Latest updates: East Midlands Live Thursday 18 April

Summary

Teacher banned over safeguarding failures
Work on new A52 footbridge to begin
Newark road remains closed following large metal fire
Police get £1m to tackle knife crime
Bridge to be demolished after lorry smash
Updates for Thursday 18 April

Live Reporting

Nick Smith and Amy Woodfield

Work on new A52 footbridge to beginpublished at 11:17 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Work is set to begin on a new footbridge over the A52.
The Meadow Lane footbridge was approved by Derby City Council earlier this month and construction is due to begin on 29 April.
Image source, Derby City Council
In order to construct the new bridge, the current footbridge will be closed from Monday 29 April, with demolition of the bridge due to take place over the weekend of 18/19 May.
A closure of the A52 between Pentagon Island and Raynesway junction will be in place from 20:00 on 17 May until 06:00 on 20 May.
The new bridge is expected to finished by summer next year.
Teacher banned over safeguarding failurespublished at 11:16 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online
A head teacher who oversaw a string of serious safeguarding failures in connection with the death of a pupil has been banned from teaching.
Shanay Walker, a seven-year-old pupil at Southglade Primary School, died at a house in Nottingham in July 2014 after years of abuse from relatives.
A conduct panel found Peter Smalley oversaw "widespread confusion" and "repeated failures".
He was found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
Image source, Nottinghamshire Police
Appeal traces driver after fatal crashpublished at 11:08 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Officers investigating the woman's death say the driver is now helping with inquiries.
Read More
A616 to remain closed for rest of the morningpublished at 10:29 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
The A616 in Newark is expected to remain closed for the rest of the morning due to a large metal fire.
Four crews and an aerial platform are tackling the blaze on Great North Road, which involves 1,000 tonnes of metal.
Image source, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue
Teenager stabbed father to deathpublished at 10:16 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Knives "intensified" a fight between the two and had ruined the family, police said.
Read More
Listen: Nottingham v Jersey Redspublished at 09:59 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nottingham host Jersey Reds in the Championship - listen to live BBC Radio Jersey commentary.
Read More
Leicestershire police get £1m to tackle knife crimepublished at 09:41 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Leicestershire Police have been granted an extra £1m to tackle knife crime in the county.
The county's Police and Crime Commisioner Willy Bach said: "I’m relieved that our urgent calls for additional funding have been heard.
"This money is desperately needed and will increase our capacity to tackle knife crime and violence as early as this Easter weekend."
The central government grant received by the force is part of £100m which has been dedicated to tackling the issue.
Image source, PA
Kuwait-backed investors take stake in Derby's intupublished at 09:26 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
A Kuwait-backed investment firm has taken a 50% stake in Derby's intu shopping centre.
The £186m purchase by Cale Street Investments will result in a joint venture with Intu.
Matthew Roberts, Chief Executive of Intu said: "We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Cale Street and look forward to working with them at intu Derby."
Image source, Google
Trains cancelled after crew member 'taken ill'published at 09:20 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Two services between Derby and Crewe this morning have been cancelled after an East Midlands Trains crew member was taken ill.
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City's fourth day of climate protestspublished at 09:11 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Here are the traffic queues which have been caused by climate protesters carrying out their fourth day of action.
Today's protest, by group Extinction Rebellion, is being held on Mansfield Road.
Image source, @ExtinctionR / @XrNottingham
Newark fire fueled by car materialspublished at 09:03 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
A fire involving 1,000 tonnes of metal in Newark was fuelled by flammable materials in cars, according to firefighters.
Nottingham Fire and Rescue Service's Colin Poyzer said: "Metal will burn if it’s hot enough.
"Because this scrap metal was predominantly vehicles, there are obviously material within the vehicles that will burn – there’s fuel, plastics, seat materials before the vehicles are fully stripped and shredded.
"We think it’s these materials that have been burning."
The fire started just before noon yesterday in Great North Road and crews from Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire have been fighting the blaze.
Image source, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service
Bridge to be demolished after lorry smashpublished at 08:33 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
A former railway bridge which makes up part of the High Peak trail will need demolishing after it was hit by a lorry.
Image source, Jack Ward
The crash on the B5056 near Brassington and Longcliffe happened yesterday afternoon.
The road remains closed from the junction with the A5012, Via Gellia, to the A515.
The High Peak trail is also closed.
Betteridge signs new deal at Pantherspublished at 08:20 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
British international Ollie Betteridge has put pen-to-paper on a new deal at Nottingham Panthers.
The forward was crowned fans' player of the year, sponsors' player of the year and best British player at the club's annual awards ceremony.
Image source, Nottingham Panthers
Protesters blocking road into Nottinghampublished at 08:16 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
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Evidence of rabbits in UK in Roman times, say academicspublished at 08:02 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Image source, PA
Rabbits have been hopping around the UK since the Roman period, experts have been able to scientifically prove for the first time.
Tests on a rabbit bone, found at Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex, have shown the animal was alive in 1AD.
The 1.6in (4cm) piece of a tibia bone was found in 1964 but it remained in a box until 2017, when a zooarchaeologist realised that it came from a rabbit.
Academics believe the animal could have been kept as an exotic pet.
Analysis, including radiocarbon dating, was carried out by researchers at the universities of Exeter, Oxford and Leicester.
Weather: Sunny and warm weekend aheadpublished at 08:01 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather
Get ready for a sunny Easter weekend!
Today, early morning mist will make way for sunshine and warm weather across the region.
Here's Sara with the forecast.
Fire crews still tackling Newark blazepublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Fire crews remain at the scene of a blaze in Newark which started yesterday morning.
The fire, on Great North Road, involves 1,000 tonnes of metal.
The A616 remains closed.
Image source, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
Good morning: Join us for today's live coveragepublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 18 April 2019
Nick Smith
BBC News Online
Hello everyone and welcome to today's updates. It's going to be me and Amy Woodfield bringing you all the latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the region.