Alex Regan
BBC News

A new business set up to promote sustainable living has opened in Market Harborough.

The eco-village is a hub of several sustainable businesses, such as a cafe, a refillable dried food shop and a milk vendor.

Co-founder Beth Lambert said: "The eco-village is to help educate people, and to make sustainable shopping mainstream.

"We're a hub for education, we're going to have courses on composting, we're going to have courses on urban foraging."

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

Residents of a Nottinghamshire village have been reassured after a woman's body was found in a home.

"We are still working to establish the circumstances around the death and we will need to wait for the results of the post-mortem examination," Insp Heather Sutton, district commander for Newark and Sherwood, told residents of Edwinstowe.

"I would like to reassure people that at this time, I have no concerns about the safety of people in Edwinstowe.”

Image source, Google

Officers were called at about 15:00 on Wednesday to the property on Birkland Drive in the village.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has told the Lords she expects to leave the Government in the forthcoming reshuffle.

The former Loughborough MP quit the Commons in the December election after suffering online abuse as an MP.

She was given a seat in the Lords by Boris Johnson and retained her frontbench role.

Image source, EPA

In her maiden Lords speech, Lady Morgan told peers she expected to leave the Cabinet soon.

With a ministerial reshuffle expected next week, she said: "I do shortly expect to succeed in my attempt to leave the Government and join colleagues on the backbenches."

Lady Morgan said this would allow her to speak more freely on a range of issues like financial services and women's equality.

It would also allow her to have a "greater presence in the Morgan home, which my family say that they want".

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Highways England said Clifton Bridge "remains safe" despite it being closed to check for damage.

The eastbound carriageway of the A52 over the bridge is shut while they survey a "defect" on the underside of the road.

Adrian Oulds, from Highways England, said: "Safety is always our top priority and we've taken the decision to close the road while we carry out further tests on the defect which we have found underneath the road."

Image source, Highways England

Diversions are in place from the Queen's Drive junction to the Wheatcroft Island.

Jim Auton dropped vital weapons to Britain's Polish allies during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

Alex Regan
BBC News

A Leicestershire boxing legend is planning on ringing the bell on his career.

Carl Gunns, 73, has run his boxing gym in Birstall for nearly 20 years.

The gym has become a part of the community and a safe haven for children of all ages.

He said: "I've been in the game a long time, I'm not retiring just yet.

"I've got to find somebody who's going to look after the gym, and look after the kids."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

A major road in Nottingham has been closed while engineers inspect a "defect".

Highways England said they closed the A52 eastbound as it heads towards the A453, and one lane of the road in to the city, at 15:30.

This is so their repair team can inspect the "defect" under the bridge.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Plans to revamp more of Leicester's city centre have been announced.

Improvements costing £4m will be made to Horsefair Street, Pocklingtons Walk and Market Place South as part of the Connecting Leicester project.

Image source, Leicester City Council

A new footpath will be created in Town Hall Square, linking it directly to Dolphin Square and new parking bays will be added to Chancery Street.

The work is due to start later this month and will be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A £3m upgrade of the country park at the former Snibston Colliery site in Leicestershire is to begin today.

The mine produced coal for more than 150 years but then became a museum, which itself closed due to financial pressures in 2015.

Historic England has designated parts of the site as a scheduled monument due to the preservation of the buildings.

Work will include a new cafe, heritage trail, play area and picnic site. There will also be solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Sean Lawrence sexually assaulted two girls, one of whom was only 10 when she was first abused.

Championship side Derby agree a three-year deal for FC Groningen defender Mike te Wierik to join them this summer.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Boris Johnson has nominated Ken Clarke for a seat in the Lords despite kicking him out of the Tories in the Commons for opposing him on Brexit.

The former Chancellor and former veteran MP for Rushcliffe has been critical of the Prime Minister's Brexit policies since stepping down.

He once told the BBC he wouldn't be against having a convenient parking place in central London.

Image source, PA Media

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

A woman has been found dead at a house in a Nottinghamshire village.

Police were called at about 15:00 on Wednesday to the property on Birkland Drive in Edwinstowe.

Nottinghamshire Police said detectives are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

It added officers remain at the scene.

Image source, Google

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

A mother-of-two has accused a photography firm tasked with taking pictures of newborn babies on maternity wards in Leicester of "targeting vulnerable women".

At a health scrutiny meeting, councillor Melissa March said University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust's contract with Bounty and the fact that money changes hands makes her feel "really uncomfortable".

"If we were any other kind of post-surgery or recovery ward with photographers coming in and taking photos of you and your child, and the hospital was receiving remuneration for that, it does feel deeply intrusive," she said.

"Some of the women, and even when I was on those wards in the last few years, it's the most vulnerable you might ever feel, I couldn't get out of bed, I wasn't alone in that."

Image source, Getty Images

But councillor Teresa Aldred said: "I've dealt with Bounty myself recently when my daughter gave birth to my grandchild.

"My daughter is a young mother at 17, she was quite vulnerable but they did not intrude, they came and asked if they could take pictures of the baby, said they would come back when the baby was ready.

"In my recent personal experience and even over the years having my children, I've found their staff to be very respectful."

It was explained that a fee is paid for every bag handed out and a percentage of the profits made from photography sales is also paid to the trust. Both contracts are periodically reviewed.

When the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service asked what the trust earns from its deal with Bounty, a spokesman said it had received £5,647 in the first six months of 2019 across the Royal Infirmary and General Hospital sites.

The service has asked Bounty for a comment but it is yet to receive a response.

Chris Doidge
BBC Radio Derby, political reporter

Derby City Council has been criticised by an ombudsman and told to pay compensation after a girl with autism missed 18 months of school due to delays at the authority.

The council has been having extreme difficulty handling the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, which set out what children with extra needs should receive from the council and the NHS, with long delays for many parents.

In this case, council officers initially declined to draw up a plan for girl. When they changed their mind it took more than 18 months to write.

The council was ordered by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, external to pay the girl and her family more than £8,000 in compensation.

It admitted it took too long and said changes had been made to its procedures.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

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Wayne Haycock, 34, used to carry a machete with him after getting involved in crime at a young age.

Luke Wigman suffered traumatic injuries when he stepped on an explosive device in Afghanistan.

Paul Johnson used Bitcoin to import illegal drugs into the UK, police say.

Chris Doidge
BBC Radio Derby, political reporter

Plans for a £200m redevelopment in Derby have been recommended for approval by the city council's planning officials.

Councillors are expected to make a final decison on the application regarding the Becketwell area next Thursday.

Image source, St James Securities

The final approval would grant outline permission for the whole development and full permission for the new public square.

If completed, the regeneration of the area could create 500 homes and space for 2,000 jobs.