Latest updates: East Midlands Live Wednesday 21 March

Summary

Hundreds of jobs lost at former Boots' factory
Body found in Market Harborough
Murder victim's brother hopes to keep killer behind bars
Families back bid for new QMC scanner
Angry driver beeps at emergency ambulance for 30 minutes
Concern over age of Derby's taxi fleet
Updates on Wednesday 21 March 2018

Live Reporting

Gavin Bevis and Amy Woodfield

Hospital launch appeal for new i-MRI scannerpublished at 12:42 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Tim Parker
BBC East Midlands Today reporter
I'm at the launch of the Nottingham Children’s Hospital big appeal for a new i-MRI scanner.
It's hoped to raise £2.8m for equipment that will better treat children with tumours.
Quote Message
Using an MRI during operations, or what we surgeons call an intra-operative i-MRI, is a significant benefit as it can help us completely remove tumours whenever there is the possibility of doing this. This is why I am backing the campaign so that we achieve the best possible outcomes for our young patients.”
Donald MacArthur, Leading paediatric neurosurgeon
Hundreds of jobs to go at former Boots' factorypublished at 12:23 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
A total of 400 jobs are to go at Nottingham manufacturing firm BCM, the firm has said.
The factory, which makes health, beauty and toiletries for Boots, was sold to international manufacturer Fareva in November.
It has stood on the Boots site in Thane Road for the past 85 years.
The redundancies are part of a two-year plan to return the company to profit and will begin with 78 production roles being lost over the next six months.
Image source, Google
The restructure will see the production of toiletries, haircare, perfumes, foods and biocides moved to other sites owned by Fareva.
BCM managing director Richard Whall said: “We have agreed a two-year plan with our owners and as part of that we, unfortunately, had to make some tough decisions to safeguard the long-term future of BCM here in Nottingham."
City council 'needs extra £15.5m' to fix roadspublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
Derby City Council has said it's spending an extra £3m on the maintenance of its roads and footpaths in the financial year 2018/19.
However the authority said this is just "slowing the network decline" and that £15.5m is needed to fix all the deterioration.
Image source, Richard Danny MacRae
Figures published by the BBC yesterday put the B and C-roads owned by the city council as the eighth worst for a local authority in the UK.
Derby City Council said the amount of money the government spends on fixing motorways and trunk roads is almost 50 times more per kilometre than on local roads. It is urging a government review of this spending in the hope that local authorities can get a bigger share of the money for more minor roads.
Your photos: Swans on the movepublished at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
BBC Weather Watchers
Excellent action shot, taken by Maggie T in Ruddington this morning.
Image source, Maggie T
Derby boxer Sandy Ryan has God Save The Queen on repeatpublished at 11:50 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
BBC Derby Sport
Derby boxer Sandy Ryan says she's been using the lyrics to God Save the Queen to motivate her for success at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast next month.
The 24-year-old light welterweight will step up for Team England at her first games - and says she is proud to represent her country.
Image source, Getty Images
She said: "In the last week I've been visualising standing on the podium. I've been listening to the national anthem every day.
"Today on the way to the gym I listened to it four times."
City taxi fleet safety questionedpublished at 11:47 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Officials insist safety inspections are thorough after four unsafe taxis were taken off the road.
Read More
Derbyshire Dales egg theft suspect identifiedpublished at 11:27 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
A suspect has been identified by police after bird eggs were stolen from a nest at a quarry in the Derbyshire Dales.
Derbyshire Police's rural crime team put out a photo appeal after eggs disappeared from a site near Bakewell last week.
The force said the person was now "helping police with our enquiries". The nest did not belong to a bird of prey.
Image source, Derbyshire Police
Mercia Marina celebrates its tenth anniversarypublished at 11:07 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
A Derbyshire marina is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
Mercia Marina, near Willington, was created when gravel from the site was quarried during construction of the A38.
The quarry was filled with water and stocked with fish. It now has about 260 residential boats and a population of 500.
Mike Coates (pictured), who's lived there since September 2009, said the spirit within the boating community was much better than on a housing estate.
The self-confessed quizzing and angling fan said: "There's something going on almost every night of the year."
Body found in Market Harboroughpublished at 10:53 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Amy Woodfield
BBC News
A man's body has been found in a rear yard off Northampton Road in Market Harborough.
Police are at the scene but have said early inquiries indicate the death is "not suspicious".
Image source, Google
Gang of youths 'throw bricks' and disrupt bus servicespublished at 10:52 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Derby Telegraph
A gang of youths were reportedly causing trouble in Duffield on Friday night, including disrupting bus services, external.
Your photos: Spring sunshine in Bakewellpublished at 10:36 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
BBC Weather Watchers
When you step outside and realise you forgot your sunglasses.
Image source, Fractus
Charismatic Cloughie remembered on his birthdaypublished at 10:28 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
Happy birthday to Brian Clough - the legendary former Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager would have been 83 today.
Cloughie, arguably the most charismatic football manager of all time, died from cancer in 2004.
Here he is giving a fresh-faced John Motson a tough time in 1979.
Missing man 'may be on public transport'published at 10:21 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
Police say they're increasingly concerned about a 27-year-old man who's gone missing from his home in The Meadows area, external.
John Newton was last seen in Kirkby-in-Ashfield at about 18:30 yesterday and the force have asked the public to look out for him - particularly on buses or trains.
Image source, Nottinghamshire Police
JK Rowling says 'thank you' to Notts schoolpublished at 10:00 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has personally thanked a Nottinghamshire school for raising money for her charity.
Arnold Hill Academy, in Arnold, devoted part of World Book Day to bringing in donations for Lumos, which works to remove children from institutional care and put them back into families.
The writer tweeted at the school that their efforts would benefit some of the poorest children in the world.
The school replied to the tweet saying they were glad they could make a difference.
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Angry driver beeps at emergency ambulance for 30 minutespublished at 09:40 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
An irate driver spent 30 minutes sounding their horn at an ambulance that was blocking their way while medics dealt with an emergency yesterday.
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) said paramedics were then verbally abused by the motorist when they returned to the vehicle.
The service said details of the altercation, which happened in Chesterfield, had been passed to its security team who would be investigating further.
Image source, East Midlands Ambulance Service
In a tweet, EMAS said: "No matter how loudly you shout at our crews, how much you beep your horn, or how nasty the notes you leave on our windscreens, if we are treating a patient they will always come first."
Murder victim's brother doubts killer can changepublished at 09:22 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
The brother of a schoolgirl who was murdered in Beaumont Leys 27 years ago has vowed to stop her killer being released on parole.
Scott McIntyre said he didn't believe Raymond Varley, who raped and strangled 12-year-old Claire McIntyre at a flat in 1991, was capable of being reformed in prison.
He said: "If somebody does a crime for money, I believe they can change. But someone who can rape and murder a young child, there's obviously something in their brain that isn't right.
"Prison's not going to change that."
Mr McIntyre said the family had been told the parole hearing, originally set for 16 April, had been deferred to a later date.
Concern over age of Derby's taxi fleetpublished at 09:21 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Gavin Bevis
BBC News
More than 80% of hackney carriages used in Derby are more than ten years old, it's been revealed.
There are nearly 300 of them used in the city at the moment, of which only 38 are less than a decade old.
Many councils stop taxis older than ten years being used and Derby City Council is consulting on introducing an age limit.
During the most recent round of spot checks by Derbyshire Police - which has previously described the fleet as "unacceptably poor" - four of five hackney carriage and private hire vehicles were found to have such serious defects, their licence was immediately suspended.
Baggy Shanker, cabinet member for governance at Derby City Council, said mandatory safety checks were carried out on the fleet every year, although the council is considering increasing that to every six months.
He said: "They do go through a rigorous inspection when the inspection is due. There are various test stations across the city and I'm sure none of these test stations would pass a vehicle that's not safe to be passed. I'm confident in the system."
Mr Shanker also said the council was working with police to try and prevent taxi drivers from avoiding spot checks when word gets round they are being carried out.
Hundreds of people mark the start of Iranian New Yearpublished at 08:48 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Khush Sameja
BBC Radio Leicester reporter
Today marks the celebration of Nowruz for many ethno-linguistic groups living across the world and in our city and county.
It's the name of the Iranian New Year but is also celebrated by members of the Baha’i, the Kurdish and Afghans - among many others - who also share the same celebration.
Later today one of the largest gatherings of the Baha’i communities will take place in Market Harborough to mark the end of their fasting period, with members from Leicestershire and Northamptonshire taking part in the dinner event.
Barbara Winner (pictured below), from Evington, will be celebrating Nowruz with her family and friends throughout the day.
"We look forward to the New Year after the fast," she said.
Jackett accepts Talbot fitness criticismpublished at 08:40 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Portsmouth manager Kenny Jackett accepts criticism about a lack of fitness training by former defender Drew Talbot.
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Family want to keep convicted killer 'where he belongs'published at 08:30 Greenwich Mean Time 21 March 2018
Rob Watson
BBC Radio Leicester reporter
The family of a 12-year-old girl, murdered in Leicester in 1991, have launched a petition to keep their daughter's killer in prison.
Raymond Varley, who indecently assaulted and murdered Claire McIntyre at his home in 1991, has been granted a parole hearing.
Claire's brother Scott, pictured, launched the petition, which currently has almost 2,500 signatures.
After he was found guilty of her murder, Varley was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 18 years.