Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Rushcliffe MP Ken Clarke asked Theresa May at PMQs if anything could be "more helpful, irrelevant and irresponsible" than for the Conservative Party to embark on a leadership election.

It's not a view shared by fellow East Midlands Tory colleagues Andrew Bridgen, Ben Bradley and Lee Rowley who are all set to go against the prime minister in this evening's no confidence vote.

BBC Weather Watchers

Thanks to Skylark for this wonderful shot of some bird friends sharing a fat ball in a garden in Kegworth.

Image source, Skylark

David Pittam
BBC News Online

She might not be old enough to vote for another seven years but this primary school-aged girl seems to have strong views on the leadership challenge.

Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, Neil O'Brien, will be sending the embattled PM a letter he says he was given by an 11-year-old.

In it the anonymous girl expresses her support and admiration for Theresa May - something she might appreciate in the coming hours.

"I don't know how it works in parloment [sic], so keep on being the best you can be and keep pushing your self to be an awsome priminister [sic]," the letter reads.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

A seven-year-old Leicestershire boy has decided to spend this Christmas helping homeless people.

Henry Warner sold some of his old toys at a car boot sale to raise money to buy food, clothing and toiletries.

He also wrote to supermarkets asking for some donations.

With the help of his mum Kirsty he separated the items into 15 bags to be handed out to homeless people.

So far he's given away eight and plans to take the remaining six to Loughborough.

Henry said he came up with the idea after seeing homeless people on the street during a family trip to Liverpool in the summer.

Kirsty said she feels "very, very proud" of her son.

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

A man who waited two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance when he thought he was having a heart attack aboard a bus has slammed East Midland's Ambulance Service's response.

The bus driver called 999 when Mr Marsden fell ill while he was on the number 29 service to Leicester with his wife.

David Marsden, 69, said: "I was sat, as far as I was concerned, having a heart attack on a bus. I don't remember it all but my wife said that, as we sat there, ambulances were passing by.

"She thought I was dying, she thought I was going to die waiting for an ambulance on the bus and all they could say was they were busy."

Richard Lyne, from EMAS said: "Using the information shared during the initial call, this incident was categorised as not immediately life-threatening or serious, and we explained to the caller that we aimed to get to the patient within 120 minutes - this is in line with the national ambulance performance standards for a category three call."

Mr Marsden had not had a heart attack but is undergoing further tests.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Police in Derby are investigating a video that appears to show a homeless man having food thrown in his face.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

The clip, widely shared on social media, shows a man brandishing a takeaway box going up to another man, showing him the food before pushing it into his face.

It's believed to have happened in the early hours of Sunday 9 December on Cheapside.

Police would like to talk to the person seen wearing a green coat who is thought to be homeless.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Police have jokingly invited whoever left a stash of drugs at a cinema in Derby to come forward to collect their lost property, external.

The Derby City Safer Neighbourhood Team said the suspected drugs - it's not yet known exactly what type - were discovered at Showcase Cinema De Lux inside the Intu Derby shopping centre yesterday.

It's thought they had been left there at some point on Monday night. An investigation has been started.

Image source, Google

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Lord mayor Ross Grant has sent his condolences to Leicester's twin city of Strasbourg after a gunman opened fire at a Christmas market last night.

Three people were killed and 13 wounded, eight of them seriously, and the suspect is still at large.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Wondering if we're going to have a white Christmas?

Well, the bookies have been too - and they've decided the odds are 4:1 for Nottingham (the other parts of the region aren't listed).

Our own weather presenters are currently saying it's unlikely, but there's still time for that to change!

Image source, PA

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Actress and Mencap campaigner Sarah Gordy is to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Nottingham later.

University bosses said Ms Gordy, who has starred in Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs, will be the first person with Down's syndrome to be given an honorary degree by a UK university.

Image source, Getty Images

Last month Ms Gordy became the first person with the condition to be made an MBE.

She said: "All my friends on Twitter have been saying 'you're fantastic' and inspirational to other parents with Down's syndrome daughters. It feels great and I love it."

BBC Business News

Superdry is considering closing some of its stores after announcing lower than expected annual profits.

The clothing retailer - which has shops in Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and the East Midlands Designer Outlet in South Normanton - saw its share price plunge by 30% in response to the results.

Image source, Reuters

The firm's chief executive Euan Sutherland is overseeing an efficiency drive that will include reviewing the number and size of stores, and exploring renegotiating rents between now and March 2019.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councils across Nottinghamshire have welcomed news that a proposed merger has been shelved.

The county council was due to hold a vote tomorrow on scrapping borough and district councils in favour of one or two large authorities but the decision has been delayed.

Councillor Kay Cutts, Conservative leader of the council, said she was deferring the vote so she could have "more time to work with the stakeholders" not because she was going to lose.

Image source, Local Democracy Reporter Service

All but one of the leaders of the district and borough councils have publicly welcomed the delay.

Kate Allsop, executive mayor of Mansfield and part of the Mansfield Independent Forum said: "We welcome the decision by the leader of Nottinghamshire County Council to withdraw the outline business case on a unitary authority.

"All Nottinghamshire authorities need to reflect on the future of local government and take steps to become more efficient and provide essential services in the community.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Engine maker Rolls-Royce has confirmed it is pressing ahead with plans to shift design approval for large aero engines from Derby to Germany as part of its planning for Brexit.

The group said it was in talks with the European Safety Aviation Agency over the move, which comes as part of its contingency planning for Britain leaving the EU that has also seen it begin stockpiling parts.

Rolls-Royce stressed the switch to Germany - where it already handles design approval for business jet engines - was a "precautionary and reversible technical action" and would not have any impact on UK jobs.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

A blind dog that was dumped on the streets of Derby has been found a loving new home.

Judy, an eight-year-old lakeland terrier was taken in by the RSPCA after being found abandoned by a dog warden.

The poor pooch had a rare condition that meant her eyes protruded from her head and she couldn't see out of them. Both eyes were removed by vets to avoid further complications.

Image source, RSPCA

Following an appeal by the charity, Judy was homed with Carol Stonley and her husband Andrew, from Long Eaton.

She said: “When I heard she was blind and in a shelter my heart melted and I thought it would be lovely to help her - then when we went to see her I couldn’t help but fall in love.

"We are looking forward to having our first Christmas with her.”

Image source, RSPCA

BBC Weather Watchers

Our Weather Watchers reached for their cameras to capture these beautiful cloud formations in the skies over the East Midlands at sunset last night.

The photos below were taken in Somercotes, East Leake and Kegworth.

Image source, Georgie

Image source, Maggie T

Image source, Skylark

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Derby County star Duane Holmes says his house has been burgled.

The 23-year-old American winger, who joined the club in August, announced the news to his followers on Twitter on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

Holmes, who's played seven games for the Rams this season, branded the raiders "absolute helmets" and lamented the timing of the break-in with Christmas just two weeks away.

Dozens of Rams fans responded to his tweet expressing sympathy for his setback.

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Patrick McLoughlin (Derbyshire Dales), Anna Soubry (Broxtowe) and Sir Alan Duncan (Rutland and Melton) are among several Conservative MPs who have said they will back the prime minister in tonight's no confidence vote.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen told BBC Radio Leicester he's one of those who put in a letter calling for Theresa May's resignation.

Image source, PA

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Two of England's NHS trusts spent more than a third of the year under extreme pressure.

Trusts in Cornwall and Leicester topped the statistics in a BBC investigation into how many days hospitals spend on Opel 4.

Operations Pressure Escalation Levels (Opel) is a method used across the NHS to find a constant measure of stress, demand and pressure.

Opel 4 is the highest level, declared when a hospital is "unable to deliver comprehensive care" and patient safety could be compromised.

• Nearly 70% of NHS trusts responded to the BBC's investigation
• More than 40 said they did not declare a single day of Opel 4 between September 2017 and September 2018
• Fourteen trusts had 20 days or more on Opel 4 in the same period

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Security at Nottingham Arena has been bolstered with four Christmas trees.

They've been installed in planters outside the venue to protect pedestrians and prevent vehicles from driving onto Bolero Square.

The pots, made by the Derbyshire firm Securiscape using a heavy grade steel frame, will be filled with other plants in the spring.

Caroline Lowbridge
BBC News Online

A coroner has concluded that a West Bridgford mother's death was drug-related - despite her partner subjecting her to a "horrifying assault" shortly before.

Duane Ballin told police he believed he had killed Tara Newbold by beating her with a rolling pin in October 2016.

However, a pathologist found her most likely cause of death was cocaine toxicity.

Image source, Family photo/Nottinghamshire Police

Miss Newbold's family believe Ballin - who was given an extended sentence of 18 years for GBH with intent - forced her to take the drug.

They pushed for a full inquest to be held because they hoped it would show Ballin was responsible for her death, and that she was not a drug user.

The hearing did not determine how she came to ingest the cocaine but the coroner said she may have taken it "to anaesthetise the undoubted agony she must have been in".

Speaking after the hearing, Miss Newbold's mother, Julie Dury, said the conclusion was "the best we could hope for given the scope of the coroner's court".