Leicester City will not be selling captain Wes Morgan this summer – or any key players.

There were reports over the weekend that Nottingham Forest, who sold Morgan to City in January last year for £1million, had tabled an offer to re-sign Morgan, which was immediately rejected.

The Mercury understands City are adamant they will not sell their skipper.

It is also believed that Morgan has told City he has no interest in leaving King Power Stadium either.

Boss Nigel Pearson sees Morgan as vital to his plans for the new campaign after a tremendous season, which saw him named in the Championship team of the year. City will adopt the same hard-lined approach as they did with Hull's attempts to sign goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, when they rejected offers and refused to discuss the matter.

Morgan is entering the final year of his contract and is expected to be offered a new three-year contract.

Morgan will return to pre-season training today with the rest of his team-mates as they get back to work ahead of the new campaign.

The players underwent a day of fitness testing last week but officially return to start their preparations this morning at Belvoir Drive.

Pearson and his staff will put the players through their paces for a few days before taking them out to Austria for a training camp.

City then return and kick-off their pre-season friendly fixtures at Leamington Spa on Friday, July 12.

They then travel to Ilkeston, Port Vale and York City before entertaining Monaco on July 27 and finish their preparations away at Northampton on July 30 before they kick-off their campaign on Saturday, August 3, at Middlesbrough.

Leicester Riders have launched their new logo to reflect their past and had a visit from one of the club's founder members.

Bob Wilson was at the first meeting 46 years ago and the new logo, pictured below, incorporates a 67 to mark the year the club was founded.

The Loughborough All Stars team was established out of those early meetings and toured Britain and Europe to play their games. The national league was not founded until the early 1970s.

Former point-guard Wilson, who now lives in Syracuse, New York, believes it is important for the treble-winning Riders to recognise their history.

"It is marvellous the club has recognised its early beginnings," said Wilson, who now works with student athletes at Syracuse University, a major force in American college basketball.

"At that time, we were just a bunch of students who wanted to play the sport at the highest level we could.

"Forming the team and seeking out that competition seemed the logical step.

"Forming the national league was the next step after that, and moving to the refurbished Granby Halls in 1981 seemed magical at the time.

"Riders now look well on the way to taking the sport in the city to another level."

Rochdale-born Wilson was capped 70 times by England and played for the All Stars in the national league before coaching and becoming head coach in the 1982-83 season.

He then took up a permanent position at Syracuse, where the college side gets crowds of up to 26,000.

He believes facilities are vital for clubs, and is a big supporter of Riders' plans for a new 2,000-seater arena at Grace Road.

Wilson said: "What we know about basketball in the US is it is all about facilities.

"We do have outstanding facilities at Syracuse, which means we can attract and develop top-class players from around the world.

"I know how important it is for Riders to get their new arena built. Without it, they will never reach their true potential.

"Seeing the stability that the club has on the coaching and playing side, I think this can be the start of new era – but they do need to get their playing arena sorted.

"Hopefully, the city of Leicester understands just how important that is."

Wilson is impressed with the standard of play in the BBL.

"The quality of players has undoubtedly gone up over the years, and Leicester look a very impressive team," he said.

"Drew Sullivan is a player we tried to recruit to Syracuse, so we knew all about his quality.

"In my playing days, we tended to rely on our two import players, while these days there is a lot more strength in depth."

A photographer from Loughborough, who is registered blind, is encouraging others not to let sight loss stand in the way of their passion.

Dr Brian Negus, 66, wants to let people with sight loss know that if they really want to do something, then they will probably be able to do it.

"I like to challenge the perception that people who suffer with sight loss can't do certain things,'' he said.

"Some people don't have confidence in themselves and they need to stop assuming that they can't do things."

Brian is chairman of charity Vista, which helps to provide support to people with sight loss.

"We aim to reduce the impact sight loss can have on lives."

The charity, which helps more than 6,000 residents in Leicestershire and Rutland, works alongside health services, to promote eye health and reduce the risk of sight loss.

"We also provide a befriending service, where we introduce people who have their full sight to people who don't. This allows people to do the things that they've always wanted to do.

"We even have one woman who has lost her sight, who now goes gliding with her friend, it's great."

Brian has raised more than £500 for the charity by selling his photos.

"I have never actively tried to sell my photos, it has been entirely accidental,'' he said.

Buyers found his photos on the online photo management site, Flickr, where Brian keeps a record of his snaps.

Brian was aged 10 when a teacher discovered he was having trouble with his sight. "It's like looking through a very low-resolution lens," he said.

While at university, studying maths, Brian had difficult seeing the board during lectures, so he learned by using one of his friend's notes.

But improvements in technology during the past 20 years have made it easier for Brian to pursue his hobby.

In 2000, when LCD cameras became affordable, Brian's love for photography blossomed.

He said: "I was incredibly lucky because technology ramped as my vision declined."

Brian is now a member of Shepshed and District Camera Club, which has encouraged him to become a more confident photographer.

"I have just started taking photos in black and white, which I'm really enjoying. But I would never have started doing this without support from the camera club."

The club invites anybody to come along, regardless of the quality of their photography.

"As long as you have a passion for taking photos, that's all that matters,'' said Brian.

Brian hopes he is proving that, with initial guidance and determination, people who have sight loss can still do the things they want to do.

"I want people to know that they can achieve an awful lot that they might feel is impossible to do."

For more on Vista visit:

www.vistablind.org.uk

To get involved with Shepshed and District Camera Club visit:

www.shepshedcameraclub.co.uk

To see more of Brian's photography, visit:

www.flickr.com/photos/ briannegus

Leicester has become the first city in the world to have its air quality mapped out using an airborne pollution-scanning device.

This bird's eye image shows how concentrations of potentially harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – which increase the risk of respiratory illnesses – vary across the city.

It was taken by researchers from the University of Leicester from a survey plane flying 900m above the city's roads, parks, industrial estates and houses.

Physicists from the university's Earth Observation Science group, based in its Space Research Centre, took pictures using a ground-breaking "spectrometer" device mounted on the underside of the aircraft.

Project leader Dr Roland Leigh said: "This is the first time in the UK anyone has been able to use airborne devices to map pollution levels. It is also the first time a whole city has been mapped out in this way anywhere in the world."

The device measures visible light, and because NO2 absorbs sunlight, it shows how much is lost at different wavelengths.

They collated all the readings and overlaid the results over Google Earth maps – giving a detailed map of air quality in the city and surrounding areas.

Particularly clean areas of the city – indicated by the darker blue spots on the map – include Knighton Park, Oadby Race Course and Western Park Golf Club.

More polluted areas – shown in yellow – include Leicester train station, St Nicholas Circle roundabout, and junction 21 of the M1.

Dr Leigh said: "Other maps of this nature are constructed using various recorded data, whereas this is pretty much a real time image taken as we flew over Leicester.

"One of the most interesting things we discovered is just how quickly air quality improves.

"For example, just north of the A47 to the west of our scanned area is Western Park, which despite being right next to a very busy road has a lot of clean air. That surprised us."

This research was carried out as part of the UK's airborne air quality mapper project.

The university team has also been working with the city council, using its research to help develop traffic management schemes and reduce vehicle emissions.

Dr Leigh said: "This information helps us understand the sources of pollution. The results could help draw attention to polluted areas and inform environmental planning decisions."

The researchers hope to carry out further flights with industrial partners Bluesky International Ltd, specialists in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.

In time, the plan is to adapt the technology to use on spacecraft in order to monitor pollution levels across the whole planet.

The severity of the nine-week ban handed out to Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill took some people by surprise.

Only former Gloucester coach Dean Ryan has copped a similar-sized coaching ban in the modern era when he was suspended for 13 weeks for abusing a referee, in 2007.

Ryan was subjected to the same Rugby Union (RFU) Rule 5.12 as Cockerill.

It basically gives the disciplinary panel carte blanche to hand out any punishment they deem fit for the occasion, however draconian, and without 'entry-point' guidelines to lead them.

Clearly, the RFU have been keen to make an example out of Cockerill and the merits of an appeal look unlikely, on the surface.

Will Leicester risk a more severe ban in the hope of reducing the nine-week sentence by a couple of weeks?

The full written details will be fascinating.

Exactly what did Cockerill say? How much of it was directed at fourth official Stuart Terheege? Were the alleged letters of complaint from Northampton fans included in the evidence? And were national newspaper articles calling for Cockerill to be banned also used in the hearing?

While those details are still to be debated until they are published by the RFU, the effects of the punishment handed out are black and white and will present Leicester's coaching team of Paul Burke, Geordan Murphy and Richard Blaze with a baptism of fire at the start of the new season.

While the suspension will not stop Cockerill doing his day-to-day job in the week, or helping with the final preparations, it means all the decisions and media commitments on match day will be left to Burke, Blaze and Murphy.

Cockerill, meanwhile, will be allowed into the ground but can only basically have the same privileges as a paying spectator – as he did in 2009 after a four-game ban for abusing a referee.

And that means crucial decisions about when to make substitutions, who to bring on for who and what to say at half-time will be in the hands of his assistants.

Murphy is raw in that position, while Burke and Blaze, however, have both been in their positions for a number of years, have good experience and know the club and the players well.

But they will not have been charged with this amount of responsibility – especially with it coming at the start of the season too.

Media commitments are no breeze either. Cockerill has become an expert at dealing with a demanding press corps – but how to handle them and what to say will put further strain on Burke, especially, who you would imagine will take most of those post-match sessions.

All three coaches should get plenty of help from their senior player group and you would expect a siege mentality to bring the club closer together.

But Cockerill's ban will still present a serious test of the credentials of a new coaching group, void of both Cockerill and Matt O'Connor's vast experience.

A Conservative councillor has been convicted of failing to declare he was working as a bus driver while he was claiming benefits.

Councillor Chris Boothby appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court to plead guilty to two offences, after he was prosecuted by the Department of Work and Pensions.

The 47-year-old, from Ratby, is the Conservative member for Ratby, Bagworth and Thornton on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, but has been suspended from the authority's group since he was charged in October.

Boothby admitted failing to promptly notify the borough council of a change of circumstances which he knew would affect his entitlement to housing and council tax benefits between August 1, 2011, and September 26 that year – namely he and his wife Tina were working.

He also admitted a similar charge of failing to inform the Department of Work and Pensions they were working while claiming Jobseekers' Allowance between July 20, 2011, and September 20.

A district judge gave Boothby a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 in court costs.

Boothby had originally sought a judicial review to challenge the decision to prosecute him.

He argued the benchmark was overpayment of £2,000 and he had only been taken to court because he was a councillor. He also argued that the case should have been dealt with by an administrative penalty which is not a criminal sanction.

Yesterday, Boothby's solicitor, Eve Patterson, told the Mercury her client had been overpaid by £1,509.97 but had to drop the judicial review after failing to qualify for legal aid.

She said her client had been advised by DWP staff that working fewer than 16 hours a week would not affect his entitlement to benefits, so he mistakenly had not informed them.

The ruling Liberal Democrat group on the borough council has called for Boothby to resign his position.

Lib Dem leader Coun Stuart Bray said: "His credibility is shot and he should now do the honourable thing and resign his Ratby, Bagworth and Thornton seat so a new councillor can be elected.

"In my view, he has brought his office into disrepute. This is why I have also reported him under the local standards procedure."

Although he now has a criminal conviction, Coun Boothby does not have to resign.

Coun Bray also called on Conservative group leader Peter Batty to expel Boothby from the Tory group.

Coun Bray said: "He has damaged the reputation of the Conservative Party and the council and it's time for Peter Batty to show some leadership and move swiftly to expel him."

Coun Batty said: "When Chris was charged he was correctly suspended without prejudice.

"I won't be told by the Liberal Democrats what to do.

"It's not up to me to expel him. It is a matter for consideration by the group.

"Chris will need to reapply for admission and we will consider this properly.

"We will look at the service he has given to his community and his performance as a councillor. He has been a councillor for 10 years and he has worked his socks off."

The Mercury yesterday spoke to Boothby, however, he referred questions to Coun Batty and his lawyer.

A University of Leicester student who "killed his best friend" in a crash after he took his father's car while drunk has been jailed.

Marc Lutman (19) got behind the wheel of the silver Vauxhall Corsa with passenger Ian Deer, also 19, despite having no insurance or permission to drive the vehicle, which had dual controls and belonged to his driving instructor father.

The second-year geography undergraduate gave in to his friend's request for a 1am drive after they were both asked to leave a party for being "worse for wear" earlier in the evening, a court was told.

Lincoln Crown Court heard there was some "tomfoolery" during the 10-minute drive, with Mr Deer pressing the dual controls and pulling Lutman's arm away from the steering wheel shortly before the accident.

The journey ended in tragedy when Lutman lost control of the car while speeding over the 60mph limit on a rural road near the friends' homes in Stickney, Lincolnshire.

Mr Deer, from Revesby, Lincolnshire, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the vehicle as it crashed into a field.

He died from his injuries despite Lutman's efforts to give him first aid.

Lutman flagged down a taxi driver and called 999. When police arrived he was still trying to save his friend.

Mark Knowles, prosecuting, said Lutman admitted to being the driver and was overheard to say: "What have I done, I've killed my best friend."

Tests later showed he was nearly two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit, with a reading of 84 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, compared with the legal level of 35.

The court heard Lutman was an "exemplary student" with no previous convictions.

Alison Summers, mitigating, said a custodial sentence would inevitably lead to the end of his university career.

Miss Summers said: "Both were in high spirits. Mr Lutman says Mr Deer pressed the dual controls.

"There was some tomfoolery. Mr Lutman says Mr Deer pulled his arm away from the steering wheel. A short time later, he lost control and went into the field."

The court heard Mr Deer's mother, Christine, who sat in the public gallery during the hearing, did not blame Lutman for the crash and met him the day before he appeared in court to be sentenced.

Miss Summers said: "It is testament to Christine Deer that she does not blame the defendant when he blames nobody but himself."

Lutman, of East Keal Fen, Lincolnshire, admitted causing death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit following the crash on August 30 last year.

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Heath said Mr Deer had contributed to the crash with some of his actions, but there could be no alternative to a custodial sentence for the driver.

Lutman was sentenced to three years and four months in a young offenders' institution, banned from driving for five years and ordered to take an extended driving test.

It will only get tougher and tougher for Leicester City to gain promotion because of the expanding financial gulf between the Premier League and the Championship, Foxes Trust chairman Ian Bason has warned.

The Trust were part of the recent Supporters Summit held at the FA's St George's Park complex and the growing financial inequality in the game was one of the major talking points on the agenda.

The new Premier League television deal, worth £5.5billion, kicks in this season and it will make it even tougher for Championship clubs to compete with English football's elite.

The problem will be compounded by the new Financial Fair Play regulations.

In comparison, the current television deal for the entire Football League is worth £195million.

The teams coming down from the Premier League from last season, Wigan Athletic, Queens Park Rangers and Reading, will get £39.8m in parachute payments from the current deal. But that is set to rise at the end of this coming campaign to around £63m over four years.

That is more than champions Manchester United earned in Premier League TV money last season – and that was a record amount.

With Financial Fair Play also kicking in at the same time, which restricts clubs in the Championship to spending no more than £3m above their total revenue income – although club owners can pump up to another £5m into their clubs in equity – it means the clubs coming down have a massive advantage over their Championship rivals.

Clubs like Leicester City, who have wealthy benefactors and the financial support to compete with the relegated clubs, are restricted on their spending, effectively having one arm tied behind their backs.

Bason said the issue had become a major cause for concern among supporter organisations within the Football League.

"It will definitely create an uneven playing field in the Championship," said Bason. "Clubs coming down will be getting £24m for the first year and something like £14m in the second, and more in seasons three and four. That is a massive advantage.

"Wolverhampton Wanderers obviously have slipped through the division but that is uncommon.

"And, if they are allowed to keep their payments in League One, that will give them a significant advantage on the rest of the division.

"It will be compounded by FFP as the clubs who have been prepared to gamble to get up are no longer able to.

"There may be a few clubs that ignore FFP in the hope that they get up and the financial reward will offset the punishment.

"Queens Park Rangers may decide to do that with the owners they have got.

"It seems odd that a club coming down has £24m to put into the pot straight away while an owner can't put in more than £5m above their revenue. It is a massive difference.

"You have to believe then, that as long as the clubs coming down have got it right with their wages, they will be more likely to go straight back up again.

"It is going to make it a lot harder for Leicester to get up. They can't throw money at it like they have done before, under FFP.

"I think FFP is the right way to go for financial stability in the game, but the Premier League television deal is making it a lot tougher for other clubs."

The massive cash boost has not, however, lead to a reduction in ticket-pricing for supporters, leading to protest marches on Premier League headquarters, in London, last week.

"The message has got to go back that there needs to be some fairness here," Andy Burnham, the former Culture, Media and Sport secretary told the conference.

"It's time for the players, the clubs and everybody to think a bit more about those supporters."

That may prove to be wishful thinking.

Firms affected by the six-week closure of one of the city's busiest roads are being urged to apply for business rates relief.

Leicester City Council intends to shut the A426 Lutterworth Road from July 12 between Soar Valley Way and Middleton Street, in Aylestone, so a bus lane can be installed.

Highways officials have warned of major disruption for motorists, who will be diverted away from the area.

The work is part of a controversial £5 million scheme to ease congestion on the road.

Shops and businesses have been warned the roadworks could have a severe impact on their trade.

Some have requested financial compensation from the council, but city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the authority did not have the power to give it.

He said there was the possibility businesses could apply for a temporary reduction in business rates.

Sir Peter, the city's transport spokesman, said: "If they can prove their businesses have been affected, they could qualify. There will inevitably be some disruption because the scale of the work is extensive."

The mayor said a contra-flow system had been considered but discounted, as it would have taken a longer period of time to complete the project.

He said work had been scheduled for the summer holidays to try to reduce disruption.

Aylestone city councillor Adam Clarke said: "I would urge businesses, in these tough financial times, to get advice on whether they qualify for rate relief. It won't be mega-bucks but I hope it will be of some help to businesses.

"It's important to recognise that while the bus corridor works will cause unwelcome disruption, once complete I am confident we will see real improvement."

Andreas Ioannu, who has run The Ocean chip shop on Lutterworth Road for eight years, said: "To close the road for six weeks will be unbearable.

"People will avoid the area altogether and our trade will be very badly hit.

"Rate relief is something because every little bit helps, but it won't balance what we lose."

Businesses interested in seeking rate relief should apply to The Valuation Officer, Enkalon House, 92 Regent Street, Leicester, LE1 7DD, or call 03000 501501.

Leicester Tigers are considering their options of appeal after director of rugby Richard Cockerill was banned for nine matches at a Rugby Union (RFU) disciplinary hearing.

Cockerill pleaded not guilty to the charge of "conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game" after an exchange with fourth official Stuart Terheege during the Aviva Premiership final against Northampton Saints at Twickenham Stadium on May 25.

But, at the end of a four-hour deliberation at the Coventry M6 Holiday Inn Hotel, a three-man RFU disciplinary panel found Cockerill guilty of "using words that were obscene, inappropriate and unprofessional, and behaviour that was inappropriate and unprofessional".

As a result, Cockerill has been suspended from involvement in any match-day coaching activities from September 7 to November 2.

Tigers refused to make any comment on the verdict and will now have to decide whether or not to launch an appeal.

That decision will have to be made 24 hours after the club receives the full written judgement from the RFU.

That judgement is due to be released today.

Leicester will have to debate whether they will risk an even longer or harsher ban for Cockerill in the hope that they can get his suspension reduced.

Because Cockerill was charged with misconduct under RFU Rule 5.12, it means that the punishment handed down to him could be as serious as the panel deem necessary. There are no low, middle or upper-range guidelines with such a charge.

Cockerill's ban was deemed to be nine matches and not nine weeks because the panel ruled that the severity of the ban should reflect the fact that his offence took place in a high-profile Grand Final.

The fact that those nine games are not allowed to be low-profile pre-season matches was a further indication of the severity of the message that the disciplinary panel were keen to hand down.

Should Leicester decide not to appeal the decision, Cockerill will be cast to the stands on game-day for the opening seven Premiership fixtures and the first fortnight of Heineken Cup action.

He will not be allowed any direct or indirect contact with match officials, or any member of the coaching or playing staff before, during or after the game.

That means assistant coaches Paul Burke, Geordan Murphy and Richard Blaze will have complete control of the squad on match-day.

Grace Garner and Charlotte Broughton will lead Great Britain's cycling challenge at the European Youth Olympics in the Netherlands later this month.

The Countesthorpe College duo, who are both members of British Cycling's Talent Team, will tackle the time-trial and road race at the prestigious event.

Garner's RST-Trigon team-mate, and regular Madison partner on the boards, Abby-Mae Parkinson completes the GB girls' team.

Garner and Broughton have both put together impressive strings of wins on road and track this season, 16-year-old Garner striking again at the weekend when she scored her second consecutive victory in the national youth circuit series when she and Broughton landed a Leicestershire one-two at Curborough.

"I was getting quite nervous about the selection," said Cosby's Garner, whose victories include a Talent Team success in Belgium back in March.

"I just wanted to be picked so badly. It is the first time there has been a race for the girls at the Youth Olympics, so that will be good.

"The course is flat as a pancake but it will also be open with cross-winds, which will make it a hard race.

"The racing is aggressive in Holland so there is always a chance of a break getting away, too."

Broughton, who is still 15, admitted she had wondered whether she would be selected.

"Because this is my first year as an under-16, I thought it might be hard to get on the team," said the MG Décor all-rounder.

"It could have gone so many ways because nobody has had a clear run in the selection races. But I'm happy with the way the jump from under-14 to under-16 has gone."

Broughton believes it will be hard to pick out potential threats ahead of the competition in Utrecht.

"Our biggest rivals will probably be the Dutch and Belgians, and maybe the Australians," she said.

"It is hard to say, though, because there are so many teams that we haven't ridden against, like the Russians and Italians." Garner's victory in Lincolnshire on Saturday moved her to the top of the national series standings, just ahead of Yorkshire's Parkinson.

Despite not feeling at her best during the race, Garner timed her sprint to the line perfectly.

"I kept my powder dry and just sat in," she said.

"I did a few hard turns but really saved it for the sprint. It was quite fast coming into the finish.

"That worked well for me. I got on the right wheel, stayed out of the wind and got over the line first."

A couple who own a garden centre and tea shop have won a six-year fight over roadside advertising signs.

However, Paul and Susan Barratt, who have been running their business for more than a decade, say they are £8,000 out of pocket in legal costs and fear they might not recoup them all.

On Thursday, a court ruled in their favour and said they were not breaching planning rules.

Mr Barratt said: "We feel vindicated and want to be left in peace to develop our business.

"Let us hope this court case means we can leave the signs on the verges without any more hassle."

Over the years, the Barratts have placed two small wooden signs on the verges, in the picturesque village of Newtown Linford, advertising the business. They put them out each day and take them in at the end of business.

But they fell foul of planning enforcement officers at Charnwood Borough Council in 2007.

The council said the signs were not authorised and could pose a risk to highway safety.

The council said the Barratts were breaching planning regulations and, after issuing enforcement notices, took them to court.

However, the couple denied they were doing anything wrong, saying the signs had been on the verges for years and were not causing any harm.

On Thursday, Mr Barratt, 65, of the Sevenoaks Nursery, Groby Lane, Newtown Linford and his wife, who had previously pleaded not guilty to contravening planning regulations and enforcement notices, appeared at Hinckley Magistrates' Court determined to plead their case.

However, Charnwood Council, which brought the prosecution, offered no evidence.

The court ordered Mr and Mrs Barratt should have their costs paid out of Government funds.

Mrs Barratt said: "All along we had said we had deemed consent because the signs had been there for so long without causing any problems."

She said county highways were not upset by the signs.

"They are two small signs on the verge in areas where there is traffic calming and vehicles move very slowly."

Mr Barratt said: "We have placed the signs on the verges for more than a decade. Other businesses place advertising signs on the highway in the village. We feel we are the only ones to be on the receiving end of the council.

"We have had to continually fight for the right to advertise our business. We are half-a-mile out of Newtown Linford and the signs are vital for the viability of our business.

"We estimate this has cost us £8,000. The council knew we were pleading not guilty so why did it not drop the charges when we entered pleas?

"We have been awarded costs by the court but our lawyer said they were unlikely to meet all our expenditure."

A Charnwood Borough Council spokesman said: "The council has made every effort to find an amicable resolution over the last few years.

"The decision to withdraw the prosecution was taken on the day of the hearing following discussions between the prosecutor and defence barrister."

Leicester City striker Jermaine Beckford is set to complete his move to Bolton.

The deal has not yet been officially announced, but the 29-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Trotters and underwent a medical yesterday.

Although the fee is undisclosed, the total package is believed to be around £1million, and Beckford has agreed a two-year contract with City's Championship rivals.

The departure of Beckford, who scored 15 goals in 49 appearances for City after joining two years ago in a £3m move from Premier League club Everton, has allowed manager Nigel Pearson to free up his £30,000 a week wages.

City could now be set to strengthen their squad, while still working towards conforming to the new Financial Fair Play regulations.

Bolton boss Dougie Freedman identified Beckford – who he partnered in attack when they were team-mates at Leeds – as his number one striking target at the end of the season, but initial negotiations were unproductive.

However, the two clubs agreed a fee just over a week ago, and Beckford has agreed to take a pay-cut to kick-start his career at the Reebok Stadium.

The Jamaica international fell out of favour under Pearson and spent nearly all of last season on loan at Huddersfield, where he scored nine goals in 22 appearances.

Val Flear has been a good neighbour to her "Aunty" Beryl all her life.

Growing up in Sunbury Green, Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, Val has always thought of Beryl Mundell as part of her extended family.

In recent years, Val has been there to help 90-year-old Beryl with all sorts of day-to-day things and Beryl has nominated the 53-year-old in the Leicester Mercury's Good Neighbour Awards 2013.

Val said: "I've known Beryl since I was a little girl – she was the first tenant in her home and so were my parents.

"As she's got older she's relied on her neighbours to help her out.

"Her close friend, who did a lot of things for her, died a couple of years ago so I started helping her every week.

"I go down on Tuesdays and get her pension and pay her bills and always have a cup of tea with her when I do."

Val is also at the end of the phone when Beryl presses her personal alarm if she has a fall, which happened last month.

Val said: "Beryl is in hospital at the moment after having a fall on the stairs.

"I've been going to see her in hospital regularly and she's doing quite well."

Our search for the best neighbour is being sponsored by East Midlands Housing Group (EMHG), which is committed to creating good neighbourhoods throughout the region.

The winner of our competition will receive £500 in cash and the runners-up will receive hampers from Waitrose, in Oadby.

The awards presentation will take place on August 22 at The City Rooms, in Leicester.

There is still a chance to nominate your neighbours for the prize, which will be judged by representatives of the Mercury and EMHG.

To nominate your good neighbour – by the deadline of July 20 – call Nikki Kandola on 0116 222 4310 or go to: www.leicestermercury.co.uk/goodneighbour

A 41-year-old woman has been charged with causing the deaths of two young children in a car crash.

Police said yesterday the woman was charged on Monday night with two counts of causing death by careless driving, almost a year since the tragedy.

Oliwier Baczyk, aged one, and two-year-old Zofia Tabaka were both killed in the collision, at the junction of Braunstone Gate and Narborough Road, in Leicester's West End.

The children died after their pushchairs were caught up in the crash while they waited at a pedestrian crossing.

An inquest hearing last year was told Oliwier and Zofia were with two men, including Oliwier's uncle, on the pavement when a car hit the group.

Oliwier, of Bede Island, Leicester, and Zofia died in hospital after the accident at 9.52am on August 6.

The woman has been bailed and is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court later this month.

A 61-year-old man who was arrested in connection with the incident has since died.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: "CPS East Midlands has authorised Leicestershire Police to charge the woman with two counts of causing death by careless driving in relation to the incident.

"The evidence in the case has been reviewed by an experienced senior crown prosecutor in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors.

"It is important to note that proceedings are now active and nothing should be said or reported that could jeopardise the woman's right to a fair trial".

Following the crash, a shrine with flowers, cards and candles was set up at the junction of Braunstone Gate and Narborough Road and members of the local community raised money for the children's families.

Alicza Komar, speaking for the children's families at the time, said they had taken comfort in the huge display of support from the community.

She said: "The heartbreak is indescribable. If there is any form of solace we can draw from this situation it is in the support we have received from everyone in the community.

"We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the way the people have reacted to our tragic loss.

"Grief has no language barriers, no cultural differences – the pain and loss is universal and in the past week, we have found, so has been the support."

Hundreds of members of the community attended a service dedicated to the youngsters and their families at the Polish church in Wakerley Road, Leicester, a few weeks later.

A family photograph shows the happy scene as Jonathan Jones plays with his seven-month-old son – hours before the dad-of-two died in a crash.

For his fiancee Kalie Cleaver, it is now her most treasured image of her young family.

Jonathan died on Sunday after his car flipped over and landed on its roof on the road between Narborough and Huncote. The 27-year-old, from Blaby, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kalie, who lived with Jonathan and their son Taylor, said the touching photo was all she had left of her "soulmate".

She said: "It's the last picture of Jonathan playing with Taylor and, although I didn't think much about it at the time, it's now very special. He was my best friend, my soulmate – I'm completely lost without him. He would do anything for his two little boys."

Jonathan's other son, Layton, six, did not live with the couple.

Kalie, 22, visited the site of the accident on Monday with members of Jonathan's family to lay wreaths and flowers.

"There were already lots of flowers there, he was very popular," said Kalie.

"We had to put the flowers around the debris, because there were still bits of his car at the side of the road."

Jonathan also leaves behind his mother and father, Hazel, 59, and John, 65, and five sisters – Michelle and Leanne, both 34, Nicola, 32, Natalie, 30 and Lindsay, 25.

His parents paid tribute to their son yesterday on behalf of the family.

They said: "He was a loving father-of-two, and a loving son, fiancee and brother. He'll be missed by everyone."

Nicola, of New Parks, said: "We're a very close family and this has really broken everybody up, especially Mum and Dad. I couldn't believe it when the police came round and told us. It's still hard to believe now."

Kalie said she wanted to thank her friends and Jonathan's family for the support they have shown her since she learned of the tragic news.

Messages of condolence have been flooding in via Facebook.

Kalie said: "I've had so much support from people, it's been amazing. I've had loads of messages and Jonathan's family have been really good to me too.

"They've taken me in and said I'm still part of the family. I'm going to be staying with them for a little bit, too –they're really looking after me."

Funeral arrangements are being made and details will be available soon.