Nic Rigby
BBC News

A road markings firm has said a big thank you to the NHS and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by painting on the road.

Image source, East Anglian Road Markings Ltd

East Anglian Road Markings Ltd, with the permission of the hospital, has written "Thank You NHS" with rainbow-coloured heart on two roads at the hospital site.

Richard Clarke, from the painting firm, said: "After a very definite 'yes' from my contact on the site we thought it would be nice to show our appreciation to our key workers for the outstanding work they do during these very difficult times.

"We installed these to remind people who the real heroes are today and for many days to come."

Jessica Frank-Keyes
Local Democracy reporter

A Norfolk MP has praised Britain for its “long-held belief that we should look after people in need” as he spoke out to quell concerns over asylum seekers temporarily housed at a former RAF base.

Image source, Jerome Mayhew

The old officers’ mess at RAF Coltishall, used by fighter pilots during World War Two, is being used to offer temporary housing to asylum seekers who have fled from war-torn countries, says the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Some 77 rooms were used by asylum seekers, while 20 were available for councils to house homeless people.

The Home Office said the move to house asylum seekers while their status was being considered was not permanent and was "to help in the fight against coronavirus".

Broadland Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew (pictured) said 24-hour security at the site was in place "not because there’s any increased risk, but to provide reassurance".

"I’m in discussions with the council to help in that process, which is to answer questions, provide reassurance and make sure we have the right level of scrutiny and oversight, whilst living up to our country's long-held belief that we should look after people in need," he added.

The Home Office said it would review the measure before the end of June.

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, Getty Images

We should always try to look on the (Mr) Brightside of life, so with that in mind, Somebody Told Me that The Killers have set a new date for a concert that was due to take place at Norwich City Football Club, external this summer.

The US band will now perform at Carrow Road on 2 June, 2021, instead of 1 June this year.

All tickets purchased for the concert will remain valid for the rearranged date, the club said.

Ben Kensell, chief operating officer, said: "It’ll be an exciting and much-anticipated appearance and hopefully something that all those who have purchased tickets for can look forward to."

The band also had stadium concerts scheduled, external in Falkirk, Middlesbrough, Coventry, Doncaster, Manchester, Southampton, Bristol and London.

For the fifth week in a row, people across the country have opened their windows and gone to their front doors to celebrate carers and key workers.

Many emergency services congregate by hospitals to show their appreciation.

Here is a very small sample:

In Cambridge... emergency workers and the public gathered at the heart and lung hospital...

Whereas at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in Stonham, they're claiming a clap with a difference...

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

The latest figures for the number of Covid-19 deaths in the East of England has been released by the government, external.

In the BBC East region, statistics for the NHS hospital trusts show a rise of 101 deaths in total, up from the previous day's figure of 80.

The total number of deaths at the region's hospitals is now 2,144.

• ·Basildon and Thurrock: 2
• ·Bedford: 4
• ·Buckinghamshire Healthcare: 3

• ·Addenbrooke's: 3
• ·East and North Hertfordshire: 5
• ·Colchester and Ipswich: 11
• ·Kettering General: 6
• ·Luton and Dunstable: 3
• ·Broomfield, Chelmsford: 3
• ·Milton Keynes: 4
• ·Norfolk and Norwich: 2
• ·Norfolk Community: 1
• ·North West Anglia, Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke: 5
• ·Northampton General: 11
• ·Northamptonshire Healthcare: 1
• ·Royal Papworth, Cambridge: 2

• ·Southend: 6
• ·Princess Alexandra, Harlow: 1
• ·Queen Elizabeth, King's Lynn: 6
• ·West Hertfordshire Hospitals: 20
• ·West Suffolk: 2

The total number of coronavirus-related UK deaths in hospitals is 18,738.

A new clinical trial to find alternatives to ventilators in the treatment of coronavirus patients will take place at Norfolk's James Paget University Hospital, external (JPUH) – the only hospital in the East to take part.

It will compare the standard care for critically ill patients, which includes intubation and ventilation, with two non-invasive techniques.

If the two alternatives - continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks driven by oxygen or high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) through the nose - prove as effective, it could reduce the pressure on the NHS to find ventilators and the staff to operate them, both of which are in short supply.

All three treatments are already commonly used in hospitals, but it was not yet known which is more effective in treating critically ill Covid-19 patients, said the JPUH.

Dr Venkat Mahadevan, a consultant leading the trial, said it would be “a tremendous boost to find effective, alternative ways to treat patients with Covid-19”.

The study is being led nationally by a team at Warwick Medical School, supported by the National Institute for Health Research, external.

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

A former RAF base in Norfolk is offering shelter to needy people in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.

Image source, Geograph/DI Wyman

The old officers' mess at what was RAF Coltishal, near North Walsham, is being used as accommodation for homeless people and will also house some asylum-seekers who have nowhere else to go.

Fran Whymark,councillor in charge of housing at Broadland District Council, said: "We've been able to give people accommodation which they otherwise wouldn't have had."

She said it was a better outcome for people than housing them in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

Nikki Fox
BBC Look East

Cancer patients are to receive treatment at a private centre to protect them from coronavirus and free up space in NHS hospitals.

The entire chemotherapy unit at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital has moved to the nearby Spire Hospital along with 60 NHS nurses.

It's part of a government deal to use private hospitals which will operate on a "not for profit basis".

This talented dog has joined the rest of the country in clapping to show his appreciation for NHS and care workers, animal shelter staff have said.

Jack Russell Smudge, six, lives at the RSPCA Eau Brink centre near King's Lynn in Norfolk, as his previous owners could no longer look after him.

Penny Skate, chairman of the Norfolk West branch trustees, said: "Every time he’s asked to clap for the carers it really looks like he is putting his heart and soul into it.

"It’s a lovely sight to see Smudge so happy and enjoying himself. We really want to share his video with the country and hopefully Smudge clapping can help to put a smile on people’s faces during these uncertain times."

The bags dissolve on a 60C wash, says manufacturer Aquapak which has donated 46,000 so far.

Westlife's summer stadium tour, which was scheduled to visit three venues in the East of England in June and July, has been called off.

The Irish pop group had been due to play Carrow Road in Norwich on 19 June, Peterborough's Weston Homes Stadium on 21 June and Castle Park in Colchester on 11 July.

The band say promoters will contact ticket holders to process refunds.

If you're one of the many people working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, this might help.

Verity Booth, an osteopath from Norwich, has put together this short workout aimed at easing tight shoulders and neck from working at a laptop, or PC.

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

The latest figures for the number of Covid-19 deaths in the East of England has been released by the government, external.

In the BBC East region, statistics for each NHS hospital trust show a rise of 100 deaths.

The total number of deaths at the region's hospitals is now 1,963.

• Basildon and Thurrock - 8
• Bedford -2
• Buckinghamshire Healthcare - 9
• Addenbrooke's, Cambridge - 12
• East and North Hertfordshire - 3
• Colchester and Ipswich - 5
• Hertfordshire Community - 1
• James Paget, Gorleston - 3
• Kettering General - 4
• Luton and Dunstable - 3
• Broomfield, Chelmsford - 12
• Milton Keynes - 3
• Norfolk and Norwich - 2
• Norfolk Community - 1
• North West Anglia, Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke - 1
• Northampton General - 4
• Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge - 1
• Princess Alexandra, Harlow - 10
• West Hertfordshire Hospitals - 16

The total number of coronavirus-related UK deaths in hospitals is 17,337.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Building waste dumped in a ditch has blocked a stream and leaked foam, leading to calls for council tips to be re-opened.

Leona Bursnell, who found the waste in Felthorpe in Norfolk, said: "It must be polluting the water."

She said the local council, Broadland, had been informed but a spokesman said because it was on private land neither it nor the Broads Authority, external could remove it.

Image source, PA Media

Dave Thomas, councillor for Horsford and Felthorpe, external, said: "I imagine there’s probably more fly-tipping than being reported. There’s more happening out there, in my view."

Reports of a lorry load of waste being illegally fly-tipped in Thetford woodlands has prompted calls for councils to reopen refuse centres closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Breckland Council, external said the waste would not have been accepted at a tip.

Several district councils are experiencing significant falls in fly-tipping:

• Broadland down 27%
• North Norfolk down 33%
• South Norfolk down 45%
• Breckland down 50%
• West Norfolk fall of between 14-22% since January

Norwich City and Great Yarmouth councils did not respond with their data, and both saw an increase, according to Norfolk County Council.

Image source, Norwich Theatre Royal

A theatre has said it is still booking shows for the future, a month after it had to close.

The box office team at the Norwich Theatre Royal has had to deal with 60 shows being cancelled, which equates to 60,000 tickets, and 15,000 bookings.

Stephen Crocker, chief executive, said: "Over the next few weeks we will be putting some new shows on sale well into 2021.

"We are going to be back, we are working hard to be back, but it's a huge challenge for us."

Its workforce has gone from more than 400 staff and volunteers, to just 26.

• Norwich chefs Bradley Trent and Emily Holdcroft have teamed up to launch a new business delivering fresh and healthy food to front line workers and homes, the Eastern Daily Press, external reports
• An Attleborough garage, that stepped forward to repair NHS worker Marina Patchett’s Mini for free, found its engine needed replacing, the Norwich Evening News, external reports
• Almost 2,000 West Norfolk businesses have benefited from £23m in grants to tide them over the coronavirus epidemic, the local council has told the Lynn News, external

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

On Monday evening the government released, external its latest figures for coronavirus deaths in the UK in the past day.

In the BBC East region, statistics for each NHS hospital trust show a rise of 46 deaths, the lowest increase in 10 days.

The total number of deaths at the region's hospitals is now 1,863.

• Basildon and Thurrock - 9
• Bedford -1
• East and North Hertfordshire - 2
• Colchester and Ipswich - 7
• Hertfordshire Community - 1
• James Paget, Gorleston - 3
• Kettering General - 2
• Luton and Dunstable - 1
• Milton Keynes - 2
• Norfolk and Norwich - 3
• North West Anglia - 1
• Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge - 1
• Princess Alexandra, Harlow - 4
• Queen Elizabeth, King's Lynn - 5
• West Hertfordshire Hospitals - 3
• West Suffolk - 1

The total number of COVID-19 associated deaths at all UK hospitals stands at 16,509.

Kat Tate and her pet kookaburra can be seen taking walks in the UK countryside during lockdown.

Ava-May Littleboy suffered a fatal head injury when an inflatable trampoline exploded in Norfolk.

A woman with severe asthma describes the "heartbreaking" aftermath of catching coronavirus.