Sandish Shoker
BBC News

A teenager arrested on Monday after a house window was set alight has been released on police bail.

The 18-year-old man, from Hinckley, had been arrested on suspicion of arson.

Image source, Google

Leicestershire Police said the window was burnt in William Iliffe Street, Hinckley about 16:00 on Monday and nobody was injured.

Forty caravans have been destroyed with a further 40 damaged.

East Midlands Today

Ladybirds are cropping up around Loughborough after three residents decided the town needed a facelift.

The trio, who have described their hometown as "tired and run down", have come up with a plan to create huge pieces of wall art and murals and want to encourage other residents to take pride in the town.

One of them, Raffaele Russo, said: "I've spent 10 years in Loughborugh and have been moaning a long time about the high street and the town centre and I felt there was something we could do ourselves about it."

The men have selected 15 walls and alleyways which will be turned into wall art to brighten up the town in the coming weeks.

"I hope that we've enticed other people to change their mindset and do a few things for this town that are slightly less selfish," said Mr Russo.

"We genuinely believe long term that if everyone can do a little something for this town the high street will stop deteriorating."

BBC Leicester Sport

Leicester Tigers head coach Geordan Murphy made no excuses at a press conference today, saying his side are "in a dogfight" as they sit third from bottom of the table.

Tigers are currently deep in relegation trouble, having won just six league games all season, and welcome Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs to Welford Road next weekend.

Image source, ALLSPORT/Getty Images

On his side's struggles, Murphy said: "It makes me feel horrific, it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.

"For someone like myself and the other coaches in the room, dedicating our lives to it, it affects our home lives, family lives and personal lives. We don’t sleep, we worry.

"It's a big melting pot of issues, but it is what it is. There are no excuses from me."

Press Association

Extreme weather contributed to a fall in annual visitor numbers at many outdoor attractions last year - including Chatsworth House.

Image source, Getty Images

Several gardens, zoos and stately homes with parkland saw a drop in demand as the UK was hit by both freezing and sweltering temperatures in 2018, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The UK saw widespread snow between January and March followed by a heatwave with much of the country experiencing dry, sweltering conditions.

Chris Doidge
BBC Radio Derby, political reporter

Erewash MP Maggie Throup (Con) says Parliament's petitions website is "fundamentally flawed" and open to manipulation from foreign actors.

She's specifically referring to the Revoke Article 50 petition which has now been signed by more than 5,800,000 people and will be debated by MPs next week.

The prime minister replies that e-petitions are subject to checks and says she's been assured the government is monitoring signing patterns for fraudulent activity.

She's coming under fire from the Labour chair of pensions committee and urged MPs to find out the facts from the committee before making claims about the petitions system.

Cyber-security experts told the BBC it is "unlikely" bots - automated programmes which can carry out a command thousands of times - were gaming the cancel Brexit petition.

BBC News

Typical council tax bills in England will rise by 4.7% in April, with Rutland and Nottingham residents paying the two highest rates in England.

The figure is based on Band D bills in homes occupied by two adults, with the annual bill being £2,043 in Rutland and £2,083 in Nottingham.

Newark and Sherwood in Nottinghamshire also makes the list with an annual bill of £2,024.

The levy on an average Band D property will go up by £78 to £1,750, the government said, in part owing to the cost of policing and adult social care.

Count councils network finance spokesman, Nick Rushton, who's also leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: "For a long time, county residents have borne the brunt of the historic underfunding of county areas.

"It cannot be fair that a resident in a terraced home in Hinckley in Leicestershire is paying double that of a resident in a multi-million-pound house in Westminster."

Abigail Leatherland still faces charges of manslaughter and causing or allowing a child's death.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

A "devastated" caravan owner has said he's lost items which brought him closer to his dead brother in a caravan park blaze in Derbyshire.

Michael Cheetham, 65, a retired engineer, had stored his caravan at Ainmoor Grange Caravan Park in Stretton for the past 18 years.

At least 80 caravans have been destroyed or damaged in the fire which started this morning.

Michael and his brother Paul, who died in November, used to use it to go to classic car shows together and inside were many items which reminded him of his brother, such as his walking stick and mug.

He said: "I'm devastated, I saw a video of them blowing up - mine's definitely gone. I feel particularly sorry for the owners, they're wonderful people."

He added his caravan had been worth around £2,500 but some lost vehicles worth £30,000.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

It looks like "spaghetti junction" has moved to Newark.

Police have said there are delays on the A17 and A46 between Stapleford Woods and Brownhills Roundabout after a lorry shed its load of spaghetti carbonara.

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

Three men have been charged with kidnapping and the production of cannabis.

Police were called to a disused building in Carolgate, Retford, at 03:25 on Sunday following reports of three men assaulting a 15-year-old boy and holding him against his will.

A search of the property found more than 1,000 cannabis plants.

The men, aged 33, 30 and 30, have been charged with kidnap, false imprisonment and production of cannabis and are due to appear at Mansfield Magistrates' Court today.

Image source, Google

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

Police officers fighting knife crime in Derbyshire are "delighted" with the results of a week long knife amnesty.

Bins were put in police stations across the county between 11-17 March, with 520 knives handed in.

Insp Richard Keene of Derbyshire Police, who leads on a project to reduce knife crime in the county, said: "I am delighted that it has resulted in so many knives being taken out of harm's way."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

A row of caravans has been reduced to ash and bare metal frames by a fire in Derbyshire this morning.

An eyewitness described how flames tore through the caravan park in Stretton, near Clay Cross, faster than walking speed and this police photo shows the damage it caused.

Image source, Derbyshire Constabulary

Firefighters earlier said 40 caravans had been destroyed and a further 40 damaged. The cause is now being investigated.

England captain Joe Root will face team-mate Stuart Broad when Yorkshire visit Notts in their County Championship opener.

BBC Business News

The owner of Derbyshire-based Sports Direct is considering a bid to take full control of Debenhams.

Mike Ashley already owns a near 30% stake in the retailer.

Image source, Reuters

The £61.4m potential offer would be conditional on Mr Ashley becoming Debenhams' chief executive.

Sports Direct renewed its attack on the Debenhams board, saying it was either incompetent or was co-operating with lenders to wipe-out the investments of shareholders.

It is considering making an offer of 5p per share for Debenhams, more than double Tuesday's closing share price of 2.2p.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

A man staying at the caravan park devastated by a large fire this morning described the speed and intensity of the blaze.

The fire took hold at around 05:30 this morning at Ainmoor Grange Caravan Park in Stretton near Clay Cross in Derbyshire and destroyed 40 caravans and damaged 40 more before it was put out.

Image source, Derbyshire Constabulary

John said he woke up to the sound of exploding gas canisters "like a distant cannon" and acrid black smoke filling the site.

"You could feel them exploding and the shock wave passing through," he added. "It spread from one caravan to the next like a box of matches, faster than walking speed."

It was stopped by firefighters around 15 meters from his caravan but he said some people had lost "their pride and joy".

Leicester Tigers' international stars could still play for England in the event of relegation, says RFU boss Nigel Melville.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Asda has said it's "proud" of the way a colleague dealt with a suspected shoplifting situation in Thurmaston yesterday.

The supermarket worker was injured while attempting to stop a person thought to have been stealing yesterday afternoon.

Leicestershire Police said the employee had "received a cut to their hand" and East Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed paramedics were sent to the scene and a patient was treated.

A 42-year-old man arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm without intent, has been released on conditional bail while police inquiries continue.

The Asda spokesperson said they are assisting police with their investigation.

Nick Smith
BBC News Online

Leicestershire County Cricket Club has announced a loss of £157,000 for the last financial year.

This figure spans from October 2017 to September 2018 and marks a significant drop compared with a £134,000 profit the year before.

The club's interim chief executive Roy Bent said: "As with a number of other first-class counties, there is no doubt that the 2018 year was a challenging one financially.

"The financial losses in 2018 contrast with the trend in the previous three financial years whereby the club had recorded a small profit."

In a statement the club said it undertook an "extensive cost reduction exercise" late last year and has created a "prudent" budget for 2018/19.

Image source, PA

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Traffic is clearing on the M1 after a crash this morning which closed two lanes and created seven miles of traffic.