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.”

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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.

Plans to revamp more of Leicester's city centre have been announced.

Improvements costing £4m will be made to Horsefair Street, Pocklingtons Walk and Market Place South as part of the Connecting Leicester project.

Leicester City Council

A new footpath will be created in Town Hall Square, linking it directly to Dolphin Square and new parking bays will be added to Chancery Street.

The work is due to start later this month and will be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.

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.

Organisers planning a Heroes' Orchard in Grantham have set themselves a new fundraising target to help make the project extra special.

JThomas

The orchard will be near Wyndham Park and will create a living legacy for the district’s airborne and aviation heritage, with 75 trees to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Allies' victory in Europe in World War Two.

Although the original £12,130 target has been achieved, the Wyndham Park Forum has a wish list of extra features.

John Knowles, chairman of the forum, says: “It was amazing to hit our target with two weeks to go, and extra pledges have now come in, taking our target closer to £13,000.

"This is a long term legacy project and we will continue to fundraise even after the crowdfund appeal actually closes.

"There are many other things we can do to make this special project, even more special - things like extra interpretation boards, benches and community involvement and events."

A mother-of-two has accused a photography firm tasked with taking pictures of newborn babies on maternity wards in Leicester of "targeting vulnerable women".

At a health scrutiny meeting, councillor Melissa March said University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust's contract with Bounty and the fact that money changes hands makes her feel "really uncomfortable".

"If we were any other kind of post-surgery or recovery ward with photographers coming in and taking photos of you and your child, and the hospital was receiving remuneration for that, it does feel deeply intrusive," she said.

"Some of the women, and even when I was on those wards in the last few years, it's the most vulnerable you might ever feel, I couldn't get out of bed, I wasn't alone in that."

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But councillor Teresa Aldred said: "I've dealt with Bounty myself recently when my daughter gave birth to my grandchild.

"My daughter is a young mother at 17, she was quite vulnerable but they did not intrude, they came and asked if they could take pictures of the baby, said they would come back when the baby was ready.

"In my recent personal experience and even over the years having my children, I've found their staff to be very respectful."

It was explained that a fee is paid for every bag handed out and a percentage of the profits made from photography sales is also paid to the trust. Both contracts are periodically reviewed.

When the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service asked what the trust earns from its deal with Bounty, a spokesman said it had received £5,647 in the first six months of 2019 across the Royal Infirmary and General Hospital sites.

The service has asked Bounty for a comment but it is yet to receive a response.

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.

A number of firefighters are still at the site of a warehouse blaze near Rotherham which has been burning since Monday evening.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

At its height, about 35 firefighters tackled the flames which were inside the warehouse on Manor Road, Kiveton.

Tonnes of plastic waste were burning, the fire service said.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue says two crews are still at the scene damping down.

The main fire is out, but firefighters are staying at the site to stop the fire starting up again.

Crews are expected to remain at the scene for at least two more days.

Four of Lincolnshire's local authorities are to share a £600,000 grant to help tackle homelessness.

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The money will help pay for a 14-strong team whose members will be tasked with reducing the number of rough sleepers in places like Grantham.

Those involved say the money will help some of the county's most vulnerable people.

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.

Plans to build a poultry farm for 270,000 chickens near Grantham have been turned down by planners at South Kesteven District Council.

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The proposal, which includes building for six chicken sheds at High Dike, Great Ponton, was recommended for approval but attracted criticism from people living nearby who were concerned about the smell and the noise.

In addition, the headteacher at Great Ponton Primary School said parents had threatened to take their children out of the school if the chicken farm was built.

Charles Welsh, who has been representing people living in the village, said: "We're pleased with the result and somewhat surprised, but there could be a little bit of a downside, because, although the application was refused, I think the reasons for refusal could have been wider and if they were wider it would be easier to defend at appeal."

David Hubbard, who lives close to the proposed site, added: "I don't think it should have been put there or even applied for from day one.

"One of my main concerns which was brushed under the table was the traffic. Traffic on the High Dyke is very dangerous."

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

A man killed in a crash on the A47 in Leicestershire has been named as 22-year-old Cameron Hill.

Leicestershire Police said a black Hyundai Veloster left the road and landed in a wooded area near Peckleton Lane at about 23:30 on 17 January.

The driver, Mr Hill, from Earl Shilton, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 21-year-old man was voluntarily interviewed in connection with causing Mr Hill's death by dangerous driving.

Officers still want to speak to anyone who saw the crash or the Hyundai prior to the collision. Witnesses have been urged to call the force on 101.

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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.

The Leicester Comedy Festival has kicked off.

The two-week extravaganza features 800 comedians across more than 90 venues in the city.

Headliners at the festival include the likes of Jo Brand, Milton Jones and Ed Byrne.

The event runs from today until 23 February and begins with a gala performance, alongside solo shows across the city.

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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".