Alex Regan
BBC News

The R number in Nottinghamshire is estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.8, the county's public health official has said.

Jonathan Gribbin said the county's rate of infection has risen as the number of positive cases have increased, with five areas seeing more than 20 cases per 100,000 people.

The R number, or reproduction number, is the number of people that one infected person will pass a virus on to on average and is a way of testing a disease's ability to spread.

Across the UK at the start of the month, the R number was estimated to be 0.9 and 1.1.

"If it is indeed as high as 1.8, that might mean we expect to see cases doubling in less than a week," Mr Gribbin said.

He added although the R number was "not significantly greater" than some areas of the country, it is a cause for concern "as we move into the autumn and winter months".

Image source, Reuters

Nottingham City Council's director of public health Alison Challenger said she is "concerned that there is quite a sharp increase in Covid cases across our area".

In the city there have been 80 confirmed cases in the last week, compared with 34 the previous week.

"It is community-wide which is why we're particularly concerned," she said.

She also warned people to "take extreme care" when socialising this weekend before stricter rules on social gatherings come into force.

Ms Challenger said although the so-called "rule of six" will be in place in England from Monday, "the virus is quite prevalent now in our communities".

Young people in Nottingham explain how they feel about the new restrictions after a rise in coronavirus cases.

The celebration and Christmas events in Leicester are called off due to coronavirus restrictions.

BBC Radio Derby

A Derby County matchday programme seller has said she is gutted the club has decided not to make them anymore.

It was announced last week that they are to be replaced by a monthly magazine entitled The Rampage.

Image source, PA Media

Jane Sandall, who has been selling programmes for about seven years, said it meant a lot to many people.

She said: "People come over for a chat, tell us when they're going on holiday - we know when some of our regulars have had new family members join them or even pass away.

"We've had proud parents saying, 'My son is in the match programme this week'."

Derby County said sales have been steadily dwindling to the point that it was no longer commercially viable.

PA Media

A Pizza Hut restaurant in Leicester is set to shut as part of the chain's major restructuring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Leicester Haymarket branch is one of 29 earmarked for closure with the expected loss of about 450 jobs from its workforce of 5,000.

The restaurant chain said the cuts were part of a rescue deal "to mitigate the financial impact of Covid-19".

Image source, PA Wire

Pizza Hut said it put forward the proposals as "sales are not expected to fully bounce back until well into 2021".

A spokeswoman for the chain said: "We are doing everything we can to redeploy our team members from our Pizza Hut restaurant locations that are closing and minimise the impact to our workforce.

"We understand this is a difficult time for everyone involved."

It comes days after rival Pizza Express approved the closure of 73 of its own sites, hitting 1,100 workers.

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with a suspected knifepoint robbery in Bulwell.

Nottinghamshire Police said they were called to Station Road at about 11:50 on Thursday after a 13-year-old boy was reported to have had Apple AirPods and a gold chain stolen by two other boys, one of whom was said to be carrying a knife.

Nobody was injured, a force spokesman said, but the two suspects were arrested on Cinderhill Road in Basford shortly afterwards, and a knife was found nearby.

Both boys have been bailed pending further inquiries, and police are looking for any witnesses or anyone with information to get in touch.

Image source, Google

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

An arrest has been made after the home of a recently deceased man in Nottinghamshire was burgled and a car taken from the drive.

Police said a family went to their father's house on Lime Tree Road, Hucknall, on Thursday and made the "devastating" discovery that the back door had been broken down and the house searched.

Hours later police were called to a man passed out in a parked car in Sellers Wood Road West in Bulwell.

Image source, Google

Officers got the man out of the car and found the vehicle was the one missing from the Hucknall address.

A 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary, possessing suspected Class A drugs and being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs.

He remains in custody while officers continue inquiries.

Det Sgt Andrew Hall said: "It's despicable that someone seized the opportunity to target the home and vehicle of someone who had recently died.

"It must have been devastating when his grieving loved ones realised what had happened."

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A man has been arrested after a stabbing in Leicester.

A 19-year-old man was attacked in Narborough Road just after 17:00 on Thursday by a group of young people, police believe.

Image source, Google

The injured man suffered stab wounds to his leg but they are not thought to be life-threatening.

Another man, also 19, has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

Police said they were studying CCTV from the area.

BBC Weather

After a cool start with some sunny spells, clouds will build up in the afternoon but it will continue to be dry.

Image source, Busters Boy

There will be a few sunny spells this evening before becoming mainly cloudy.

Derby County sign defender Nathan Byrne from Wigan Athletic on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Dave Courtney had a ticket to England's 4-2 victory over West Germany - but was too ill to go.

The UK's largest care home operator faces potential legal action from families after the deaths of residents from Covid-19.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

A man who claimed to have coronavirus as he repeatedly coughed at a council worker has been jailed for 30 weeks.

Newark and Sherwood District Council said Stephen Ravenscroft coughed on community protection officer Andrew Weaver on 24 July after he intervened in a disagreement between Ravenscroft and a Newark Castle railway station employee.

Ravenscroft was alleged to have been begging and causing a nuisance to passers-by, refusing to move off the station site.

The council said after Mr Weaver asked Ravenscroft to move elsewhere, he verbally abused him before coughing in his face and shouting, "I have coronavirus".

Image source, Newark and Sherwood District Council

Mr Weaver was tested for Covid-19 on the same day and was taken off duty while he waited for his result. It came back negative, the authority confirmed.

"His actions risked not only my own health, but also my family's health," Mr Weaver said.

Ravenscroft, of no fixed abode, admitted common assault and was jailed at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

He was also ordered to pay £150 in compensation and £150 in costs.

Tracy Bonner was initially offered an appointment two hours away from her home in Nottinghamshire.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

An investigation into how two buses crashed in Nottingham city centre is continuing today.

They collided in Parliament Street just before 16:10 yesterday, sending one of the buses into the front of an Argos store.

Four people were taken to hospital, including one of the drivers, however Nottinghamshire Police said none of the injuries were believed to be life-altering or life-threatening.

Insp Arnie Ahmed said no arrests have been made.

The road was closed yesterday while emergency services were at the scene, however it reopened just after 18:30.

Nottingham City Transport said they were liaising with police in their investigation and had provided CCTV from the buses.

Liam Barnes
BBC News

Two men have been arrested after police pulled over a lorry on the M1 following a pursuit.

Derbyshire Police said officers were on patrol on the northbound carriageway near junction 26 at about 03:45 this morning.

Police saw a lorry they believed to be suspicious and signalled to the driver to pull over.

The driver failed to respond to requests to pull over, a spokesman said, and the lorry was eventually brought to a stop at junction 36.

A 41-year-old and a 46-year-old were arrested on suspicion of stealing the vehicle, with the 41-year-old also arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance and damaging a police car.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

The mother of seven classically-trained musicians - including the 2016 winner of the BBC Young Musician award - has launched her new book.

Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, from Nottingham, has written House of Music to share her experiences of raising a musical family "in a Britain divided by class and race".

She said she "developed a sense of huge self-consciousness" when her mother moved the family to the UK from Africa.

Image source, Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason

Dr Kanneh-Mason's children are known around the world for their music ability.

Her son Sheku - who was appointed an MBE last year - was the first black musician to win the BBC's competition since its launch in 1978.

He also played the cello at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Dr Kanneh-Mason said her eldest child Isata, who is about to release her debut album, began to play the piano and "absolutely loved it".

"Then everybody wanted to follow her because they saw what joy she got out of it," she said.

The book launch took place at Nottingham Council House last night.

Image source, Five Leaves Bookshop

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

A man has been arrested and released on bail after a stolen tractor crashed into a wall in Nottinghamshire.

The wall, which was close to a property in Princes Street, Eastwood, was completely destroyed, police said, and a lamp-post was also damaged in the crash at about 02:30 on Wednesday.

The driver then attempted to drive off in the vehicle, which had been stolen from a nearby farm.

Image source, Liam Gambino

Police arrested a 35-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and he has since been released on bail.

Image source, Liam Gambino

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

"High value" cables have been stolen from a solar farm at Gedling Country Park.

The theft took place in the early hours of 28 August in Spring Lane, Lambley.

Nottinghamshire Police said cables connecting the solar panels to the main feeder pillar were disconnected before being taken.

Image source, Nottinghamshire Police

PC Mark Szeremeta said: "The cables are of high value. We have visited the damage to the fencing, which has now been repaired.

"We have also checked local CCTV footage and sadly they have come back negative."

Anyone with any information has been asked to contact the force.

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

A man has been hospitalised after an apparent kidnapping in Nottinghamshire.

Police said the man was on Egerton Road in Woodthorpe at about 22:10 on Tuesday when three men bundled him into a vehicle.

Image source, Google

He was beaten up in the vehicle and suffered "significant bruising", the force added.

The man was then dumped on Phoenix Avenue, Gedling, where he was found by members of the public.

Police have appealed for witnesses.