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Peter on his feet days after breaking back in fall drama

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A Leicestershire man who broke his neck and back in a 100ft fall down a mountain says he feels lucky to be alive.

Peter Flint, 60, from Branston, near Melton, needed an emergency 14-hour operation after being airlifted off the mountain in the Lake District last November.

He amazed doctors and his family by being to walk a few days after the accident, which had left him in a critical condition.

"Considering the state I was in following the accident, I guess I am lucky to be alive," Peter told the BBC One show Countryside 999.

Mr Flint was walking with his daughter, Rosie, when he slipped and fell from the 3,117ft-high Swirral Edge, on Helvellyn. He broke his neck, his back in three places, and several ribs in the fall.

After a daring rescue by an Royal Navy search-and-rescue team, he was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, in Newcastle.

Mr Flint, chairman of the Branston cricket team, was interviewed for the show in hospital. He said he hoped the doctors would this week give him the go-ahead to remove a brace from his neck and a corset from his body.

"I still need to wear this corset to protect my back, but hopefully the specialist will be able to say I wont have to," he said.

"That will give me a little bit more freedom of movement."

The programme, screened on Friday, used footage shot by a BBC Scotland cameraman who was aboard the Royal Navy's search-and-rescue Sea King helicopter during the incident on November 10.

Members of the Patterdale and Penrith mountain rescue teams got to Mr Flint and had to lower him part-way down the mountain by ropes.

Low fog prevented the helicopter from landing near to where Mr Flint had fallen.

The rescue teams lowered the injured man to a position where the helicopter could winch him aboard.

Mr Flint's daughter, Rosie, told the programme: "He can walk again. He's got no serious permanent head injuries. It's absolutely amazing.

"He had a few broken bones and that from a 100ft fall."

Rosie knew it was serious when she saw her father slip and fall, and spoke of her anguish as she waited for the helicopter to arrive.

"It felt like it went on forever because I felt, he's up there, my dad's still cold," she said. "He needed to be in hospital. That was the best place for him."

Peter   on his feet days after breaking  back in  fall drama


Community role for Thurnby Lodge Scout hut hit by controversy

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A former Scout hut at the centre of a row over plans to lease it to a Muslim group has reopened as a community building.

The Forgotten Estates group has refurbished the property, in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, and named it The 55th, after the Scout group that once met there.

Volunteers Dave Hurst, Kris Kott, Chris Hopewell and Vinny Cooper, who gave many hours of their time to the refurbishment, cut a red ribbon on Saturday to reopen the building, in Nursery Road.

Dave, 42, a tiler, said: "It's not about us four, it's about the whole community.

"This opening shows how strong this community is and what can be achieved when everyone pulls together."

Kris, 34, a self-employed property maintenance worker, said he was amazed at the goodwill generated by the project.

"We had people from all trades coming along and pitching in – all for free," he said.

The Forgotten Estates group was formed to oppose city council plans to allow the As-Salaam Muslim community group to take over the hut.

The council rethought the idea after months of protest by residents outside the nearby Thurnby Lodge Community Centre, where members of As-Salaam have met for prayers for the past three years.

After the rethink, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby agreed the Forgotten Estates committee would be given the lease on the hut for two years, rent-free.

As-Salaam was offered another council-owned building, the Raven Centre, next to Thurnby Lodge Community Centre.

At the opening of The 55th on Saturday, Thurnby Lodge resident Karen Yorke, 43, said she was delighted to see the building finally reopened.

She said: "This community has been crying out for a facility like this.

"The 55th will give us a focus and allow us to stage community events to bring the estate even closer together."

Karen's 12-year-old daughter, Jade, said the building would benefit her and her friends. Jade, a pupil at St Paul's Catholic School, in Evington, said: "There is nothing around here for people my age, so this is going to be brilliant."

Dylan Smith, eight, said his ninth birthday party was already booked at the hut.

"I can't wait," he said. "It is going to be awesome to be here with my mates."

Barbara Starmer, treasurer of The 55th, said the reopening was the end of a long, hard road, "but it has been worth it".

Janice French, main fund-raiser at The 55th, said: "It's fantastic.

"You only have to look around to see the children's smiling faces to know how much this means to this community."

Councillor Luis Fonseca said he was delighted to see the building being used again.

"It is a great facility," he said. "Everyone has done well to get it open."

The hut was open on Saturday from 10 until 6pm, with a free bouncy castle, free disco, refreshments and free live music.

The committee plans to lease the building out to clubs and community groups.

Community role for Thurnby Lodge Scout hut    hit by   controversy

Basketball: Leicester Riders just one win away from first-ever BBL Championship title

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Leicester Riders are just one win away from their first-ever BBL Championship title.

And they are in that position because, quite simply, they refuse to accept defeat.

Shorn of their first two point-guards, with their leading scorer a bit-part player and trailing by 20 with 13 minutes to go, none of that was enough for them to quit.

Missing their first 16 three-pointer attempts did not matter either, when the game was there, they hit the ones that counted and came out with a truly remarkable 80-78 overtime victory over Manchester Giants.

Given everything, it could well be the result of the season, it certainly was a result that typified their heart, desire, commitment and sheer bloody-mindedness that when the buzzer sounds they will have more points than their opponents.

With Jorge Calvo (hamstring) joining Zaire Taylor (thigh) on the injured list and Pavol Losonsky (back) still far from his best, the Jelson Homes DMU-backed Riders were quickly chasing the game.

They were 40-21 behind just before half-time and even though they narrowed the gap briefly in the third, it was 56-36 late in the period.

But as they always do in times of need, Riders just stepped up their defence, stopped the Giants scoring for five minutes in the fourth and hit nine without reply to cut the gap to 60-56.

Drew Sullivan hit Leicester's first three-pointer of the game with 90 seconds to play and their second and third followed quickly as he and Jay Couisnard cut the deficit to only a point.

Former Rider David Aliu gave the Giants a three-point lead with two seconds left, but Couisnard fired in a game-tieing three-pointer as time expired.

Connor Washington hit another three as Leicester moved four points clear in overtime, but the Giants hit back with seven in a row to lead 78-75.

Couisnard hit two foul shots with 31 seconds left and after keeping Manchester at bay on their possession, the American hit another three-pointer on the buzzer to win the game with the final shot.

All told, Riders made six of their nine long-range efforts in the last 90 seconds and overtime, having missed their first 16 of the game.

Couisnard made 12 of his 13 free-throw attempts to go with his two heroic three-point shots and led the way with 31 points.

The title could come as soon as Tuesday, if Newcastle lose at Worcester.

Giants 78: Aliu 26, Watts 14, Bernard 13, Bailey 10, Gill 7, Jones 6, Jones 2

Riders 80: Couisnard 31, Sullivan 14, Washington 11, Rowe 10, Anderson 8, Williams 2, Lamble 2, Losonsky 2, Angelakos, McSwiggan, Maynard

Exeter v Leicester Tigers - as it happened

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Leicester Tigers named all seven of their returning England internationals for the difficult trip to face Exeter at Sandy Park.

Exeter had two big-game players pull out of the squad just before the kick-off.

Big Fijian centre Sereli Neqelevuki failed a fitness tests and flanker James Scaysbrook was released to be with his wife for the birth of their child.

9 MIN: PENALTY (3-0) Exeter start strongly and make their pressure count with the opening points of the game. Fly-half Gareth Steenson kicks the first of three penalties after Tigers flanker Julian Salvi is pinged for not rolling away at the back of a ruck.

17 MIN: PENALTY (3-3) The visitors get on the scoreboard after their first serious attack is sparked by a Ben Youngs break. Exeter are offside at a ruck and Toby Flood strikes the ball through the uprights on his return from England duty.

23 MIN: PENALTY (3-6) Tigers take the lead six minutes later as Leicester begin to get the ascendency in the scrum with a third consecutive penalty. This one is within kicking range and Flood makes no mistake.

25 MIN: PENALTY (6-6) Exeter go straight down the other end of the park and win a penalty of their own to give Steenson the chance to level the scores once more.

29 MIN: PENALTY (6-9) Tigers go back in front again in a game that is starting to look like it is going to be won by the odd kick at goal as defences dominate. Flood kicks his third penalty of the day.

36 MIN: What looks like being the best try-scoring chance of the day comes and goes and it is the visitors who waste the opportunity. Manu Tuilagi breaks through a big gap in defence and passes to Mat Tait, but he is smothered after ignoring Tom Croft on his outside and Exeter scramble to stop the ball going over the line.

38 MIN: PENALTY (9-9) To make matters worse, the Chiefs then break down field and win a penalty when Niall Morris handles poor Tait's knock-on in an offside position. Steenson makes no mistake and lands a long-range penalty with the strong wind at his back.

H-T: Exeter 9 Tigers 9

69 MIN: PEN (9-12) The game's deciding moment? Chiefs' substitute scrum-half Will Chudley strays offside and Flood lands the penalty. This could well be enough in this game.

80 MIN: There is late drama as Tigers are pinged at the scrum to give Steenson a last-gasp chance of bagging a draw – but his penalty holds up in the wind and falls a metre short of the posts.

F-T: Exeter 9 Tigers 12

Exeter v Leicester Tigers - as it happened

It was the worst injury of my career - Leicester City's Sean St Ledger

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Leicester City defender Sean St Ledger has spoken of his delight at returning to action after what he describes as the worst injury of his career.

The 28-year-old made his comeback after more than five months out of action with a hamstring injury in City's draw in Cardiff two weeks ago.

He admits that when he first picked up the injury at home to Bristol City, at the start of October, he didn't expect to be out for so long.

But the injury proved more problematic than first expected and St Ledger had to fly to Munich to see renowned specialist and Bayern Munich club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt.

The doctor is dubbed 'Healing Hans', for his work with some of the world's top sportsmen.

If the course of injections, which is understood to have contained calf's blood, he received had not worked, St Ledger could have been facing surgery.

But now he is back, the Republic of Ireland international wants to put the injury behind him.

"I didn't expect to be out so long when I first did it," he said.

"Five months was the longest and worst injury I have had in my career by a long stretch.

"I wouldn't say I am a negative person who gets down too easily. During the period I was out I was fine really, but it is never nice missing games.

"The time I was probably at my lowest was when I had to go out to Germany and they said it would be another two months out. Then I knew I was going to miss a large part of the season.

"The doctor was brilliant. I had two options, either surgery or go and see him.

"Having surgery on a hamstring wasn't appealing and I hadn't really heard of it. I was against that option, especially because if it didn't go well, then where do you go from there?

"I went to Germany and he was fantastic. It is a great set-up and very professional.

"He gave me some injections and then I went to see a physio and then a top chiropractor. I was out there for five days initially .

"When I went back for the results, he was very pleased with them and how quick it had healed. I was sat there panicking, thinking I was going to be there for a few days, but he said I was fine to go home. I was also told I could start running."

St Ledger said he was also extremely grateful to City boss Nigel Pearson and his staff with the way he was nursed back to full fitness.

"Everyone has been fantastic while I have been out, from the physios to the manager, and I can't thank them enough for what they have done," he said.

"It is great to be back in action. I was a little weary at first because I had broken down a couple of times trying to get back and that was what caused the problem.

"The fitness coach, Matt Reeves, has worked really hard with me and I have done a lot of running. At one point I thought I had joined Leicester athletics club, I ran so much.

"But that is all behind me now and, hopefully, I can look forward.

"I have come back at the business end of the season and, hopefully, it will be a good time to be back."

St Ledger was an unused substitute in the Republic of Ireland's 0-0 World Cup qualifier in Sweden on Friday night.

It was the worst injury of my career - Leicester City's Sean St Ledger

Mum helped to jail pervert who targeted her teenage son

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A mother has told how she helped jail a man who 'groomed' her 13-year-old son over the internet.

The woman alerted police when she became aware that Lewis Matthew Sawbridge had sent her son sexual text messages and had asked the teenager to take indecent photographs and film of himself and send them to him.

Sawbridge, of Sandford Road, Syston, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this month to plead guilty to two offences – attempting to possess an indecent image of a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The 24-year-old was sentenced to 10 months in prison for each offence, to be served concurrently, and told he would be on the sex offender register for 10 years.

Speaking after the case, the victim's mother, who cannot be named to protect her child's identity, said: "My son suddenly started getting text messages all the time, so I asked him what was going on.

"When I looked at his phone, I saw someone was sending him naked images of women.

"In return, this person was asking my son to send him naked pictures of himself.

"I called the police immediately, and they found him.

"I am glad I have been able to stop him.

"He knew exactly how old my son was and he attempted to groom him for two weeks before he started sending him pictures of naked women and asking my son to send him indecent pictures of himself in return."

The mother reported Sawbridge to her local police force, West Midlands Police.

Det Sgt Victoria Lee, the West Midlands Police detective who led the investigation, said Sawbridge first made contact with the boy in a public discussion forum on an internet gaming website in January last year.

"He encouraged the boy to go to another website where they could chat privately," said Det Sgt Lee.

"The victim is a young teenager and isn't very streetwise and I don't think he had any concept of the seriousness of what Sawbridge was doing.

"There were sexual advances toward the child and he was asking for naked images of the boy.

"He also asked the boy to film himself performing a sexual act on himself.

"He made a full and frank admission when we interviewed him that this was for his own sexual gratification.

"Asking the child to produce indecent images of himself took his behaviour to the next stage and that is the reason for the length of the time he will spend on the sex offender register."

• It has been brought to our attention that there is a man also called Lewis Harry Sawbridge who lives in Braunstone. We have been asked to clarify that he is not the same man and is not connected with this case in any way.

Mum helped to jail  pervert who targeted her teenage son

An ugly win – Martin Crowson's verdict on Leicester Tigers v Exeter clash

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Leicester Tigers' 12-9 win over Exeter at a sold-out Sandy Park was as ugly as they come.

With 20 minutes to go and the score tied at 9-9, it was anyone's game.

Defences were so on top that there was only one genuine try-scoring chance throughout the whole contest.

It was gruelling, attritional and hardly a game for the purists. Proper winter rugby on a snowy weekend that was supposed to be in spring.

Whatever the conditions, with a trip to Northampton on the horizon, it was absolutely vital that Leicester were the ones to be celebrating at the end.

Lose this one and they would simply have had to win all of their remaining games to have any hopes of a top-two Aviva Premiership finish.

When replacement scrum-half Will Chudley snared opposite number Ben Youngs in an offside with 11 minutes left, Toby Flood stepped up to make sure it was indeed Leicester who had their arms aloft at the end.

There was still time for a dramatic finish though. With 60 seconds left, referee Tim Wigglesworth penalised Tigers for taking a scrum down on their own 10-metre line and Gareth Steenson stepped up to try and tie the game.

You could hear a pin drop as his boot made contact with the ball at the very second time expired.

The Sandy Park crowd roared as the ball seemed to be heading straight between the sticks. But it held up in the wind and fell a metre short.

Leicester were rusty – as you would expect from a side trying to integrate seven internationals, who have been away on England duty for the last two months, back into the side.

The fact that those players had the mental strength and will to win after that monumental defeat in Cardiff just seven days previous, was a test of their professionalism.

On a day when few members of either squad stood out though, Tigers' engine room in the second-row was outstanding.

Geoff Parling stole three Cheifs' line-outs in defence and ran a set-piece that gave Tigers solid ball time and time again.

His partner in crime, Ed Slater was immense. A big presence in the line-out too, he loves the dirty work around the fringes and made in-roads in the loose every time he touched the ball.

Judging by this showing and his performance against Sale in the previous league game, I would be amazed if he didn't make England's summer tour of Argentina.

Around them was an organised defence and plenty of guts and valour.

Exeter would not have scored a try had they still been playing now.

Tigers struggled with ball in hand though. Exeter hurried them and the visitors could never secure the quick ball or the number of phases necessary to put the home side's defence under pressure.

Rustiness was a justifiable excuse on this occasion with so many internationals back from two months away.

However, Tigers need to be more clinical in finding space when they secure turnover ball.

They also have to finish more of the tries they have been creating in the last six games.

Sale aside, too many opportunities have gone begging.

Saturday's butchering of a wonderful opportunity just cannot happen if they are win this title.

The chances will be few and far between over the coming weeks and in any semi-final or final.

That blown opportunity came when Manu Tuilagi burst through a rare hole in the home side's back-line and passed to Mat Tait, who got suffocated by tacklers after ignoring the option of Tom Croft on his outside. It seemed easier to score at one stage.

That chance arose after 36 minutes with the boots of Toby Flood and Gareth Steenson having dominated play up until then.

A converted try would could have put Leicester 16-6 ahead. Instead, Exeter cleared their lines, won a penalty and Steenson made it 9-9 at the break.

The second half was attritional and chanceless, until Flood maintained his perfect kicking record with the game's deciding moment.

An ugly win – Martin Crowson's verdict on Leicester Tigers v Exeter clash

England players overcame mental fatigue – Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill

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Leicester Tigers' England contingent overcame "mental fatigue" to help the club return from Exeter Chiefs with a crucial 12-9 victory.

Director of rugby Richard Cockerill had seven internationals back after England's Grand Slam hopes had come crashing down in Wales just seven days earlier.

And, after a series of one-to-one chats during the week, the likes of Ben Youngs, Geoff Parling, Dan Cole and the rest all convinced Cockerill they were in the right frame of mind to take the field against the Chiefs.

They were part of a tremendously gutsy Tigers performance, which helped inflict Exeter's only second home defeat of the Aviva Premiership campaign.

Toby Flood's four penalties earned the visitors a hard-fought win at a sold-out Sandy Park.

The win was good enough to put Tigers into one of those coveted top-two spots for a home semi-final after Saracens beat Harlequins yesterday.

"The mental fatigue of coming back from such a long spell of high-intensity rugby on and off the field was hard for the England internationals," said Cockerill.

"But from my own experience, after a bad international fixture, the best thing to do is to come and play for your team. That is your bread and butter.

"I spoke to all of the lads in the week and they all wanted to play, which was good because we needed them.

"Exeter are a side that you have to treat with respect because they don't lose very often down here. If you leave your best players out, you will lose."

Flood and Exeter's fly-half Gareth Steenson swapped three penalties apiece in the first half before Flood landed the killer blow with 11 minutes left.

There was still chance for Steenson to grab a draw with the last kick of the game but his 40-metre penalty fell just short of the crossbar.

"A 12-12 draw would probably have been a fair result because there was little in it," admitted Cockerill. "This is a tough place to come and we have not had the majority of our squad to work with for the past eight weeks.

"We got the lads back from international duty and then had to integrate them and get them playing well at a very tough place.

"I am delighted with the win and our attitude was great. We could have been better at times and we had a bit of luck. We will take the points and move on.

"Every point is massive for us now. We play the sides around us in the next few weeks with Wasps and Northampton and we know just how hard it is going to be to get into the top two."

England players overcame mental fatigue – Leicester Tigers boss Richard Cockerill


Hospital's red tape puts my son's life in danger, says mum of kidney appeal boy Matthew

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A mum is furious over hospital red tape which has left her little boy's life hanging in the balance.

Fifteen strangers have offered to donate a kidney to Nicola Pietrzyk's seriously ill son, Matthew, following an appeal on Facebook.

They join five family friends who have also come forward as potential donors.

However, Nicola fears tests on the family friends to see if they are a match for the seven-year-old will be delayed – and the strangers might not be tested at all – because of complex and confusing rules about donation.

The 33-year-old said doctors at Birmingham Children's Hospital, where Matthew receives treatment, had told her only one family friend could be tested at a time – a process which would take months. She said doctors had also told her the hospital did not test strangers who wanted to be organ donors for named recipients.

"It's brilliant that people have come forward," said Nicola, of Glenfield. "I'm overwhelmed at the messages I've received. But we are getting such complicated mixed messages about the whole thing and, while it all drags on, Matthew is at the centre of it, still waiting for a kidney.

"I don't see why they have to test family friends one at a time. Surely, when they look at Matthew, his circumstances of how long he has waited, they can see it makes sense to test people all at once.

"As for not testing strangers, it just doesn't make sense."

The Leicester Mercury asked Birmingham Children's Hospital to clarify its position on family friend and stranger donation and to confirm whether the information given to Nicola was correct hospital policy.

The hospital referred the Mercury to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

The trust did not respond to the Mercury's specific questions, but said in a statement: "Live donors referred to UHB will be carefully assessed and dealt with in accordance with the Human Tissue Authority and British Transplant Society Guidance.

"Within this legal and professional oversight, UHB will continue to facilitate donation for the benefit of our patients."

The Mercury asked for further clarification, but none had been received at the time of publication. A spokesman for The Human Tissue Authority said: "Clinical decisions are for the clinical transplant team to make."

It referred the Mercury to its guidelines, which states that potential donors should go to their local hospitals to be accessed as a potential donor.

However, Nicola said people who wanted to donate a kidney to Matthew had tried to do that already, but had been turned away.

She said some GPs had told potential donors they would have to go to the transplant unit at Birmingham to be tested. "My brother only wanted a blood type test to see if he could help and it took him four visits to his GP," said Nicola. "Our brother-in-law went to his GP and was told to go to Birmingham. Who is right?"

Meanwhile, Matthew, who was born with a rare genetic disorder which has damaged his kidneys, remains in desperate need of a transplant. He had one kidney removed in October 2007, to prepare him to receive a donor organ from his mum. The transplant took place in 2008, but failed immediately. Matthew was put on the national kidney transplant waiting list, and his second kidney was removed to help ease his condition and prepare him for a potential second donor.

While he waits for a donor, Matthew endures 12-hour daily dialysis sessions and can only drink 850ml of liquid a day.

City and county MPs have joined Nicola's fight for the rules to be clarified. Leicester West MP Liz Kendall and Charnwood MP Stephen Dorrell have written to the Department of Health. Labour's Ms Kendall, said: "We always encourage people to come forward as donors but here, they are being put off by the fact they can't all be tested at once.

"With regard to the strangers who have come forward, it is not clear what the rules are."

Conservative member Mr Dorrell said: "This is a very difficult situation from the family's point of view. I have referred the case to the department to review it and asked for their view on what should be done."

b>To watch Matthew and Jack on TV - click here.

Hospital's red tape  puts my son's life  in danger, says mum of kidney appeal boy Matthew

£6 million plans for Great Central Railway viaduct in Leicester's West End

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Developers have outlined a £6 million plan to regenerate an area of Leicester's West End.

Braunstone Gate Developments is poised to complete the purchase of a disused Great Central Railway viaduct.

Leicester City Council owns the vandal-hit structure and has agreed to sell it to the firm – a partnership between developers Sowden Group and Jamie Lewis – for an undisclosed sum.

The viaduct is a remnant of the old Bow String Bridge, which was controversially demolished by the council in 2009 to make way for De Montfort University's new sports centre.

The developers intend to demolish the viaduct and build commercial premises with 40 private flats above. There would be 20 parking spaces.

Tim Shattock, the agent for the developers, said: "We hope the scheme will regenerate an area which is at the moment a bit of a wasteland and a viaduct that is a bit of an eyesore.

"The commercial element could be a bar or restaurant, a shop or offices or a surgery.

"The flats will not be student flats. That is part of the deal with the council. There will be a covenant."

He said there were garages trading in the railway arches in the viaduct, and "we will be having discussions with the tenants about relocating them".

Mr Shattock said if the purchase was completed promptly, a planning application could be submitted in June.

Should the scheme be approved by the council planning committee, work could start in October with the construction finishing 15 months later.

"We have shown the ideas to some of the residents and they seemed enthusiastic," said Mr Shattock. "Obviously, there was a lot of concern when the Bow String Bridge came down, but now it is gone, removing the viaduct will be nowhere near as controversial.

"It is a very complicated structure and expensive to maintain so, for us, the best thing to do would be to bring it down."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby welcomed the proposal.

He said: "I am very pleased the council has been able to liaise with the developer to continue the valuable regeneration work which is helping transform the whole of the Bede Island area."

However, residents who were shown the artist's impression by the Leicester Mercury yesterday said they were not in favour of the development.

John Hamer, 74, of Bede Street, said he thought the proposed building was "ugly and far too imposing for the area".

"It will dominate the houses nearby, which includes mine," he said. "It looks like a modern monstrosity just shoved into a normal street."

Chris Rees, 41, of Bede Street, said: "The last thing we need here is yet another development like this.

"Apart from anything else it is not in keeping with the area as it is. The building looks awful and is far too high."

Neighbour Sarah Beedham, 31, said as a mother-of-four she would much prefer a community building to be sited there.

"It would be refreshing for someone to actually provide something to benefit the area," she said.

"The building will not improve the look of the area."

£6 million  plans  for  Great Central Railway viaduct in Leicester's West End

A47 to be closed at Thurnby for a week for emergency sewer repair

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A major route to and from the city will be closed in both directions from tomorrow morning for a week for emergency sewer repairs. The work will mean the closure of the A47 from the city boundary to the junction of Station Road, Thurnby, from 7.30am for approximately seven days. During the closure, the alternative route will be Station Road, Scraptoft Lane, Colchester Road and Uppingham Road and vice versa.

Traffic update: Delays on the A42 in Leicestershire after an accident

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Update 4.14pm: Minor delays are still possible at the junction of the A453 and M1 at junction 24. Traffic is still moving slowly on the A42 Leicestershire northbound between junction 14, A453 (Castle Donington) and the M1 Junction 23a because of the earlier accident. Drivers are being warned of delays on the A42 in Leicestershire after an accident. One lane is closed because of the crash on the northbound carriageway between junction 14 and the M1 at junction 23A. The accident involved a lorry and a car and recovery work is under way. An accident is also causing delays at the junction of the A453 and M1 at junction 24. The Highways Agency is warning that minor delays are possible due to the accident which has closed one lane. Normal traffic conditions are expected from 3:45 pm.
For more local and national travel information and weather updates see the links below:MOTORWAY UPDATES: For traffic updates on UK motorways and other key roads - CLICK HERE.LIVE CAMERAS: Check the M1 through Leicestershire with our live traffic cameras - CLICK HERE.NATIONAL RAIL: For live UK train updates - CLICK HERE. FLIGHT INFORMATION: For East Midlands Airport visit: www.eastmidlandsairport.com/flightinformationWEATHER: See the latest five-day weather report at: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/weather.CONTACT NEWSDESK: Send us your news and pictures. Tweet us @thisisleics or email newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

Traffic update:  Delays on the A42 in Leicestershire after an accident

Moghul Durbar restaurant attack: Seven men plead guilty to involvement in disorder

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Seven men pleaded guilty today to involvement in a violent attack at an Indian restaurant in the city, which left several injured. They admitted conspiring together, and with unknown others, to commit violent disorder at the Moghul Durbar in East Park Road, Spinney Hills, Leicester, on the evening of Monday, January 14. A group of men burst into the recently opened premises armed with weapons and smashed windows. A number of people were assaulted. Customers, including women and children, fled from the restaurant. Six victims attended Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment to both minor and serious injuries. The Leicester Crown Court case was adjourned until next month, for the preparation of pre-sentence reports. Six of the defendants are from Derby. They are: Surjit Pandher (28), a former prison warden, of Northfield; Gurmukh Singh Cheema (25), of Harrington Street; Ranjit Singh (21), of Harrington Street; Sundeep Singh Sangha (25), a gas heating engineer, of Wordsworth Avenue; Rajveer Singh Sangha (24), a college student, of Wordsworth Avenue; and Ranvir Singh (21), of Harrington Street. The seventh defendant is Kahan Khalsa (26), of Rectory Gardens, Oldbury, Birmingham Judge Michael Pert QC remanded all seven men back into custody to await sentencing.

Moghul Durbar restaurant attack: Seven men plead guilty to involvement in disorder

Campaigners win battle to keep ambulance stations

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Campaigners are toasting victory in their battle to save ambulance stations threatened with closure. It began last year after East Midlands Ambulance Service (Emas) put forward plans to shut all the bases across Leicestershire and create two "super" stations - one in Leicester and one in Loughborough. After protests and a re-think bosses have now agreed to keep stations in Hinckley, Market Harborough, Melton and Loughborough and a new station will be built in Ashby. Harborough district councillor Phil Knowles said: "I am delighted that Emas has looked at this and seen there was no case for closure. "Harborough is a growing community and we need to expand and protect our facilities."

Campaigners win battle to keep ambulance stations

Firefighters fight to free trapped horse in Sapcote, near Hinckley

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Firefighters fought for three hours to free a horse trapped in mud in Sapcote, near Hinckley. The 26-year-old animal got stuck in mud in Donkey Lane in the village at about 3.20pm yesterday. A fire crew from Hinckley and members of the technical rescue unit from Leicester's southern station used lines and straps to lift the animal clear of the mud. Crew manager Mark Edwards, of Hinckley fire station, said: "The horse was trapped by its hind legs and one of its front legs was trapped underneath its body. "It was absolutely freezing and after about three hours and good work by the team led by watch manager Paul Purser, it was freed. "A vet was in attendance and we managed to get it into a nearby stables." Unfortunately, the horse later had to be put to sleep by a vet.

Firefighters fight to free trapped horse in Sapcote, near Hinckley


Coldest day in March since 1979 as more snow forecast for Leicestershire

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If you thought it felt unusually chilly yesterday you would be right. Leicester Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said it was the coldest March day since 1979. "The temperature did not get above freezing so that makes it the coldest day in the month for more than 30 years," said Dave. He said Leicestershire had a total snowfall of 10 cm – 7cm overnight on Friday and another 3cm overnight on Saturday – and he predicted more snow this week, and possibly a white Easter weekend. "I'm afraid this is going to stay with us for a while yet," said Dave. "I can't see an end to the cold spell until the second week in April." The wintry weather caused widespread disruption across the county, but also gave people a chance to have plenty of fun. Steven Heward, 27, of Bagworth, took his two-year-old daughter Ruby out for her first ever sledging session. He said: "I pulled her along as she sat in the sledge. She loved it and it was better work out than the gym." Flights to and from East Midlands Airport were suspended for much of Saturday and yesterday because of ice and snow on the runway, buses were unable to access some roads and motorists struggled with treacherous conditions. Leicestershire police said yesterday afternoon they had attended more than 60 weather-related incidents over the weekend and expected more to follow. "This includes everything from children throwing snowballs, to flooding caused by the thawing snow to car crashes due to the bad weather," said a spokeswoman. "It's fair to say that we have had a very busy weekend – much busier than normal – due to the weather." Both carriageways of the M1 were closed for hours between junctions 18 and 20 yesterday after a Royal Mail lorry crashed through the central reservation and into a barrier on the hard shoulder on the opposite side of the carriageway. Police said the vehicle careered across the road after it hit patch of snow on the road at 3.15am. The lorry left the southbound carriageway and crashed into the barrier on the northbound section near junction 19. The southbound carriageway was re-opened at 11am, the northbound at about 4pm. A police spokeswoman said: "The northbound carriageway was closed because the van had damaged the barrier near the hard shoulder which is next to a 50ft drop down to river. We had to ensure that this section was repaired so that it did not pose a danger to other motorists." The driver was not injured in the incident. Arriva reported that some bus routes were altered as some vehicles could not get along some side roads due to snow. One bus had to be abandoned after it got stuck on a hill in Main Street, Thornton, near Coalville. Police said that strong winds were causing problems with drifting snow in Rutland yesterday. The A47 at Glaston was reduced to one lane after snow drifted onto the road.RELATED CONTENT:Readers' snow pictures of LeicestershireLeicestershire in the snow by Mercury photographers - March 2013 Send us your snowy Leicestershire pictures• To upload pictures: Click here to add pictures to our galleries.• Or send us your pictures by tweeting @thisisleics, posting on our Facebook page or emailing newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

Coldest day in March since 1979 as more snow forecast for Leicestershire

Freezing weather set to continue and more snow forecast for Leicestershire

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More bitterly cold temperatures are forecast for tonight and tomorrow across Leicestershire as drivers are warned to take care in the icy conditions. Leicestershire County Council said its gritters will be out on major routes tonight but warned that strong winds could lead to drifting snow and roads that re-opened today may become impassable again. A spokesman said: "Areas particularly affected today were the Twycross area, North West Leicestershire and roads between Melton and Harborough." Three roads in the North West of the county which were blocked by snow drifts this morning were later reopened. They were Ashby Road in Ravenstone, Warren Hills Road in Coalville and Midland Road in Ellistown. Tonight will be dry with a few clear spells and a severe frost. A few icy patches are possible too in places. Temperatures will fall to -1C. Tomorrow will start frosty and the day will be mostly dry with some bright spells. It will remain bitterly cold as the easterly winds persists. Daytime temperatures will reach a maximum of 0C with a nighttime low of -4C. Forecasters have predicted icy temperatures to continue throughout the week and said more snow could fall, possibly during the Easter weekend. Bookmakers have cut the odds of snow at Easter but a white weekend is still a possibility. If it does snow, it would be the first white Easter in five years. Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said: "At the moment the mean temperature for March is 2.8C and even though there is a week left that makes it the coldest March since 1962." "This week is going to be bitterly cold and there are going to be snow showers which will continue throughout the week. WEATHER: See the latest five-day weather report at: www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/weather.
Thank you to everyone who has been sending their pictures via email and Twitter - keep them coming! We've included some in our slideshow above and you can see more readers' pictures here and the tweets below.

Freezing weather set to continue and more snow forecast for Leicestershire

Martin Crowson's five things: Tripping the light fantastic – or not

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Martin Crowson looks at five key issues from the weekend's rugby.

1 Richard Cockerill's comments on another night of re-set scrums at Exeter produced one of the quotes of the year when he was asked whether the time wasted at the set-piece annoyed him. His response? "If you want entertainment, go to the theatre!" For a fleeting moment, the gathered journalists were forced to paint a picture of the Tigers director of rugby sitting down in the West End to watch a three-hour production of a singing and dancing show. Stranger things have happened – but not very often.

2Saracens are the new favourites for the Aviva Premiership title at 6-4 with the likes of Leicester (2-1), Harlequins (3-1) and Saints (12-1). Sarries' performance in beating Quins makes those figures justifiable. They clearly have an advantage on their artificial pitch, but they have developed a game that can win anywhere with a blend of pace and power and incredible strength in depth. Tigers, Quins and Saints have the ability to beat them – but it is up to them to prove the bookies wrong.

3It is not often the case, but Tigers could do with the weather brightening up considerably for the local derby with Northampton at Franklin's Gardens this weekend. The Saints' 'wet weather game' has led them to four consecutive wins in the Aviva Premiership, and their favoured style of play is big forwards carrying off rucks and very impressive driving mauls off the back of line-outs. Stop that, and you go a long way to stopping the Saints – as Leicester have proved in recent meetings.

4Franklin's Gardens has always been an incredibly tough place for Tigers to visit over the years. But Saints have been a different beast at home in the last few months. They have lost three of their last six league games at home and any semblance of an edgy start has made both them – and their fans – visibly jittery. If Tigers can get ahead early and set the seeds of a seventh consecutive victory over the old enemy, that nervousness could start to emerge once more.

5Tom Croft's decision to run the ball from his own line with time expired after catching Gareth Steenson's failed last-minute kick at Exeter was greeted with horror from his team-mates. Ben Youngs said: "He must have seen something on that none of us did. He thinks he's Serge Blanco!"

Martin Crowson's five things: Tripping the light fantastic – or not

Loader placates critics of plans to reduce crime

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Police and crime commissioner Sir Clive Loader has overcome political opposition to his plans.

Sir Clive's vision for policing had been criticised from members of the police and crime panel – the committee of councillors which scrutinises his office.

Members of the panel, including fellow Conservatives, last month called on Sir Clive to rewrite passages of the 50-plus page document to include more detail of how he intended to meet his targets for crime reduction.

Sir Clive, who was elected to the post in November, yesterday presented a new version of the plan to the panel, which voted to support its publication.

In it, the retired RAF Air Chief Marshal said he wanted Chief Constable Simon Cole and his officers to continue to drive down offences such as burglary, vehicle crime, robbery, sexual assault, domestic abuse and alcohol-related violence.

He also set out his vision for dealing with alcohol and drug addiction and addressed the cost to the force of missing person inquiries, particularly cases of people who repeatedly left local authority care or mental health units.

Sir Clive said he was "delighted" to have won the panel around.

He said he was now looking forward to the delivery stage and, as part of this, was increasing his contact and engagement with all elements of the community.

Conservative county councillor Joe Orson, chairman of the panel, said: "The panel was pleased to see that Sir Clive had listened to the responses from the consultation and enabled people, including the panel, to have an input into the final version.

"We were pleased to accept and support it, unanimously."

Earlier this year, the Mercury reported how a dispute had broken out between Sir Clive and members of the panel over how a £1.6 million Government crime-fighting fund should be spent.

The money used to be paid directly to the county council but now goes to Sir Clive, who is responsible for spending it.

Sir Clive has told the council that he will give it half the cash to cover the six months from April but not, for now, the full year's grant.

He has told the authority he wants to see evidence the cash is being spent wisely and the projects it funds are delivering results.

The council said Sir Clive's decisions had been taken without sufficient consultation and had led to uncertainty about the future of some of those services and projects, as well as a number of jobs.

The panel had expressed concern about the move but voted to approve the plan despite Sir Clive sticking to his original decision.

The plan is available on the police and crime commissioner's website below.

Members of the public can contact him and his team via the website, by calling 0116 229 8980 or by e-mail at:

police.commissioner@ leicester shire.pnn.police.uk www.leics.pcc.police.uk

Loader placates critics of plans to  reduce crime

How rebuilding of two Leicester city schools is taking shape

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Two schools are getting closer to completing major building projects.

Work began on Crown Hills Community College and City of Leicester College, Evington, almost a year ago.

Both schools are being rebuilt on the same sites as part of the city council's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, which aims to rebuild or refurbish every city secondary.

In all, £21 million is being spent on Crown Hills, with a further £27 million on City of Leicester.

Staff and pupils are due to move in at the end of October.

At Crown Hills, exterior and interior walls are up and the roof is on.

Plastering and painting will start shortly.

The new building is next to the existing one in Gwendolen Road. The old building will be demolished in November and the land around it landscaped to create a sensory garden, allotments and an outdoor eating area for students.

The transformation of the 16-acre site also includes a theatre with retractable seating, a fitness suite, a dance studio and an eight-court sports hall with indoor cricket facilities.

The English Cricket Board has contributed £800,000 towards this.

Crown Hills School was built in the 1950s and the accommodation has become cramped and dilapidated.

Business manager Dean Barnett said: "The new building is changing on a daily basis and is going up at a rapid pace now. We're very excited about it, as are the students.

"It's going to make a huge difference to the life of the school, with large open spaces for flexible learning.

"At the moment, we are very cramped and pupils have to move around the school a lot to get to classes. The school has been designed so they don't have to move such great distances and there's plenty of space, with big, wide corridors. It's got a great feel about it."

Crown Hills pupil Divya Varjange, 13, said: "I can't wait to see the classrooms. They're going to be much bigger and brighter."

Ruzina Akther, 14, said: "I think the new drama studio is going to be brilliant and there's going to be a nicer atmosphere around the school.

"The classrooms are going to be much more interesting."

Interior and exterior walls are also up at City of Leicester, in Downing Drive.

The rebuild will see the school, which currently operates from two buildings built in the 1960s, come together under one roof.

Its existing buildings will be demolished and used for parking and sports fields.

Furniture is now being chosen and painting will start after the Easter holidays.

Jennie Sterland, the college's business leader, who is helping to oversee the huge building project, said: "Being under one roof for the first time is going to make a huge difference to us as getting 1,500 students to move around a split site can be difficult.

"The school will be divided internally into four main faculty areas and each of those will have their own social space where students can relax and study in their free time.

"I think it's going to make a huge difference to their welfare and the general atmosphere around school.

"Everyone is very excited about nearing the end of this. We feel incredibly lucky to be getting such a fantastic new building."

Both schools are being funded through a private finance initiative between the Government and the council as part of the BSF programme.

How rebuilding of two Leicester city schools is taking shape

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