Reopening shops during local lockdown 'pointless'published at 16:44 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Some Leicester shop owners decide it is not worth reopening as customers avoid non-essential travel.
Read MoreReopening shops during local lockdown 'pointless'published at 16:44 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Cashless parking met with mixed receptionpublished at 16:26 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Kit Sandeman
Local Democracy ReporterA plan to scrap parking ticket machines which accept cash in Nottingham has been met with a mixed reception among motorists.
Earlier this week, the city council announced it intended to roll out cashless parking as part of a bid to save £12.5m before April next year.
It says 100 machines need replacing, and converting all but 20 of them to cashless models will save £100,000, but drivers have questioned whether the system will work well.
Kevin Harlance from the Meadows, said a previous attempt to pay by phone "took so long I gave up", while West Bridgford resident Jon North said the city council "makes it harder and harder to park in the city because they want you to use the tram" and called for more free parking to get people into the city centre.
Quote MessageIf they’re going to get people in the shops again they need to make it free, not more complicated.
Kevin Harlance, Meadows resident
Image source, Getty ImagesLockdown city shoppers grapple with maskspublished at 16:24 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
David Pittam
BBC News OnlineShoppers in the first city in England to have a local lockdown have been grappling with new rules on masks as non-essential stores were given the green light to reopen.
Clothes shops were among those allowed to welcome back customers in Leicester today, following the relaxation of local measures imposed on 29 June after a spike in coronavirus infections in the city.
Security on the door of the city's Primark store in Humberstone Gate made sure shoppers entering wore face coverings, which became mandatory across England today.
In the Haymarket shopping centre, about half of shoppers could be seen wearing masks, though some were wearing them around their chins.
Image source, PA MediaStudent nurse Jasmine Price, 21, said she had been wearing her mask for a number of weeks.
She said: "It's hard in the heat. I have asthma and heat is one of my triggers. I wear it on the street because it's just easier than taking it off every time I leave a shop."
Melinda Moore, 25, said she "absolutely hates" wearing the mask. She said: "I've got to wear one at work and now out of it too."
Waad Ekwas, 22, from Hamilton, said the mask was inconvenient on a warm day when she was already wearing a headscarf.
"It's so annoying," she said. "But we have to wear it. We know it's not protecting us but it's stopping any droplets spreading. That's a priority over comfort."
Driver who smashed into four parked cars sentencedpublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC NewsA driver who smashed into four parked cars has been sentenced.
Nottinghamshire Police said on 23 October 2018, after officers saw "something suspicious" in Bestwood, Floyd Sneap drove off in the opposite direction at speed.
The vehicle then continued to drive dangerously, the force said, and Sneap eventually lost control, crashing into a car before hitting four parked cars.
The force said Sneap, of Pearmain Drive, Nottingham, then climbed out of the car and fled on foot.
The 24-year-old was found to be in possession of cannabis when he was detained a short while after, while a passenger suffered neck and head injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Sneap was found guilty of dangerous driving and possession of a controlled drug at Nottingham Crown Court and given a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years, on Thursday.
Image source, Nottinghamshire PoliceCity centre al fresco dining area prepares to openpublished at 13:50 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Gavin Bevis
BBC NewsThe final preparations are being made ahead of the opening of a new dining area in Derby's Market Place.
Benches and huts have been set up to allow up to 330 people to enjoy food and drink from local outlets while observing social distancing.
The dining area is open from 11:00 on Saturday but tables and huts must be pre-booked online.
Participating restaurants include Annie's Burger Shack, Bear, Nando's, Exeter Arms and The Wonky Table.
Leicester 'not out of the woods' with infectionspublished at 12:30 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
The NHS Test and Trace chief has warned that Leicester is not "completely out of the woods" as schools and non-essential shops reopen in parts of the city.
On Friday, some measures will be eased in Leicester City and the Borough of Oadby and Wigston but bars, restaurants and hairdressers will remain closed.
Image source, PA MediaBaroness Harding, who is in charge of NHS Test and Trace, said while it was an "encouraging sign" that the infection rate in Leicester is beginning to fall "it's still very high".
"One of the challenges with Covid is that it takes 14 days from the time we have taken action to be really confident that that action is making a difference. The encouraging sign in Leicester is that the infection rate is starting to go down but it's still very high."
"I don't think that Leicester is completely out of the woods yet and it's really important that anyone living in Leicester comes forward for a test - if they are in any doubt they should come forward for a test."
Swans rescued after cooking oil pollutes River Soarpublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Simon Ward
East Midlands Today ReporterSeveral swans have been rescued from the River Soar in Leicestershire after the body of water was polluted with cooking oil.
Two adults and two of their cygnets were rescued near the National Space Centre on Wednesday.
The pollution is thought to have entered the river through the sewage system, and the incident is being investigated by the Environment Agency.
Staff at the Leicestershire Wildlife Trust are now looking after the swans.
But RSPCA inspector Richard Durant said it was feared two of the cygnets in the family of swans have died, as they were not among the rescued animals and were seen in the water the day before.
He said: "I'd urge everyone to think carefully about what they're putting in the sewage system, as this is the end result.
"It's catastrophic for wildlife."
Amy Ducker, of Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital Trust, said it was essential to get all the oil off the swans "so they can get their waterproofing back".
Tributes paid to 'kind and caring' hospital housekeeperpublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Alex Regan
BBC NewsStaff at the Royal Derby Hospital have paid tribute to a "kind and caring" modern housekeeper who died following an illness.
Colette Morley was described as the "mother" of Ward 405 at the hospital, and played a starring role in ITV show Superhospital, which followed some of the 8,000 staff working at one of the UK's largest healthcare centres.
She worked for the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust for nearly 19 years.
Image source, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation TrustA trust spokesperson said: "She was so much more than a modern housekeeper, she was a fundraising superhero, an energetic, beautiful, glamorous, fun-loving, kind and caring, very special member of the team who will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
"Our heartfelt condolences go to Colette's family, friends and colleagues."
Cannabis 'worth more than £650k' seized in Mansfieldpublished at 08:59 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Alex Regan
BBC NewsNearly 800 cannabis plants estimated to have a street value in excess of £650,000 have been seized by police.
Nottinghamshire Police said they raided a commercial property in Rosemary Street, Mansfield, at 10:15 on Thursday.
A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the production of cannabis and remains in police custody.
Image source, Nottinghamshire PoliceInsp Nick Butler said people should take enforcement over cannabis seriously, as "vulnerable people are being exploited within them".
"Quite often [they're] locked inside and left without food and water by the organised gangs who are doing this," he said.
The plants will now be destroyed, the force added.
Mother and elderly man targeted in robberiespublished at 08:39 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Alex Regan
BBC NewsA mother and an elderly man were attacked in two daylight robberies in the Hyson Green area of Nottingham, police said.
Officers said the mother, who was with her daughter at the time, was barged into by the offender in Birkin Avenue on 16 July at about 10:45.
Her handbag was pulled off her shoulder and the offender ran away.
Image source, GoogleOn 17 July at 16:50, the elderly man was pushed to the ground and had his wallet taken.
Det Sgt Karl Thomas, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "We believe both incidents are linked, with the same offender involved."
Today's weather for the East Midlandspublished at 08:04 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Anna Church
Weather Presenter, BBC East Midlands TodayThere will be some sunshine around today but we're also likely to see some cloud.
Temperatures will reach a high of 22C and lows of 15C overnight.
Bob Willis Trophy county fixtures releasedpublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
The first fixtures for the truncated 2020 county cricket season, starting with the Bob Willis Trophy on 1 August, are released.
Read MoreLeicester outbreak timeline: Who knew what, and when?published at 06:57 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
By piecing together statements and claims, we have created a chronology of events.
Read MoreWW2 pilot who 'saved children' to be rememberedpublished at 06:15 British Summer Time 24 July 2020
Eyewitnesses say the 21-year-old flew into a railway gantry instead of crash landing in a park.
Read MoreAnti-social behaviour 'terrifying residents'published at 18:12 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
Amy Woodfield
BBC NewsPolice patrols are being increased in East Leake after reports of young people "terrifying residents and causing criminal damage".
Officers for the local area said there have been multiple reports of anti-social behaviour and vandalism over the last few days.
Image source, Nottinghamshire PoliceThis includes groups of teenagers drinking, smoking drugs and taking nitrous oxide near to Meadow Park.
Local police said on Facebook, external: "There have been more serious reports of youths, some as young as 14 or 15 years old, terrifying residents and causing criminal damage to property by throwing stones at houses and vehicles."
Officers said offenders, when identified will be prosecuted.
Kitten thrown from car on dual carriagewaypublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
The six-week-old kitten landed on her face after being hurled from a car in Nottinghamshire.
Read MoreLockdown-inspired entries for Shed of the Yearpublished at 16:29 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
The shortlist includes Sarah McGoldrick, in Sheffield, who used her shed to make visors for the NHS.
Read MoreLeicester businesses sue government over lockdownpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
They say the situation may have left a "stigma" over the city.
Read MoreTigers sign South African back row Wiesepublished at 15:05 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
Leicester Tigers sign South African back rower Jasper Wiese from Cheetahs following the end of his contract with the club.
Read More'Young black kids get pigeon-holed'published at 14:48 British Summer Time 23 July 2020
New Leicester fly-half Zack Henry talks about why he thinks there are fewer black players in "decision-making" positions.
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