Market Harborough

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed the cause of a generator fire at County Hall was accidental.

Three crews were called at 08:42 to the authority's headquarters in Glenfield and used two hose reels to extinguish the blaze, which caused 80 per cent damage to the generator.

Jim Coltman

Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at Leicestershire County Council's building in Glenfield.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 08:42 to the generator fire at County Hall.

Three crews were called and used two hose reels to deal with the fire.

BBC Radio Leicester's Jo Hayward says the blaze now appears to be under control.

BBC

BBC

We can expect a cloudy start to the day which is expected to clear by this afternoon giving us sunny spells across the East Midlands.

Here's Rich Davis with the forecast.

There will be cloudy skies with some rain in the morning, but as the afternoon progresses, the rain will become more showery with sunny intervals. Maximum temperatures of 20 to 23C.

A pledge to offer new homes to at least 100 child refugees in the next 10 years could be made in Leicestershire this afternoon.

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The county council is considering setting a target to take in at least 10 young refugees a year over the next decade following calls for more national support.

The county's already provided care for more than 70 youngsters from Syria.

Severn Trent will carry out more tests in a Leicestershire village where E-coli was found in the water supply.

The company believes routine maintenance work has affected the system in Barkestone Le Vale.

BBC

Bottled water has been given to about 30 homes after tests showed traces of the bug in a water main.

Engineers have been cleaning a section of the pipe and will carry out further tests on the water's quality later today.

There is still some cloud around first thing, but it should brighten up as we head into the afternoon and it will be another warm day.

High UV levels and pollen count again too.

Two horses in Leicestershire have been diagnosed with equine flu.

The virus was confirmed by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) - which has also diagnosed 15 other animals in England and Wales so far this month.

The trust said the infected animals are non-thoroughbreds and had been vaccinated earlier this year.

Another 19 horses, who were kept at the same site, are now undergoing clinical and laboratory screening.

BBC

Last month there was one case of equine flu found in Leicestershire and another in Derbyshire.

Dr Richard Newton from the Animal Health Trust said he expects the numbers to rise as more horses move around the country during "competition season".

He added that it is a "highly contagious" disease.

It will be dry with spells of sunshine today, feeling rather warm in the afternoon but with some gentle winds.

A Leicestershire boxer says a ruling that stops him competing in Wales because of his beard is discrimination.

Aaron Singh, a student at Cardiff University, keeps a beard as a mark of his Sikh faith, but the Welsh Amateur Boxing Association (WABA) demands all fighters must be clean shaven.

Last year England Boxing reversed the beard ban after a campaign from Sikh and Muslim boxers.

Mr Singh, 20, said: "To have someone tell me that I'm not allowed to participate in something like a sporting event because I've got a beard - I personally see that as being wrong.

"I can do it [boxing] an hour away but as soon as I come here, it's not allowed."

The WABA said it would consider whether the "sporting integrity" of amateur boxing would be affected by overturning the rule.

A decision will be made later this month.

A lovely sunny day with a light variable breeze today. It will feel warm in the sunshine with highs of 21C.

There are high UV levels too and a very high pollen count today.

It will be dry with spells of sunshine this morning but cloud is expected to build widely by the afternoon.

It's going to be warm today, particularly in the sunshine with only some gentle winds.

It's not the soaring temperatures we saw on Saturday, and it will be cloudy today, but there will be some spots of brightness. Highs of 19C.

With temperatures expected to rise this weekend across the region, dog owners have been warned not to leave their pets in hot cars.

The RSPCA said in Nottinghamshire, 123 calls were made to the charity about dogs in hot cars last year compared to 100 in 2017 - a rise of 23%.

In Leicestershire, calls were up from 96 in 2017 to 112 last year - an increase of almost 17%.

However, there was a drop in calls of about 18% in Derbyshire - 175 in 2017 down to 143 last year.

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The RSPCA said: "Despite repeated warnings every year, owners still risk their pets' lives by leaving them unattended in vehicles during warm weather."

It advised people to call 999 and request police if their dog is displaying signs of heatstroke - such as panting heavily, drooling excessively, being lethargic or vomiting.

Here comes the sun (finally)!

Response times to 999 calls could be improved thanks to all three emergency services working under one roof in Lincolnshire, fire chiefs say.

BBC

Fire and ambulance crews have begun moving into a £21m building on South Park in Lincoln, and police officers are due to move into the centre later this year.

It's the first combined fire, ambulance and police station in the country.

We've seen it already at Sleaford and Louth where the operational crews from fire and EMAS have been working together for sometime. You can see on the ground the improvement in operational procedures when we attend things like road traffic accidents, for example.

Opening hours could be reduced and new charges introduced at recycling centres across Leicestershire as part of county council plans to save more than £100,000.

The authority is also looking at introducing charges for difficult to dispose of items such as tyres.

Today, councillors will discuss whether plans to reduce opening hours should go out to wider consultation. The council says it's not planning to close any recycling sites.

BBC

Leicestershire Police has recorded more than 100 reported incidents of modern slavery in the last six months.

The figures for the crime have increased since the Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2015, from 12 to 113.

The force has now started a new a campaign to crackdown on the issue. They're raising awareness of the key signs of modern slavery and what to do if you think you, or someone you know, is a victim.

BBC

Well, at least it's stopped raining...

It's set to be a mostly cloudy day with some bright spells, but there's better news on the way for the weekend.

Police in Market Harborough had to close part of the A6 this morning to deal with a crash.

The road is now open again but both drivers have minor injuries and officers are warning people that heavy showers predicted for most the morning will make the roads slippy and dangerous.

Leicestershire Police

World War Two veteran Jim Posnett raised the flag ahead of Armed Forces Day.

The 100-year-old, who served in India, Burma, Java and Singapore, attended the ceremony at Leicestershire County Council's head office.

We have a wet and humid day ahead with a yellow warning for thunder issued by the Met Office.

Any rain will clear north to give a dry and cloudy start to the night, but further heavy rain and thunderstorms will spread through the early hours.

JoeW

Lingering overnight rain will ease during the morning to leave it dry but largely cloudy for many. However, showers will develop, and some of these could be heavy and thundery.

A text message support service has launched in Leicestershire to help new or expectant women who are struggling with their mental health.

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust claim the Mum’s Mind service is the first of its kind for the NHS in the UK.

BBC

The service is being funded with £460,000 from NHS England to improve access to mental health care.

Mums are being advised to text the service if they're struggling with issues like anxiety, panic attacks, depression and psychosis. It's also designed to help with practical problems like bonding and attachment issues.

Deanna Dalby from South Wigston told the BBC she spent a lot of her pregnancy panicking that she could lose her daughter Isabelle.

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

Then, after a traumatic birth she said she "couldn't cope" with the fear that her new baby could suddenly die.

It meant she had "no enjoyment" in the early days of being a parent.

She received support from a perinatal mental health worker, which lead to her being diagnosed with OCD, bipolar and anxiety.

"They gave me the tools I needed to be the best mum I could be and to cope with everyday and move forward," she said.

Leicestershire Police's deputy chief constable has said more than 70% of police time is spent dealing with incidents "most people wouldn't associate with crime".

Speaking at a meeting of the Police and Crime Commissioner's Ethics Committee, Rob Nixon said a significant part of the force's work is providing assistance to other services.

The meeting discussed whether police should be answering calls from East Midlands Ambulance Service and other health providers.

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Mr Nixon said attending the call-outs can often result in the police being scrutinised and criticised and has the potential to leave them open to civil claims.

He explained: "One example is a sad case where we were called by mental health practitioners who were dealing with a patient who was threatening to lock himself in his house and set fire to it.

"We said that we would attend to assist with gaining entry but unfortunately the man set fire to the property and died as a result.

"Because we were there, we were then subject to an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation and six officers had to attend a week-long inquest."

Flags are being raised across the East Midlands to honour British military personnel past and present as part of Armed Forces week.

It follows a weekend of events, including a parade in Leicester and a service at the city's cathedral.

The guest of honour at Leicestershire County Hall earlier was 100-year-old Jim Posnett.

The veteran, who served in India, Burma, Java and Singapore during World War Two, was chosen to raise the flag.

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He describes himself as "one of the lucky ones", as there was a time he thought he "might not make it back".

His daughter-in-law, Pam Posnett, said it was a "very special day" that allowed Mr Posnett to commemorate what he did in conflict.