Police are appealing after a woman and her family were racially abused by a group of youths in Bradgate Park.

A 52-year-old woman, her sister, sister-in-law and their six children were verbally abused by 10 male youths.

The youths, who were all on bikes, surrounded the victim and her family before shouting racial abuse at them.

The incident happened between 1.30pm and 4.30pm on Tuesday, August 19, at the park, in Newtown Linford, Leicestershire.

One of the suspects has been described as white, aged approximately 13 or 14-years-old with short sandy hair, with a tuft on top and a zigzag pattern all the way round. He was wearing a grey hooded top and joggers.

Another is described as white, 13 or 14-years-old with gingery, sandy brown hair. He had an earring in his right ear and was wearing a red football shirt.

PC Steve Quinn, of Leicestershire Police, who is investigating the incident, said: "The victim and her family were not physically hurt but were left extremely upset by the incident.

"We are appealing for anyone who saw the group of youths in Bradgate Park that afternoon or if you think you know who they are, to please contact us."

Anyone with information about the incident should contact Leicestershire Police on 101. Alternatively, they should call Crimestoppers which is free and anonymous on 0800 555 111.

Dozens of residents gathered at a meeting organised by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz to discuss traffic calming measures for an accident blackspot.

The meeting followed a number of accidents on Ethel Road, in Evington.

People who live in the area approached Mr Vaz to help them in their bid to get safety measures put in place.

The MP, Leicester City Council road safety officers, ward councilors and residents met on Thursday night.

Mr Vaz said he was backing the residents because he was worried about the number of accidents that had occurred on the road over the past few years.

He said he was especially concerned about the accident that occurred in May 2014, when a car went into the home of an elderly resident, Violet Pearl Haynes.

"Luckily she was not at home, otherwise who knows what might have happened," said Mr Vaz.

The MP concluded the meeting by putting forward four suggestions of traffic claiming measures to the council had been put forward by residents.

He said: "They need 'slow' written on the ground, a sign flashing up the speed, a pelican crossing and speed cameras."

Mrs Haynes, 88, who lives in Ethel Road, instigated the meeting with Mr Vaz.

She said: "In May I had a car through my wall and it smashed all my bedroom window. That was not the first time it happened, I have had my wall down five times."

Mrs Haynes added that the worry about it happening again had affected her health.

"It has made me ill," she said.

She added that she was "very happy" with what the meeting had achieved, and hoped the traffic calming measures would be put in place.

Sophia Kara, 41, who also lives in Ethel Road, and attended the meeting, said: "I have been living here 12 years now and there has been a lot of accidents - they are all happening in the night. All of our properties are being damaged."

She added that a couple of years ago there was an incident in which a car screeched along the road before crashing and turning upside down.

"It was a horrific accident," she said. "My heart was in my mouth."

Mum-of-two Dhara Bhimabhai, 32, who also lives in Ethel Road and was at the meeting, said the volume and speed of traffic using the road made her worried for her children.

"It is unsafe for kids. It is really fast - you can hear the tyres screeching," she said.

She added that she would be pleased if the council put a crossing in place.

After the meeting, Evington councillor Baljit Singh said it was vital the council responds to the residents concerns.

Fellow Evington councillor Deepak Bajaj, who was also at the meeting, said that in the past two years there had been at least 18 or 19 accidents on that stretch of road and the issue needed to be addressed.

Leicester City Council road safety team leader Robert Bateman said: "We will look at what measures we can put in to help the residents with their concerns. We are always grateful to get feedback from people."

Burglars in balaclavas were stopped by a resident as they tried to get into his home.

The men, who were aged between 18 and 25, were trying to get into a home in Player Close, Rushey Mead, Leicester, when they were questioned by the occupant.

The two men in balaclavas ran off with a third man and the occupant suffered a minor scratch in the incident.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw the attempted burglary to get in touch.

It happened at about 3pm on Friday, September 5.

House-to-house investigations have been carried out in the area and a black BMW was seen in the area at the time of the incident.

Detective Constable Sandra Kelly said: "We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or saw the three men acting suspiciously in the area at the time.

"We would also like to speak with the driver of the black BMW seen in the area at the time of the incident in order to eliminate them from our enquiries."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the police on 101. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Three men have been arrested during raids across the city as part of a cannabis factory investigation.

Illegal plants were found by police responding to reports of a burglary in Grace Road, Aylestone, Leicester in August.

They also found cocaine in the house.

This morning police officers executed three arrest warrants under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

A 34-year-old man and 27-year-old man from the Eyres Monsell area of Leicester and a 23-year-old man from the Beaumont Leys area, have been arrested in relation to drug offences.

They currently remain in police custody.

PC Matt Hutton of Welford Road police station said: "We will continue to carry out operations of this nature, identifying and arresting anyone who is involved in the supply of illegally held controlled drugs.

"The success of these operations is also largely down to the local community who we would encourage to contact us if they have any information about drugs misuse and supply."

Members of different religions across the city will be coming together to hold a "Sewa Day".

The word sewa means carrying out selfless work for the community and on Wednesday, October 1, members of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh faiths will take part a day of community work at the Ramgarhia Centre in Ulverscroft Road in Leicester, where an elderly and disability support group meets.

Volunteers will provide a menu of tea, coffee, Indian sweets and snacks and fruit.

Cultural musical instruments such as dhol and tabla will also be played.

Riaz Ravat, from the St Philip's Centre in Evington which is organising the event, said: "Sewa Day is a global day and a regular date in the inter faith calendar of Leicestershire.

"On this day we witness acts of human kindness to support some of the most vulnerable. By working together, a common platform of unity is conveyed throughout the world".

A city gym has been shortlisted in the National Fitness Awards.

U Fit Studio in Barkby Road, Rushey Mead, Leicester, has made it into the shortlist for the best gym in the customer service category at this year's awards, which take place at the Athena in Leicester in November.

The independent gym's owner, Joe Hanney, said: "We're very honoured to be shortlisted – to beat of strong national competition is such a great achievement and I'm very proud of the whole team at U Fit."

U Fit Studio's free seminar will take place on Saturday, October 11, at 10am at the Leicester College Abbey Park Campus in Painter Street, Belgrave.

To register email info@ufitsudio.co.uk or call 0116 276 3411.

A man with the same spinal problem as King Richard III will be giving a talk at Bosworth Battlefield on Thursday.

Dominic Smee appeared as Richard III's "body double" for a recent TV documentary about the king's curved spine.

At 7.30pm on Thursday he will speak about his experiences at the battlefield heritage centre.

He will talk about his scoliosis, which closely mirrors that of the king, revealing how he came to be involved in the Channel 4 programme which explored whether Richard III's condition might have affected his ability to wield a sword, wear armour, ride a horse and use a lance.

Dominic regularly helps re-enact battles at Bosworth and his mother, Christina, is a museum educator at the Leicestershire County Council site and author of a book about the last Plantagenet king.

Dominic will also be fitted with the specially-made armour, explain what the pieces do. There will be a question-and-answer session at the end.

Tickets for the talk are priced at £12, including light refreshments. They are available at www.bosworthbattlefield.com or by calling 01455 290 429. 

Changes in waste site opening hours will come into force in October.

Beginning on Wednesday and carrying on throughout the autumn and winter, the sites in the county area will only open five days a wekk between 9am and 4pm.

The five-day pattern of opening is being varied so that all sites are open at weekends and a proportion of sites remain open each weekday.

Over the autumn and winter the sites at Kibworth, Lount, Lutterworth, Melton, Mountsorrel, Shepshed and Whetstone will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Those at Barwell, Bottesford, Coalville, Loughborough, Market Harborough, Oadby and Somerby will be closed on Thursdays and Fridays.

Seven-day opening for the spring and summer will resume on April 1.

For more information about when individual sites are open or closed in the winter, and for more details on recycling and waste in Leicestershire, visit: www.leics.gov.uk/waste.  

Residents are being encouraged to have their say on a revised county highways scheme for the second phase of a £4 million project to improve transport in and around Hinckley.

The consultation on the plans started yesterday, asking for views on a proposal which aims to improve access, reduce congestion and boost the local economy.

Following a wide-reaching consultation in July, County Hall amended its original proposals for the town after residents and politicians asked for changes to be made.

Councillor Peter Osborne, the county council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "We have received some very good suggestions which we have tried to incorporate into this revised scheme.

"We recognise improvements can be made to ease congestion and traffic flow in Hinckley and make access easier for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike. This should, in turn, help boost the town centre, encouraging further economic investment.

"This is an exciting time for Hinckley and these measures should complement the borough council's work to regenerate the town centre and attract new investment."

Based on feedback from July's consultation, the county highways department has made several changes to the proposed scheme.

They include removing the majority of speed cushions in favour of speed tables at junctions along Sketchley Road and Brookside, in Burbage, and through Earl Shilton, and revising some of their locations. A proposal to create a cycle contraflow in Grove Road, Burbage, has been dropped in favour of an alternative shared use footway and cycle track through the recreation ground between Burbage Junior School and Hinckley Road.

This will be subject to approval by Burbage Parish Council.

The X6 bus service will use an existing bus stop, in Rugby Road, and use Herald Way as the loop for the return journey for a trial period. Residents and passengers can comment up until December 31, when a decision will be made whether to make the route permanent.

Other revisions include introducing "No waiting at any time" double yellow line parking restrictions to part of Sketchley Road, between the Crossways and Salem Road junctions, and providing two new bus shelters at stops in New Road and Far Lash, in Burbage.

Traffic management proposals have also altered in Earl Shilton.

Subject to the outcome of consultations and funding, works will commence in spring.

The improvements form part of a four-year project, the first phase of which is already under way.

The results of the consultation, which closes on October 17, will be reported to the county council's cabinet meeting on November 19.

Plans will be available to view at council offices, Burbage library and Earl Shilton Town Council offices.

www.leics.gov.uk/hinckley

_area_project

A driver has been arrested on Clarendon Park Road in Leicester after failing to stop for police officers.

The 27-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of committing driving offences and further investigations uncovered a large amount of money, believed to be fake £10 notes.

Police urged anyone who believes they have received fake £10 notes or has been a victim of fraud to contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers which is free and anonymous on 0800 555 111.

A longer, more aerodynamic cab offering better vision for lorry drivers could save the lives of hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians, according to a new study by academics at Loughborough University.

Members of the university's design school have produced a design which is 80cm longer, with a rounded nose, smaller dashboard, bigger windows and a lower driver position.

They believe it could drastically reduce the driver's blind spots around the lorry and reduce the number of accidents.

The Direct Vision lorry concept will increase the driver's field of vision by 50 per cent, according to the study.

Dr Steve Summerskill, who led the project, said: "Blind spots can be a significant factor in fatal accidents.

"The study shows the size of these blind spots can be minimised through improved cab design, the reduction of cab height and the addition of extra windows."

The study was commissioned by Transport for London (TfL) and Transport and Environment (T&E), at a time when the European Union is considering legislation to improve lorry cab design .

Dr Summerskill said: "This is a key moment in the definition of truck design legislation at the European level.

"Improvements to vehicle aerodynamics must go hand in hand with improvements that allow HGV drivers to have improved vision of vulnerable road users around the vehicle."

William Todts, senior policy officer at T&E, said: "Not only drivers, but politicians also need vision. It's incomprehensible we allow 40-ton mammoths on our roads without making sure the people behind the wheel can see what's going on.

"After decades of tinkering with mirrors, we need to take this once-in-a-generation opportunity and make direct vision compulsory for new lorry designs."

The study comes amid growing concern over the number of cycling and pedestrian deaths involving HGVs.

Last year, nine of the 14 cyclist fatalities in London involved lorries.

Dr Russell Marshall, of the Loughborough design school, said: "Outdated, brick-shaped lorry cabs are part of the reason why lorries have a deadly track record.

"Today's cab design forces the driver to sit on top of the engine in such a high position that much of what happens around the cab is invisible to them – the so-called fatal blind spots."

The European Transport Safety Council says lorries are involved in about 4,200 fatal accidents in Europe every year.

The Loughborough study analysed 704 accidents involving HGVs and found 31 per cent of fatalities were caused by drivers pulling away.

Nineteen per cent were caused by left turns, seven per cent by right turns and 25 per cent from drivers reversing.

The analysis indicates that critical blind spots in current models cannot be compensated for by the use of a lorry driver's mirrors, because of the time lapse between checking them, making observations through the window, and then pulling away from a junction.

The paper states: "If this time period is four seconds, this is enough time for a cyclist to undertake the HGV, with the driver being unaware of his or her presence."

Radical preacher Anjem Choudary has just been released from police custody after being arrested on suspicion of being a member of a banned terrorist group, the BBC has reported.

He was one of nine men held on Thursday as part of a Met Police inquiry into Islamist-related terrorism.

Mr Choudary, 47, was released on police bail after being questioned at Southwark Police Station in London.

He is the former UK head of the Islamist group al-Muhajiroun or Islam4UK, which was banned in 2010.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Choudary said he had been released on police bail to return in January.

His bail restrictions include a ban on foreign travel and public preaching.

He told the BBC his arrest had been "politically motivated", in order to silence him on the eve of the Parliamentary vote on military intervention in Iraq.

Mr Choudary said he had been questioned about organisations that he was formerly involved with before they were banned under terrorism legislation. His brother was released alongside him.

The nine arrested men, aged between 22 and 51, were being held at police stations in central London.

They were detained during raids on 18 premises in London and one in Stoke-on-Trent.

The arrests were carried out by Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism Command, SO15.

Leicester City footballer Matthew Upson has been linked to a scheme which is being investigated for tax avoidance.

The investigation could see him paying out thousands of pounds.

The 35-year-old former England defender, along with several big-name soccer stars and thousands of other people, invested into the Inside Track fund, which gives benefits to individuals investing into the UK's film industry. To enter into the scheme, hundreds of celebrities and wealthy individuals such as Upson became listed as "members'' of the fund, which then permitted them to write off losses against other income.

Tax avoidance is not illegal and there is no suggestion of a criminal offence.

The latest tax crackdown comes as Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seeks to plug the holes in the UK's leaky finances.

It is thought the Treasury loses out on £7 billion of revenue annually to schemes such as Inside Track. More than 12,000 people are thought to have been part of the scheme, which gave generous tax breaks to individuals who invested into the struggling UK film industry.

The company that set up the fund is being taken to court by HMRC and has defended the scheme as a legitimate investment scheme, rather than an artificial mechanism to drastically reduce the tax bills of the investors.

Under new rules issued by the Treasury this year, participants in the fund will be told to pay back the taxes which HMRC now claims were unfairly avoided.

The case will be heard in court in November but investors have already received letters from HMRC warning them they could be forced to pay substantial sums.

If the court finds in their favour, the celebrities will be allowed to keep the cash.

However, HMRC is demanding the cash from the participants before the case is heard in November.

The tax break was set up by Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor and was intended to be a mechanism to assist the UK film industry.

HMRC has argued it is a mechanism for wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share.

Celebrities such as Jeremy Paxman and singer Craig David also invested in the schemes.

In documents seen by the Leicester Mercury, hundreds of high-profile figures are members of the fund.

Upson, who joined City from Brighton in the summer, has been part of the initiative since its creation in 2003.

An HMRC spokesman said: "We are always happy to help the increasing numbers of people who want to disentangle themselves from the fruitless practice of tax avoidance."

Matthew Upson declined to comment.

A 16-year-old boy's "campaign of burglary" came to an end when he was sentenced to two years' detention and training.

Jordan Hindmarsh, who committed seven break-ins, some when the occupants of the properties were asleep, was said by the judge to be "worryingly entrenched" in crime.

Leicester Crown Court was told the teenager got the "biggest buzz" or "adrenalin rush" when entering a property, not knowing if he would encounter any occupants.

Homes were left ransacked, and one was re-visited by Hindmarsh to steal items replaced since the earlier break-in.

Hindmarsh, who was living in a care home at the time, committed all the offences in Loughborough, with other people.

Judge Philip Head resisted making an order in court which would have given Hindmarsh anonymity - a common practise when a defendant is a juvenile.

The judge said: "Because of his previous record and his conduct over these matters the public has an overwhelming legitimate interest in knowing who he is for their own protection."

Sentencing Hindmarsh, Judge Head told him: "Many of the homes were occupied at the time, some were ransacked. There was some planning and you certainly went equipped in a group.

"It was a campaign of burglary of the gravest variety. In many cases they were occupied dwellings."

The judge said the pre-sentence report referred to Hindmarsh getting a buzz and adrenalin rush about possibly encountering occupants – although none were actually disturbed.

The defendant told the pre-sentence report author that the victims would be piqued, or "p****d off", at having property taken.

Judge Head said: "You thought they wouldn't be scared if they encountered you, but that's simply not true.

"Any householder who encounters you in their house, or people like you, is likely to be terrified, and you simply don't understand that at the moment."

Hindmarsh was at the crown court for sentencing having been convicted by magistrates in his absence of one break-in and having pleaded guilty to six others.

The first was on November 26 last year at a student house in Alan Moss Road, when a laptop, mobile phone and debit card were stolen during the afternoon, when no-one was in.

On February 27 a night-time burglary took place in De Montfort Close, while a family was asleep, and £7 was taken from a purse.

On the same evening, £1,600 worth of goods, including computers and a camera, were taken from a house in Thorpe Acre Road.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said a set of keys also went missing and the householder had to replace the locks.

After being arrested for both offences and bailed, Hindmarsh went on to commit a daytime burglary in Prestbury Road, while the owner was out, on May 7.

The woman householder returned to find items strewn around, particularly in her daughter's bedroom, and a PlayStation, an iPod, a camera and other items, including a conservatory door key, were missing. Mr Murphy said many of the items belonged to her 12-year-old son.

The son later spotted the defendant, whom he knew, trying to sell his missing camera to someone in the street.

After being bailed again, Hindmarsh returned, on June 23, to the house he previously burgled in Thorpe Acre Road, while the occupants were out, and took £2,000 worth of items including a laptop computer, a drill and cash.

On the night of June 23 Hindmarsh burgled a house in Rainham Drive where three electric guitars, amplifiers and various accessories, worth several thousands of pounds, were taken.

On June 24 the occupant of a house in Buckingham Drive awoke to find a small window open and a tin of money missing from a window sill.

Mr Murphy said: "Later that morning someone on Chiswick Drive alerted the police after seeing on a CCTV monitor youths looking into a garden shed."

The police found the defendant and two others in nearby Swithland Road and detained him and a 13-year-old. The stolen guitars and amplifiers were found in nearby bushes, along with the missing tin of change and a pair of bolt croppers. A third youth escaped.

The court heard that Hindmarsh's behaviour at home led to him ending up in care.

Jodie Woodward, mitigating, said Hindmarsh suffered from ADHD and committed the offences out of boredom, rather than for "an adrenalin rush".

She said that having been remanded into a secure unit he had attended courses and now had victim empathy, and appreciated why victims would feel angry and scared if they found him in their property.

Today's weather should be sunny and warm according to the Met Office.

The temperatures should reach about 20C (68F) with largely cloudless skies for most of the day.

Sunday will start off with some dark clouds in the morning over Leicestershire but, once again, temperatures should reach 20C by the mid-afternoon.

The first three days of next week should be dry but getting gradually cooler towards the middle of the week.

A lorry tipped over in the early hours of this morning on the roundabout at junction 22 of the M1, near Markfield.

The vehicle is preventing traffic joining the southbound motorway but the motorway itself, and the A50/A511 below, are open as usual.

Emergency services were called at about 4am today and fire crews were also asked to attend after smoke was seen coming from the engine of the lorry as it lay on its side.

Unite has called off next week's strike action, which was due to start tomorrow, by nearly 200 engineering and maintenance staff at East Midland Trains to allow members to vote on a revised deal.

A spokesperson for the union said today that talks between Unite and East Midlands Trains, which took place yesterday, ended with the company "taking a step in the right direction by offering an improved package on pay, holidays, sick pay and apprentices' pay".

An overtime ban, which has been in place since July, will also be suspended while members consider the offer. Members will be balloted on the revised offer from Monday, with the results expected to be announced on Friday.

The spokesperson added: "Unite welcomes East Midlands Trains' commitment to continue to work closely with the union in the weeks and months ahead."

Unite regional officer Kevin Hepworth said: "Strike action has been averted and our members now have the chance to decide whether or not to accept the company's pay offer.

"East Midlands Trains has taken a step in the right direction by offering a package covering pay, holidays, sick pay and year 3 apprentices' pay. Although outstanding issues remain we hope these will be settled in the months ahead.

"It is always disappointing when negotiations break down and workers are left with no option but to take action. We now look forward to building on yesterday's talks with the company."

As reported in the Mercury, Clare Burles, East Midlands Trains' human resources director, said yesterday: "The talks we held with Unite this morning were very productive and we are pleased they have suspended this industrial action.

"This is great news for our passengers and we will continue to engage constructively with Unite with a view to prevent this happening again."

All services from Sunday will now run to a full and normal timetable.

Two ambitious sisters are hoping their new film company will make Ibstock the Hollywood of Leicestershire.

Aisleen and Siobhian Hodges first got into movie-making when Siobhian, now 20, was doing her A-levels, when they made their first trailer.

Not long after, their dreams of setting up Gatling Gun Productions were given a boost thanks to some words of encouragement from film actor Stephen Graham, an Ibstock local who has had roles in films including This Is England, the Pirates of the Caribbean films and HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

He was among the guests today as Gatling Gun Productions was given an official launch at The Palace community centre in Ibstock in a drive to find new sponsors for future projects.

Aisleen, 18, said: "It all started when I helped Siobhian with her A-level media project back in 2011. We made a film trailer and it was really good fun.

"Then we made a 15-minute short called Deadline around about the time I was doing my A-levels and we got lots of people of all ages to volunteer help out.

"It's been a good experience for everyone involved and they get their names in the credits and on the Internet Movie Database and hopefully being involved helps them do whatever they want to do next.

"Last year we set up Gatling Gun properly as a non-profit organisation and our new project is a terrorist series called Hunted, which we have our first read through for in October.

"It's stressful but it's brilliant to be involved in something like this."

Aisleen had spotted Stephen in the park in Ibstock when she was walking her dog with her dad.

Stephen, who has lived in Ibstock for the past decade, said: "I'd gone to the park to play football with my kids and Aisleen came up and said she wanted to make films and asked what advice I could give.

"I just said, 'Go for it'.

"We've kept in touch and to be here today for the launch is fantastic.

"They've shown a lot of gumption and it's great when young people get involved in something like this.

"There's not a lot for young people in Ibstock to do and so we need to back things like this.

"We need to grasp any way of helping young people instead of chastising them for sitting around in the street."

The company's cameraman, Roger Ellis, provides the basic equipment for filming and everything else the company does has to be paid for with donations.

Siobhian said: "It can be costly to do so we're looking for business sponsors and people willing to back us up.

"Businesses might be able to help us with props, donations, costumes and locations.

"It's a community group and it's just grown and grown so we hope people will keep supporting it."

While the company may do commercial work to make money in the future, for the time being the sisters want to carry on doing their own projects and eventually making films that they can enter in film festivals.

They do their film work alongside their studies. Siobhian is currently studying film studies and creative writing at De Montfort University and Aisleen is starting a psychology course at the University of Leicester on Monday.

Hundreds of runners broke a sweat to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the Braunstone Parkrun.

Four years ago about 50 people ran in the first 5km weekly run around Braunstone Park in Leicester.

On Saturday more than 320 people put on bright clothes and neon wigs to enjoy a Saturday morning circuit of the park followed by birthday cake.

"It's just taken off brilliantly and it's a fantastic event," said Ray Draycott, 65, of Shepshed.

"The great thing is that it's not just about club runners like me but for everyone, whether they want to try to beat their best time or just have fun."

His friend Clive Coulson, 62, of Desford, is also addicted to running in the fresh air and took part in Saturday's run.

He said: "It's a fabulous spot for running and because it's only 5km people of any ability can do it so the age range here is very big."

Hannah Coleman, 31, of Westcotes, Leicester, said: "It's a nice sociable thing to do we well as good exercise.

"A friend of mine encouraged me to come along and do it and I've met so many nice people who are into running, too."

Frank Lusk, 54, of Thorpe Astley, said: "It's very scenic here and there's a nice little hill to test you a bit and it's a brilliant distance."

While the weekly parkrun was set up by Leicester City Council it is organised by the county's running clubs, who provide volunteers to marshall each event.

The run is timed and at the finishing line each runner is handed a small tag with a barcode on it that is then scanned, meaning their name, position and time is uploaded to a website.

When Cheryl Wright, 41, of Earl Shilton, took part in her first parkrun at Braunstone in May 2012 the 5km course was taking her more than 32 minutes but her personal best is now 23 minutes and four seconds.

She said: "It's not a race but every week you are racing against yourself and it's great to see your time come down.

"There's no pressure here and a brilliant atmosphere so it's a good place to practice and improve.

"I've done a couple of marathons now and I'm starting to do triathlons, too.

"Parkruns are growing all over the country and it's a really good thing. It's amazing to come and run with lots of people on a Saturday morning and it's like our little parkrun family here."

The volunteers are hoping to launch a new junior parkrun at Aylestone recreation ground next month for four to 14 year olds.

There is also talk of holding a parkrun in Loughborough from next year.

As well as being the fourth anniversary of the parkrun, the event saw the 40,000th person crossing the finish line on Saturday.

For further information, please visit the event's website at www.parkrun.org.uk/braunstone.