Nottingham

A 49-year-old man has been charged with firearms offences in connection with an incident in Long Eaton on Wednesday.

Derbyshire Police said officers were called to a property on Briar Gate at about 07:45 after receiving reports about a man with a firearm.

Stephen Cross, of no fixed abode, has been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and having a firearm with intent to resist arrest, and will appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

BBC

Five men and a woman, who were arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a man was found at an allotment, have been released on bail.

Andrew Jackson, 55, was found by officers off Prospect Drive in Shirebrook on 26 January.

Derbyshire Police said the six people were a 51-year-old woman and five men aged 26, 27, 37, 39 and 44.

Det Insp Christopher Marriott said the investigation "is still very much ongoing".

Derbyshire Police

Residents of a Nottinghamshire village have been reassured after a woman's body was found in a home.

"We are still working to establish the circumstances around the death and we will need to wait for the results of the post-mortem examination," Insp Heather Sutton, district commander for Newark and Sherwood, told residents of Edwinstowe.

"I would like to reassure people that at this time, I have no concerns about the safety of people in Edwinstowe.”

Google

Officers were called at about 15:00 on Wednesday to the property on Birkland Drive in the village.

Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has told the Lords she expects to leave the Government in the forthcoming reshuffle.

The former Loughborough MP quit the Commons in the December election after suffering online abuse as an MP.

She was given a seat in the Lords by Boris Johnson and retained her frontbench role.

EPA

In her maiden Lords speech, Lady Morgan told peers she expected to leave the Cabinet soon.

With a ministerial reshuffle expected next week, she said: "I do shortly expect to succeed in my attempt to leave the Government and join colleagues on the backbenches."

Lady Morgan said this would allow her to speak more freely on a range of issues like financial services and women's equality.

It would also allow her to have a "greater presence in the Morgan home, which my family say that they want".

Highways England said Clifton Bridge "remains safe" despite it being closed to check for damage.

The eastbound carriageway of the A52 over the bridge is shut while they survey a "defect" on the underside of the road.

Adrian Oulds, from Highways England, said: “Safety is always our top priority and we’ve taken the decision to close the road while we carry out further tests on the defect which we have found underneath the road."

Highways England

Diversions are in place from the Queen's Drive junction to the Wheatcroft Island.

A major road in Nottingham has been closed while engineers inspect a "defect".

Highways England said they closed the A52 eastbound as it heads towards the A453, and one lane of the road in to the city, at 15:30.

This is so their repair team can inspect the "defect" under the bridge.

A £3m upgrade of the country park at the former Snibston Colliery site in Leicestershire is to begin today.

The mine produced coal for more than 150 years but then became a museum, which itself closed due to financial pressures in 2015.

BBC

Historic England has designated parts of the site as a scheduled monument due to the preservation of the buildings.

Work will include a new cafe, heritage trail, play area and picnic site. There will also be solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

Derby City Council has been criticised by an ombudsman and told to pay compensation after a girl with autism missed 18 months of school due to delays at the authority.

The council has been having extreme difficulty handling the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, which set out what children with extra needs should receive from the council and the NHS, with long delays for many parents.

BBC

In this case, council officers initially declined to draw up a plan for girl. When they changed their mind it took more than 18 months to write.

The council was ordered by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to pay the girl and her family more than £8,000 in compensation.

It admitted it took too long and said changes had been made to its procedures.

Plans for a £200m redevelopment in Derby have been recommended for approval by the city council's planning officials.

Councillors are expected to make a final decison on the application regarding the Becketwell area next Thursday.

St James Securities

The final approval would grant outline permission for the whole development and full permission for the new public square.

If completed, the regeneration of the area could create 500 homes and space for 2,000 jobs.

A man charged with child cruelty after a police stand-off at a coffee shop has appeared in court.

Mohammed Othman, of no fixed address, appeared before Nottingham magistrates today where he was remanded into custody.

The 35-year-old was arrested after the Costa coffee shop in Friar Lane was cordoned off for more than five hours on Monday.

BBC

The child was unharmed but Mr Othman was charged with willfully assaulting, mistreating, neglecting, abandoning or exposing a child in a manner that was likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and will next appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 4 March.

A meteor has been filmed seemingly exploding above northern England.

Various footage, caught on doorbell cameras and CCTV from as far afield as Bradford, Derby and near Beverley, shows a white light followed by what appears to be an explosion.

John Plane, professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Leeds, said: "The video shows a large meteoroid entering the atmosphere. The visible light trail probably starts around 90km above the ground.

"Assuming the meteoroid fell through the atmosphere at about 20 km s-1 (72,000 km per hour), it underwent explosive fragmentation around 60 km in altitude."

A war memorial statue has been decapitated in what police described as a "disgusting and shocking" case of vandalism.

The Tommy Silhouette has stood outside a shared police and fire building in Carlton, Nottinghamshire, since it was donated by the county council in 2018.

But police said it was damaged at some point over the weekend. The fire service said their crews are "truly appalled".

Nottinghamshire Police

Labour councillor Meredith Lawrence said: "It's disgusting. They've ripped off his arm and head, they've put some force into it. What's wrong with people?"

Police have asked for anyone with any information to contact 101.

A 27-year-old man suffered multiple facial fractures in what police have called a serious assault in Mansfield.

Nottinghamshire Police want to speak to the two men pictured in connection with the attack on the corner of Bath Lane and Watson Avenue in the town at about 04:15 on 24 November.

The force said the injured man was treated at King's Mill Hospital.

Nottinghamshire Police

Police have released CCTV images of a woman they want to speak to after someone rifled through a woman's handbag in a KFC and stole jewellery.

Two rings, house keys and a pair of earrings - which were of sentimental value to the victim - were taken from the Alfreton Road eatery on 19 January, Nottinghamshire Police said.

The force has asked anyone who recognises the woman to contact them on 101.

Nottinghamshire Police

Police in Derbyshire are looking to speak to this man about a reported assault last month.

A 47-year-old man said he was involved in an altercation with a man on Ward Street in Derby at about 05:00 on 19 January.

Officers are looking for anyone with any information to get in touch with Derbyshire Police.

Derbyshire Police

Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood has called on the government to do more to help benefit claimants following the starvation death of a man who had his payments stopped.

Errol Graham, 57, was found dead by bailiffs weighing just four-and-a-half stone (28.5kg).

An inquest found the sudden loss of his income - and the subsequent threat of eviction - would have "caused huge distress".

Family handout

Mr Graham's case was previously raised in the Commons by Debbie Abrahams MP, who called for an independent inquiry into cases where people had died following Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reviews of their care.

Addressing prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, Labour MP Ms Greenwood said: "The first priority of government is to keep its citizens safe - how many more vulnerable benefit claimants will have to die before his government starts to value their lives?"

In response, Mr Johnson said Mr Graham's death was a "tragic case", adding £36m had been allocated to improve the DWP's safeguarding and decision-making, including the introduction of a serious case panel to review its work.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm after police sealed off a street in Derbyshire.

Armed officers and negotiators went to a property in Briar Gate, Long Eaton, at 07:45 after reports of a man with a firearm.

The 49-year-old suspect was arrested at about 10:30.

Police said no shots had been fired and there were no reports of injuries.

Derbyshire Police

A man has been charged with child cruelty over a police stand-off at a Nottingham coffee shop.

Officers cordoned off Costa, in Friar Lane, at 12:20 GMT on Monday and a man was arrested about five hours later.

BBC

Mohammed Othman, of no fixed address, is due to appear before Nottingham Magistrates' Court later.

Police said Mr Othman is aged 35, not 26 as they previously stated.

A two-year-old child was unharmed but was taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident.

Pupils are being kept inside a school in Derbyshire due to armed police being at an address nearby.

A cordon has been put up in Briar Gate, close to Wilsthorpe School in Long Eaton, while officers deal with the incident.

Long Eaton Community Group

Derbyshire Police have not yet released any details about the nature of the incident.

The school said students "would be kept inside the school building behind the secure line until we receive the all-clear".

Early fog should clear to give a cool, clear day with highs of 8C (46F).

A man who went on a crime spree around a Leicestershire village has been jailed.

Jamie Shirley attempted to steal car keys from a property in Seagrave Road, Sileby, on 27 August 2019, according to police.

The owners wrestled with the 31-year-old until he dropped the keys and ran off.

Leicestershire Police

He then broke into another property on the same street, where he stole jewellery.

Officers chased him before he entered another property on Haybrook Road.

Inside he grabbed and threatened an elderly person, before eventually being arrested.

Shirley, of Church Hill Road, Mountsorrel, appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Monday after admitting charges of burglary, aggravated burglary and actual bodily harm.

He was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison.

Det Con James Clayton said: "Although no-one was seriously injured or needed hospital treatment, I am in no doubt they would have been extremely frightened by their ordeal."

Calls have been made for help to give a highly-decorated World War Two RAF flyer a "fitting" send-off.

Jim Auton MBE died in January at the age of 95 but he has no surviving relatives.

Mr Auton flew 37 missions during the war before he was injured.

This included flying over Nazi-occupied Poland to take part in the British-led Warsaw airlift, an attempt to help the city overthrow the Germans.

He has been recognised for his bravery with 20 medals from six countries, and has been called a "hero" and one of Poland's "greatest friends".

BBC

Veteran groups have now appealed for people to attend Mr Auton's funeral.

Ailsa Gough, from the Royal Air Forces Association, said: "Jim was a real character with the old twinkle in the eye and sense of humour.

"The actions of Jim and his RAF comrades were instrumental in the struggle for freedom in Warsaw. We wanted to ensure he received a fitting funeral."

BBC

The ceremony, which organisers hope will include a flypast, will be held at St Mary Magdalene, Newark's parish church, at 13:00 on Thursday.

A family say they are "distraught" after their miniature dachshund was stolen.

Lola was taken from outside a pub in Stanton Under Bardon, Leicestershire, just three weeks after giving birth to puppies, on 29 January.

Family handout

Owner Lauren Wright is finding it difficult to talk about her missing dog, who she said used to follow her around like her shadow.

"We have four children and they're finding it extremely difficult," she said.

"We're all distraught."

She said people are out looking for Lola, adding there have been some reported sightings in the Bagworth area.

Lauren Wright

Lisa Dean, from Beauty's Legacy - an organisation that tries to reunite lost and stolen dogs with their owners - said the puppies' lives are "in danger" if Lola is not found very quickly.

Leicestershire Police confirmed they are investigating the theft and have asked for anyone with information on Lola's whereabouts to contact them.

Lauren Wright

Nottinghamshire Police say they have successfully applied for their first Stalking Protection Order (SPO) in the county.

The force said a 38-year-old man from Newark has been prohibited from contacting two girls he approached in a public space and contacted on social media.

The order was granted by magistrates in the city on Monday, and will last for five years.

The man has not been charged with a criminal offence, but an investigation is ongoing.

Getty Images

New legislation, which came into effect on 20 January, allows courts to impose SPOs on those suspected of stalking.

Almost £100m may be needed to modernise Derbyshire's mental health units.

More than two-thirds of the county's 174 mental health inpatient beds are in "dormitories", rather than single rooms, meaning they don't meet NHS standards.

Google

It is thought building new wards would cost between £72m and £96m - with another £10m earmarked for an "intensive care" unit for people with mental health illnesses.

Derbyshire's mental health trust hopes to complete the work in the next four years but will have to find funding for the project first.

Lecturers at 74 universities - including several in the East Midlands - are due to take part in 14 days of strike action this month and next.

Members of the University and College Union are unhappy about pension arrangements, pay and conditions.

PA Media

Lecturers at the University of Nottingham, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester will all be involved in the walkouts, which start on 20 February.

De Montfort University academics will also be striking, but only in relation to the pay and conditions part of the dispute.

A crash between two lorries and a car, which shut three lanes of the M1 northbound this morning, has cleared.

Police confirmed no-one was seriously injured in the collision near junction 24 in Kegworth.