Coronavirus: East of England live updates

1. All the latest from Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Northants and Suffolk
2. The total coronavirus-related hospital deaths in the UK rises to 20,732, while in the East 2,409 people have died

Monday's updates as they happened

Thanks for joining us to find out how the East of England is reacting to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.

Live updates have now finished for the day.

Join us again on Tuesday when a live page will resume at 08:00.

Find it via your BBC News county index.

Girl, 10, aims for 7.1m keepy-uppies

Dinosaurs walk the streets of Daventry

Youngsters in Northamptonshire having to stay indoors due to the coronavirus restrictions have been treated to visits from two dinosaurs.

Tris Dawson

Charlotte Wallace and Tris Dawson both happen to own dinosaur costumes and have been using them to entertain children on the Monksmoor estate in Daventry.

Charlotte said they asked children to draw pictures of dinosaurs and display them on their windows because "that's what attracts the dinosaurs", then watch out for the dinosaurs passing by.

"[My dinosaur] was really good at getting people interested and we had such a great response. Everybody loved it so much," she said.

University launches online housing advice clinic for tenants

Katy Lewis

BBC News Online

The university-run Hertfordshire Law Clinic is offering free advice to tenants on housing issues during the coronavirus pandemic.

University of Hertfordshire

The clinic, which already gives free legal advice in areas such as family and employment law, said that while the government has introduced emergency measures intended to protect tenants from eviction at a time when people should be staying at home, there is confusion about their rights.

The University of Hertfordshire has teamed up with housing solicitors, including Cheryl Gaunt from Just for Kids Law and Ruth Camp from Shelter to advise people on areas such as difficulty paying rent or students in rented accommodation who have returned home.

Appointments will be conducted via video-conferencing.

Ms Gaunt said "this service will offer essential advice and support".

It was hoped the housing clinic could become a permanent service.

Town's musicians join up for NHS charity song

A group of social-distancing musicians from Northampton have come together to record a charity song, with money raised going to the NHS.

The Old Five Bells All Stars' sang their online version of John Denver's classic song Country Roads in what they described as a "lockdown hoedown".

You can watch the collaboration:

Council warns of 'bogus' waste removal services

A council is urging people to be wary of bogus cold callers or online advertisements offering to remove household waste, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the government measures taken to limit the spread of Covid-19, household waste recycling centres have been closed until further notice by local authorities.

Northamptonshire County Council said householders have a "duty of care" to ensure that their waste is only removed from their property by a registered waste carrier, as they can be held liable if their waste is not disposed of properly, or found fly-tipped.

Residents are asked to store any waste until they are able to reopen their dumps.

Suffolk Police

BreakingLatitude festival cancelled

The organisers of the Latitude festival in Suffolk have confirmed this year's event, due to take place in July, has been cancelled.

Police staff sew 300 laundry bags for officers

A Bedfordshire Police canteen worker has swapped cooking for sewing and organised a group of volunteers who have created 300 laundry bags for officers.

Sarah Bowers and her team have made the bags so officers can use them to put their uniforms in at the end of their shifts - lessening the risk of contaminating their cars and homes with coronavirus, or any other virus for that matter.

The bags have been made from unwanted materials which have all been cleaned, the force said.

Bedfordshire Police

'Amazing" lawn tribute to NHS

Sarah Jenkins

BBC News

Ambulance workers have praised an "amazing" tribute to the NHS which was spotted at the weekend.

A crew from the East of England Ambulance Service discovered the message on a front lawn in Suffolk.

Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire co-ordinates NHS wish lists

Katy Lewis

BBC News Online

The Queen's representative in Hertfordshire, the Lord-Lieutenant Robert Voss, has asked NHS trusts for their wish lists of most-needed items and put out a plea to suppliers.

South Beds News Agency

The lists, which includes food, drink, toiletries, personal protective equipment and iPads come from the East & North and the West Herts NHS trusts together with the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust in Harlow - which covers a large part of East Hertfordshire - and can be found on his website.

"These are items that are required daily to help the wonderful NHS staff at this critical time and are items that either they are unable to get speedily or at all via the usual NHS routes or items to make the lives of the overworked staff a little easier," he said.

He added that the initiative had only been running for a matter of days but it had already found 250 new iPhones for patients in ICU to be able to connect with their families, more than 10,000 bottles of water, three coffee machines and significant food parcels and even bedding for NHS staff at Watford General.

To avoid creating additional work for the NHS, all offers should be made via the Hertfordshire Lieutenancy at [e-mail].

Postponed British GP has 'massive' economic impact

The managing director of Silverstone Circuit has admitted that holding F1's British Grand Prix behind closed doors will have a "massive impact" on the local economy.

Stuart Pringle said the annual fixture at the south Northamptonshire circuit usually brings in an estimated £100m for businesses in the area.

"We are desperately disappointed, but we are not isolated from the crisis," he said.

It comes as F1 unveiled plans to begin its season in Austria in early July, with the British Grand Prix set for 19 July.

BBC

Peregrine chicks hatch on cathedral spire nest

We might be in lockdown but the peregrine falcons at Norwich Cathedral are soaring with delight as they welcome three chicks into the world.

Two chicks were revealed by the nesting platform camera on Sunday, with a third arriving this morning. One egg is still to hatch.

Live action can be viewed via a webcam on the cathedral spire nest.

Fairy hospital found in woods

Sarah Jenkins

BBC News

While on patrol at the weekend firefighters discovered some emergency services for fairies.

The fairy hospital and fairy fire station are based in Flitwick Woods and officers from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the find made them smile.

What's in the Norfolk papers?

• An auction house is restarting its programme of antiques and fine art sales after a month’s pause due to lockdown, the Eastern Daily Press reports
• North Norfolk News shares a message from a gambling counsellor who warns of a ‘perfect storm’ amid the coronavirus lockdown
• One of the first cancer patients treated at a Norwich private hospital as part of measures to ease pressure on the NHS has praised "phenomenal" health workers, Norwich Evening News reports

Colchester to release first-team quartet

Grass cutting resumes in Hertfordshire

Katy Lewis

BBC News Online

Grass cutting in public spaces is resuming in Hertfordshire following a postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic.

BBC

The county council said it had reviewed safety measures with its contractors and it was important to keep on top of grass cutting, especially as people are out walking on verges to maintain their two-metre distances.

Where parked cars make access difficult, some areas may have to be left until the lockdown eases.

Meanwhile, some rural verges will be cut just once a year to encourage wild flowers.

Virus leaves charity facing 'devastating' loss

Thurrock mayor to stay in post until 2021

Steve Shaw

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The mayor of Thurrock is to stay in post for another year after the council announced it would not hold its annual appointment meeting.

Thurrock Council

Conservative councillor Terry Piccolo's term of office, along with deputy mayor, councillor Sue Shinnick, was due to end in May when their successors would be announced, but due to the coronavirus pandemic this has been pushed back until May 2021.

A statement issued on behalf of all party leaders explained Thurrock Council did not have the technology to hold the meeting virtually and holding it in person would go against social distancing guidance.

The announcement comes after south Essex’s other unitary authority in Southend also agreed to extend the mayor's term in office for the first time since World War Two.

Some-fin special about runner

Katy Lewis

BBC News Online

The London Marathon may have been postponed, but that didn't seem to stop runners in unusual costumes taking to the streets.

Sarah Miller, who saw this shark in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, said it was "not something you see every day on your afternoon walk".

"[It] put a smile on my face," she added.

Sarah Miller

What the papers are saying in Cambridgeshire

This is how Cambridgeshire's newspapers are covering the coronavirus pandemic:

• Cambridge News reports on tributes to a magistrate who died after contracting Covid-19
• The Wisbech Standard writes about a Fenland photographer who has raised more than £1,800 for NHS charities after running three half marathons in three days
• And Peterborough Today has pictures after a knitter created a window display of key workers and Captain Tom Moore in the city