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Burglars smashed hole in jewellery shop wall
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Reality TV star Lydia adds sparkle to big day for Naomi's clothes shop
A wedding dress store has been opened by a reality TV star.
Lydia Bright, from ITV's The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE), dropped into Amour Encore, in Stoneygate, Leicester, to officially launch the business.
The shop has been opened in Francis Street by TOWIE fan Naomi Henry.
"I'm a fan of the show and have been watching it since the start," said Naomi. "This was about launching the boutique with a bang and getting as much publicity as we can because it's quite difficult to raise your profile."
Naomi decided to start the business after taking voluntary redundancy as a personal assistant at Santander, in Carlton Park, Narborough, after 12 years in the role.
The mother-of-one became interested in the bridalwear industry after searching for her own gown, while preparing for her wedding in September.
"I wanted to do something completely different and be master of my own destiny and do something I enjoyed," she said.
"I'm getting married so got really interested in bridal gowns. I also heard there was a real gap in the market."
CCTV shows two street attack suspects
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TV presenter Paul O'Grady visits Leicestershire pet business
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Fire crews attend flat fire in Upper Temple Walk, Beaumont Leys, Leicester
Dambusters honoured at Leicester ceremony
Royal Air Force veterans have paid tribute to the men who gave their lives in the Dambusters raid.
It was 70 years ago today that 19 Lancaster crews from 617 squadron set out to destroy dams in Germany.
Fifty-three airmen died in Operation Chastise, which saw Barnes Wallis's revolutionary bouncing bomb breach the Moehne and Eder dams.
Members of the Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) gathered at Victoria Park war memorial, in Leicester, yesterday, to lay wreaths.
They were joined by relatives of Harry Humphries, from Leicester, adjutant to Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led the mission.
Harry died in 2008, aged 92. His wartime role ranged from organising aircrew rations to sending telegrams to the families of the lost airmen.
Daughter Pat Love, 77, from Wigston, said: "I am very proud to be here today to remember those brave young men.
"It was so nice dad was also remembered. I felt very emotional."
Grandson Richard Love, 55, who lives inWilloughby Waterleys, said: "Memories of the men who died stayed with grandad and we grew up listening to tales of derring-do."
Daniel Love, 26, from South Wigston, said: "My great-grandad was a larger-than-life figure and I was always fascinated by his stories.
"To think what those airman had to do – flying a giant bomber about 60ft off the ground – it's unfathomable. "
The service, led by the Rev Jill Marsh, of the University of Leicester's Chaplaincy, was followed by the Last Post and a minute silence.
RAFA branch secretary Roy Rudham, 70, from Clarendon Park, Leicester, who organised the commemoration, said: "It was sombre but poignant."
Chief technician Alan Sharp, an engineer with 617 Squadron, now based at RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, was there with Flight Lieutenant Chris Whitehare.
"It was an honour to join people in Leicester to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters," he said.
Following the service, RAFA member Andy Morris, 58, laid flowers in Peace Walk remembering the 1,026 Soviet prisoners of war and other forced labourers killed on the ground in the raid.
There was due to be a flypast by a Lancaster, two Spitfires and two Tornadoes over Eyebrook Reservoir, Rutland – used in practice runs for the mission – at 1.45pm today.
See today's Mr Leicester page for Harry's memories of the raid.
Police target youths in villages
Young people who have been causing trouble in two neighbouring villages will be ordered to leave the streets under new powers adopted by police.
The measure, known as a dispersal order, has been introduced in Thurnby and Scraptoft following complaints from residents and businesses about the behaviour of a group of youths.
They have been blamed for a series of incidents of vandalism and drunken, anti-social behaviour in both villages.
The order, which has been granted under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, allows police to break up groups of young people who are causing a nuisance, telling them to leave the area for up to 24 hours.
Those under 16 can be escorted home.
Anyone who fails to comply with a police officer's instruction to disperse can be arrested and could face a fine of up to £5,000 or up to three months in custody.
The order came into effect on Monday. Police stressed it was not a blanket curfew and that youngsters have nothing to fear if they are behaving.
A number of ringleaders have previously been visited at home and spoken to in the presence of their parents.
Two youths suspected of involvement in the trouble have been arrested, said beat officer Pc Steve Winn.
"We have a group of youths which has been causing problems for residents and shopkeepers for some time and the idea of introducing the dispersal order now is that it will cover the spring and summer months, which have been the most problematic times.
"It is not a curfew. Officers will use their discretion on how they use the dispersal order in response to complaints from residents."
One shopkeeper in Thurnby said: "We had problems with people hanging around after the shop had closed.
"It was kids drinking and leaving litter around the street.
"They weren't actually harassing anyone but the people who live here felt very uncomfortable.
"We have not had any problems for the past few months because the police are doing a good job and hopefully this new thing they are doing will make sure the problems don't come back."
Simon Galton, the area's district and county councillor, said: "I have been to a number of public meetings there where residents have raised concerns about anti-social behaviour of a fairly large number of youths.
"The problems people have been talking about include windows being smashed, gardens being trampled and fences broken.
"There was a concern among some people that the police have been slow to react to these problems but I think they will be reassured now that these issues are being taken seriously."
The order will be in place for six months and will be reviewed by police regularly.
Similar orders have been granted in parts of Leicester and have been credited with helping to reduce street crime and anti-social behaviour.
The boundaries of the Thurnby order are Station Lane, including Fern Close, Forest Rise, the neighbouring open land and Pulford Drive.
The boundary of the area of Scraptoft which is covered by the order is part of Covert Lane, Station Lane, Scraptoft Rise, Main Street, Beeby Road, including Malsbury Avenue, Mitchell Green, Corah Close and Elliots End. It also includes Edith Cole Memorial Park.
Staff evacuated from factory after fire
University's £2.5m plans on display
Officials displayed plans to renovate the road splitting De Montfort University's campus yesterday and revealed the scheme would cost about £2.5 million.
The university intends to landscape Leicester's Mill Lane to turn the road into a pedestrian area with trees and lawns.
Umesh Desai, De Montfort University's deputy director of estates services, said the aim of the plan was to create a safer and greener area along the busy route, which was closed to traffic last year, but remains heavily used by students, staff and pedestrians going from the West End to the city centre.
He said: "We recognise we are a city centre campus which has public roads through it and we want to knit our buildings together with high-quality public realm.
"We have already started doing that with Hawthorne Square and Magazine Square and this is the next step.
"We will also be demolishing quite a few 1960s modular buildings which are not that attractive."
Mr Desai said the overall cost of the Mill Lane project will be about £2.5 million and would be part of a wider £100 million revamp of the campus.
Yesterday, Leicester City Council, which is working closely with the university, confirmed it will retain ownership of the land, which will remain as a public highway.
The council has been involved in creating the designs shown off to the public yesterday, at the university's Trinity House chapel.
It also confirmed that no planning permission will be needed for the Mill Lane elements which are being "considered permitted works on the highway".
Steve Richards, the city council's project manager for the scheme, said the council would maintain responsibility for any major road maintenance but day to day tasks like litter picking and grass cutting would be carried out by university staff.
He said: "It will have its own identity as part of DMU but it will still be very much a public area to be enjoyed by people from the university and nearby residents.
"It will be a great improvement on what he wave along Mill Lane at the moment."
At lunchtime yesterday, only a handful of people had been in to see the plans on display and they were mainly university employees.
Construction work on the Mill Lane scheme is slated to start in June or July.
It is hoped they will be complete in November next year.
Burglars chatted and smoked during four-hour jewellery shop break-in
A gang of burglars spent four hours dismantling a wall 'brick-by-brick' to break into a jewellery shop.
The men were captured on CCTV casually chatting and smoking as they broke into Grace and Co in Ashby.
Once inside, the raiders – whose faces were covered with hoods or masks – smashed glass display cabinets and grabbed a number of Pandora bracelets and charms. The value of the stolen items was being calculated yesterday.
The shop's security cameras filmed the men outside the back of the shop as they took the external wall apart.
The raiders were also filmed inside the shop, where they stayed for only two minutes.
Shop manager Olivia Towey said: "We have four hours of CCTV footage of them taking the wall apart, brick-by-brick.
"You can see them chatting and smoking.
"They seem to have known exactly what they were doing and what they were looking for."
Police believe the men began making the hole in the wall at 12.30am on Friday and left the Market Street shop at about 4.30am.
Shop owner Mick McQuillan said: "We sell a wide range of jewellery and watches but they were only interested in Pandora.
"Despite this, we are determined it will be business as usual – we have a Pandora promotion on this weekend and would like to thank Pandora for helping us get back on our feet so quickly.
"It is the first time we have had anything like this in three years of trading.
"Everyone has really pulled together and we can now trade as normal, although with upgraded security."
Detective Constable Alf Doyle said: "The owners of the shop are understandably angry and upset their property has been taken and they are keen to have it returned.
"The suspects spent some time outside the premises while they made attempts to break in.
"Anyone who was in the area between 12.30am and 4.30am may have seen them at the shop.
"It's likely those responsible will now try to sell the items.
"We would like to ask anyone who knows someone who has acquired a large quantity of Pandora goods, or anyone who has been offered Pandora goods to buy in suspicious circumstances, to call us."
Contact Det Con Doyle on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.