 9C or 10C.

Image source, Schuren

BBC Weather Watcher Schuren captured this photograph of the sun glowing through the clouds in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, early this morning.

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

A vaccination centre closed for more than a week is still "several thousand doses short" of completing the rollout for one cohort despite the recent reallocation of some doses.

Geoff Hanlan, a Charnwood-based GP, said the site based at the borough council offices has been closed for 11 days and won't have enough jabs to inject all of those in priority group six, which covers all people between 16 and 64 years old who have underlying health conditions.

He told a meeting of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) medical centres "have had further difficulties with vaccine allocation over the weekend", which is "leading to a lot of very angry phone calls from patients".

Image source, Getty Images

Last week it was revealed some hospital hubs will also scale back the number of vaccines given, with some temporarily closing or operating fewer hours.

Rachna Vyas, executive director of integration and transformation for the CCGs, said officials "have done everything that we can" but that a "constraint" around vaccine supply continues, while chief executive Andy Williams said the introduction of second doses "means that we need all our outlets to be going full tilt to keep up".

Chief nurse Caroline Trevithick said last week that supply will "increase tremendously" from 15 March.

"That will coincide with additional cohorts being open so that we have got the people coming through as much as we have the vaccine coming in," she said.