Amy Woodfield
BBC News

A diversion is in place around the hospital in Nottingham while a tree is removed from the A52.

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

A mum has described how one of her three sons tried to jump out of a moving car on the way to school because he was so desperate not to go.

All three of Louise Engels' children have been diagnosed with special educational needs and medical conditions.

All three are now educated at home after, Louise claimed, the Leicestershire schools involved in her boys' educations failed them.

Image source, Getty Images

The former teacher said her sons did not need to go to special schools but instead needed the mainstream school they attended to make "small adjustments".

She said she believed her boys would "benefit much more from being in mainstream school", but that "the schools they attended just would not make the adaptations and allowances for that to happen".

The mum told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "On a personal and family level we have been completely devastated by this.

"I just feel I have no other choice than to educate my sons at home."

On top of her attempts to get her boys back to school, Louise said she also found herself under investigation by social services. The case has now been closed.

A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said: "We can't comment on specific cases, but protecting children is of paramount importance and our role in safeguarding comes before all other duties. We have to ensure that concerns are fully investigated."

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

A man is in hospital with potentially life-changing injuries after he was hit by a car in Leicester last night.

Police say that a brick was thrown through a window in a house in Glendon Street, which caused three people to come out of the house and walk along Canon Street to investigate.

One of the men, a 23-year-old, was hit by a white BMW which then crashed into a parked vehicle before driving off.

The man was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

A cordon is in place in Canon Street.

Image source, Leicester Media

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

There's been some trouble with the trams in Nottingham this morning following a crash between Meadows Way West and Nottingham Station.

The vehicles blocking the tram line have now been cleared.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The Green Party has accused Leicester City Council of not doing enough to work with bus companies on lowering fares and moving to electric.

Mags Lewis said: "We've got to move and we've got to move fast. We can do so much but we've got to be consistent and stop promoting cars, stop promoting car parks and get people back on the buses."

She compared Leicester to Nottingham, Coventry and Birmingham - cities where the authorities were working collaboratively with bus companies to "make the best of what we've got now".

Nottingham City Transport has just secured £1.12m of funding , externalfrom the government to expand its bio-methane refuelling station. Leicester's deputy mayor Adam Clarke said they didn't even apply for this funding.

He said the authority was focusing its efforts on the "big money" on offer in the Transforming Cities Fund. They're hoping to secure money from this to switch their Park and Ride buses to an electric fleet.

He said the authority is working with the bus operators to lower emissions in the city and that by the end of 2020 the city will have the lowest emission diesel buses available.

Mr Clarke said the city also has a road network that prioritises buses so they spend less time being idle while stuck in traffic.

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

Rams boss Frank Lampard has confirmed that former Celtic defender Efe Ambrose has been training with Derby after departing Hibernian last month.

The Nigerian won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and was also part of the Celtic side which recorded a famous 2-1 win over Spanish giants Barcelona in the 2012/13 Champions League campaign..

Image source, Getty Images

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Andy King has been talking to the media about joining Derby County on loan from Leicester City.

He said his new boss Frank Lampard was putting players through some “tough sessions" to get the best out of them.

The 30-year-old, who lifted the Premier League title with the Foxes in 2016, is confident the Rams were heading for success.

He said: “We’ve got a really good chance of getting something special this season. The lads are already buying into that”.

Speaking about Andy King, Frank Lampard said he is "good for the club" and his flexibility is what they need.

He referred to King as "a midfield player who can score a goal".

Leicester Tigers have agreed to sign back row Jordan Taufua from Super Rugby side Crusaders next season.

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

A man charged with burgling a shop is due in court.

The 35-year-old has been charged in relation to a burglary at a B&M store in Stockwell Gate, Mansfield, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

He is set to appear at Mansfield Magistrates' Court today.

Image source, Google

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

A woman has been jailed for four years for robbing a vulnerable man at his Mansfield home.

Julie Coyle, of Ladybrook Lane, Nottingham, forced her way into the house and stole a TV after assaulting the man by grabbing him by the throat, police say.

The 37-year-old was sentenced on 1 February at Nottingham Crown Court after being found guilty of robbery.

Detective Constable Kelly Holloway said: "She is a violent and manipulative individual who thinks she can get away with treating people in this way.

"I hope the victim can now put the incident behind him and wish him a full recovery following the ordeal."

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The annual Light Night festival returns to Nottingham later.

For one night only the city centre will be illuminated while music and street theatre is performed.

This year the festival features a 14m-wide moon sculpture at the Royal Concert Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo landings.

East Midlands Today

Facial recognition technology, used by police in Leicestershire, has been criticised in a new study by academics.

Image source, Reuters

The system is used to identify known offenders, and was trialled at the Download Festival at Donington Park in 2015.

It's since been adopted by other forces in the UK but some criminologists are today warning there are still major concerns over privacy and accuracy.

Dr Joe Purshouse from the University of East Anglia told the BBC: "There hasn't been a real democratic debate about what the proper limits of this technology should be.

"I think that's something that should happen before the police start using this technology when there are question marks about how good it is and how accurate the technology is."

Speaking about their use of facial recognition technology in 2015, Leicestershire Police said the software provided an "efficient and effective" way of picking known offenders out of a crowd - something that officers would previously have been done using paper briefings.

Chris Doidge
BBC Radio Derby, political reporter

Derby council's deputy chief executive, Christine Durrant, has stepped away from the A52 roadworks project, the BBC understands.

An audit report said she knew of cost difficulties months before politicians were told.

The original budget of £15m is now expected to almost treble to £42m.

Lisa Eldret, the current leader of the Labour group - which was in charge during the project's launch - said: "I think the report is quite clear that officers had plenty of opportunity to report to members.

"Unfortunately they didn’t and that’s left us in a situation with a project that’s costing millions and millions of pounds more than it should have done and that’s coming at the expense of the Derby taxpayer."

Four current Derby City Council staff are subject to internal investigations as a result of the project's failings.

Mrs Durrant has been approached for a comment.

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

All lanes of the M1 have reopened following a crash between J29 and J28 this morning.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Not a great look. This driver was halfway through a can of beer when police pulled him over in Carr Vale yesterday.

He was arrested, external after being found to be over the limit, uninsured and disqualified from driving.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

BBC Radio Nottingham

Campaigners are hopeful of getting a slice of government funding to install passenger lifts at Beeston railways station.

The Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani says, despite being well kept, stations like Beeston deserve modern facilities.

She said: "We want to make sure that money is spent on stations with not just the highest footfall, but also the higher incidences of people with disabilities trying to access those stations.

There are already ramps to the platforms - but crossing from one to the other means a 550m journey for those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs.

Image source, Google

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

Queues on the M1 are now stretching back for six miles.

Traffic information company Inrix is reporting that the crash at 03:30 involved a van and a tanker, and that the road has been closed since 04:20.

Highways England hope to have the road reopened by 09:00.

Image source, Highways England

Rebecca Brice
Producer, BBC Radio Nottingham

Highways England have said they are removing their hard closure signs on the M1 and they are hoping to re-open the road at around 09:00.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

We can expect a windy and wet day today, caused by low pressure, creeping in from the south west.

This afternoon we can expect drier and milder spells across the region.

Here's Alex with your forecast.