Kit Sandeman
Local Democracy Reporter

Re-opening the pedestrian walkway through the Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham is a "top priority", the council has said

The walkway has been closed since the start of the month, leaving people with a much longer – and less pedestrian-friendly – walk along Maid Marian Way or up the stairs next to Nottingham Contemporary.

Construction work on the shopping centre stopped at the beginning of the lockdown, and never restarted.

On 26 June, Broadmarsh and Victoria Centre owner intu announced it had collapsed into administration.

Throughout the construction work, access to the walkway was limited to between 7:00 and 19:00 but as of 1 July, it was closed altogether.

Image source, Kit Sanderman

Nottingham City Council – which now owns the centre outright – said it was working to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

John Lee, a rights of way expert from the council, said: “It is a primary pedestrian route, so it is a priority to get it open.

“It’s on the radar, and it will be opened up as soon as possible.”

There's been a slight rise in the rate of Covid-19 cases in Cumbria.

Figures from Public Health England, external show that for every 100,000 people in the county there were five cases in the week to Sunday, up from four the previous week.

The rate is still well below Leicester, where a local lockdown has been imposed and there are 116 cases per 100,000 people.

The collector's item contains a Bible, pistol and other items cloaked in mystery.

Alex Regan
BBC News

Leicestershire County Council has released more data for positive Covid-19 cases in the area.

It comes after the council's leader Nick Rushton said a county-wide lockdown was considered in light of a spike of coronavirus cases in Leicester.

The figures, which exclude Leicester city, show the county has seen a total of 17 areas registering 50 or more cases.

Oadby North & East saw the highest number of cases outside of Leicester, with 120.

Image source, Leicestershire County Council

Mike Sandys, the council's director of public health, said: "We're not seeing a connection with the spike in Leicester but the county has moved from a position of being well below the national average, to one where we are now comparable.

"Latest figures suggest that the level of infection is failing to fall as far or as fast as other areas. We want people to play their part and protect their community."

Local businesses and politicians say they were expecting more financial support from the government.

Gurmit Singh Matharu, 54, dies in the crash in Nottingham on Saturday.

Two reports charting coronavirus show cases in England falling - with Leicester also seeing a fall.

Marian Thomas, 85, had planned to move from Cleethorpes to be with Michelle Teale in Leicester.

Domestic abuse campaigners say there can be "no excuses" for what Tom Meighan did.

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

A decision to spend £443,000 closing roads in a town to encourage social distancing has been defended by the council that oversaw the measure.

Derbyshire County Council shut Corporation Street and South Place in Chesterfield to make space for pedestrians. Crow Lane was also closed to allow a safe cycling route to Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Keith Falconer, a Liberal Democrat on Chesterfield Borough Council, told the Derbyshire Times, external that he could not see how the new measures would help.

He suggested trialling a bike hire scheme or limiting traffic during school drop-off and pick-up times as part of a longer-term plan.

Image source, Google

However, Simon Spencer, from Derbyshire County Council, said the money had come from the government.

He said: "We've worked very closely with Chesterfield Borough Council on everything and I'd recommend that Councillor Falconer talks to his own council if he can't understand what we've done."

He added so far the authority has not received any further cash for future plans so it was "impossible to speculate" on what could be done later in Chesterfield.

Steven Oscroft died when a rock or large piece of concrete went through his windscreen.

Parts of the village were cordoned off by bomb disposal experts while they dealt with the situation.

Alex Regan
BBC News

Nottingham-based pharmacy and opticians firm Boots has announced it expects to cut more than 4,000 jobs as part of a "significant restructuring" of its business.

The company also intends to close 48 of its Boots Opticians stores, alongside the expected loss of roughly 7% of its total workforce.

The group, which has its headquarters in Beeston, said retail sales had decreased by 48% in its stores, and it had seen a 72% decline in revenue for its opticians.

Managing director Sebastian James said the proposals will "allow Boots to continue its vital role as part of the UK health system, and ensure profitable long-term growth".

Image source, PA Media

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

An elderly woman used her walking sticks to tackle an intruder at her home in Newark last night, external.

The woman encountered the man dressed in black and wearing a face covering at her house in the Lincoln Road Bridge area at about 22:30.

Image source, Google

Nottinghamshire Police said she hit the offender with her sticks but the man pushed her over before leaving the scene.

A 39-year-old man was arrested nearby a short time later. Police added further investigations are being carried out into the "completely despicable" incident.

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Two people were rescued from a house after a fire spread through the property.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to Primrose Close in Narborough at about 00:50 this morning after smoke alarms went off, alerting a neighbour.

Both people rescued from the house were taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary as a precaution.

The ground and first floor both suffered heavy smoke damage, while a dishwasher and a washing machine were destroyed.

The service said it believed the cause to be an "electrical fault" in the dishwasher.

Image source, Google

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

The whole of Leicestershire was under consideration for lockdown, the county council leader has said.

The city of Leicester and some surrounding areas re-entered lockdown last week with non-essential retail and schools forced to shut to try to stop a spike of coronavirus infections.

Leicestershire County Council leader Nick Rushton said at one point the measuers - which will last until 18 July at the earliest - could have affected the whole of the county.

Addressing fellow county councillors, he said lengthy discussions took place with Baroness Dido Harding, the Secretary of State and Public Health England (PHE) before the lockdown zone map was drawn up.

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

About 150 cannabis plants have been found in Nottingham after concerns were raised by residents.

Officers found the plants at an address in Andover Close, Beechdale, on Tuesday at about 18.30.

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

No-one was in the property at the time and inquiries are ongoing to establish who is living there.

Insp Gordon Fenwick said the force was "actively working to put an end to drug supply and production" in the Broxtowe area.

About 1,500 jobs are expected to be lost from the engine-maker's headquarters in Derby.

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Hundreds of cans of Kopparberg cider rolled out across a Derbyshire road after a lorry shed its load overnight.

It happened at the A50 junction with the A515, near the village of Sudbury, at about 02:00 BST.

The road was reopened just before 06:00 after contractors cleared the debris.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

BBC Weather

It will be mostly cloudy with the chance of a few showers at times, although there will be plenty of dry spells.

Image source, DLong

It will be mostly cloudy this evening but expect some sharp outbreaks of rain to develop overnight.