The ambulance was responding to a 999 call at the time of the collision.

BBC Radio Nottingham

Tributes have been paid to a Nottingham community health worker who died after testing positive for coronavirus.

Barbra Hassack, 55, from Strelley, was an assistant practitioner with Nottingham CityCare and died at home on Sunday after a positive test at the start of the week.

Image source, Nottingham CityCare

Chief executive Lyn Bacon said the firm was "heartbroken at the loss of such a valued, popular and respected member of our team".

Barbra's sister Patricia Hodgkinson described her as a "very special person, full of enthusiasm and kindness".

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Ryan Morris, the leader of the Betel UK, said the charity "completely changed his life" by helping him recover from his addiction.

He and others have been performing Christmas carols in Leicester city centre to raise money for the charity, as they could not before the national lockdown finished.

Mr Morris, 37, from Etwall in Derbyshire, said: "The response has been great.

"It's absolutely brilliant we can be back. People have been a bit down with the whole coronavirus situation and we're lifting a few spirits."

Betel UK helps people with drug and alcohol addiction and homelessness.

Image source, Google

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

With many stores reopening today, some people are relieved they can shop in person rather than online.

Retiree Esme Headland, from Leicestershire, has been buying gifts and Christmas food.

"It's nice to be able to look and see stuff with your own eyes rather than through a screen, as with online shopping," she said.

"It's different to normal but it's not been too bad - I've not had to queue too long for anywhere except the bank.

"They've got the decorations up and they've tried hard to get that Christmas spirit."

She added: "The really sad thing is we can't sit anywhere warm to eat. But we're grateful for anything at the moment."

Students say the gathering was a "natural response" to lockdown and accuse police of overreacting.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Sean Coltman from St Matthews said he'd already done most of his Christmas shopping, but had come to do some more in person because he "just wanted to do something different".

The 49-year-old said: "We've had four weeks staying inside doing next to nothing, so I was a little bit looking forward to this."

But he said it was difficult to get into the festive spirit because the city centre is lacking its usual rides, ice rink and Santas. "It's just like any other day really," he added.

Shopper Lyn Batson, 24, said she had been "absolutely looking forward" to being able to get out and do some Christmas shopping.

"It's just the joy of coming out and being normal. Or nearly normal - we've just had to sit here and have a drink and a mince pie on a bench because you can't go in the cafes.

"So it's not quite the same but needs must."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

June Aitken, 74, had come in to buy herself a cardigan from Primark.

She said: "I was quite excited for the shops reopening. I do miss all the cafes being open though - it's somewhere to have a drink when it's cold and to sit down for 10 minutes."

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

Coronavirus testing has begun at Leicestershire's three universities ahead of students returning home for Christmas.

It has been taking place over the past few days at Loughborough, Leicester and De Montfort (DMU).

David Bryan, director of strategic planning at DMU, said about 4,700 students have been tested so far.

The university has been working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) by hosting a new type of Covid-19 test on campus.

He said: "We've been piloting this scheme at the university and two tests have been asked for.

"They allow students to have the confidence to go home and get that additional reassurance.

"We've seen good uptake - we've got 25,000 students and we've had a good number turn up every day."

The student travel window runs from 3 to 9 December.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Martin Butler, 68, of Western Park, had come in to do Christmas shopping with his partner and was waiting for her to finish in Primark.

He admitted he "hates shopping with a vengeance" but came in to pick up some Christmas cards, an important annual tradition for him.

He added: "I had doubts about coming in on the first day shops are open - I thought there would be massive queues. But we've not had to queue at all, I'm very surprised."

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

Michael Norman, 67, of Thurnby Lodge, said it was disappointing people in his area of Leicester have been under coronavirus restrictions for so long.

Leicester and Leicestershire has moved into tier three, the highest Covid alert level, but the city has been subject to some level of coronavirus measures since March.

It was also the first UK city to be put under a local lockdown, announced in June.

"It feels like we're being punished for some reason," he said.

"I think we should have had a proper lockdown this time [with schools also closed], then maybe the pubs and cafes would have been able to reopen today," he said.

"We could go into a cafe and sit in the warmth rather than out here in the cold."

Meanwhile, Stacey McDonald, 27, from Beaumont Leys, said: "I'm finishing off my Christmas shopping today and I'm glad I can do that.

"But [the length of Leicester's lockdown] is frustrating, all other places had it eased and we were still in lockdown."

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Cordelia Mudekunyu, 43, from Glenfield, said pandemic restrictions have "felt like forever".

She said: "It's like being locked up indefinitely. As much as you want to be safe, you also want to live your life as close to normal as possible.

"I was hoping we'd be put into tier two but I wasn't surprised when we weren't, Leicester is like the naughty kid in kindergarten who's always in trouble. We have to accept it but it's frustrating."

She's seeing her niece in person for Christmas for the first time since March.

Neil Heath
BBC News Online

Oadby and Wigston, in Leicestershire, still has the highest infection rate in the East Midlands for the seven days up to 27 November.

It currently has the ninth highest rate in England at 328 per 100,000 people, while Leicester is 14th with a rate of 295.9.

Both areas have seen a significant drop in rate of infection since last week.

Image source, PA Media

In Derbyshire, the rates are decreasing in all areas of the county, with Amber Valley the highest with 202.9 per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile in Nottinghamshire, rates are also decreasing - Bassetlaw is the highest with 210.3 per 100,000 people.

Nottingham, which had the UK's highest infection rate in October, stands at 110th with a rate of 164.3 per 100,000 people. The national average is 157.3.

Image source, PA Media

In Rutland, the only county in the region to be under tier two restrictions, there were 52.6 cases per 100,000 people.

Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire have entered the highest level of coronavirus restrictions.

David Pittam
BBC News Online

Julie Haines, 37, from New Parks in Leicester, has come in to finish off her Christmas shopping.

She said: "I'm happy that it's sort of back to normal, but I'm gutted we're still in tier three.

"It's always Leicester that gets it."

She added she is going to be seeing her mum and dad again on 23 December, having not seen them since the day before lockdown began in March.

She said: "It's been tough but I'm very, very excited to see them again."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Leicestershire County Council says it has all the equipment it needs to start deploying rapid result lateral flow tests from next week.

The authority has received 16,000 tests, which it hopes to use to drive down infection rates in local coronavirus hotspots, with the option to request more if needed.

Yesterday it emerged Leicester City Council had been left with 10,000 tests that cannot be used yet due to missing barcodes.

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Sandys, Leicestershire's director of public health, said: "The challenge has always been that some people who have Covid-19 don't show any symptoms.

"Where the lateral flow tests differ from the usual swab kits is that there'll be a test result within an hour, without the need for lab processing.

"It now means we can test high-risk groups, help identify cases and then get people to self-isolate quickly to break the chain of infection."

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

The end of the national lockdown means non-essential shops are now free to reopen - and some shoppers could not wait to get browsing again.

Long before the sun came up, a large queue had formed outside Primark's store in Nottingham, with some shoppers revealing they had been there since 06:00.

Rules have been relaxed to allow shops to open 24 hours a day in the run-up to Christmas and New Year.

Primark was one of the first to say that it would be taking advantage of the extra freedom.

BBC Radio Derby

Derby's director of public health has credited the national lockdown with helping to reduce the number of cases in the city over the past three weeks.

Dr Robyn Dewis said: "The evidence at the moment is that the impact of tier three will hopefully continue to bring those numbers down - but it will slow.

Image source, Derby City Council

"What we do believe is that measures in tier two would probably just maintain the numbers where we are.

"So we're certainly hopeful that over the next couple of weeks we'll continue to see a drop."

Derby, which has moved into tier three along with the rest of the county, had an infection rate of 186.2 per 100,000 people in the week up to 27 November - slightly above the national average of 157.3.

Amy Orton
Local Democracy Reporter

Leicester Racecourse is preparing to be one of "several" county venues where Covid-19 jabs will be given, the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

NHS signs are being put up at the Oadby site and an email sent to Leicester's hospitals staff, seen by the LDRS, appears to confirm the venue will be used to deliver the jabs.

Staff working at Leicester's hospitals have been asked to reply to an email or get in touch with bosses to confirm their availability so rotas can be drawn up to staff vaccination centres.

Image source, Google

One staff member who did not want to be named said: "I've been told to be ready to go from next week sometime.

"It will be at the racecourse and they need people to do whatever hours they can, it will be a big team effort and one that I am looking forward to being part of."

A spokesperson for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland clinical commissioning groups said: "We will not be in a position to confirm any local sites until the vaccine is licensed and a roll-out plan is agreed."

Greig Watson
Reporter, BBC News Online

As well as non-essential shops, leisure centres across the region can also reopen from today.

Nearly all swimming pools are operating once again, with Covid security measures in place.

Image source, Getty Images

Lorenzo Clark, from Everyone Active - which runs Hucknall Leisure Centre and Sutton's Lammas Leisure Centre in Nottinghamshire - said: "You come in, you stick to the left hand side when you come up the stairs, one person in a lift. One-way systems on the pool side so you don't come in contact with anybody.

"There are limited changing facilities, bookable sessions which are limited to 10 people per lane and same for the gym."

Gavin Bevis
BBC News

This morning's major announcement about UK regulators approving Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine means we could be just days away from the first jabs being given to people in the East Midlands.

Last week Derby City Council gave the green light for Derby Arena to be used as a temporary mass vaccination centre by the NHS if it is required.

Image source, Reuters

Health bosses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have been working towards a 9 December start date for a roll-out of the vaccine, subject to it being approved.

And the Local Democracy Reporting Service has said Leicester Racecourse in Oadby is also on standby to be used as a potential temporary vaccination centre, though the local clinical commissioning group would not confirm any sites it planned to use.

Alex Smith
BBC News Online

England has returned to the three-tier system of coronavirus measures after the second national lockdown ended.

The rules came into force after being approved by MPs last night.

It means Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire have all moved into tier three - the highest alert level with the toughest restrictions.

Image source, PA Media

Rutland, however, has moved into tier two.

Businesses such as non-essential shops, hairdressers and beauty salons can now reopen for the first time in four weeks, but a number of measures remain.