1. Today's weather for the East Midlandspublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 3 July 2020

    BBC Weather

    It will be a dry start to the day with some early brightness, but cloud will thicken through the morning bringing a few outbreaks of rain.

    Sunshine through the flowersImage source, LindafromBelper

    The showery rain will gradually peter out to leave a largely dry night but a few more sharp showers could develop during the early hours of Saturday.

  2. Leicester outbreak timeline: Who knew what, and when?published at 00:47 British Summer Time 3 July 2020

    By piecing together statements and claims, we have created a chronology of events.

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  3. Schoolchildren kept at home in local lockdownpublished at 20:09 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Leicester's schools have closed to all but a small number of pupils just weeks after reopening.

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  4. Skip fire closes recycling centrepublished at 17:37 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Greig Watson
    Reporter, BBC News Online

    A Nottinghamshire recycling site has been closed due to a fire breaking out in one of the containers.

    Fire crews from Arnold and Blidworth were called at 13:20 to a large fire in a skip at the Calverton Recycling Centre on Hollinwood Lane.

    Calverton recycling centreImage source, Google

    The fire has now been extinguished.

    Nottinghamshire County Council said it was looking into the incident but the site had now reopened and no injuries had been reported.

  5. School uses marquees as extra classroomspublished at 16:18 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    The primary school said the marquees ensured all its pupils could return before the end of term.

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  6. Row looms after shopping centre cuts city accesspublished at 15:56 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Nottingham City Council says it is "urgently seeking clarification from Intu and their administrators".

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  7. Police seize £2m cash and Class A drugs as network crackedpublished at 15:12 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Samantha Noble
    BBC News Online

    More than £2m in cash and 52kg of Class A drugs have been seized and 29 people arrested in the East Midlands after police cracked a criminal communications network.

    The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) said it has been working with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a number of forces on investigations linked to an international inquiry.

    Cash seized in Derbyshire raidImage source, East Midlands Special Operations Unit

    About 60,000 criminals across the world were using a secret communications network called EncroChat to conduct illegal business, the unit said.

    The National Crime Agency says it worked with forces across Europe on the UK's "biggest and most significant" law enforcement operation, leading to 746 arrests across the continent.

    This included two gangs - one believed to be based out of Derbyshire and another thought to have roots in Nottinghamshire, EMSOU said.

    A total of £1.4m in bank notes, gold bullion worth more than £6,000 and 19 vehicles were seized from the former and 11 people were arrested.

    Meanwhile, 7.5kg of cocaine and heroin and £620,000 in cash were seized from the Nottinghamshire gang and five people were arrested.

    Det Ch Supt Dave Kirby, from EMSOU, said: "As the country was under lockdown, these criminals continued to traffic their illicit wares and inflict incredible harm to our communities. But as they continued to operate, so too did we."

  8. Boohoo 'putting workers at risk of coronavirus'published at 13:31 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    A workers' rights group say staff at Leicester factories are at risk of coronavirus.

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  9. North of England dominates top 10 for new infectionspublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Daniel Wainwright
    BBC England Data Unit

    After Leicester, parts of Yorkshire and the north-west of England have recorded the highest rates of new coronavirus infections, according to new data.

    However, all but two of the top 10 areas for rates of infection in the week ending 28 June saw a fall compared with the week before, Public Health England reported.

    Leicester, however, remains far ahead of the others, with three times as many new cases per 100,000 people as Bradford.

    Bedford, the only top 10 place other than Leicester not in the north, has seen its rate of new cases fall by half in a week.

    The new data combines two sets of coronavirus tests - those done in hospitals and involving care workers and previously unpublished local figures on tests outside of hospitals.

    Chart showing rates of new cases by area
  10. Boohoo 'putting workers at risk of coronavirus'published at 11:41 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Reuters

    Boohoo has defended its business practices after a workers' rights group said the online fashion retailer was putting workers at Leicester factories supplying the group at risk of coronavirus.

    The allegations came after a more stringent lockdown was imposed on the city following a local flare-up in cases.

    Celebrities endorsing boohoo brandImage source, Getty Images

    Labour Behind the Label, which campaigns for workers' rights, said it had received reports of "workers being forced to come into work while sick with Covid-19, workers wishing to isolate being denied pay [and] factories operating illegally throughout lockdown".

    In a statement, Boohoo said: "The Boohoo group will not tolerate any incidence of non-compliance especially in relation to the treatment of workers within our supply chain.

    "We have terminated relationships with suppliers where evidence of this is found."

    The group said it would investigate the allegations and take any necessary action.

  11. 'No obvious source' of Leicester Covid-19 outbreakpublished at 11:11 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Amy Woodfield
    BBC News

    As mentioned earlier, a report by Public Health England (PHE) found there is no obvious source for a spike in coronavirus cases in Leicester.

    The preliminary investigation said the increase could partly be due to a "growth in availability of testing" in Leicester.

    Coronavirus testing in Leicester

    It confirmed a concentration of new cases in the North Evington ward of the city.

    The report said hospitals in Leicester were currently treating 80 patients with Covid-19, 10 of whom required ventilation.

    Patient numbers had "decreased rapidly" since a surge in early April but new admissions had "remained steady" at between six and 10 per day throughout June.

  12. Councillors question Birstall's inclusion in lockdown zonepublished at 11:08 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    BBC Radio Leicester

    A group of councillors have requested to see the data specific to Birstall explaining why the village has been included in the Leicester lockdown area.

    Charnwood borough councillor Roy Rollings - who represents the Birstall Wanlip ward - told BBC Radio Leicester "we deserve to be treated like adults" as he called for Leicestershire County Council to justify its decision.

    Birstall general viewImage source, Getty Images

    He said a report published by Public Health England on Wednesday, detailing the situation in Leicester and listing areas where the infection outbreaks are, has no mention of Birstall.

    Mr Rollings said: "Leicestershire County Council made a conscious decision to include Birstall in the Leicester lockdown.

    "We're asking them to make available to us the data they used to determine that.

    "Late last night Public Health England released a 25-page reporting setting out what's going on in Leicester, listing the top 10 wards and where the infection areas are.

    "There was not one mention or facts and figures for Birstall and the other county areas."

  13. Man taken to hospital after tram stop attackpublished at 11:03 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Amy Woodfield
    BBC News

    A 37-year-old man has been taken to hospital after a "serious assault" at a tram stop in Nottingham.

    Nottinghamshire Police said the man is believed to have been hit in the head in the attack at the city-bound Meadows Way stop at about 18:55 yesterday.

    The extent of his injuries is not yet known, the force added.

    Tram stop assaultImage source, Nottinghamshire Police

    Insp Amy English said: "It is early in the investigation but it is believed to be a self-contained incident."

    Police believe there were a number of people in the area at the time and would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the attack.

  14. Sheffield shootings: Two arrested for attempted murderpublished at 09:33 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    Two people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with two shootings in Sheffield earlier this week.

    A police officer's jacket

    Police were called to Errington Avenue, Arbourthorne, just before 21:45 on Tuesday to reports of shots being fired. A few minutes later, a second shooting was reported nearby on Aylward Road.

    South Yorkshire Police said a 20-year-old man was arrested last night in Retford, Nottinghamshire, on suspicion of attempted murder.

    The force said a 24-year-old woman, from Sheffield, was also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

    Det Ch Insp Paul Murphy said: "We know this type of criminality has devastating impacts on our communities and we are committed to ensuring that those involved are brought before the courts.

    “We are treating this as a targeted attack and do not believe that there is a wider risk to the public. You will continue to see an increased presence of police officers in the Arbourthorne area today."

  15. Today's weather for the East Midlandspublished at 09:00 British Summer Time 2 July 2020

    BBC Weather

    It will be cloudy at first with some showers moving in from the west through the day, some of these will be sharp and heavy.

    A few sunny spells will develop through the afternoon, but further sharp showers are expected.

    Sunrise in West BridgfordImage source, Curly Claire
  16. Leicester lockdown boundary line branded 'stupid'published at 18:56 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Some homes on one suburban street are subject to tighter restrictions - but others are not.

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  17. Not following two-metre rule 'one reason' for spikepublished at 18:45 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Amy Orton
    Local Democracy Reporter

    People not following the two-metre rule is one of the reasons for the Leicester spike, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

    The department said it thinks there are "multiple reasons" for the city's outbreak - which has seen 944 out of 3,216 total cases confirmed in Leicester in the past fortnight.

    The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has been asking the government about potential reasons for the spike since Health Secretary Matt Hancock first said there was one about two weeks ago.

    Car in Leicester city centreImage source, AFP

    Today, a spokesperson for the department said: "We think there are multiple reasons why infection rates are higher in Leicester than in other parts of the country, which is why we are putting these measures in place.

    "Observational data and the epidemiology suggest that transmission within households, lower compliance with social distancing in the community, and workplace transmission may all be contributing to the current situation."

    It comes after Boris Johnson, replying to a question from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, said: "For reasons that the House will understand, there were particular problems in Leicester implementing advice and getting people to understand what they were required to do."

  18. 'Don't be frightened to get tested'published at 17:59 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Sandish Shoker
    BBC News

    Staff at the biggest Covid-19 testing site in Leicester have urged people not to be frightened to get tested.

    The site is open at the Birstall park and ride on the edge of the city and is being run by G4S staff and volunteers.

    Testing supervisor, Jan, who would normally be working in a Boots chemist, has volunteered her services.

    "It's very different to my day job," she told BBC Radio Leicester. "And I feel like I can give and I want to give."

    The site carries out hundreds of tests a day and is the only site in the city where people can choose a self-administered test or have someone to do it for them.

    Birstall testing site

    Walk-in test centes are also open in Spinney Hill and Highfields.

    Jan urged anyone with symptoms to attend one.

    "If you feel you are experiencing any symptoms please do book in or come down to the site," she said.

    "It's incredibly daunting but there's nothing to worry about."

  19. Leicester lockdown: Schoolchildren cannot cross borderpublished at 17:07 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    Sonia Kataria
    BBC News

    Some children who live in the Leicester lockdown zone but attend school outside of the area will not be able to cross the border, the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed.

    From Thursday, only vulnerable children and children of key workers can travel across the boundary in either direction for school or appointments with social workers. Other children have been asked to stay at home.

    The DfE said: "If you are a child or young person (other than a vulnerable child or child of a critical worker) that lives in Leicester but attends school or college outside the affected area, you must stay at home."

    St Luke's Primary School, in Thurnby, LeicestershireImage source, Google

    Some children who attend St Luke’s Primary School in Thurnby, Leicestershire, which is outside the zone and will be open as normal tomorrow, are from within the boundary.

    Headteacher Paul Galvin said he was "deeply sorry" to the families of those affected.

    He said: "It might be difficult for families who are inside the lockdown zone - as we are just outside the boundary - especially if they are not children of critical workers."

    He added the school has "adapted and will keep adapting to changes" during the coronavirus pandemic.

    The school has been open since the lockdown in March for vulnerable children and children of key workers, and reopened for Reception and Year 1 in June.

  20. Walkers confirms 28 Covid-19 cases at sitepublished at 17:01 British Summer Time 1 July 2020

    The crisp giant says its products are unaffected, and it believes infections occurred off-site.

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