Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Good news - a missing 82-year-old man with dementia has been found "safe and well".

Leicestershire Police said Morris Antill, from Glen Parva, was found in the Uppingham Road area of Leicester last night.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Builders working on a city centre site in Nottingham have unearthed human remains.

Police are not treating the discovery as suspicious as they are believed to be ancient, but tests are being carried out.

The site, on Stanford Street, is very close to an old cemetery on Maid Marian Way and the city council's archaeologist is heading there to have a look this morning.

Image source, Google

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The leader of UKIP in Derby has said his son lost his job for campaigning for him.

Alan Graves' son was delivering leaflets while driving a van belonging to his employer. He was seen by a Labour councillor who made a complaint.

Mr Graves has accused Councillor Paul Bayliss of being "proud" his son was sacked as a result of his complaint.

He said: "Not only did he report him, he was asked if he wanted to be anonymous and in his arrogance replied a big fat 'no'. He was proud that he got my son the sack. He was proud that my grandchildren suffered."

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Bayliss has denied these feelings claiming he was sorry Alan Graves' son had lost his job, but defended making the complaint.

He said "you have to be plain stupid" to be delivering leaflets in a work van.

BBC Radio Derby

Proposals for a bypass around Ashbourne have been dealt a blow after the government said the A515 isn't one of its priority roads.

Image source, Google

The decision makes the bypass project ineligible for a £3.5bn pot of government money.

Derbyshire County Council has said it's disappointed but it will continue developing a preferred route for the bypass.

Eddie Bisknell
Local Democracy Reporter

A "world-class" watersports park will be created in Long Eaton to plug a major lack of sites in the region.

Image source, Weddle Landscape Design

The plans, for a former gravel pit south of the Attenborough Nature Centre, received unanimous approval from members of the Erewash Borough Council planning committee last night.

Now approved, the park could be open as early as this summer.

Image source, Weddle Landscape Design

As it stands, the 133-acre former Trent Meadow gravel pit, off Pasture Lane, is the site of fly-tipping, antisocial behaviour, fires and trespassers, claimed councillors.

The site will be renamed the Spring Lakes Watersports Club, featuring wakeboarding, ramps, canoeing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, rowing boats, pedalos, scuba diving, raft building, open water swimming, a floating inflatable aqua park and a play area.

The park will create at least 12 full-time jobs.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

It's not just fires they're called to...

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

Councillors in Amber Valley have delayed a decision about whether to allow developers to build homes on green belt areas in the borough.

It's been recommended that some green spaces in Mapperley and Marehay could lose their protected status to make way for required new housing.

An announcement was due to be made this week but has been pushed back to the end of February.

Image source, Google

Residents from affected areas are due to meet tonight to discuss their opposition to the potential changes.

Marehay councillor Mick Wilson told BBC Radio Derby there were plenty of brown field sites across the county that would be more suitable for developing.

Former England, Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole says he will retire form football after his contract with Derby County ends in the summer.

BBC Radio Derby

Derby will be without a council-run theatre for most of this year after it was announced the city's Guildhall Theatre will be closed for a further eight months.

The Grade II-listed venue was expected to close for a few weeks due to what the council described as £1.5m worth of "essential works" on the ceiling.

It's now been announced it will remain shut until the end of September after a piece of ornate plaster work fell from the roof.

Alan Grimadell, the councillor in charge of the city council's leisure, arts and culture, said: "The priority is the health and safety of audience members, our staff, patrons and promoters. As far as I am concerned, this is the right decision to make."

Steve Dunning, the chair of Derby Arts and Theatre Association said the decision meant there would be no council-run theatre in Derby for the best part of the year.

"We are quite shocked and very disappointed," he said. "There are many amateur theatre groups programmed in to put on their shows in the next six months.

"It will be a huge disappointment and frustration for them to have their shows cancelled."

East Midlands Today

Business and transport leaders from across the region will be in London today to ask MPs to make sure HS2 goes ahead.

They'll be meeting the transport secretary and project chairman at Westminster to ensure the second leg of the scheme, which would pass through Nottinghamshire on its way to Leeds, doesn't get cancelled.

Image source, PA

The first phase of the high-speed link, set to run between London and the Midlands, will see a new station built at Toton.

But not everyone is keen on the idea.

Geoff Cotton of Stop HS2, who lives in nearby Trowell along the route, believes the plans will not benefit the local economy as it will just encourage people in cheaper housing "to get down to London".

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

Without this woman, a charity which has paid for countless pieces of life-saving equipment at Glenfield Hospital would never have existed.

Amanda French, who died from a stroke in December at the age of 44, was treated for cardiac problems from birth - which inspired her parents to set up Heart Link and raise more than £6m since 1981.

Image source, LDRS

Amanda, who had a nine-year-old daughter with her husband Richard, was heavily involved with the charity her whole life, as well as working full-time at Glenfield in the cardiac and vascular audit departments.

Around 300 people - including NHS staff who had looked after her over the years - attended her funeral.

Her parents, Gill and Geoff Smart, said in a joint statement: "It's been devastating but we've had lots of lovely letters about Amanda.

"She just lived life to the full. We had 44 years after being told we could have only had two hours so we have to be thankful for that."

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

An icy start but we should see some bright spells later.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

The UK's Counter Terrorism Police force is hoping a 60-second film being shown nationwide, including at four cinemas in Leicestershire, will help people to spot terrorists.

It's claimed the public has helped foil 18 plots in the last two years.

Image source, Counter Terrorist Police

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Drivers heading to Mansfield should avoid the A38 in Nottinghamshire, Highways England are warning this morning.

This is because a "police incident" between the M1 and Huthwaite is causing congestion.

According to Nottinghamshire Police there was a "minor" crash on the road which has now been cleared so traffic should be moving again soon.

Image source, Highways England

David Pittam
BBC News Online

We're here to bring you all the latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the East Midlands until 18:00.

If you want to get in touch with us you can send an email or message us on Facebook, external or Twitter, external.