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A new business set up to promote sustainable living has opened in Market Harborough.

The eco-village is a hub of several sustainable businesses, such as a cafe, a refillable dried food shop and a milk vendor.

BBC

Co-founder Beth Lambert said: "The eco-village is to help educate people, and to make sustainable shopping mainstream.

"We're a hub for education, we're going to have courses on composting, we're going to have courses on urban foraging."

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.

Some of the Leamington Observer headlines today include:

• Probe to look into Leamington Assembly clubbers' claims
• Driver went wrong way around Leamington island in police chase
• Road rage attack businessman ordered to pay victim compensation

A search is being carried out on land where the body of a 15-year-old boy was found with multiple stab wounds.

BBC

BBC

Forensic teams are at the site near Petitor Crescent in the Wood End area of the city where the teenager was found just before 19:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Ch Supt Mike O'Hara, from West Midlands Police, said he was appealing to the public's "humanity and values" for information.

"I understand there might be a code of silence," he said, "but you need to put yourself in the shoes of the family - or the relatives or the friends - of the individual that's been murdered and then try and work out what the right decision is."

Some of the Coventry Observer headlines today include:

• Murder inquiry in Coventry as body found with stab wounds
• Road rage attack businessman ordered to pay victim compensation
• Probe to look into Leamington Assembly clubbers' claims

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.

An area of Coventry remains cordoned off after the stabbing of a teenage boy on Thursday.

BBC

BBC

An area of parkland has been closed adjacent to the Sowe Valley footpath - connecting the Bell Green, Henley Green and Wood End areas of the city.

BBC

A number of police officers can be seen at various points of the cordon, which is about the size of five football pitches.

A blue police tent can be seen in the distance where the body was discovered near Wood End last night.

Searches were continuing this morning.

Officers are continuing a murder investigation after a body, believed to be a teenage boy, was found with multiple stab wounds in Coventry.

BBC

The collapsed youth was found near Petitor Crescent, in the Wood End area of the city, at about 19:00, police said.

BBC

He had suffered multiple stab wounds to his torso and was declared dead at the scene by emergency crews.

West Midlands Police is urging anyone with information to contact them.

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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These are some of the stories making headlines in the Coventry Telegraph this morning:

• Coventry residents battling ‘nightmare’ kerb wars with council
• Passenger squares up to National Express driver in heated row
• Pupil places to be cut at three Coventry schools

The Coventry City manager Mark Robins is challenging his players to make it an "exciting end of the season" after their FA Cup exit at the hands of Birmingham City last night.

They led twice in the replay only to lose the game on a penalty shoot-out.

Robins said it was "harsh" but they had had "three good chances to put the game to bed in normal time".

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Despite the defeat, Robins also said: "I'm proud of the players, I thought they were brilliant."

They now host League One's bottom side, Bolton Wanderers, on Saturday and with 17 games to play, are just two points off one of the division's automatic promotion places.

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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The police officer given the task of reducing knife crime in Coventry said more officers were needed to tackle the problem.

Ch Insp Paul Minor also said knives were found on a daily basis, although they were not always associated with someone being stabbed.

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Ch Insp Minor said: "The very presence of police officers in a place means that knife crime doesn't exist. It doesn't exist around uniformed officers.

"Undoubtedly the increase in officers will reduce knife crime."

But the assistant police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands said police numbers were not the only solution and they had to look at the causes of knife crime and educating young people, while taking "a collective response to these issues".

On Tuesday, Ikea announced plans to close its Coventry store after 13 years in the city centre.

It said the shop made "consistent losses" and operational costs were high due to it being spread over seven levels.

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Jim O'Boyle, from Coventry City Council, ruled out developing the space for housing and retail expert Theresa Wickham suggested it was "likely it will be split up into several units" perhaps with more opportunities for leisure including a gym and hairdressers.

Mr O'Boyle said the priority for the council was to work to support the 352 workers at risk of losing their jobs.

"It's important we do all we can to work with them and the company in order to try and help and support them at this difficult time," he said.

West Midlands Police has now arrested 1,090 people on suspicion of domestic abuse since the start of 2020.

West Midlands Police

The force is targeting domestic abuse in an intensive campaign and said it had detained suspects for offences ranging "from nasty assaults to bullying behaviour, harassment and breaches of restraining orders".

Among its latest arrests are a man from Coventry who allegedly held a hot iron to his partner's face, and another man from Netherton accused of biting a woman's ear in an attack on Christmas Day.

“Every day we are tracing and arresting people who are accused of domestic violence and abuse.

"Not just physical abuse, but also emotional, psychological, verbal and financial abuse," West Midlands Police Supt Sally Simpson said.

Four people have been taken to hospital after a two-vehicle crash in Leicester.

Emergency services were called to Aylestone Road at 23:29 to the crash.

Three of the people involved were taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary and another casualty, who was trapped in one of the vehicles, was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.