A Leicester care home has closed after four members of staff were arrested on suspicion off ill-treating residents.

All 21 residents at Fosse Court, in Fosse Road North, have been moved out following the arrests of the female care workers last week.

Home managers have however accused Leicester City Council and the Care Quality Commission CQC watchdog of applying inappropriate pressure to the business following a recent inspection.

A spokewoman for the home said: "As a responsible care provider we have taken the very difficult decision to close Fosse Court.

"We do not believe that there is an alternative course of action due to the overreaction and inappropriate pressure applied to the Home by Leicester City Council and CQC, which 42 days ago found the Home to be compliant with most of the regulations inspected.

"The high standards of care that we demand cannot be delivered while the concerns raised are looked into and a police investigation is ongoing.

"We have not taken this decision lightly as the welfare of our residents is paramount but we firmly believe that this is the right thing to do.

"The home remains registered with CQC and decisions will be taken by the provider on the reconfiguration and future path of Fosse Court.

"The decision to close Fosse Court was solely that of the provider."

The city council paid for the care of the majority of residents at the home.

Assistant mayor for adult social care councillor Rita Patel said: "All the residents have been moved out to alternative nursing care. "Some families had decided to move their loved ones out beforehand.

"We are working with all the families to make sure the residents are being looked after."

In statement a spokesman for Leicester City Council said: "We are moving residents out of Fosse Court because we are terminating our contract due to concerns about care quality.

"Residents are moving to a range of different accommodation, including some council-run, some independent and some to places out of the county.

"The owner has also now advised us that he has taken the decision to close Fosse Court as a business.

"We are doing our best to move residents in line with their choices and those of their relatives, as best we can given the short timescale."

The four members of staff, aged 46,47,54 and 61, remain on bail pending further police inquiries.

A £300 million rehabilitation centre for injured armed forces personnel will be opened at Stanford Hall near Loughborough, it was confirmed today.

Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond announced in parliament that the state-of-the-art complex should open by the end of 2017.

It will replace the existing centre based at Headley Court in Surrey and will also provide rehabilitation facilities for civilians.

Development of the centre at the 360-acre estate will be funded by donors led by the Duke of Westminster, who bought the stately home in 2011.

The new centre will be contained within a site four times the size of Headley Court and will provide:

• Immediate access to on-site patient diagnosis and treatment plans;

• Closer proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, the main receiving hospital for UK military causalities;

• Greater scope for innovation and advances in medical research and the development and application of new, leading clinical practice;

• Improved disabled access and purpose built accommodation to meet the specific needs of patients; and

•Outdoor facilities will include 400m running track to support the early stages of recovery.

Mr Hammond said: "Today's announcement will establish a long-term, state–of-the-art, rehabilitation facility for our injured personnel, building on the great work of Headley Court, to ensure our Armed Forces continue to receive the very best care.

"The support of the Duke of Westminster, Help For Heroes, and other benefactors has been critical in securing this world class facility for those who have sacrificed so much on behalf of the nation."

The Surgeon General, Air Marshal Paul Evans said:

"Thanks to the Duke of Westminster's initiative and his generosity and that of other benefactors, a new state-of–the-art medical rehabilitation centre will provide our injured troops with a remarkable place to recover and begin rebuilding their lives.

"The new centre will build on the legacy of the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court and the significant support it has received from many Forces charities including Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion and SSAFA. It will also provide the bedrock of the capability development for musculo-skeletal injuries for the next 20 or so years."

Many of the service personnel will be transferred from Surrey to Stanford Hall. But it is not yet known how many of the civilian staff will move to the East Midlands.

The main difference between the two is that the expertise used to treat the service personnel would be used to treat the wider public, for example people who have been involved in car accidents.

Stanford Hall was chosen because of its central location and accessibility to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where armed forces personnel are also treated.

A spokesman for the Black Stork Charity, which is raising money for the new centre, said the project would secure "the potential for long-term betterment for injured members of the armed forces and civilians too.

"The Government has a duty of care to ensure the best possible outcomes for servicemen and women who have been injured. Today's decision is a commitment to ensure that the remarkable legacy of Headley Court (established in 1947) continues in a state-of-the-art purpose-built facility.

" It is the intention to create national facilities on the same site and the business case for such development is likely to be complete in 2016.

The spokesman said integrating military and civilian facilities in this way and sharing capability and expertise "promises to change the game in this fast-moving field of medical science by offering considerable potential for research, development and training in the UK."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "There is no greater example of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant than providing first class medical care and rehabilitation to our wounded, injured and sick personnel."

Neil Clarke, the leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council which gave the scheme planning approval last year, said: "I am delighted that Rushcliffe has been chosen as the home for this major new facility for many reasons.

"It will help preserve this stately home and will boost the rural economy too by creating new jobs.

"It will help rural Rushcliffe and the surrounding areas too as local suppliers will be used to provide some services and facilities.

"DNRC staff will be moving in and living in surrounding areas as well which will all help make local communities even more vital.

"Our planners have worked closely with the Stanford Hall project team to ensure sensitive development and protection of this stately home."

Planning approval followed a feasibility study into the potential for transforming the hall into a rehabilitation centre, including several public consultation events held in nearby villages such as Rempstone and Hoton.

Under the plans, accommodation would be concentrated immediately around the hall and former service areas to minimise the impact on the parkland.

The treatment areas, featuring the latest therapies and technology, will be grouped around the Main Court, with staff housed in new buildings west of the hall.

Hundreds of staff at a major national warehouse are to go on strike for seven days over changes to their terms and conditions.

About 400 workers at the Argos National Distribution Centre in Magna Park, Lutterworth, plan to walkout between July 19 and July 25.

Union leaders the action will cause "substantial disruption" to Argos customers.

Staff are angry about proposed changes to contracts which will mean all staff have to work on Saturdays.

They are also unhappy about plans by managers to monitor the time it takes employees to carry out tasks.

The strike action involves members of the Unite union. Another 600 workers plan to go on strike at Argos distribution sites in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Workers have decided to step-up their protests after holding a 24-hour walkout at all three sites last Friday.

Paresh Patel, of the Unite union, said many of its members would have problems finding childcare at the weekends under the changes.

He said managers at the high street chain had rejected all its proposals aimed at reaching a compromise.

"The company wants more people to work over the weekend to meet customer demands," said Mr Patel. "The union has no issue with that, but they should create a specific shift and pay more to those staff. But the company are saying it's this way or no way."

The Magna Park centre employs up to 1,200 people during its busiest periods and dispatches almost 30 million items every year.

An Argos spokesman said: "Argos has put in place thorough contingency plans to ensure a normal service for our customers during a forthcoming warehouse colleague strike. The strike relates to terms and conditions changes, which are necessary to match our services to customers' shopping preferences. Around 75 per cent of our total distribution workforce are not striking."

The company said 99.8 per cent of warehouse workers had accepted changes to their contract, and will receive a £2,000 "transition payment".

The spokesman said: "New shift patterns have been developed in partnership with our Unite employee representatives, with a focus on maintaining our colleagues' work-life balance. Colleagues will be asked to work one extra weekend day per six-week period, but their full weekends off work will actually increase from two in six to three in six."

Sight loss charity Vista says it will have to slash its services if a planned massive funding cut goes ahead.

Leicestershire County Council is looking to save £110 million over the next five years.

As part of these savings, the council's budget for adult prevention services - services which help people to help themselves - needs to be cut from £9.4 million to £5.9 million per year, by September 2015.

At the moment, Vista receives £440,000 per year from the county council, but that is expected to be reduced to just £17,000.

The charity does receive income from other sources, but said the reduction in its county council funding would mean it would have to stop providing many of its services from September next year.

They would include talking newspapers, services for people who are both deaf and blind, specialist rehabilitation and one-to-one support, hospital information services and the charity's dedicated helpline.

Vista holds the register for blind and partially sighted people and that would be maintained, but there would be almost no money spare to provide specialist support for the 3,391 adults currently living with sight loss in the county.

Ken Eggleston, 67, of Melton, has been registered as partially blind for two-and-a-half years and has been using Vista's services since then. He said he has attended a number of courses at Vista which he said had been extremely valuable to him.

Ken said if these cuts are made a lot of vulnerable people will be affected.

"It is a valuable service that does not cost a lot," he said.

"I agree with efficiency - if it can be done more cheaply and cost effectively, fine but don't throw out important services out.

"They need to cut costs where possible but this is a drastic cut. There must be a way of preserving the system somehow.

"The more I think about it the more I think it is wrong."

Kate Naish, Vista's director of income generation, said: "We understand the need for savings, but this is a drastic cut to our services.

"Vista's services help a person to live independently, which reduces their feeling of isolation and prevents them needing a higher level of care.

"If the proposals go ahead, we believe that more people with sight loss will require higher levels of care, carrying higher costs."

A consultation on the spending cuts ends on Sunday.

A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said: "We want to hear all views on the proposals before the consultation ends on Sunday, July 13. All the responses will then be analysed and a report will be considered by the county council's Cabinet later in the year."

For full details, including the consultation form, visit: www.leics.gov.uk/futureprevention

Drivers were caught up in tailbacks snaking back miles this morning because of two county council traffic census checkpoints. Police asked Leicestershire County Council to suspend one census as it was causing traffic to queue for miles along two motorways. The census on the northbound section of the A46 between the junction 21a of the M1 and the A50 island caused tailbacks down the northbound carriageways of the M1 and the M69. Area Traffic Control (ATC) said the congestion tailed back down the M1 to junction 21 and caused queues on the M69. An ATC spokeswoman said: "We saw the traffic and wondered what the cause of it could be. "We called the police as we thought there might have been an accident. "It was discovered that a census was the cause of the delays which were major." A police spokeswoman confirmed they had asked the council to suspend the census as it was causing major problems. She said: "Due to the congestion being caused we contacted the Highways department of the council and asked them to suspend the census between 7.30 and 8am. "The census was suspended but then resumed later. These are council-led initiatives and we are there purely to assist." Motorist Caroline Killeavy told how the delays caused her to be more than an hour late for work and to miss an important meeting. The 46-year-old manager at a charity said: "It was just ridiculous. It was chaos. "Why would anyone site a census right next to a motorway during rush hour? "I appreciate they might have to carry out the census but they should give notice so people can take alternative routes. "I was so angry I rang the council while I was in the queue. They said they had to carry out the survey as they did for it to be a valid reflection of people's travel patterns. "It is just not good to do it as they did and make so many people late and stressed." The other traffic census on the A607 Melton Road just north of the Hobby Horse roundabout, near Syston, also caused tailbacks stretching back miles. The census was on the citybound section of the A607 and saw traffic queuing back miles back along the A46. Mercury sub-editor Steve Sinclair told how he was an hour late for work because of the census. He said: "It was just crazy. I travel in from Nottingham every day and it usually takes about 40 or 45 minutes to get in. "The traffic was backed up past Ratcliffe College on the A46 but I was able to get off and go through Syston. The traffic was tailing back for miles."

Fire severely damaged the former register office in Coalville this afternoon.

The blaze broke out shortly after 1.30pm in the single-storey building in Ravenstone Road.

The building, which has hosted thousands of marriage ceremonies, is being converted into a bungalow but it is believed nobody was inside.

Resident Steve Marriott, who lives nearby, said: "I saw smoke drift by my window at about 1.45pm. The building was well alight with flames spreading through the roof.

"Fire fighters from Loughborough and Western station tackled the blaze. But the building looks badly damaged."

He said: "It used to be the register office but it was closed and was being converted into a home."

A spokesperson for the fire service said they were called at 1.45pm.

He said: "The building was well alight. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire."

He said no-one was injured and the cause had yet to be determined.

Kirby Muxloe's Greg Eason celebrated his recent top-five finish on the PGA Canada Tour by swimming with dolphins.

The 21-year-old finished joint fifth in the SBO Open at Fort McMurray, Alberta, in what was only his third Tour tournament.

A two-time All-American golfer, Eason immersing himself in a tropical paradise at Discovery Cove in Orlando, where he swam with dolphins, snorkelled with rays and thousands of tropical fish, hand-fed exotic birds and even went face to face with a kinkajou.

Eason has just graduated from the University of Central Florida, where he was named two-time Conference golfer of the year.

A car fire brought traffic on the ring road in Braunstone to a halt this afternoon.

The vehicle burst into flames on the Braunstone Way at 2.30pm.

Scores of people contacted the fire service which managed to send a crew to deal with the incident.

Sports photographer Tim Keeton, 49, was travelling on the park and ride bus when he captured the incident on his phone.

He said: "Traffic was at a stand still and the bus had to about turn to get away."

A fire service spokesperson said they received several calls at 2.30pm.

A crew managed to put the fire out.  No one was injured. The caused is not yet known.

More than 1,000 public sector workers marched on Town Hall Square, in Leicester, this afternoon to protest against changes to their pay, pension, and working conditions.

The mass rally by union members from the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Unison, Unite, GMB, Public and Commercial Services (PCS) and Fire Brigades Union (FBU) saw schools, museums, leisure centres, and libraries shut, with other city and county council run services grinding to a halt as action got underway.

Picket lines were held at several schools, fire stations, and depots from 6am ahead of the rally.

Amid shouts of 'get rid of Gove' and Cameron out' the protesters whistled and held dozens of placards aloft as speeches got underway.

Among those on the march was Simon Aldis, assistant head at The Lancaster School, in Knighton.

He said: "I'm striking because the pension agreement I signed up to is being changed. I've paid a considerable amount into it every month and now they want me to pay even more and to work for even longer.

"It sticks in your throat when MPs are getting an 11 per cent pay rise. Our working hours are getting longer and we're spending far too much time on administration than doing the job of teaching."

GMB member Billy Baksh, who helps drive disabled youngsters to schools across the city, was also marching.

He said: "I'm incensed by this Government. We didn't unbalance the books, the banks did and now we're being penalised.

"I have to sit regular exams for my job, including first aid, but my wage doesn't reflect that. I earn a pittance and have two jobs just to make ends meet."

Social worker Rachel Smith, who works for Leicester City Council's child protection team, marched with her fellow Unison colleagues.

She said: "We're over worked because of the cut backs and that means vulnerable families are suffering as services are also cut.

"We're having to rely on the voluntary sector more and more and the gap between the rich and poor is getting wider. Central government needs to provide more funding to local authorities." 

Dozens of schools are either shut or only partially open to some pupils as teaching staff, alongside teaching assistants (TAs), kitchen assistants, lunch time supervisors and premises officers, take action.

Leicester mayor, Peter Soulsby, was among those who spoke to the gathered protesters in Town Hall Square.

Despite some boos from the crowd and calls for him to stand down, he said: "I'm proud to be here and show my solidarity with public sector workers. I look forward to the end of a Tory-led Government and have had to face £150 million of cut backs - cut backs which have had an impact on services and those who deliver them."

Among those on the picket line at Dovelands Primary, in Western Park, was teacher Megan Van Breugal, alongside around 20 other staff belonging to the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Unison and GMB unions.

She said: "The issues are that we're working for longer for less pay. teachers are being forced down the road of performance related pay when all the evidence shows this doesn't work in the caring professions and we don't want high stakes education.

"Teachers are working 60 hours a week and over and they're buckling under the pressure and because of this two out of five new teachers are leaving the profession within the first five years. It's going to leave to a huge shortage.

"I'm proud to be standing alongside our Unison and GMB colleagues, some of whom are only earning around £9,000 a year for jobs including looking after vulnerable children. That's not a living wage and we want to show some solidarity to them."

Jo Wigston, a level three TA from Dovelands and a Unison member was also there.

She said: "I've not had a real pay increase in five years and in actual fact, because pay scales were changed about three years ago, I've taken a cut.

"Level three TAs earn around £16,000 a year - we have a two year professional qualification and are often required to do the job of a teacher when other duties call them away, as well as fill in as cover supervisors for which we only receive a nominal fee. We deserve better pay along with all the other TAs."

Leicester City Council's housing options centre, Phoenix House, is shut, along with neighbourhood housing offices at Braunstone and Rowlatts Hill. All of the supporting tenants offices across the city are closed. There is a limited library service at Central Library in the city, which is expected to shut at 5pm. Westcotes and Aylestone libraries are shut.

New Walk Museum and The Guildhall are also closed, along with Aylestone, Spence Street and St Margaret's Pastures leisure centres. Evington leisure centre is closing at 2pm and New Parks leisure centre at 3pm.

In the county, libraries in Birstall, Broughton Astley, and Wigston are closed all day. Loughborough Library is shut from 12.30pm-2pm, Melton from 1pm to 2pm and Enderby from 2pm onwards.

Day centres based at Coalville Community Resource Centre, Coalville; Legion House, Ibstock; Hood Court, Ashby; Frederick Street, Loughborough; Syston; and Millfield, Hinckley; are shut entirely.

Leicester City have made another attempt to sign Leonardo Ulloa from Brighton, the Mercury understands.

City have submitted a fourth bid for the Argentine striker, believed to be just over £6million.

Brighton have rejected three previous offers and have told City they value Ulloa at £10m.

But it is now believed that Ulloa has indicated to the Seagulls that he is interested in talking to City.

If the offer is accepted, it would break City's club record transfer fee, which was set in 2000 when they spent £5m on Ade Akinbiyi.

A grant of £140,000 has been awarded to Leicester Cathedral to help pay for repairs to the north side of the building.

The cash has come from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, set up to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the conflict. The cathedral houses the Leicester Regiment Military Chapel, which includes a commemoration to those who died in the First World War.

One of the cathedral's windows, dedicated in 1920, shows a First World War soldier heading off to battle while the Virgin Mary comforts his two children.

The cathedral also houses a book recording the names of 11,000 Leicestershire men who died in the war.

The fund is administered by ChurchCare, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Roman Catholic Church and the cash will pay for expert maintenance of the cathedral structure.

The Dean of Leicester, The Very Rev David Monteith, said: "Leicester Cathedral values its local heritage and is very grateful for the contribution from the Department of Culture Media and Sport.

"Money of this kind makes an enormous difference."

Two men raped a "vulnerable" 12-year-old girl after taking her in a car to a secluded woodland spot.

Today the pair - Vinayak Rama and Reynold Carvalho - were given substantial jail sentences for the crime.

Rama (29), of Kashmir Road, St Matthews, Leicester, was sentenced to 10 years and six months after admitting two counts of rape.

Carvalho (29), of Prestwold Road, in the Uppingham Road area of the city, was jailed for eight years and three months after pleading guilty to one offence of rape.

Police said after the case that they believed the pair could have carried out other similar crimes either together or separately. They urged anyone who believed they were a victim of the men to come forward.

Leicester Crown Court was told the defendants genuinely did not know the girl was below the age of consent, as the victim told them she was 17.

Luke Blackburn, prosecuting, said: "She did not consent but was compliant to what happened."

Rama had twice previously attempted to chat up the girl, before they encountered her on the day of the offences, October 1 last year, walking along Holden Street, Belgrave, Leicester.

Rama, who was a passenger in a car driven by Carvalho, persuaded her to get in the vehicle.

Judge Robert Brown said: "She was taken to a relatively isolated spot before the sex took place.

"It was a joint attack.

"This child was a particularly vulnerable person due to her extreme youth and personal circumstances.

"There was a degree of planning and you acted together in committing these offences.

"Rama, you played the leading role and you raped her twice.

"You'd also met her prior to the night in question and you knew where you were likely to find her.

"She was taken to a wooded area which she knew and recognised.

"Rama removed her lower clothing and had sexual intercourse whilst Carvalho remained in the driver's seat.

"She got out of the car to pull her clothes up. You, Rama, told her to take her trousers down and she did so.

"She was compliant."

He said Rama had intercourse with her again and Carvalho engaged in a penetrative sex act.

Mary Prior, mitigating, said: "She described herself as being over the age of consent.

"She appeared and acted to be older than her biological age of 12.

"It makes him guilty of statutory rape.

"There's no suggestion of force being used."

Georgina Gibbs, for Carvalho, said: "His partner gave birth to their child a short time before this.

"He made a snap decision and for the rest of his life he'll regret it.

"He's still in a relationship with his partner.

"He genuinely believed the complainant was 17 and she accepted she was deceptive about her own age.

"Once he realised her true age he was horrified and disgusted."

Miss Gibbs said her client had not known about her background or the fact she was vulnerable.

Both defendants were placed on a sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life.

A restraining order forbids them from having any future contact with the victim.

Detective Constable Helen Small, who investigated the incident, said after the case: "Rama and Carvalho enticed a young girl and took advantage of her vulnerability.

"This was a despicable crime, and I am pleased that they have both pleaded guilty to their part in the incident.

"The investigation and subsequent legal proceedings may now be over, but for the victim the events of that day will no doubt leave a lasting affect which we hope in time will ease.

"From inquiries we conducted during the investigation it's strongly believed that the defendants may have committed other similar crimes either together or separately.

"If you recognise the defendants or believe you may have been a victim of their crimes, then we would urge you to contact us.

"Even if the incident is not recent, we would still like to speak to you.

"We have specialist officers who can support and assist you through the process and please be assured we will take all reports extremely seriously."

The police can be contacted on 101.