With schools once again closing their doors to most pupils, a lot of learning has moved online.

However some families are struggling due to a lack of access to computers.

The Harney family from Clipstone in Nottinghamshire, have four children but only two laptops.

All of the children - girls, aged five and eight, and boys, aged nine and 17 - are expected to be sitting in front of a computer each day, which is not possible.

One of the children's schools lent them a laptop this week, but they are still one computer short.

Image source, Harney family

"Although we are both working parents and by no means deprived we don't have endless amounts of technology either," said Sarah.

"We've told the schools it's not going to be possible for us to be online for that much time each day with each child.

"I don't know how it's going to work out. It's going to have to be ad hoc learning, I think."

Image source, Harney family

Sarah is also worried about her children having too much screen time.

"I don't want my kids staring at a computer for six hours a day," she said.

Sarah's husband, Anthony, is a police control room manager which means he cannot work from home.

Much of the children's education has therefore come down to Sarah, who works as a taekwondo instructor and does her classes online after the children have finished school.

"It's not going to be easy and I don't think schools should expect too much of parents because parents aren't teachers," she said.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

More patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have been receiving their Covid-19 vaccination as additional supplies become available.

Caroline Trevithick, executive director of nursing, quality and performance for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland clinical commissioning groups, said: “Over the past few weeks, we are proud to have rapidly expanded the Covid-19 vaccination programme across LLR.

"More areas across the city and counties are preparing to begin vaccinating in the coming days and weeks.

Image source, PA Media

"There is still a long way to go but I’d like to reassure patients that if they are eligible at this stage they will be contacted by their GP practice with information about their vaccinations including when to come in for their second dose," she added.

Dr Simon Vincent, clinical director of North Blaby primary care network, said: "We’re really grateful for the continued support, dedication and commitment shown by all our staff, practice managers and GPs."

BBC Radio Nottingham

NHS bosses in Nottinghamshire have said more than 500 patients are in hospital with coronavirus - the highest since the start of the pandemic.

They said Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) and City Hospital had more than 300 coronavirus-related admissions in a week and Kingsmill Hospital had turned operating theatres into wards to increase critical care capacity.

Medical director Dr Keith Girling, from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said the third lockdown for the country was "really important" as some patients had been admitted with the new strain.

"Increasing numbers come in each day and we're expecting those numbers to continue to climb," he said.

"We are coping, but our hospitals are stretched. We absolutely need to see people comply with the lockdown in order to bring those numbers down."

Dr Girling added that staff have been "amazing", but were "weary" as they have been dealing with the pandemic for a year.

Image source, Getty Images

QMC intensive care consultant Dr Dan Harvey told the BBC, the emotional burden of working through the outbreak was tough on staff, as many have witnessed conversations between dying Covid patients and their loved ones.

"Obviously, they come into the job to try and save people's lives - do the best they can for them, but unfortunately that's not always possible," he added.

BBC Weather Watchers

Another mixed day today with spells of rain and showers in places, some sunny spells at times too and a dusting of snow.

If you're lucky you could have some decent sunshine.

Weather Watcher Mama KiKi woke up to the white stuff this morning in Sutton in Ashfield.

Be careful as a yellow weather warning of ice has been issued until 11:00 for the region.

Image source, Mama KiKi

A group of 11 men in three cars were fined for driving from London to the Peak District.

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

Bus operators serving the region have confirmed there will be no changes to their services following the national lockdown announcement.

Companies including Trentbarton, Arriva, First Leicester, Kinchbus, and Hulleys of Baslow, have said they will continue to operate as normal until further notice.

Image source, Press Association

Stagecoach said on Facebook: "For now, our buses are running to their current timetable but you can keep up to date with any changes by checking our website, following your local team on Twitter and keeping an eye out on here."

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

An organisation representing businesses in the East Midlands has said after a "desperate 2020... a third national lockdown is another devastating blow to business confidence".

The East Midlands Chamber's chief executive Scott Knowles said: "It follows hard on the heels of lost trade during the festive season – not to mention the uncertainty that prevailed up until the eleventh hour of the Brexit transition period.

“The government’s need to act in the face of spiralling threat to public health is obviously understood but after already spending billions on helping good firms to survive this crisis and save jobs, it must not let these companies fail now when the vaccine roll-out provides light at the end of this long, dark tunnel."

Image source, Getty Images

He said the chancellor’s announcement of a one-off £9,000 grant for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will "hopefully help keep their heads above water for a couple more months".

However, Mr Knowles added: "Westminster must remember financial support – while certainly welcomed and required – is no substitute for a fully open economy that allows businesses to generate their own revenue.

“It’s now time for the government to open the lines of communication with businesses by sharing its plan for how the brakes will be lifted on the economy over the coming months to allow businesses to plan properly.”

David Pittam
BBC News Online

The coronavirus infection rate has increased in every part of the East Midlands over the past week and has almost doubled in Derby.

The below figures show the infection rate per 100,000 people in each local authority area in the week up to 31 December.

They also show how much it has increased in each area compared with the week leading up to 24 December.

England's rate of infection is 537.5 per 100,000, an increase of 30%.

Nottinghamshire

Ashfield - 492.5, up by 71%

Mansfield - 390.6, up by 54%

Gedling - 358.8, up by 30%

Nottingham - 345.7, up by 58%

Broxtowe - 317.5, up by 55%

Rushcliffe - 306.2, up by 32%

Newark and Sherwood - 276.1, up by 18%

Bassetlaw - 275, up by 13%

Leicestershire

Oadby and Wigston - 492.9, up by 31%

Leicester - 427.7, up by 38%

Harborough - 400.8, up by 54%

Blaby - 347.7, up by 49%

North West Leicestershire - 311.7, up by 40%

Melton - 291, up by 20%

Hinckley and Bosworth - 274.9, up by 17%

Charnwood - 272.3, up by 25%

Rutland - 220.4, up by 19%

Image source, Google

Derbyshire

Amber Valley - 467.4, up by 39%

Derby - 465.6, up by 73%

South Derbyshire - 337.5, up by 22%

Bolsover - 333.9, up by 42%

Erewash - 306.8, up by 66%

North East Derbyshire - 289.8, up by 38%

Chesterfield - 232.6, up by 26%

High Peak - 224.5, up by 41%

Derbyshire Dales - 200.5, up by 20%

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will receive new grants to help support them during the third national lockdown, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.

All non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are now closed with pubs and restaurants allowed to offer takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks only.

The grants will be made available by local authorities and are in addition to business rates relief and the furlough scheme, which has been extended until the end of April.

The grants will be worth up to £9,000 per property, the Treasury says.

Separately, £594m will be made available to affected firms outside these sectors, Mr Sunak said.

Image source, Getty Images

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Fraudsters are sending out fake texts offering a Covid vaccine, Derbyshire Police have warned.

They said the text offers a link to an "extremely convincing" fake NHS website where fraudsters will try to take your personal or financial information.

They also said cold callers are asking people to pay for the vaccine over the phone.

Image source, Getty Images

A spokesperson for the force said: "The scam message reads 'we have identified that your are eligible to apply for your vaccine' and then prompts you to click on a link for further information or to ‘apply’ for the vaccine.

"If you receive a text or email that asks you to click on a link or for you to provide information, such as your name, credit card or bank details, it's a scam."

BBC Radio Derby

The MP for Mid-Derbyshire, Pauline Latham, has descibed the new lockdown as "regrettable" but said there was "no choice" because of the new Covid variant.

"We have to stop the transmission of it to stop the hospitals being totally overwhelmed.

"We want people to be treated adequately and until we stop the numbers getting into hospital, we are not going to do that and the only way to do that is to vaccinate."

Image source, UK Parliament

Ms Latham added: "I think we are further back then square one, sadly, because there are many more people catching the virus and there are many more people in hospital with the virus than before."

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

As the East Midlands wakes to new lockdown restrictions, teachers across the region are calling on the government to include them as a priority group for Covid-19 vaccinations.

Joseph Wyglendacz from the National Education Union said: "Increasing the vaccination to education workers needs to be a priority and a robust testing system needs to be in place.

"We are still there providing provision for key workers and vulnerable children and we are also attempting to teach remotely online where possible for all children."

Image source, Reuters

All schools are closed this morning - except to vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

England's third national lockdown began this morning, with Boris Johnson telling everyone to stay at home except for a few permitted reasons.

Similar to the first March lockdown, schools have shut to most pupils, and businesses - such as non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms - will stay closed.

The prime minister ordered people to stay indoors other than for limited exceptions - such as essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work that cannot be done at home.

We'll be bringing you all the latest from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.

You can read more about the national picture here.

Image source, PA Media

Maria Rico took off her oxygen mask to say goodbye - despite knowing this would hasten her death.

Daniel Walsh put body parts into a sett in the hope they would be eaten by badgers, the judge said.

Rob Sissons
East Midlands Today Reporter

The new strain of Covid-19 is one of the main concerns for health bosses across the East Midlands.

Across Nottingham, Derby and Leicester the infection rate is rising and sadly the death rate is up.

In the period between Christmas and New Year, 13% of positive tests showed hallmarks of this new more infectious strain.

January and February are always busy months for hospitals as they deal with the impact winter has on our health.

Their concern right now is what household mixing on Christmas Day might have on the infection rate as it can take up to seven days from infection to hospitalisation.

Image source, PA Media

All the stock of the Pfizer vaccine is being used up at our main hospitals. The Oxford vaccine came on stream today, but not in the East Midlands.

That will not happen until the middle of this week at the earliest.

It will go to hospitals with staff members as well as patients receiving it.

Crucially it will go to the wider community via GPs and there are plans for bigger vaccination centres as well later this month.

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

A yellow weather warning for ice has been issued for the majority of the East Midlands.

The only areas in the region not affected, external include parts of Leicestershire, like Earl Shilton and Lutterworth, and Swadlincote in Derbyshire.

The Met Office said it will be in place from 16:00 today until 11:00 tomorrow and warned that icy stretches were likely to cause difficult travel conditions.

Image source, moss master

BBC Weather Watchers

Another chilly day starts off the week and a northeasterly breeze will provide additional wind chill.

It will also be cloudy this morning, with a few scattered showers. The clouds will be patchy in places and if you're lucky enough there might be some bright spells when the cloud breaks.

A yellow warning of ice has been issued for most parts of the region, so take care on icy surfaces. Icy patches may also cause some tricky travel conditions.

Weather Watcher Ben has captured a crow reflecting in an icy pond in Arboretum, Nottingham.

Image source, Ben

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

The fines relate to two large parties held in Leicester, say police.