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EuroMillions lottery result for Friday, January 16, 2015

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It's time to check your lottery numbers to see if you are one of Britain's latest millionaires.

Are you feeling lucky? 

The winning numbers have been drawn in tonight's competition: 

The are: 29, 30, 32, 34, 46, with 3 and 6 the lucky stars.

There was an estimated rollover jackpot of £19,455,476

For every EuroMillions line played, UK players automatically receive a EuroMillions Millionaire Maker selection printed on their ticket.

Tonight's Millionaire Maker, guaranteeing at least one British millionaire, however, is yet to be announced.

The search continues, meanwhile, to find the owner of a winning EuroMillions Millionaire Maker ticket bought in Leicester, last month.

The winning selection on Tuesday, December 23, was CHB485448.

The lucky ticket-holder has until Sunday, June 21, to claim their prize.

EuroMillions lottery result for Friday, January 16, 2015


Leicester Tigers 40-23 Scarlets - Tigers keep Champions Cup hopes alive with six-try victory

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Leicester Tigers kept their Champions Cup hopes alive with a resounding six-try 40-23 victory over Scarlets at Welford Road.

Tigers grabbed the bonus-point win they desperately needed in convincing fashion, and now head to Ulster next weekend still capable of making the Champions Cup knockout stages.

Though Scarlets shaded the opening exchanges and earned the first points, Rhys Priestland knocking over a penalty, Tigers were swiftly into their stride and scored their first try in the 11th minute.

After a line-out was won in Scarlets territory, Logovi'i Mulipola battered his way through numerous tackles before Tigers' backs flung the ball wide. After receiving the ball from Freddie Burns, Adam Thompstone quickly offloaded to Mat Tait, who fed Miles Benjamin. The wing collected the ball at top speed and had enough momentum to drive through the challenges and to the line.

The second try came four minutes later, this time in much more traditional Tigers fashion, with Jordan Crane finishing off a simple line-out catch-and-drive from 10 metres out.

Burns added excellently-struck conversions to both tries and Tigers led 14-3.

With Scarlets two scores down, the match began to open up, as the search for tries became more desperate.

Just after the half-hour mark, Graham Kitchener, who had replaced the injured Brad Thorn early on, was sin-binned for not rolling away. Scarlets kicked to touch and from the resulting line-out, prop Rob Evans eluded the Tigers defence to touch down.

Added to an earlier Priestland penalty that had seen him become Scarlets' highest-ever points scorer, Evans' try brought the Welsh side within three points at half-time.

But, Tigers were speedily out of the blocks in the second period and had soon secured the bonus point. Thompstone collected a pass from Tait to finish off a sweeping move in the corner, before Tom Youngs, moments after coming on, touched down after another line-out catch-and-drive.

The hooker had his second and Tigers fifth shortly after. Brother Ben made a break and scooped a pass to Tom, who scored with ease.

Scarlets attempted comeback, which began with a Harry Robinson try after quick hands in the corner, was ended by Tigers' sixth try. Robert Barbieri did superbly to drive through one defender, then palm off another, and set up Sam Harrison.

Robinson scored again to give the vocal Scarlets fans something extra to cheer, but this was to be Tigers' night and they will go to Belfast with something to fight for.

Drivers warned of roadwork delays around Leicester's St Nicholas Circle as next phase of £1.7 million scheme starts

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Drivers have been warned to expect delays around one of Leicester's busiest junctions from Monday as work starts on the latest phase of a £1.7 million scheme to remodel it.

The city council is take out a traffic lane along the south side of St Nicholas' Circle, by Castle Gardens, and give it over to cyclist and pedestrians.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby says removing a traffic lane will create wider footpaths and new cycle lanes.

The work will be carried out over the next twelve weeks.

The council says some 2,000 vehicles use the junction around the Holiday Inn every hour and motorists have argued taking out a lane of traffic will add to congestion.

Sir Peter insists this is not the case.

He said: "This is a major scheme which will have huge benefits for the city.

"We have important attractions cut off from the city centre by the 1960s ring road and we want to reverse that.

"By giving back some of the road space to cyclists and walkers, and creating more attractive and safer routes, we can restore the lost links from the city centre to this fascinating and historical part of the city, and give this rather rundown part area a much needed revamp.

"Some disruption to traffic is inevitable while we carry out these improvements, but officers have taken steps to ensure that this will have minimal impact in the busy morning and evening periods."

From Monday there will be additional lane restrictions will be in place during off-peak hours from 9.30am to 3.30pm from Monday to Friday.

Cycling groups have welcome the scheme but some drivers are concerned.

James Peters, 26, from Narborough Road, said: "I'm not sure it will encourage more cycling and walking.

"All it will do it make it harder for drivers who still need their cars to get in and out of the city centre."

Work to create a more attractive entrance to Castle Gardens will begin in May and in July the Harvey Walk footbridge, which spans the roundabout will be taken down and replaced with a ground-level path between Holiday Inn and NCP car park. 

Drivers warned of roadwork delays around Leicester's St Nicholas Circle as next phase of £1.7 million scheme starts

Swimming: City of Leicester get the year off to great start

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City of Leicester swimmers got the year off to a great start in the City of Derby Long Course Meet at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

They won the Top Club award, gaining 617.5 points, ahead of runners-up Nova and third-placed UEA Norwich.Kieran Wheatley (Braunstone) broke the County junior record for 200Im.

Several swimmers finished in the top 10 of the age groups on Fina points accumulated. William Bell, 12, and Candice Hall, 15/over, winning their age groups. Results (top 10):

City of Leicester, girls 11/12yrs: Michaela Glenister – 200IM 2.36.45 2nd, 100m breaststroke 1.28.73 7th, 100m F/S 1.5.3 3rd, 100m backstroke 1.13.8 6th, 200m F/S 2.17.4 3rd, 400m F/S 4.45.21, 2nd 200m backstroke 2.36.27 3rd; Maisie Elliott – 200m butterfly 21.40.76 2nd, 100m F/S 1.6.7 10th, 200m F/S 2.22.66 7th, 400m F/S 4.58.5 8th, 200m backstroke 2.43.89 7th; Sarah White – 100m backstroke 1.17.51 10th, 200m F/S 2.22.63 6th, 400m F/S 4.57.2 6th, 200m backstroke 2.43.89 7th. 13/14yrs: Hannah White – 100m breaststroke 1.19.66 8th, 200m breaststroke 2.52.7 10th; Milly Scotchbrook – 100m breaststroke 1.17.81 4th, 200m breaststroke 2.50.39 6th; Lorna Greenwood – 200m backstroke 2.30.4 9th; Daisy Platts – 200m backstroke 3rd 2.26.9, 100m backstroke 1.9.11 4th; Chelsea McKay – 200m butterfly 5th 2.33.1. 15/over: Molly Lee – 100m breaststroke 1.17.4 10th, 50m breaststroke 35.12 4th; Olivia Weller – 100m breaststroke 1.17.08 9th; Megan Morrison – 100m breaststroke 2nd 1.13.5, 200m F/S 2.7.9 7th, 100m F/S 59.6 8th, 200IM 3rd 2.20.09, 200m breaststroke 2.37.52 2nd; Candice Hall – 200m F/S 2nd 2.3.72, 200m backstroke 2.16.2 3rd, 50m butterfly 29.23 2nd, 200 IM 1st 2.18.35, 100m backstroke 1.5.06 5th, 400m F/S 4.27.96 5th, 100m butterfly 3rd 1.3.3; Harriet West – open 50m backstroke 29.78 2nd, 50m butterfly 28.63 1st, 100m backstroke 1.4.22 3rd, 200m butterfly 2.20.75 6th, 100m butterfly 1.2.1 1st; Joy Willett – 200m butterfly 2.25.1 8th; Emily Crane – open 50m backstroke 31.13 6th, 100m F/S 59.25 4th, 50m breaststroke 35.44 9th.

City of Leicester, boys 11/12yrs: Alex Soler Canto – 100m backstroke 9th 1.16.06, 200m butterfly 6th 3.3.7; Will Bell – 200m butterfly 3rd 2.48.4, 400m F/S 1st 4.26.9, 200m breaststroke 2nd, 200m IM 1st 2.23.34, 200m F/S 1st 2.7.46, 100m F/S 1st 59.20, 200m backstroke 1st 2.28.26; Jack Dolly – 200m butterfly 2.32.5 1st, 400m F/S 10th 5.6.56, 10m butterfly 2nd 1.9.7, 200IM 5th 2.35.8. 13/14years: Joel Weston – 200IM 7th 2.24.72, 100m butterfly 3rd 1.1.8, 200m backstroke 10th 2.27.78, 200m butterfly 2nd 2.14.8, 100m F/S 9th 58.51; Tom Ryan – 200IM 10th 2.28.2, 200m F/S 2.2.6 3rd, 400m F/S 4th 4.24.5, 200m butterfly 8th 2.21.6, 100m F/S 5th 57.48; Lewis Kerrod – 200IM 4th 2.21.04, 200m F/S 5th 2.3.3, 400m F/S 8th 4.30.36, 100m butterfly 8th 1.4.2, 200m butterfly 5th 2.20.05, 100m F/S 10th 58.56; Tom Christie-Smith – 100m backstroke 6th 1.6.7, 400m F/S 9th 4.31.6, 200m backstroke 1st 2.19.88; Adam Wilkes – 100m backstroke 3rd 1.4.9, 200m F/S 2.7.3 10th, 200m backstroke 2nd 2.21.59; James Kettle – 100m breaststroke 9th 1.17.9; Simon Psiuk – 100m breaststroke 5th 1.14.92, 200m breaststroke 6th 2.45.07; Alfie Morgan – 200m butterfly 10th 2.28.34; Josh Munroe – 100m F/S 8th 58.28; Jay Newman – 200m breaststroke 2.45.73 7th. 15/over: Kieran Wheatley – 200IM 8th 2.14.9 (heats 2.13.9 County junior record), open 50m breaststroke 32.68 8th, 200m breaststroke 10th 2.35.56; Elliot Tointon – 200IM 2nd 2.11.76, 100m backstroke 9th 1.01.09, 200m backstroke 6th 2.11.62; Gareth Mills – 200m F/S 1st 1.53.27, 200m butterfly 1st 2.5.34, 100m F/S 1st 51.57; Jack Warren-Ballard – 200m F/S 3rd 1.55.22, 100m butterfly 6th 57.77, 200m backstroke 2nd 2.9.22; Ryan Gordon – 200m butterfly 10th 2.12.2; Isaac Peace – 200m breaststroke 6th 2.32.34.

FINA points top 10 placings: 11yrs – Maisie Elliott 2nd 1855; 12yrs – Michaela Glenister 10th 2118. 14yrs – Daisy Platts 6th 2910, Milly Scotchbrook 2823 10th; 15yrs/over – Candice Hall 3616 1st.

Leic Penguins, Girls 15/over: Dani Tomlinson – 100m breaststroke 1.16.6 8th, 50m backstroke 31.71 8th, 50m butterfly 3rd 29.31.

FINA points top 10 placings: 12yrs – Will Bell 1st 2016, Jack Dolly 2nd 1867, Alex Soler Canto 3rd 1547; 13yrs – Jay Newman 7th 1775, Charlie Poole 8th 1650; 14yrs – Tom Ryan 4th 2541, Joel Weston 5th 2521; 15/over – Gareth Mills 6th 2808.

Market Harborough, boys 15/over: Harry Waddington – open 50m F/S 6th 25.21.

Leicester City match of yesteryear: Matthews tortured City at the age of 46

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January 10, 1962. A crowd of almost 36,000 have piled through the turnstiles to see Sir Stanley Matthews grace the Filbert Street pitch for the very last time.

It is the third round of the FA Cup. Leicester City, the previous year's beaten finalists, are taking on Stoke.

Ten of those City players, defeated by Tottenham at Wembley, made up City's side.

The Potters, meanwhile, were riding high in Division Two. They would ultimately end the season as champions.

At the heart of their side was Matthews. Well into the twilight of his career, just weeks short of his 47th birthday, he still showed glimpses of why many class him as one of the greatest Englishmen ever to play the game.

But, in front of the biggest crowd of the season, it was City who took the lead.

On the stroke of half-time, centre-forward Albert Cheesebrough sent in a hard, low cross which was glanced in by Howard Riley.

As well as changing Matt Gillies' half-time team talk, the goal saw Stoke shift their game plan.

"In the second half, the gloves were off," read the Mercury's match report from the time. "Some blatantly late tackles sent aggrieved players face first into the tacky ground; shoving and barging, and even wild clutching at jerseys, not to mention unnerving crash tackles, turned the part into an unruly affair."

And it worked. Leicester's standards dipped. The boisterous stuff, said reporter Billy King, did not blend with City's usual style. And Stoke profited accordingly.

A silly free-kick allowed Matthews to flight a ball into the City box where Jackie Mudie was on hand to put Stoke level. But the key moment in the game had come 10 minutes earlier, when Jimmy Walsh had turned Ken Keyworth's goalbound effort into the net.

The referee awarded the goal, only for his decision to be overturned as the Stoke players frantically pointed to the linesman's raised flag.

City spurned chances to win it late on but the contest finished 1-1 with the replay set for five days later.

The less said about the replay, the better. City were torn apart. The first line from the Mercury's match report read, in big capital letters: "I haven't seen a Leicester City team take a whipping like it for years."

And what a whipping it was, with Matthews again at the heart of it. Playing what would be his last match against Leicester, he was described as an ogre, casting a perpetual shadow over his helpless opponents.

Matthews, the report read, was "a being possessed of such supernatural powers, whose presence was disturbing".

Fitting then, that he would score his last-ever goal against Leicester, 27 years after his first appearance against them.

Poor old Ritchie Norman, the City left-back, had the thankless task of following Matthews around the pitch.

He pursued him doggedly, but a slight slip would see Matthews punish him in a flash, pouncing on the mistake to open the scoring.

City would, once again, have a goal disallowed. Walsh and Kenworth were the unlucky duo once more. This time, Keyworth headed home on 20 minutes from Walsh's cross, only for it to be ruled out for the ball going out of play.

A photographer after the game said Walsh had stepped over the line but the ball, in fact, had remained in play. City's disappointment was compounded as two thunderous strikes from Tony Allen and Peter Bullock made it three before Jack Nibloe added a fourth just after the hour.

At that point, Stoke looked capable of scoring as many again.

City, the report read, had looked "a pathetic shadow" of the side that had made it to the final.

Hope was rekindled when Riley fired home a penalty before Keyworth added a classy second. But it died soon enough as Thompson rounded off the scoring. Although City had netted three times, they had never inspired the least hope of winning.

Perhaps the most poignant summary came in the final line of the report.

"Over it all was the spell of Matthews, tormentor-in-chief, without whom Stoke would never have risen to such heights."

Thanks to Leicester City's official historian and archivist John Hutchinson for his help.

Leicester City match of yesteryear: Matthews tortured City at the age of 46

Leicester City news: Don't be fooled by Stoke dangerman Peter Crouch

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Peter Crouch may be one of football's more comical characters, with his gangly appearance, self-deprecating humour and robotic dancing.

However, the 33-year-old has been a very serious player in the Premier League for more than a decade.

Even now, towards the end of his career, he remains a striker who can cause problems for any defence with his awkward style and under-rated ability – he is one of the main men City have to stop when Stoke come to the King Power Stadium today.

The direct approach of former Stoke manager Tony Pulis was tailor-made for Crouch's 6ft 7in frame and he thrived on the endless supply of balls into the box, but the fact he still remains a key player after the arrival of Mark Hughes and the gradual change of style to a more fluid, passing game speaks volumes, although Stoke can still go long when required.

"Crouch will definitely feature at Leicester because Mame Diouf is away on African Cup of Nations duty," said Martin Spinks, of the Stoke Sentinel.

"Crouchy remains the focal point for any long-ball stuff, but there is far more of a mixture these days and he has always been tidy around his feet.

"What Stoke have now is pace to join in and support him thanks to the likes of Victor Moses and Diouf." But Stoke have added another string to their bow. When they swooped for Bojan Krkic Pérez from Barcelona in the summer it was seen as a real coup and, while it has taken a while for the 24-year-old to come up to speed in the Premier League, he has shown in the last few months what an exciting player he is.

The Spaniard has now become a vital cog in Stoke's machine and the majority of attacks now go through him.

"He struggled early-season, including the Leicester game, but since returning to the side at the start of November he has been their best and most inspirational player, taking that mantle from Moses after he got injured," added Spinks.

Together, Crouch and Bojan prove that Stoke's attacking threats come in all shapes and sizes.

Leicester City news: Don't be fooled by Stoke dangerman Peter Crouch

Cold weather is snow problem for these inhabitants of Twycross Zoo

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Wintry, cold, snowy conditions may seem bitterly beastly to many humans – but to some of the inhabitants at Twycross Zoo they're just natural.

When is a leopard in the snow not a snow-leopard ? Twycross has the answer with both species of big spotted cat in its collection of rare creatures.

The greyish one with thicker fur with a longer tail is the actual snow-leopard while the other, pictured taking a tentative step into the white stuff is one of the critically-endangered Amur leopards, Alexei and Arina, born at the zoo.

An animal used to grazing beneath the snow, the vicuna, had no problem finding food under the fall.

Originating from the Andes, the vicuna is related to the llama, alpaca and guanaco and is the national animal of Peru, appearing on the country's coat of arms.

Its woolly coat, very soft and warm and perfect for keeping out the cold, was so highly-valued by the ancient Incas that it was illegal for anyone other than royalty to wear it.

A welcome blaze of colour among the whiteness is provided by one of the larger members of the weasel family – this is the yellow-throated marten, whose home range is far removed from the winter wilderness. Unlike our native pine-marten, this big cousin prefers sub-tropical to tropical forests from the Himalayas to Eastern Russia to snowy conifers but shares a curious, investigative nature with its smaller relatives, always ferreting out new things.

Of course, no snowy scenes at any zoo would be complete without everyone's Antarctic favourites – the penguins.

Twycross's Penguin Lagoon is just p-p-p-perfect for these waddling water-lovers – and it's all there in black and white.

Dr Charlotte Macdonald, the Director of Life Sciences at the zoo, said: "Our animals are naturally very inquisitive of anything that is new or unusual in their exhibits and enjoy investigating the snow whenever we have flurries.

"This is the first snowfall that Alexei and Arina have experienced since their birth last summer.

"In the wild this species hails from far eastern Russia and so they have evolved to cope with very cold environments.

"Our Humboldt penguins have also been very active in their pool.

Their name comes from the Humboldt Current which is a cold ocean current that flows up from Antarctica to South America where they live in the wild, so they too are adapted for this chilly weather."

All the photographs were taken by Amy Haycock.

Cold weather is snow problem for these inhabitants of Twycross Zoo

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson says Stoke have done well, but are not the only model

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Stoke's emergence into an established Premier League club is a great success story, said Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson.

Now City want to write their own script for top flight survival.

The Potters, who visit the King Power Stadium today, were promoted to the Premier League on the final day of the 2007-08 season, a day that City fans will not want to be reminded of as it saw their own relegation to League One.

Since then, Stoke have been regular mid-table finishers, never seeming in any danger of relegation. Even after the change of management from Tony Pulis to Mark Hughes, and the shift in approach, they continue to be a relative success.

"They are a Premier League success story and we know it will be a very tough game," said Pearson.

"They have a very strong, physical presence but also some very talented footballers.

"They are a good example of where a club would like to be when they got promoted.

"You can see how they have done in the few years they have been in the Premier League.

"It's not always been straightforward but they've found a way of functioning efficiently and managed to change things as they went along.

"That is because they are a very well-managed club.

"They have been able to establish themselves as a top-flight club and are changing certain aspects of their play as they go along."

But while Pearson admires their achievements and is striving for a similar outcome for City, he believes there are many different ways to go about it.

"They have a very good model but not the model," he said.

"Look at clubs like Swansea, they have a different model but another successful one.

"It shows that there are different ways to go about it. What Stoke and Swansea have done is keep a pretty tight group and then added to their group which enhances what they have."

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson says Stoke have done well, but are not the only model


Dean Hammond targets Leicester City jump out of relegation zone, starting with victory against Stoke

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Climbing out of the relegation zone would give Leicester City a massive boost if they can achieve it today, midfielder Dean Hammond has said.

Should they beat Stoke and results elsewhere go their way, City could be out of the relegation zone for the first time since the end of November.

That would reinforce the belief within the camp that they can become the third club to avoid the drop after being bottom at Christmas.

Hammond, who is a major doubt for the game because of a calf problem, said the players know they are capable of beating the drop.

"The gap to safety is nothing," he said. "There is a long way to go. The win last Saturday against Aston Villa helped us.

"We have started 2015 really well. If we win on Saturday, we can draw a few more teams closer to us.

"We would probably get out of the relegation zone, which would be a big boost.

"But we believe and we have always believed we are good enough."

Hammond admits City found the step up from the Championship difficult at first but he believes recent results have proved they are starting to get to grips with the Premier League now.

"There is a difference, of course," he said.

"We are playing in the best league in the world against some players who are regarded as amongst the best in the world.

"You have adapt and learn as quick as you can. The quicker you learn the easier it is.

"It is physically stronger, the game is quicker and there are powerful players, but we believe we are good enough and I think we are proving that."

Stoke epitomise the mixture of physicality and quality found in the Premier League and Hammond knows City will have to be at their best today to get that vital victory.

"They are a good team and physically they are strong," he said.

"Technically, I think they are better under Mark Hughes. They play a bit more football, but they can still go direct to Peter Crouch when they want.

"It will be a test for us. We played them earlier in the season and got a good result at their place so we won't mind that again on Saturday."

Dean Hammond targets Leicester City jump out of relegation zone, starting with victory against Stoke

Leicestershire weather: Cold and frosty with sunshine but snow showers in places.

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Outlook: 

Cold and frosty with sunshine but snow showers in places.

Today: A bright but cold day, with frost and icy patches persisting well into the day in places. Some snow showers are possible at times, especially through the morning and on higher ground. Maximum Temperature 4C.

Tonight: Becoming dry with long clear spells for much of the night allowing a widespread, locally severe frost to develop, especially where snow is lying. Minimum Temperature -6C.

Tomorrow: Sunday will remain dry for most, but still very cold despite a fair amount of sunshine. Maximum Temperature 3C.

Leicestershire weather: Cold and frosty with sunshine but snow showers in places.

Live traffic and travel updates in Leicester and Leicestershire

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8.40pm: Area Traffic Control warn motorists that temperatures are due to plummet again tonight. City and county council gritting teams are currently out on main routes treating road surfaces. Drivers are once again reminded to be cautious.

3.26pm: Heavy traffic and one lane blocked on M1 southbound, between junction 24a and junction 24 for Kegworth, due to broken down car.

12.18pm: One lane of Vaughan Way, Leicester city centre, is blocked following an accident at the top of Highcross St heading towards Southgate's Underpass. Emergency services at scene. 

9am: It remains quiet out on the roads, but motorists are reminded to be extra cautious given the cold conditions.  

8am: Good morning. No major incidents or congestion on city and county roads. But it is very icy and drivers are warned to be careful.  

Slash Lane, Sileby, remains closed in both directions between the Sileby Road and Mountsorrel Lane junctions, due to flooding.

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 - http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/"

LIVE CAMERAS: Check the M1 through Leicestershire with our live traffic cameras - http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/traffic.html...

NATIONAL RAIL: For live UK train updates - http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/...

FLIGHT INFORMATION: For East Midlands Airport visit: http://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/flightinformati...

WEATHER: See the latest http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk.co.uk/weather" five-day weather report for Leicester and Leicestershire

CONTACT NEWSDESK: Send us your news and pictures. Tweet us http://twitter.com/Leicester_Merc" @Leicester_Merc or email newsdesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

Live traffic and travel updates in Leicester and Leicestershire

Blaze at house in Woodhouse Eaves

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The fire brigade was called on to deal with a house fire in a village street.

A neighbour raised the alarm after spotting smoke coming from the property, in Victoria Road, Woodhouse Eves, near Quorn, last night.

A fire service spokesman said: "We received a call from a concerned neighbour at 10.41pm.

"Crews from Loughborough attended the incident and used breathing gear to enter the house.

"They discovered a small fire in a downstairs room of the house, which was quickly extinguished."

He added: "There was no-one inside the property at the time.

"The precise cause of the fire was difficult to determine, however, we believe it was an accident."

The spokesman said damage to the house was "moderate", caused by smoke.

No-one was hurt. A stop message was sent by crews to fire control at 11.27pm.

Blaze at house in Woodhouse Eaves

The Big Question: Are extra city centre cycle lanes good news for Leicester?

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The city council is take out a traffic lane along the south side of St Nicholas' Circle, by Castle Gardens, and give it over to cyclist and pedestrians.

It comes after a lane of Newarke Street, also in the city centre, was turned into a cycle lane.

Are the changes a positive move for Leicester? Have your say in our poll, in the right hand column on this page. The results will be published in the Mercury on Tuesday.

The Big Question: Are extra city centre cycle lanes good news for Leicester?

Cases at Leicester Magistrates' Court

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Cases heard at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Joseph Paris Simon (21), of Waterloo Way, Leicester, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of, or provoke, unlawful violence, in Syston on August 31, 2013. He was given a community order including 80 hours' unpaid work to be carried out within the next 12 months and was ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £50 costs. Simon previously denied the offence.

Lee Mathieson (28), of Thornholme Close, Beaumont Leys, pleaded guilty to assault by beating on December 1. He was committed to prison for nine weeks and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge. He also pleaded guilty to sending a threatening voice message on November 30.

Ashley Alan Bentham (29), of Walshe Road, Goodwood, pleaded guilty to assault by beating and causing racially or religiously-aggravated harassment by words or writing in Leicester on October 22. He was committed to prison for eight weeks and ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

James Anthony Dunkley (26), of Webster Road, Braunstone, pleaded guilty to assaulting an on-duty police officer on November 10. He was discharged conditionally for 12 months and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.

Andrew David Brown (49), of Lothair Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to possessing a quantity of cannabis or cannabis resin in Leicester on June 3. He was fined £50 with £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge. An order was made for the drug to be forfeited and destroyed.

Pravin Tank (61), of Belgrave Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to assault by beating in Belgrave Road, Leicester on July 3. He was fined £200 with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and £100 compensation.

Cases at Leicester Magistrates' Court

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Cases heard at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Evita Penka (28), of Western Road, West End, pleaded guilty to exceeding 30 miles per hour on the A47 King Richards Road, Leicester, on June 12. She was fined £250 with £85 costs, a £25 victim surcharge and four penalty points were put on her driving licence.

Petar Petrov (28), of Wharf Street South, Leicester, was proven guilty in absence of exceeding 30 miles per hour on Tigers Way, Leicester, on May 12. He was fined £200 with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and three penalty points were put on his driving licence.

Rafal Jakub Pinkowski (30), of Perran Avenue, Whitwick, was proven guilty in absence of failing to give information relating to the identity of a driver alleged to have committed an offence on September 3. He was fined £600 with £85 costs, a £60 victim surcharge and six points were put on his driving licence.

Louise Porter (33), of John Bold Avenue, Stoney Stanton, pleaded guilty to exceeding 30 miles per hour on the A594 Tigers Way, Leicester, on June 13. She was fined £100 with £85 costs, a £20 victim surcharge and three penalty points were put on her driving licence.

Daniel Priest (25), of Primethorpe Walk, Broughton Astley, pleaded guilty to exceeding 30 miles per hour on Brookfield Way, Lutterworth, on July 8. He was fined £250 with £85 costs, a £25 victim surcharge and five penalty points were put on his driving licence.


Roadworks on major routes in Leicestershire and the East Midlands from Monday, January 19

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Planned roadworks in the East Midlands: Weekly summary for Monday 19 January to Sunday 25 January

M1 junction 16 to 19, Northamptonshire: Central reserve work

From 4 August to summer 2015 there will be various restrictions in place to allow for the construction of a reinforced concrete barrier in the central reserve. These include speed restrictions, narrow lanes and hard shoulder running.

M1 junction 19 at Catthorpe, Leicestershire: Major improvement works

Between now and autumn 2016 there will be various hard shoulder, lane or carriageway closures while the new junction is built.

M1 Junction 21, Leicester: bridge construction

From 19 January to 1 March there will be overnight carriageway or lane closures on either or both carriageways from 8pm to 8am.

M1 junction 28 to 31 and 32 to 35a, Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire/Yorkshire: Smart Motorway

Until Winter 2016 there will be various restrictions in place on the M1 between junctions 28 and 35a to allow for the construction of the Smart Motorway. These include lane closures, speed restrictions, hard shoulder running and overnight slip road or carriageway closures.

Until March 2015 there will be various restrictions in place on the M18 between junction 0 and 2. These include lane closures, speed restrictions, hard shoulder running and overnight slip road or carriageway closures.

This week the following full overnight closures will be in place:

  • Monday 19 January: M1 junction 32 southbound exit slip road;
  • Thursday 22 January: M1 junction 28 southbound exit slip road; and
  • Friday 23 January: M1 Junction 32 northbound exit slip road.

M45 between J1 and M1 J17, Northamptonshire/Warwickshire: barrier installation

From 4 December 2014 to 17 February 2015 barrier installation will be carried out. The westbound carriageway will be closed overnight, from 8pm to 6am on 13 November. Two further closures will take place in 2015. At all other times there will be closures of lane one and the hard shoulder. Traffic will be diverted from the M1 j16 along the A45 around Daventry to rejoin the M45 at J1.

M69 from Junction 1 to M1 junction 21, Leicestershire: safety fence work

From 5 to 24 January there will be overnight lane closures on both carriageways from 8pm to 6pm.

A1 Balderton, Nottinghamshire: carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway will be closed between Balderton and Coddington from 8pm on 20 January to 5am the following morning. Diversions will be signed.

A1 Elkesley, Nottinghamshire: Junction improvement

Between now and September 2015 various restrictions will be in place including lane closures, carriageway closures, narrow lanes and a 40mph speed limit

A1 Stamford to Colsterworth, Lincolnshire: drainage

Until 25 January there will be lane or carriageway closures on both carriageways between 8pm and 6am.

A5 Caldecote, Warwickshire: Junction improvement

From 16 February 2014 to 31 March 2015 lane closures and two way traffic signals will be in place while the junction is improved.

A5 Fenny Drayton to Mancetter, Warwickshire: resurfacing

From 19 to 26 January there will be a number of restrictions on the northbound carriageway including overnight closures between 8pm and 6am, 24/7 layby closures or the daytime closure of one of the right turn lanes at either Kennel Lane or Bridge Lane from 7.15am to 6pm.

A5 Long Buckby, Northamptonshire: temporary lights

From 17 November 2014 to 31 January 2015, temporary traffic lights will be in place on a 700 metre section of the southbound carriageway for construction work taking place alongside the A5. They will be in operation from 9am to 5pm.

A14 junction 7-9 Kettering Bypass, Northamptonshire: Widening A westbound contra-flow system is now in place on the eastbound carriageway and fully operational 24 hours a day. The contra-flow system includes temporary steel barriers to protect motorists and the workforce, and reductions in lane widths. Due to safety and recovery restrictions, drivers of HGV vehicles are required to uselane 1 only on both the eastbound and westbound carriageways. Any other types of through traffic not wishing to come off at junctions 7, 8 or 9 we encourage you to use the contra-flow lane to ease congestion. A free vehicle recovery service is also in place and drivers are advised to remain in their vehicle until assistance arrives. A 24-hour 40mph speed limit is being enforced by average speed cameras. The new Lane 1 on the eastbound carriageway is now in use however, please note that the 40mph speed limit will remain in place until the end of the scheme to protect road users and road workers as they complete remaining work on the westbound carriageway.

A38 Markeaton Island, Derby: junction improvements

Work continues on the junction improvement. 24/7 speed restrictions and overnight lane closures are in place

A38 Coxbench, Derbyshire: lighting

From 12 to 28 January the northbound exit slip road and lane one of the main carriageway will be closed overnight from 8pm to 6am.

A43 Padbury Roundabout to Ardley Roundabout, Oxfordshire: Improvement scheme

From 27 October to 20 February 2015 there will be various overnight lane and carriageway closures in place on both carriageways from 8pm to 6am.

A43 Tove Roundabout, Northamptonshire: Improvement scheme

From 15 September to 31 January 2015 there will be various overnight lane or carriageway closures on both carriageways. There will also be 24/7 narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit.

A45 Great Doddington, Northamptonshire: resurfacing

From 19 January to 11 February the westbound carriageway will be closed between Wilby roundabout and Earls Barton from 8pm to 6am.

A45 from M1 J15 to A45 J1, Northamptonshire: carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway and entry slip road will be closed from 8pm on 19 January to 6am the following morning.

A52 Radcliffe on Trent to Saxondale, Nottinghamshire: drainage work

From 1 December to 24 January 2015 temporary traffic signals will be in place from 8pm to 6am.

A52 Bramcote Roundabout, Nottinghamshire: horticultural work

From 12 January to 17 February there will be a number of overnight restrictions including lane closures on the roundabout and all its approaches. The cut through that goes through the centre of the roundabout will be closed with traffic diverted around the roundabout instead.

A453 widening from M1 junction 24 to A52: Major improvement work Traffic remains two-way on the single carriageway.

The contractor will continue to work a 6 ½ day week, finishing at 1pm on Sunday.

Unless otherwise stated, lane or carriageway closures below will take place during the following times:

A453 Rural Section: 8.30pm-5.30am

A53 Urban Section: 8pm-5.00am (Monday to Thursday), 9.00pm-5.00am (Friday)

M1 Junction 24: 8pm-5.30am (Saturday to Thursday), 9.15pm-5.30am (Friday).

Only full closures are listed below There will be various traffic light controlled lane closures throughout the remainder of the scheme.

  • From 19 to 23 January access to and from Sunninghill Drive will be closed 24/7.
  • From 8pm on 20 January to 5am the following morning access to and from Glapton Lane will be closed
  • From 17 to 19 January the A453 will be closed overnight between Parkway and West Leake

M1 junction 24/A50 Approach Economy Scheme

Work continues to improve the capacity and traffic flow at M1 Junction 24. There will be a series of closures on the approach routes to M1 junction 24 until early in 2015. Diversion routes will be signed including directions for non-motorway traffic.

Customers travelling to and from East Midlands Airport should allow extra time for their journeys during this work, particularly if they have a flight to catch. For real time traffic information visit www.highways.gov.uk/traffic.

Roadworks on major routes in Leicestershire and the East Midlands from Monday, January 19

Rob Tanner's Blog: Let's all hope Andrej Kramaric can make the difference for Leicester City

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"He will be another club in our bag, to use a golfing analogy," said Nigel Pearson about latest signing Andrej Kramaric.

To stick with the analogy, let's hope Kramaric turns out to be the putter because as the old saying goes 'drive for show, putt for dough,' and the ability to put the ball in the net/hole is what City need now more than ever.

I think the vast majority of City fans would agree that City's performances this season have been, by and large, very positive but they have certainly been punished for a lack of a ruthlessness in the final third.

Therefore it was no surprise that Pearson has been looking for that goalscorer who will sink the putts and convert a greater percentage of City's chances.

I was supposed to write this blog two days ago but with the on-going issue over his work permit dragging out it was a little uncertain whether Kramaric would get the green light to make his debut against Stoke.

Thankfully, City got it over the line in time and City fans can now get excited about seeing Kramaric – who many wouldn't have heard of before City's interest was reported – in a City shirt for the first time.

With such a hefty price tag will come a heavy weight of expectation, but while everyone will hope Kramaric is the player that will turn out to make the difference for City, the Blue Army may have to show patience.

As undoubted a talent as his goalscoring record suggests, and the fact the FA gave his endorsement to his work permit suggests how highly rated he is, the Premier League is like no other league in the world.

Ability alone is not enough. You need the mental and physical strength to go with it.

It may take a little time for Kramaric to find his feet, but let's hope not too long because City need players who can make an impact right now.

After today's game against Stoke, City's next run of six league fixtures could not be much tougher. They are away at Manchester United, Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City, while Chelsea come to the King Power Stadium.

In the middle of that lot is the visit of Crystal Palace and that will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the lot.

This is a crucial period in the season for City, a spell which could ultimately decide their fate.

Finally, congratulations to all the winners of this week's Mercury Sports Awards, especially the newly crowed coach of the year and team of the year. Thoroughly deserved.

Horror as man dies in street after falling from multi-storey car park in Leicester city centre

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A man fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Leicester city centre.

The Abbey Street and Belgrave Gate area ground to a halt following the tragedy, as shoppers and other city centre visitors stood aghast.

The man, who has not been identified, suffered serious injuries in the fall.

He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency services were called to Garden Street, off Abbey Street, near St Margaret's Bus Station, shortly before 11.30am today.

It is understood that the man fell to the ground in front of a refuse truck travelling along the one-way street leading from Abbey Street to Belgrave Gate.

A builder carrying out work on the disused Sky Plaza Hotel, in Abbey Street, said: "A colleague of mine was driving a van in a queue of vehicles behind the refuse lorry.

"The driver got out and walked back to the other vehicles telling them to turn around.

"He said a man had fallen from the car park and was saying 'you don't want to look!'."

It is believed that the man jumped or fell from the top of the NCP car park in Abbey Street.

A woman picking her young daughter up from a dancing class at the Ann Oliver Stage School, in Garden Street, witnessed the aftermath.

She said: "I was collecting my daughter when I saw an ambulance arrive.

"Paramedics flew out and were giving CPR to this person who was lying in the road.

"A man in a car in front of me got out and spoke to the ambulance driver.

"He then told me someone had fallen from the car park and I would have to turn around and go the other way."

She added: "It was awful. Very upsetting.

"Fortunately, staff at the dance school, when they heart the commotion, closed all the blinds so none of the children could see anything."

A nearby shop worker, who was returning to his car in the car park, came across paramedics trying to save the fallen man.

He said: "There was a man lying spreadeagled on the ground. He looked like he was naked.

"It was pretty horrific, not something you are used to seeing when you come to work.

"There was a lot of blood. I saw paramedics trying to resuscitate him, but I thought he didn't have a chance after a fall like that."

He added: "I saw them put the man into the back of an ambulance, but there were no flashing blue lights and it stayed there for a long time.

"I thought, he's gone. Very sad."

Garden Street was closed to traffic for several hours while police carried out inquiries.

A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Police said: "Officers were called by the ambulance service to Garden Street, Leicester, at about 11.30am on Saturday, where a man had been found seriously injured.

"The man was later pronounced dead at the scene and Garden Street is closed to traffic while enquiries were carried out."

She added: "At this stage the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner."

Horror as man dies in street after falling from multi-storey car park in Leicester city centre

Leicester City 0 Stoke 1 - match report: First defeat of 2015 leaves Nigel Pearson's men bottom of Premier League

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Leicester City missed their chance to move off the bottom of the Premier League as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Stoke.

Former Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic grabbed the winner for Mark Hughes's side just after the hour when he fired home from the edge of the area.

There was to be no dream debut for new signing Andrej Kramaric either, who came on as a second-half substitute just minutes after Stoke had taken the lead.

With QPR, Sunderland and Burnley also both suffering defeat, victory for Nigel Pearson's men would have seen them move off the bottom and out of the bottom three.

But City simply could not find a way through Stoke's defence, as the Potters gained revenge for his side's 1-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

Pearson made four changes to the side that had dominated Aston Villa in their albeit narrow 1-0 victory last weekend, with Jamie Vardy, Danny Drinkwater and Andy King returning to the starting line-up.

Most surprisingly, perhaps, was the return of Jeff Schlupp from the knee injury that had seen him left out of Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations squad.

His presence, though, was invaluable as he provided City's most threatening outlet for much of the contest. He frequently got the better of Stoke's Phil Bardsley down the Leicester left.

So, it was no surprise then that Schlupp would fashion City's best chance of the match, when he got past his man, cut the ball inside to the arriving Anthony Knockaert on the edge of the area, only for the Frenchman to have his shot saved by Begovic.

Schlupp then did the same to tee up Vardy, but the striker's audacious flick was too saved by the Bosnian.

Those two chances, though, would prove the only times City would trouble Stoke's goalkeeper to a great degree except for a smart, if expected, save to keep out Knockaert just before the hour-mark.

But it was Stoke who created the better of the chances in the second half, with Marko Arnautovic fired into the side-netting from close-range just moments after the restart.

All eyes were on the dugout as Kramaric was getting prepared to come on but, just before his arrival, Stoke took the lead.

Marcin Wasilewski, who had his poorest game for a while at the heart of the City defence, gave Bojan too much space on the edge of the box. The former Barcelona man did not need any more of an invitation to turn and fire past a helpless Ben Hamer.

Kramaric did make his much-anticipated entrance minutes later but never really had the chance to make any impact on the game as Stoke killed off the contest extremely effectively.

The Croatia international, who arrived at City with a superb record of scoring in every debut for club and country, showed off a couple of neat touches, as well as firing straight at Begovic from long-range.

But it was not to be. City were unable to create anywhere near the number of chances they did against Villa last weekend.

The result leaves City still bottom of the table and still three points off safety. A win would of taken them outside the relegation zone.

A chance missed.


Teams:

Leicester City: (4-2-3-1) Hamer, Simpson, Morgan, Wasilewski, Konchesky, Knockaert, Drinkwater, King, Schlupp (Lawrence - 71'), Nugent (Ulloa - 71'), Vardy (Kramaric - 65')

Unused subs: Schwarzer, De Laet, Albrighton, Moore

Yellow cards: Wasilewski

Stoke: (4-2-3-1) Begovic; Bardsley, Wilson, Wollscheid, Muniesa; Whelan (c), Nzonzi; Arnautovic (Crouch - 81'), Bojan (Cameron - 86'), Moses; Walters

Unused subs: Butland, Huth, Ireland, Adam, Sidwell

Goals: Bojan Krkic

Referee: Andre Marriner

Attendance: 31,772 (3,333 away)

Leicester City 0 Stoke 1 - match report: First defeat of 2015 leaves Nigel Pearson's men bottom of Premier League

Leicester City 0 Stoke 1 - reaction: Nigel Pearson disappointed with Premier League defeat as Andrej Kramaric makes debut

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Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson expressed his disappointment after his side suffered their first defeat of 2015 at home to Stoke.

Bojan Krkic settled the contest just after the hour when he was handed space on the edge of the City box, and took full advantage, turning and firing into the corner.

Pearson's men had created the better of the chances in the first half, Anthony Knockaert having his shot saved by Asmir Begovic.

But once Stoke took the lead, City never looked likely to get back into the game as they missed their chance to move off the bottom of the Premier League.

"I'm disappointed with the result," said Pearson. "It was a tight game, settled by one moment of standout quality. We didn't really create the chances that we have done in previous games at home.

"We had our chances in the first half. I thought we looked pretty dangerous in the last 25 minutes of the first half, created some chances there, but it didn't happen for us today.

New signing Andrej Kramaric made his debut as a second-half substitute but, aside from a long-range pot shot and some neat touches, never had the chance to make his mark on the game.

"It is always difficult to judge a player on going into a losing situation when we are not being particularly creative," said Pearson.

"I am pleased he has had some pitch-time today; a chance to experience playing in front of our own crowd.

"He is a goal scorer. His record would bear that out. But we didn't create too much in the last 20 minutes or so. So it is very difficult to quantify that. I am pleased he had some time on the pitch."

Pearson also defended his decision not to start his new signing, instead opting for a strike pairing of Jamie Vardy and David Nugent.

"When you look at how we started the game, energy-wise, with our forwards we started with today, I think it was the right approach," said Pearson.

"We certainly looked dangerous but we didn't really carve out enough meaningful chances. It was a tight game.

"Most games like that end up in a draw. It was a bit of quality that won it for them today and we didn't really create much after that point to put them under enough pressure."

Jeff Schlupp was arguably City's stand-out player, especially in the first half, on his return from a knee injury but Pearson rejected the idea that it was surprising to see the midfielder's name on the starting line-up.

Schlupp was left out of Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations squad, announced on January 7, because of the knee injury picked up late on in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool on New Year's Day.

"It has been two weeks since he had the injury and that's what we said. He recovered in the time we said from the outset," said Pearson.

"I didn't pull him out of anything. I didn't choose the squad, Ghana chose the squad.

"He had scans here, and was advised not to fly because of the swelling, He went down to London to have independent medical scans, organised by Ghanaian FA.

"They came to the same conclusions that we did. The timespan was 10 days to two weeks. And that's what it has been.

"They decided not to include him . If they have any problems they need to look at their own administrators, not anything to do with me."

Leicester City 0 Stoke 1 - reaction: Nigel Pearson disappointed with Premier League defeat as Andrej Kramaric makes debut

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