Here are the National Lottery results and prize breakdown for Saturday, January 17, 2015.
Prize breakdown:
Match 6: 0 Prize per winner: £0
Match 5 + Bonus: 3 Prize per winner: £150,329
Match 5: 185 Prize per winner: £2,069
Match 4: 10,795 Prize per winner: £187
Match 3: 205,605 Prize per winner: £25
Plus 50 Lotto raffle winners:
Rail passengers travelling from London to Paris and Brussels face further disruption today following yesterday's fire which closed the Channel Tunnel.
Eurostar and Eurotunnel, which run trains through the tunnel, cancelled all services on Saturday after a fire broke out shortly before 11.30am.
No-one was hurt in the blaze, which happened on a train bound for the UK in the French end of the tunnel, according to Kent Police.
Eurostar cancelled 26 services, but had said it would be running a full service today for people with bookings.
However, disruption which has seen passengers stranded at the Eurostar terminal at London St Pancras International, is continuing today.
A spokesman for the firm said it was taking longer than anticipated to restart trains because of "residue smoke" and customers would be offered transfers to ferries.
Passengers were safely evacuated from trains in the tunnel, according to Eurotunnel, which released a statement on Twitter, yesterday, saying the fire was "quickly brought under control by the emergency services".
Outlook: Cold and frosty but mostly dry with some sunshine.
Today:
A cold start with a widespread, hard frost and the odd patch of mist or freezing fog. This should clear to leave a dry day with sunny spells. Maximum temperature 4C.
Tonight:
Most places remaining dry with clear spells allowing some patchy freezing fog to reform. Minimum temperature -5C.
Tomorrow:
Mostly dry with sunny spells and light winds. Remaining cold with frost returning after dusk. Maximum Temperature 3C.
A man who punched a teenager causing two cuts needing stitches has been ordered to pay his victim £400 compensation.
David Varley, 25, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm to the 19-year old outside the Dog and Gun in Hinckley, on March 3, 2013.
Varley, of Roseway, Stoke Golding, South West Leicestershire, received a six month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, with 12 months of supervision.
He was ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work.
Lynsey Knott, prosecuting, said the defendant was not arrested in connection with the offence until May 2014.
Police were unaware of his whereabouts until they were given information he was on a return flight and detained him at East Midlands Airport.
Miss Knott said the defendant was standing outside the Dog and Gun whilst a verbal altercation was taking place, before punching the victim.
Varley had earlier been punched by someone else, who had a grievance against him.
The victim arrived on the scene afterwards and was chatting to a male who took off his hat and jacket.
CCTV footage played in court, showed the defendant lurching forwards to deliver two punches, before he left the scene.
Miss Knott said: "The complainant suffered a cut on his right eyelid and a cut under the eye, both needing stitches.
He had difficulty seeing out of his right eye for about 10 days afterwards and has a two centimetre permanent scar, she said.
In a victim impact statement he said: "I'm still reluctant to talk about the assault and the scar as it brings back the memories and makes me feel uncomfortable."
Sentencing Recorder Christopher Tickle told the defendant: "You can't take out your frustrations on something being said by doing what you did.
"You caused a significant injury and you threw a couple of punches, but there was no use of a weapon."
John Hallissey, mitigating, said: "After being punched by someone else he did not react with violence and walked away, but others followed him.
"He heard a threat being made during a heated exchange that caused him to believe he was about to be attacked.
"He concluded there may be further violence and threw a pre-emptive blow.
"It lasted a couple of seconds and then he left.
"Since then he has embarked upon building a new business, with assistance from the government-backed New Enterprise Allowance."
A shopkeeper was handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay costs of £2,524 for selling illegal, counterfeit tobacco.
Hajji Haji Mustafa was sentenced at Leicester Magistrates Court on Friday for trade mark and consumer protection offences.
In a prosecution brought by Leicestershire County Council, the court heard how a hidden stash of more than 800 illegal cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco pouches were found at his business – Shop and Save – in Regent Street, Hinckley.
Sonal Popat, prosecuting, said suspicions were first raised following a police test purchase operation in November, 2013.
She said: "The police operative was told she could buy cheap, under the counter cigarettes for £3 or £5."
Trading Standards officers and police, using sniffer dogs, raided the shop on January 14, last year, and again on June 10.
Mrs Popat said: "A total of 353 Golden Virginia and Drum of illegal hand rolling tobacco pouches – and 514 packets of Mayfair cigarette packets were found hidden in holdalls, a vacuum cleaner, rubbish bags, a sealed air conditioning unit and a locked safe."
The products were confiscated and taken for testing, where they were found to be counterfeit, and also failed meet fire safety standards.
Mrs Popat said the value of the illegal products came to £4,875, but the value of the genuine items would have been £9,589 – the difference of £4,714 equating to the tax revenue lost to HM Revenue and Customs.
Mustafa, of Beresford Avenue, Coventry, who came to the UK 14 years ago, followed proceedings through a Kurdish interpreter.
He had pleaded guilty to five counts of possessing counterfeit goods for supply, as well as having cigarettes that failed to meet European safety requirements and possessing packets of cigarettes not intended for UK distribution, at an earlier hearing.
In mitigation, his lawyer Louise McGhee said Mustafa accepted responsibility, but had been unaware of the actions of some of his employees.
She said: "He accepts that he needed to have more control over his business."
Ms McGhee said Mustafa had since sold the shop, which now trades as Castle General Stores, and intended to go into the car washing business.
The court heard, however, that the first raid last January came just days after he was prosecuted for similar offences at a shop he previously owned in Coventry.
Sentencing Mustafa, magistrate Roger Wood said: "There are several aggravating factors in this case."
He was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
At an earlier hearing at Leicester Magistrates Court, two men associated with the Shop and Save business, in Hinckley, pleaded guilty to being in possession of counterfeit goods for supply.
Sadi Islam (41) received a six-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay costs of £100.
Egid Mahmood (38) received a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay costs of £150.
Councillor Joe Orson, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: "Trading Standards will continue to take appropriate enforcement action against those that sell illegal tobacco, in order to protect our communities from the detrimental effects such products have on public health and legitimate businesses.
"We are grateful to consumers and local traders who have supplied information to help us fight this illegal trade and I urge the public to keep doing so."
David Bull, head of Trading Standards, added: "Where traders persist in ignoring our advice and continue to sell illegal tobacco, they won't get away with it and may well face a prison sentence.
"We know genuine tobacco products are detrimental to our health but illicit tobacco products are dangerous, as they are not safely manufactured. The cigarettes do not self-extinguish if they are left unattended, which poses a fire risk to homes."
Leicestershire is bracing itself for an Arctic blast, as winter tightens its grip on the county.
More than two inches of snow is expected to fall on higher ground in the coming week, with overnight temperatures plummeting to –5C.
It comes as the Met Office issue a weather warning for much of the UK.
Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton, holed up in his Cosby weather station, said it would be the coldest snap Leicester had experienced for more than two years.
He said the entire city and county will feel the full force of the big chill, with a powdering of snow due to settle for several days, from mid-week.
"The coming week is going to be very cold indeed, with snow and severe frost," said Dave.
"It's extremely chilly our there today but, two to three days ahead, it's going to get very wintry indeed.
"Nighttime temperatures will fall as low as –5 and daytime temperatures will be 3C at the most."
Dave added: "We're also going to get some significant snow, from early Tuesday or Wednesday morning onwards.
"It's likely to cover pretty much the whole of Leicestershire, with up to 7cm (2.7in) in Leicester, the south of the county and in the River Soar and Wreake valleys between Loughborough and the city.
"But on higher ground such as Coalville, Bradgate Park and Beacon Hill, there could be up to 5in (12.7cm) – and it's likely to settle for some time too."
Dave said the coldest snap Leicestershire had experienced for more than two years would come as a shock, after 2014 proved to be the warmest year since records began in the county in 1836.
He said: "It's the first real wintry spell we've had for quite a while, and comes on the back of the warmest December, indeed year, on record.
"So my advice to everyone would be to get those thermals on and keep that central heating going – it's going to be a cold'un that's for sure!"
Dave said the last time we witnessed anything like the cold approaching was two winters ago, in December 2012.
"We're starting 2015 with a real Arctic burst!" he said.
Dave said conditions are being influenced by weather systems bringing cold air down upon the UK from Greenland.
He said: "The jet stream that brought us the stormy weather and gales a few weeks back, and especially last January, has moved a lot further south.
"It mean's Spain is getting it at the moment, leaving us with the cold air from the north."
Dave said he's not sure how long it will last.
"We can only be sure about the coming week, that's as far as we can say."
THE WAY WE WERE:
2014 was not only the warmest year on record in Leicestershire, but also the UK and whole world.
The mean temperature for the year in the county was 10.9C – a full 1 degree above normal.
The year saw 1,620 hours of sunshine, in all, despite a rainfall total of 883.3mm.
There was no snow whatsoever last January.
The top wind speed recorded was 63mph on February 15.
On March 31 and April 3, showers containing sand from the Sahara left a film of dust on cars across the county.
May was the wettest year since 1932, and June the warmest since 2006.
September was the driest month since 1959.
Until the past week, 2015 had continued in the same vein with the highest January temperature for 130 years recorded on Friday 9, when the mercury gauge reached 14.5C – a reading only topped in 1882 with a 15.5C.
NHS ADVICE TO KEEP WARM AND WELL DURING VERY COLD WEATHER:
Draw your curtains at dusk and keep your doors closed to block out draughts.
Have regular hot drinks and eat at least one hot meal a day if possible. Eating regularly helps keep energy levels up during winter.
Wear several light layers of warm clothes (rather than one chunky layer).
Keep as active in your home as possible.
Wrap up warm and wear shoes with a good grip if you need to go outside on cold days.
If you have reduced mobility, are 65 or over, or have a health condition such as heart or lung disease, you should heat your home to at least 18C and make sure you wear enough clothes to stay warm. It's a good idea to keep your bedroom at this temperature all night.
If you're under 65 and healthy, you can safely have your house cooler than 18C, if you're comfortable.
It's official - people across Leicestershire, and across Britain, love Labrador retrievers.
An interactive map, produced by the BBC, reveals the most popular breeds in each county across Great Britain and in Northern Ireland, and in England, Scotland and Wales the gentle Lab tops the bill almost everywhere - including in our county.
In Northern Ireland, the most popular breed is Jack Russell terriers.
The BBC analysed 10 years worth of microchip data to come up with the map.
It shows that some 7,300 Labrador retrievers were registered in Leicestershire over the period analysed.
The second most popular breed in the county is Staffordshire bull terriers, with some 5,200 registered.
Third is Jack Russell terriers, with 4,800, fourth cocker spaniels, with 3,600, and fifth border collies, at 3,000.
Across London, and in the West Midlands, Staffordshire bull terriers are the most popular dogs.
In south Wales and south west England, Jack Russell terriers are the favoured over other breeds.
Halifax, in West Yorkshire, stands out for being the only area in the United Kingdom where greyhounds are top dog.
To see the full map, click here.
Here's where you will see mobile speed cameras in Leicester and Leicestershire during the week beginning Monday, January 19.
A607 Melton Rd, Leicester (30mph)
A607 Melton Rd, Leicester (40mph)
A563 Colchester Rd / Hungarton Blvd, Leicester
A47 Uppingham Rd, Leicester (Spencefield Lane)
A6030 Wakerley Road / Broad Avenue, Leicester
A5460 Narborough Road, Leicester
Fullhurst Avenue / Braunstone Avenue, Leicester
A47 Hinckley Road, Leicester
B568 Victoria Park Road, Leicester
A6 London Road, Leicester
Beaumont Leys Lane
A50 Groby Rd, Leicester (40mph)
A563 New Parks Way, Leicester
A426 Aylestone Road, Leicester
B5366 Saffron Lane, Leicester
A563 Lubbesthorpe Way, Braunstone (40mph)
A6 Abbey Lane, Leicester
A563 Braunstone Way, Leicester
Fosse Road South, Leicester
Aikman Avenue, Leicester
A5199 Welford Road (Knighton), Leicester
Barkbythorpe Road, Leicester
Ethel Road, Leicester
A trusted treasurer described as a "pillar of the community" has been jailed for two years after stealing nearly £30,000 of village church funds.
John Lee (67), a retired day care centre manager, systematically milked two bank accounts of St Peter's Church, in the quaint Leicestershire village of Thornton.
Leicester Crown Court was told the money came from the diocese, donations from parishioners and fundraising charity events.
Lee, of Sharps Close, Thornton, admitted theft of £29,632 between January 2009 and December 2013.
He was ordered to pay it all back in compensation to the church – which may involve Lee re-mortgaging his £200,000 home.
Mary Prior, prosecuting, said: "He became treasurer of Thornton Church in 2009, responsible for two bank accounts.
"He stole from both accounts to fund his own lifestyle and to pay his debts.
"Matters came to a head because a contractor for CoolAir presented an invoice for just under £17,000 but didn't receive payment - so they contacted the church and the finance director became involved and asked Lee for the paperwork.
"The paperwork was poor with blank cheque stubs and pages ripped from the cashbook, making the audit trail extremely difficult."
Lee confessed his wrongdoing to the vicar and the police were involved.
Miss Prior said: "He said he got into a 'financial hole' after he retired. He knew he'd be discovered.
"It was a gross breach of trust because he was trusted entirely to run the church's accounts.
"It was a lot of money that came from hardworking people and fundraisers.
"As a result, the church had to use money intended to benefit others to pay its bills - with a financial impact on that community."
Paul Tubb, mitigating, said Lee, who carried out the church treasurer role voluntarily, has supported various charities, had no previous convictions and was considered to be a "pillar of the community".
He said: "He's genuinely remorseful and recognises the consequences of his actions and the effects upon others.
"He's disgusted by his behaviour which spiralled out of control.
"He devoted 38 years, employed by the local authority, to working with the physically and mentally disabled, and became manager of a day centre overseeing 50 staff caring for 150 people."
After retiring in 2007, Lee struggled to meet the mortgage payments on his home, accruing £40,000 of debt, which he kept a secret from his wife, a part-time nurse.
He has now sought help with debt management and is considering re-mortgaging his home, in which there is £180,000 of equity with a £20,000 outstanding mortgage.
Panel: Sentencing Lee, Recorder Christopher Tickle said: "You systematically robbed Peter to pay Paul, trying to keep up with your debts.
"The money came out of church funds from people who have been fundraising and made donations for a good cause.
"It's a breach of a high degree of trust whilst handling all this money on behalf of members of the church.
"I accept you had serious debts.
"Debt counselling has been available for a long time and had you discussed it with your wife earlier things could have been resolved sooner.
"It's a very serious matter and only a custodial sentence is required."
Fox News has issued an on-air apology for broadcasting a claim by an American terrorism commentator that Birmingham is a "Muslim-only city" where non-Muslims "don't go".
The comment was made last week by Steven Emerson, as he spoke to the US channel about the terror attacks in France.
He has since apologised and pledged to make a charity donation.
In a broadcast on Saturday, presenter Julie Banderas told viewers the channel had made some "regrettable errors on air regarding the Muslim population in Europe, particularly with regard to England and France".
She said the mistakes centred around the claim that there were "no go zones" where non-Muslims are not allowed, and added that there was "no credible information" to support the claim.
Ms Banderas said Fox News "deeply regrets" the errors and apologised to anyone who had been offended by the mistake, particularly the people of England and France.
Mr Emerson's claims prompted a rush of mocking tweets, and David Cameron called him "an idiot".
The original claim which sparked the outrage:
Animal rights campaigners have blasted the "sickening" discovery of two dead horses whose bodies were dumped in a field near Leicester.
The grisly scene was stumbled upon by a member of the public on land off Keyham Lane East, at Scraptoft, east of the city, on Thursday.
The RSPCA was contacted and animal welfare experts from the charity sent to investigate.
Inspector Clint Davies, of the charity, said the bodies of the black and white cob-type mare and foal were found "stuffed into a hedge".
An examination of showed signs of decomposition, suggesting the horses had been dumped more than a week ago. Insp Davies said: "It is difficult to tell how the horses died and I've got nothing to go on at the moment because of the state the bodies are in.
"It doesn't look like the horses had been in the field before they died as the field had not been grazed for a while, and the gate was wide open so they would have strayed out on to the road.
"In fact, the field appears to have been used as a bit of a dumping ground as there is evidence of fly tipping.
"It looks like someone has just gone in there and dumped the bodies."
Ben Nandrame, a co-ordinator with the Leicester Equine Action Group (LEAG), said: "It is sickening and disgraceful somebody can just dump these creatures that were once loved and cared for animals.
"They were discarded like they were rubbish, which is a disgusting disrespect to these animals."
The RSPCA said the incident highlights a "worrying" number of cases of horses being abandoned or found dead across the county in recent months.
Just last month, on December 23, the bodies of five ponies were found dumped in a field north of Loughborough, on the Nottinghamshire border.
Insp Davies said: "Things are getting worse. This is just one of several reports of dead horses being dumped. My colleagues are telling a similar story."
The RSPCA, along with other equine welfare charities and groups, is often left to pick up the pieces when irresponsible owners either abandon or leave their horses on other peoples' land with a minimum of care, according to Insp Davies.
He said current legislation also means that, whilst horses must be micro-chipped, there is little enforcement of this so these owners can rarely be traced and made accountable.
Mr Nandrame, of LEAG, said: "In just the last week we have had 15 cases reported to us by members of the public.
"They include horses left in fields without food, water or shelter, or trapped in barbed wire.
"It's a problem that needs urgently addressing. Until it is, these horrible cases will continue."
For details visit: www.facebook.com/equineactivegroup
To report cases of cruelty go to: www.rspca.org.uk
The RSPCA is urging anyone with information about the horses dumped in Scraptoft to contact the charity's line on 0300 123 8018.
With Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival just around the corner, we're asking our readers to once again vote for their favourite comedian.
Ken Dodd – Scouse surrealist and friend of the Diddy Men – clinched the title last year, with the late Sir Norman Wisdom winning it in 2013. But who will be crowned laughter legend this year?
The search is on to add someone to the festival's roll of honour and we need our readers' help.
We want you to nominate your favourite comedian, alive or dead – as long as they tickle your funny bone, we want to hear about them.
Comedy festival founder Geoff Rowe said the award, which is in its third year, had "become a very important part of the festival".
"It's great that the Leicester Mercury has once again launched their search for this year's comedy legend.
"I want to encourage everyone to nominate, so they can recognise their favourite ever comedians."
After we have received the nominations, they will be whittled down to a shortlist by a panel of judges.
You will then be able to vote for your favourite on the shortlist over the duration of the festival.
Last year's winner, Ken Dodd, said: "Awards are always special, but when they come from the public, then they become extra special.
"I was, and remain, discumknockerated that the good people of Leicester chose me as their comedy– what an honour to have such a wonderful accolade bestowed upon me.
"I thank the fabulous Leicester folk for crowning me last year and wish my successor health and happiness for 2015."
Details of how to vote for this year's Legend of Comedy, will be published once the shortlist has been compiled.
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in March and their name will appear on a roll of honour which celebrates the city's favourite comedians.
The board, outside the Y Theatre in East Street, Leicester, lists the winners of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival's top comic award back to 1995, when the honour was first given out.
People can send in their nominations from today until Friday, January 30.
Nominations, marked Legend of Comedy, can be sent to the News Desk, Leicester Mercury, St George Street, Leicester, LE1 9FQ or by e-mail to: yasminduffin@leicestermercury.co.uk
After Leicester City's 1-0 home defeat to Stoke at the weekend, we are asking fans whether they still believe the Foxes will stay up.
Take part in our poll, in the right hand column on this page. The results will be published in the Mercury on Wednesday.
A woman is at the end of her tether after getting a swathe of letters threatening her with court action for not having a TV licence – even though she has one.
Ann Boseley, 64, said she has received nine letters from TV Licensing since she moved into her flat three years ago.
She said each one claimed she would be taken to court or that her home was under investigation because she has not paid for her licence.
This is despite her having one, which she pays for in weekly instalments.
Ann said she had made six phone calls to the company and, each time, she had been told the matter was "being sorted".
But the letters continued to arrive.
"I'm so angry and fed up," said Ann. "At first, I thought something wrong, but it wasn't me at all. I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall.
"Not only that, but it's costing me a lot to ring them. Sometimes I'm on the phone to them for more than half-an-hour, and I've only got a mobile phone, so it's costing a fortune."
Ann, a part-time shop assistant, moved into the ground floor flat of a two-storey property in December 2012. She said she changed her licence to her new address, and received a letter acknowledging the move, so is at a loss to understand why she is being sent warnings.
"It's scary when you get the letters," she said. "In one they even said they had opened an investigation into my house
"I live on my own and some of the letters have got big, bold, red writing on telling me that I have received an official warning – it's quite threatening."
When the Mercury contacted the TV licence company, they said that it appeared they had a duplicate address on their database for that of Mrs Boseley's, which is why she had been receiving letters through the post.
A spokesperson said: "We've spoken to Mrs Boseley and apologised for the unnecessary letters sent to her address, which was due to a duplicate address issue on our database.
"We have a database of 30m addresses and mistakes can happen.
"We always aim to resolve problems as soon as we can and have also apologised for not correctly updating our database when Mrs Boseley contacted us."
A musical stage show of the film Bend It Like Beckham is about to hit the West End, and Hinckley's Lauren Samuels has landed a top role.
The star of last year's Water Babies show at Curve will be in the Keira Knightley role of Jules, a soccer-mad girl who encourages her Asian friend, Jess, to go against her family's wishes and join a football team.
The show will be on at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End from June but football training has already begun for Lauren.
She said: "It's terrifying! I've never been good at football and God knows how I got this part!
"I think I'm going to have to have the ball on a string to stop it going into the audience.
"But they obviously thought I was okay in the auditions."
Lauren was a big fan of the film when it came out in 2002, starring Leicester's Parminder Nagra as Jess.
Lauren said: "I love the film and it's one of my favourites.
"It's great they're making a stage show of it and the songs are fabulous.
"They're by Howard Goodall, who also wrote the music for the stage version of Love Story, which I've done.
"Hopefully the new show will run for a long time. We've all been contracted until March 2016 and I think it's going to go really well."
Lauren said stepping into Keira's part was daunting.
"She's one of the best-known, most beautiful British actresses so taking on her role is terrifying," she said.
"Hopefully I can meet her before the show starts and get some tips."
The new London show will star Natalie Dew as Jess, with Jamie Campbell Bower, who had roles in the Twighlight and Harry Potter films, making his West End debut as Joe.
Comic Ronni Ancona will be playing Jules's mother, Paula, and other actors in the show will include Jamal Andréas, Preeya Kalidas, Tony Jayawardena and Natasha Jayetileke.
Bend It Like Beckham opens at the Phoenix Theatre, in Charing Cross Road, on June 24 and tickets, from £15, area available online at www.lovetheatre.com
The stepdaughter of a man killed in a car crash four months ago has made a fresh appeal for witnesses.
Matt McKnight, 41, and Paul Jones, 54, both from Market Harborough, died when their car left the A427 and hit a tree.
Matt's stepdaughter, Jess Phillips, 26, said his death had devastated the lives of her mother, Sarah Phillips, and her siblings.
She said: "Matt is deeply missed by us all. We just want to find out what happened so we can start to rebuild our lives.
"At the moment there are rumours, but we do not have the complete picture."
The crash victims were passengers in a car travelling home from work at Fairline Boats, in Corby, on Friday, September 26.
The vehicle left the road at Dingley, in Northamptonshire, hitting the tree.
The driver and a third passenger were taken to hospital with chest and back injuries.
Immediately after the crash, police tried to trace a second car which they believed was in the area.
They believed the motorist could hold clues as to what happened before the crash.
Miss Phillips, who has given up her job in London to help her family cope with the tragedy, said: "We urge the driver to come forward. If anyone has any information about what happened, please contact the police and help them piece together what happened."
A police spokeswoman said: "Officers have interviewed a number of people and statements have been taken. The investigators are piecing together what happened, but we urge people who may have seen what happened and have not contacted us to do so."
Anyone with information can call Northants police on 101, or Drivewatch on 0800 174 615.
Neighbours raised the alarm after spotting smoke and flames billowing from a terraced house.
Crews from Loughborough fire station were called to tackle the blaze at the property, in Ratcliffe Road, at lunchtime today.
A fire service spokesman said: "We got the call at 12.17pm to say a property in Loughborough was on fire.
"Neighbours rang in to advise us that there were flames coming from the house.
"We sent two appliances to the incident. The first message received back by fire control stated that there was a two-storey terraced house involved in fire.
"The blaze was on the ground floor of the building and two firefighters entered using breathing gear."
Crews reported to fire control that the fire had been extinguished at 2.20pm.
An investigation has been launched into the cause.
Firefighters were still at the scene at 5pm, when a further inspection was to be carried out by fire investigators to assess the full scale of the damage and establish the cause.
The fire service said arson was not being ruled out, but that the cause of the blaze could not be given until the investigation was complete.
He said: "Firefighters remained throughout the afternoon as a precaution to make sure everything was okay."
No-one was hurt in the incident.
A £11.5 million national plan to fight TB (tuberculosis) in Britain has been welcomed by experts at Leicester's hospitals.
The doctors, who are leading the way in reducing the number of cases of the potentially fatal disease locally, believe the plans from Public Health England and NHS England will be a "game changer" in eradicating the disease.
Plans over the next five years include screening
patients seen as having a high risk of developing TB when they register with a GP.
It is estimated this is likely to involve about 5,000 people annually across Leicestershire.
Dr Gerrit Woltmann, a consultant respiratory physician at the city's Glenfield Hospital, who heads the TB services, said: "I think this strategy will be a game changer. We have been leading the way in Leicester over the past 10 years. Our research has shown if we had screened immigrants from countries such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, about 60 per cent of cases might have been prevented."
Latest figures show that the number of cases of TB in the city have been falling year on year, from 207 in 2010, to 156 in 2013.
One of the measures in Leicester has been establishing a rapid access clinic where patients suspected of having the disease can be tested and, where necessary, treatment started.
Establishing more of these clinics form part of the new strategy announced yesterday, along with establishing TB control boards in the.
Dr Woltmann said: "We already have a board which meets every three months.
"TB is a very serious disease. It can cause death and very significant disability but it is now largely preventable. We are leading the way in Leicester thanks to a very dedicated team."
The 10-point plan also includes improving treatment and care, strengthening surveillance and monitoring and improving uptake of the BCG vaccination.
Deputy city mayor, Councillor Rory Palmer, chairman of the city's health and well-being board, said: "The city council will remain an active partner in efforts to reduce and eliminate TB in the area."
A bath towel left too close to a heater or candle sparked a house fire.
Firefighters were called to a bungalow in Huntingdon Road, Northfields, Leicester, just before 8pm, yesterday.
A fire service spokesman said: "The first message from crews reported a fire in a bathroom, but the person inside was already out of the property."
He added: "Breathing gear and a hose reel were used to enter the house as the property was heavily smoke logged."
A stop message was received by fire control at 8.43pm.
No-one was hurt.
It not known exactly how the towel caught fire, but it is believed to have been left too close to a heater or candle.
