Alex Regan
BBC News

Buses serving the Top Valley area of Nottingham could be diverted if "mindless vandalism" of Nottingham City Transport (NCT) vehicles continues.

Eleven buses on the 15 and 16 routes were damaged in December, NCT said, which led to services being diverted.

A spokesman said: "We continue to work closely with Nottinghamshire Police alongside local city councillors and local schools to identify the culprits."

Image source, NCT

Gavin Collins stole three vehicles and reversed into Terry Radford, who was stood at a bus stop.

Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC News

Shares in the Market Harborough-based fashion brand Joules have dropped by 20%.

The company said sales were "significantly behind expectations" following poor Christmas trading, although it blamed this on "one-off" issues that hit the availability of stock.

Joules said it expected cost "headwinds" as a result of tariffs being imposed by the US-China trade war.

Chief executive Nick Jones said: "We are disappointed with our inability to fully satisfy our customers' demands through our online channel during the important Christmas sale period.

"We have identified the root cause of this one-off issue and have taken steps to prevent its reoccurrence."

Image source, Google

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

This was the moment a female swan was reunited with her mate and cygnets in Birstall after being treated by Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital.

When the charity took her in on 29 December she had an infected foot and a respiratory infection, which caused her nostrils to bleed.

She was given antibiotics and had her feet bathed daily.

The Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital said on their Facebook page: "The reunion was amazing - this is why we do this job."

A driver who left a motorcyclist with a broken back after driving on the wrong side of the road has been jailed for 16 months.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Florian Pratt, 41, of Kilnwood Close, Nottingham was driving along Mortimer Road, Sheffield when the crash happened in April last year.

Hitting the rider at more than 50mph, the victim flipped over the car with his protective gear saving his life, police said.

The 35-year-old rider, from Barnsley, suffered a broken back, a broken sternum and a broken wrist.

His protective clothing, which included full leathers and inbuilt air bags, saved his life, according to police.

Pratt pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was also banned from driving for three years:

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC News

A man who assaulted a woman at a Loughborough hotel has been jailed.

Adrian Excell, 51, of Shortfen, Orton Malborne, Peterborough spent the evening with his victim before taking her back to the hotel on Ashby Road.

At about 04:00 a staff member responded to a noise complaint. When the victim answered the door she was covered in blood and bruising.

Staff escorted her to reception where security were called and tried to stop Excell from leaving.

He rammed their security van that was blocking the exit and left the area.

The victim was taken to hospital with a fractured nose and perforated eardrum.

Excell appeared at Leicester Crown Court where he admitted one count of actual bodily harm and one count of failure to report a road accident.

He was sentenced to 47 weeks in prison and banned from driving for 66 weeks and fined £149.

Image source, Google

Matthew Montanow's arrest led to parts of the village being cordoned off by bomb disposal experts.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Eleven cars with unpaid parking fines totalling over £62,000 have been seized by Leicester City Council.

In total the cars had 899 fixed penalty notices.

Image source, Getty Images

The worst offender was a foreign-registered vehicle, which had accumulated 236 parking fines worth more than £8,000.

So far only two of the cars have been claimed by their owners, who had to pay more than £2,000 to get them back.

They still have to pay off the rest of their bill, along with storage and towing costs.

The remaining nine seized vehicles will be scrapped if no one claims them.

Eddie Bisknell
Local Democracy Reporter

Residents in South Derbyshire may get black bins that are half the size collected every four weeks.

South Derbyshire District Council suggested the potential changes – would mean residents have to wait twice as long for general waste collections, and/or use smaller bins – in a bid to boost recycling rates.

It said that this could see a surge from 46 per cent to 70 per cent.

It added this was an example of how the authority could improve its recycling rate and it was important to "explore all options" to hit targets.

Image source, Getty Images

Samantha Noble
BBC News Online

Police are on the hunt for a number of "valuable and distinctive" pieces of jewellery which were stolen during a burglary in Chesterfield.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Derbyshire Police said the items, which include bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces, were stolen from a home on Walton Back Lane, in Walton, in December.

Officers would like to hear from anyone who may have been sold an item like this recently, or noticed them for sale.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Derbyshire Police asked for anyone with information to contact them.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC News

A man has been jailed for 10 years for setting his ex-girlfriend's house on fire.

Christopher Webster, 30, of Victoria Terrace, Newark, deliberately started a blaze at his former partner's home on 23 July 2019, before making malicious calls to her and her family.

He then threatened a woman and her daughter with a knife, before stealing her car, and then stole a bottle of wine from a shop.

He committed another robbery later in the day and was arrested after a short pursuit by the force.

He pleaded guilty to arson with intent to danger life, two counts of robbery, dangerous driving and malicious communications.

Tootsies escaped from his owners' car as they made their way to start a new life in France.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Firefighters were called to a car fire on the A52 near Stragglethorpe this morning.

It happened just before 07:50 and the fire service confirmed no-one was injured.

Graeme Wrathall who filmed the blaze as he was passing in a friend's van said: "It was a bit scary."

Ethan Connolly-Forster
BBC News

Police are appealing after a man was attacked with an item - believed to be a knife - in a town park.

The attack happened while the 39-year-old was walking in Holmebrook Valley Park, Chesterfield, near the stream at about 13:30 on Wednesday 9 January.

The man suffered cuts to the face and was treated in hospital before being discharged.

The two male attackers are described as being white, wearing dark tracksuits, snoods and it is thought they ran off into a field after the assault.

Image source, Google

East Midlands Today

East Midlands Ambulance Service is to spend £1m buying in extra crews from the private sector as it struggles to cope with "unprecedented" demand.

The service uses around 28 private ambulance crews each day, on top of its own.

It had wanted to cut their use completely by the end of this month, but will now retain them until at least the end of March.

BBC Radio Leicester

Firefighters are still at the scene of a factory blaze which broke out in Leicester yesterday evening.

They were called to the hosiery factory on Rolleston Street just before 20:30 and said officers had dragged out 20 tonnes of smouldering fabric.

Officers have spent the early hours of this morning dampening down.

Image source, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

It will be dry and bright this morning and feeling a bit chillier throughout the day. Highs of 7C (44F)

Yourbus claimed Derbyshire County Council owed more than £1m in the weeks before it folded.

The appointment of Tradebe Healthcare Ltd follows the collapse of Healthcare Environmental Services.

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

Gates are going to be installed on a road notorious for flooding.

Between 2014 and 2018 about 30 vehicles had to be rescued from the flooded ford on Watery Gate Lane in Thurlaston.

Image source, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service

Leicestershire County Council said "road closed" signs were being ignored by some motorists and it hopes gates will act as more of a deterrent.

The £65,000 scheme will be paid for by the county council and Blaby District Council.