A 10-month-old girl's death at the hands of her mother's boyfriend could not have been "predicted or prevented," according to a report.

A review into the death of Taliqa Fields in Leicester in July last year said that although social workers, police officers and other officials were aware of the family being in difficulty, they could not have foreseen the tragedy.

Taliqa's mother's partner, Louis Burdett, was found guilty earlier this month of murdering the child while babysitting at her home in Drummond Walk, off Abbey Lane.

He was jailed for a minimum of 13 years.

Burdett had been living with the family for only a short time and had no criminal record or history of domestic violence.

The review, which examined public authorities' involvement with the family in the period leading to the child's death, was published yesterday by the Leicester Safeguarding Children's Board.

David Jones, chairman of the board, said: "Taliqa died at the hands of a person in whose care she had been entrusted.

"There were no signs of danger in relation to the mother's partner, who had only been in the household for five weeks prior to the murder.

"There was no record of previous convictions against him, no reports by other women of domestic violence, and family members had not reported any concerns to the agencies."

Leicester Crown Court heard in February that Burdett, of Aikman Avenue, New Parks, was babysitting Taliqa when he launched his attack after she interrupted his computer game.

The court heard he snapped within minutes of his partner Zoe Harman telling him she was going to McDonalds with an ex-boyfriend.

Medical evidence presented during his trial suggested he shook her, causing her head to strike something hard, and that he broke her collarbone by grabbing or swinging her by her arm.

Heroic pensioner Alfred Throop prevented a serious accident when he grabbed the wheel of an out-of-control bus seconds after the driver passed out.

The 67-year-old was on the number 58 Arriva bus in Hastings Road, Northfields, when it began to swerve uncontrollably.

The granddad, from Humberstone, had already started to make his way to the front of the vehicle after pressing the bell for his stop.

Realising the driver was unconscious and noticing the danger of nearby pedestrians and cars, he grabbed the wheel and steered the vehicle to the side of the road, where the bus collided with metal railings.

Alfred said: "I noticed he was going left and right and weaving onto the other side of the road, so I went to ask the driver if he was okay and saw he'd blacked out.

"Then he hit a van. I was looking around at cars and people and panicking. I can't really remember what I was thinking – I just thought I'd better get the bus out of the road quickly, so I grabbed the wheel and steered it to the kerb away from the people."

Alfred, who has not driven for 12 years, let go of the wheel at the last minute as the kerb approached and dived away from the windscreen, and held on.

The vehicle stopped when it collided with metal railings at a pedestrian crossing.

The impact severely damaged the front of the bus and injured two of the six passengers onboard, one of whom was taken to hospital.

"It felt like a scene from James Bond," said Alfred, a retired gardener and hospital porter.

The incident happened at about 1.30pm on Thursday, as Alfred was travelling on the bus after his regular visit to Age UK, in Humberstone Gate, for his lunch.

"I've been a bit shaken since, but I'm slowly coming round," he added.

He said he did not know how fast the bus had been going when it crashed, but added it that it had slowed down quite a bit from its original speed.

Police confirmed that the driver was "taken ill at the wheel" and that two people were injured in the collision.

A spokeswoman said: "Thanks to Mr Throop's brave actions, he managed to prevent further damage and any serious injury to members of the public."

Alfred's daughter Vicki said: "He told me that he tried to wake the bus driver and find the brake, but he couldn't, so he took control of the wheel and steered it away from pedestrians and into a fence.

"He had hold of the wheel until the last minute before diving away from the front of the bus in order to prevent him getting thrown through the front window. It was very brave of him.

"He's been in a bit of shock since, but I think he's done a very admirable thing and deserves to be recognised for it.

"I'm very proud of him."

His wife Sylvia, 72, said: "He did a wonderful job, but he's like that. If he sees someone needing help when we're out, he always stops to lend a hand."

No one at Arriva was available for comment yesterday.

Terrified students ended up wading through water and carrying their friends to safety after their coach became stranded on a flooded road in the dark.

The 35 Brooksby Melton College students screamed with fear as their bus tilted over and began taking on water while in Mountsorrel Lane, Sileby at 5.45pm on Thursday.

They then had to wade through the floodwater to the nearest dry land about 50 feet away – while a handful of students carried other teenagers on their backs.

The drama was one of nearly 100 weather-related incidents dealt with by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service in 48 hours, after heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

Students say the driver of the Ausden Clark S624 college charter service had ignored signs that the road was flooded.

But the company, which has suspended the driver, denies there were road closure signs and also disputed the students' claims about the level of water.

Student Sarah Andrews, 17, of Hinckley, said: "The water came up to the bus' windscreen, then there was a bump, the bus tilted over and water started coming in through the door. People were frightened and crying.

"My friend Luke (Jenkins) started taking people off on piggy-back and I helped him. The water was coming up to our belly buttons and was freezing – it took your breath away."

Agricultural student Luke, also 17, said: "The flooding didn't look too bad at first, but after it tilted over water started coming in. I was trying to calm people down, I picked up a few who were fretting and carried them off, some were crying their eyes out. A couple of other lads helped as well."

Student Shannon Stute, of Narborough, said: "The driver went past a sign saying the road was closed. He then steered to avoid a car in the water, and as he did the bus hit a kerb, then it dipped down to the left.

"People started panicking. When we got off the water was up to our stomachs."

"Some of the students started giving piggy-backs to others who were afraid of the water. It took about 20 minutes for everybody to get off."

The students made their way to higher ground near the A6 where some got on a replacement bus and others got lifts with parents.

A spokesman for Ausden Clark said the driver "was met by a stranded car in the centre of the road which was in six inches of water.

"The driver assessed the depth of the water and continued to proceed around the near-side of the car, going onto the kerb to get around.

"As the coach continued along the kerb the ground level dropped, causing the coach to dip forwards and the driver brought the coach to a stop."

He said: "There were no signs advising the road was closed at the Sileby end of the road.

"At no point did the water enter the coach to where the students were, the only water was about six inches at the front stairwell where the coach was at its lowest point. The driver has been suspended pending the investigation."

Plucky pensioner Alfred Throop steered an out-of- control bus to safety after the driver passed out.

The 67-year-old told how he grabbed the wheel of the number 58 Arriva bus, in Leicester, fearing it would crash into pedestrians or cars.

The bus stopped after colliding with metal railings.

Alfred said afterwards: "It felt like a scene from James Bond."

Meanwhile, the picture above shows the scene yesterday after a bus carrying college students became stranded in floodwater.

The frightened students ended up wading through the water and carrying their friends to safety in the dark on Thursday night.

A drunken man who robbed a householder of a laptop computer has been jailed for six years.

Craig Sheldon (33) had gone to the ground-floor flat in Abbey Lane, Leicester, with an associate, who went to confront the victim about some gossip.

When the associate began attacking the victim on his doorstep, Sheldon took advantage of the situation, going inside without permission and helping himself to a computer, a charger and £50.

He admitted the robbery during a hearing at Leicester Crown Court.

The court heard there was "a history" between the men.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said the incident happened at 10pm on March 21.

Sheldon, of Drummond Road, off Abbey Lane, was with the associate, who ended up head-butting and punching the victim in the face.

Mr Murphy said: "The defendant took the opportunity to run into the flat and take the items. The victim was very scared.

"However, the defendant's girlfriend later returned the laptop to the victim. Sheldon accepted he'd stolen the computer, but not the money.

"He told the police he was very drunk at the time. He didn't accept there was any use of force."

Sentencing, Judge Michael Pert said: "Robbery in the home is serious. We're all entitled to feel safe in our homes.

"I have to sentence you for robbery, which is stealing, involving the use or threat of violence. I accept it wasn't you who used violence and that it isn't the case of a complete stranger being attacked in his home and there was some knowledge of each other."

Jacqueline Callan, mitigating, said: "He's had a long-standing battle with heroin and, more recently, alcohol abuse.

"He's of the view the best thing that could happen to him is to go into custody and get clean of alcohol and drugs.

"Once clean he can go on to a treatment package. He knows it's custody today. There was a history between the parties."

The court heard that Sheldon's associate was cleared at a recent trial of involvement in the robbery.

He claimed he did not know a robbery was going to happen.

The victim suffered no significant injury in the attack.

Beating Scott Quigg at Manchester Arena tonight would take me a giant step closer to my dream of winning a world title.

That remains my goal – and to defend the title at the King Power Stadium.

The support I have had from fans has been unreal. I'm just gutted that I couldn't get more tickets for them for the interim WBA super-bantamweight fight with Quigg.

Everywhere I go people tell me that they are still trying to get tickets – I reckon I could have sold thousands.

That helps to keep my dream alive. People talk about the amazing atmosphere for Carl Froch's last couple of fights in Nottingham.

So can you imagine what it would be like for the 'Boxing Binman' at the King Power Stadium?

And there is no reason why I cannot become a world champion, the people I have sparred with, and worked with, over the past couple of months have all said that I'm different class.

First of all, though, it is a question of getting past Quigg. All the hard work has been done and it has been a case of chilling for the last few days ahead of last night's weigh-in at Manchester Town Hall.

I've even had the chance to spend some time on a machine at physio Craig Mortimer's Stoneygate Clinic, which takes all the toxins out of your legs. It really does work.

I will be going into the ring tonight with the same positive vibe I had when I started my training camp eight weeks ago.

When people ask me for advice about boxing I tell them to go about their preparation to the best of their ability, go out and fight to the best of your ability and then you have done everything you can do. The rest takes care of itself.

For me, I always try and go out there and have fun. I don't let the pressure get to me. Right up to getting into the changing room on the night I take everything in my stride because I know that I have done everything that has been asked of me in training by Jason Shinfield, Neil Linford and Hardip Singh.

If anything, I feel even more confident going into this fight than I did back in June when I first faced Quigg.

I have been doing some work at Loughborough University and the results have surprised me.

I'm always in good shape but some of the things the people at Loughborough have told me has given me that bit extra.

The first time I went there was just before I went into training camp.

They said then that the condition I was in was already at competition level! It just shows again how important the support I get from Elite Construction is.

It means that when I go into training camp all the fat burning sessions are done and I can go straight into strength and technique work.

I am always confident but this time I feel that I have an added edge.

Rendall Munroe was talking to Paul Jones.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby says he hopes to resolve a long-running row over the lease of a former Scout hut before Christmas.

For months, some residents of Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, have been protesting against Muslim community group As-Salaam's plans to take over the disused building in Nursery Road.

They have been gathering outside a nearby community centre used on a daily basis by worshippers from As-Salaam.

A residents' group, The Forgotten Estates, said it would like the building to be open to the wider community, not just Muslims.

The Scout hut is on council-owned land.

A debate was held at the Town Hall on Thursday, triggered by the submission of a 1,500-signature petition against As-Salaam's plans.

Mohammed Lockhat, spokesman for As-Salaam, said: "I would urge you to finalise the lease with As-Salaam as a matter of urgency as your delay only serves to increase tensions within the community."

Mr Lockhat told the council As-Salaam members were regularly harassed and intimidated by the protesters.

He handed over a 3,700-name petition supporting the group's takeover of the Scout hut.

However, it was not formally accepted as it only carried certain details of the signatories.

As-Salaam said people were too afraid to add their full details.

Sir Peter said: "I do hope this can be bought to a speedy solution.

"I would hope that it will be resolved before Christmas."

He acknowledged the difficulty of the situation and thanked the representative of both As-Salaam and The Forgotten Estates for taking part in discussions with him.

A proposed package has been drawn up, though details have only been released to interested parties.

Forgotten Estates spokeswoman Maxine Williams, of the Stirrup Cup pub, said the group's committee did not condone the intimidation of As-Salaam members.

She said after the meeting: "I can understand how they feel.

"It can be intimidating but any protest like this will attract a certain element. We want the protests to be peaceful and amicable."

She said the group had been raising money and was now in a position to take over the Scout hut lease.

It would aim to use it for a boxing club, dance groups and as a gym.

Liam Moore says he owes Nigel Pearson a debt of gratitude for the way his Leicester City career has taken off during the past year.

Since Pearson's return to the club, the 19-year-old has made his first-team debut, become a permanent fixture in the first-team squad and earned an England under-21 call-up.

Moore, who returned from a three-month loan spell at Bradford City just after Pearson's arrived from Hull last November, said all the younger players at the club now know they will get a chance.

"I owe the manager massively," said Moore. "He has shown so much faith in me. I have played a double-figure amount of games already.

"He has always shown faith in me, all the way through pre-season and even now he doesn't hesitate to put me on.

"When I returned from loan at Bradford, it was a massive confidence boost to see him return because I saw what he did for the young players before.

"To come in and know that, if I work hard, I am going to get my chance was massive and he is showing faith in others, like Jeff Schlupp, who he has played at left-back recently.

"He could have easily brought in someone on loan when Paul Konchesky got injured, but he had faith in Jeff.

"He has also brought in two loanees who are both 19, Jesse Lingard and Michael Keane, so he shows faith in all of us."

Moore said confidence was high within the camp as they prepare for the hectic festive schedule.

"People are playing with confidence," he said. "We are getting the recognition we deserve at the minute because we are performing well.

"Some of the lads at other clubs say that Leicester have been the toughest team they have faced this year.

"The performances have been there regularly. We have been quite consistent but a bit unlucky with certain things that have gone on.

"We are there or thereabouts and that is all you can ask for at this stage of the season.

"If we keep performing well, the results will follow. By the end of Christmas, we could be right up there.

"Everyone has dreams of being in the Premier League and that is what is kicking us on now."

De Montfort Hall's website crashed and its box office phone line was jammed as thousands of Gary Barlow fans battled to get tickets.

The Take That songwriter is appearing at the Leicester venue on Sunday, January 13.

The rush for tickets caused chaos yesterday morning as feverish fans overloaded the venue's website.

People turned to the phone lines but found them permanently engaged.

De Montfort Hall sold its allocation of 600 tickets within a couple of hours.

De Montfort Hall staff tried to keep people updated on Twitter, but many fans vented their frustrations on social networking sites after coming away empty handed.

@HulbertMathew wrote: "Not sure I'll bother trying to get tickets to anything again. A total waste of a morning."

@Cat608 tweeted: "Keep seeing all your happy tweets but half an hour on I still can't get through by phone and website still crashed.

At about 11am @beckycanfield wrote: "Are tickets still available? Trying phone and net. No luck"

Venue staff worked to repair the internet booking site.

Replying to the comments, they said: "We're trying to sort out the website issues ASAP."

They also tweeted: "Please keep trying on the phone. The website is down but that means tickets haven't gone as fast so please keep trying!"

But by the time the problem had been fixed, at about 11am, all the tickets had been sold.

A spokeswoman for De Montfort Hall said: "We had so much interest on the website that it crashed just before the tickets went on sale and it stayed out until just before we had sold out.

"We would like to say well done to anyone who actually managed to get a ticket because they were extremely hard to get hold of.

"It's going to be an amazing concert."

She warned Barlow fans about the number of fake tickets already on sale.

She said: "No tickets have been printed yet and they won't be sent out until 10 days before the concert.

"There are already tickets on eBay for about £300 – but they're fake."

In all, 2,000 tickets were sold through De Montfort Hall and the websites gigsandtours.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.

They were not available to buy in person from the hall's box office. Prices ranged from £35 to £55.

Sales were limited to four tickets per person.

Despite the furore surrounding the crashed website, there were still 600 happy Gary Barlow fans who managed to get their hands on the tickets.

One, @daleneal wrote on Twitter: "OMG – Finally got through to box office.

"Tickets for Gary Barlow are in the bag. My marriage is saved."

There will be no room for emotion when Nigel Pearson returns to Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon, a club where he is still revered as a fantastic captain.

The Leicester City boss spent seven years Hillsborough and led them to three cup finals, winning the League Cup in 1991, and promotion to the top flight of English football.

However Pearson, who still lives in Sheffield, said he would not reflect on those achievements when he steps out at Hillsborough as he will be fully focused on masterminding City's challenge for another three points.

"You have to move on in life," said Pearson. "Positive memories you have are always there, but I have a job to do tomorrow and that is the most important thing.

"My affiliations with Wednesday obviously go back a long way because of my playing days but I have lived there for 25 years or so, which speaks volumes of what I think of Sheffield. But my job is to manage Leicester and that is my primary focus."

Wednesday are on a poor run of results and have won just twice in their last 14 games.

In contrast, City are in buoyant mood after their 6-0 demolition of Ipswich Town last Saturday, but Pearson said anyone who feels another victory is a forgone conclusion is mistaken.

"It is a big club and they have had a spell where they have had some disappointing results, but we have to go there with a positive mind-set," he said.

"We know what their strengths and weaknesses are but, as I always say, it is about what we do ourselves.

"When we are playing at our best we are a difficult team to beat and a difficult proposition to play against.

"We can't go there and expect it to be an easy game because it won't be. They are on their own patch and will want to get a positive result.

"The mood is very buoyant but it is tempered with a professionalism, which is important.

"It was great to get a result last week but there is also a recognition within the group that we have probably played better this season and not won."

City will be without David Nugent (neck) and Sean St Ledger (hamstring).

The body of a man was discovered on train tracks yesterday morning.

A member of the public who was crossing a footbridge near Cossington reported the find to police at about 8.35am.

A number of trains were cancelled or delayed while the scene was examined by forensics officers.

Routes affected included Midland Mainline services between St Pancras and Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield.

Normal service resumed at 10.10am.

British Transport Police said the circumstances of the death were not believed to be suspicious.

A spokesman said: "Officers are working to establish the circumstances of the man's death, identify him and inform his next of kin. A file will be prepared for the coroner."

Ben Marshall scored one goal and set up another on his return to Hillsborough as promotion-hopefuls Leicester consigned struggling Sheffield Wednesday to a 2-0 defeat - their fourth consecutive npower Championship loss.

Marshall enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Owls last season as they secured promotion to the second tier, but the winger showed no room for sentiment as he set up Danny Drinkwater for the opening goal before doubling Leicester's lead himself after the interval.

The former Stoke man was then giving a standing ovation by both sets of supporters when he was substituted by Foxes boss Nigel Pearson, who is also held in high regard at Hillsborough after spending seven years with the Owls in his playing days.

It was all too easy for Leicester, who again outlined their promotion credentials after last week's thumping 6-0 win over Ipswich.

Wednesday, on the other hand, have won just two of their last 15 games and new loan signing Mamady Sidibe, who was making his first competitive appearance since August 2010 after enduring terrible injury problems, was ineffective on his debut after a move from Stoke on deadline day.

Wednesday gave the ball away far too easily in the first half and Marshall tried his luck from 20 yards but failed to test Chris Kirkland.

The home side looked short of confidence and it needed a desperate last-ditch tackle from Martin Taylor to prevent Martyn Waghorn from racing clear after a defensive mix-up.

An unmarked Andy King headed wide when Waghorn picked him out with a pin-point free-kick after 38 minutes, but two minutes later the Foxes were in front.

Wednesday felt they should have had a free-kick when Jay Bothroyd went down on the halfway line but referee Paul Tierney saw nothing amiss and Drinkwater played a neat one-two with Marshall before firing just inside the far post with a clinical finish.

Leicester carried on where they left off after break and Kirkland was called into action to palm Marshall's shot around the near post.

Foxes skipper Wes Morgan should have doubled his side's lead 12 minutes into the second half when he rose highest to meet Waghorn's inviting corner but the big centre-back headed over the crossbar.

It was all one-way traffic and Kirkland produced a fine save to tip the impressive Waghorn's venomous left-foot strike over the bar.

Bothroyd's disappointing loan spell continued as he was replaced by Gary Madine midway through the second half, much to the delight of the Wednesday faithful.

Leicester were toying with the Owls and it was only a matter of time before they added a second goal, which duly came 15 minutes from time when Marshall picked his spot with a measured left-foot finish from the right side of the penalty area, which found the far corner of the net.

Waghorn was unfortunate not to reward his fine performance with a goal when his left-foot shot struck the bar and the Owls faithful voiced their disapproval at the final whistle after another miserable afternoon.

Earlier this week, Sir Peter Soulsby launched Leicester's economic action plan to boost growth, create new business and jobs, and tackle unemployment.

The plan will help bring new investment to our city, backing the efforts of existing companies and supporting businesses to start up and thrive.

It also aims to create 800 new apprenticeships and work placements, so young people get training and jobs, and businesses get the skills they need to expand and succeed.

Leicester's economic action plan is an ambitious strategy, and rightly so.

Our city has enormous potential because of our central location, good transport links, our two fantastic universities and our thriving, entrepreneurial businesses, many of which have great links overseas.

I am working hard to back local businesses and support good jobs and training.

Last week, I met with local representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

Small and medium-sized companies are the backbone of Leicester's economy and crucial to our economic recovery.

The FSB told me one of the biggest problems small companies face is the banks' continuing reluctance to lend, both to existing businesses and new start-ups.

They are also concerned about the stagnation in our construction industry, which affects many local firms in the supply chain.

Leicester's economic action plan will make a real difference, but the Government should be doing far more to back our efforts. Ministers have made a lot of grand statements, but their words have failed to match the reality.

Last year's national infrastructure plan made big promises, claiming £250 billion would be spent on new projects.

Twelve months on, not a single one of the road-building projects has begun. Output in the construction industry actually fell by 2.5 per cent in the third quarter of this year.

The Government's new Funding for Lending Scheme should be increasing access to the money small and medium- sized businesses desperately need.

Yet, six months after the scheme was announced, lending to businesses has actually fallen, with many lenders tightening the terms and availability of loans and overdrafts for SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

The Prime Minister also promised his new start-up loans scheme would provide 2,500 loans to young entrepreneurs to help get their business ideas off the ground.

Only 43 loans have been granted so far.

The Government is out of touch with what is happening in the real economy. It should listen to businesses and take strong action, including in the Chancellor's statement next month.

A proper British investment bank would increase lending to small businesses and get major infrastructure projects more quickly off the ground.

Using the funds raised from the 4G mobile phone spectrum auction to build 100,000 affordable homes would boost the construction industry, help businesses in the supply chain and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

A one-year national insurance break for every small firm that takes on extra workers would make a big difference too.

These are the measures I'll be pressing for in the run-up to the Chancellor's statement and beyond.

A 100-year-old tree had to be cut down by council staff after being damaged during the building of a small supermarket.

Residents are furious that the London Plane tree, which stood in Walton Street, off Narborough Road, in the city's West End, was removed after builders damaged roots and branches while working on a Sainsbury's Local store.

The 68ft tree was supposed to be protected as part of a planning agreement between Leicester City Council and applicants, Malthurst, who are working on behalf of the supermarket chain.

Damaging the mature tree means the firm is in breach of the agreement and the council, which had to cut the tree down, has said it is seeking legal advice about what action it can take.

Westcotes ward councillor Andy Connelly said he was "furious" the agreement had been broken.

"This is corporate vandalism as far as I'm concerned and it's a failure by the planning department to make sure the agreement is enforced," he said.

"This was one of the concerns raised by residents when the plans were revealed, and they were told everything possible would be done to protect the environment."

Resident Philip Richards, 37, who lives opposite the site, said: "I'm livid. The tree was wonderful and the developer has acted disgracefully.

"I can only hope the council has the fortitude to enforce the breach."

A 31-year-old resident in Ivy Road, who did not want to be named, said: "It's terrible, I don't think they should be allowed to get away with it.

"Even children expect to be punished when they break rules or do something they shouldn't. I don't see how the builders are any different."

A tree conservation survey was carried out in April last year and submitted as part of the planning application.

It identified four Category A trees surrounding the site, including the London Plane, which were described as being of "significant conservation, historical or commemorative value".

The application also raises concerns regarding damage to the London Plane during construction.

It says: "All trees, particularly the large London Plane on the public highway (Walton Street) near the site, shall be protected from damage during building operations."

Developer Malthurst, of Epping, in Essex, said it did not want to comment.

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: "We have signed up to take a lease on the future retail unit.

"We did not run the application and are not involved in the construction of the building."

A city council spokesman said: "One of the conditions on the planning permission for the development was intended to control works near to the neighbouring trees to prevent damage to them.

"Despite this, during the construction one of the trees did have some roots damaged and some branches removed by the developers.

"The council has since had to take down the tree – a large London Plane tree – because of the extent of this damage.

"We are investigating the circumstances of exactly how the tree came to be damaged, and taking legal advice on action that can be taken against the developers involved."

Sainsbury's has set itself a target of 20 environmental goals by 2020.

The scheme is called the 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan and includes deforestation, Fair Trade and animal welfare.

Dozens of residents have opposed plans for a new nightclub in Leicester city centre, saying it would increase late-night noise and disorder.

Promoter Tim Sturgess wants to open Dielectric in the basement of a Victorian building opposite Curve theatre, turning the former G-Spot sex club into a venue for live bands and club nights.

But 50 people living near to the Rutland Street venue have sent identical letters of objection to the city council's licensing department, asking it not to grant approval for the venue.

In the letter, residents said they believed the club would "increase crime and disorder".

Dielectric was popular on the rave scene until it was shut about 15 years ago. G-Spot closed last year and the premises have stood empty.

Mr Sturgess has already held a number of club nights at Dielectric, having been granted temporary licences, but he has now asked for permanent permission to open.

Police have also expressed concerns about the venue.

In a letter to the council, Pc Tejas Mavani, of the police licensing team, said: "The effect of having large numbers of people within the area and within the premises increases the chances of crime and disorder.

"The applicant has been a designated premises supervisor at several premises within the city area of the last few years.

"Although the applicant has shown willing to work with the police and take guidance, the type of crowds that the events that are held attract caused some concern in the past and have had outbursts of crime and disorder."

Pc Mavani has asked that, if a permanent licence is granted, it should to include conditions such as the use of sufficient and qualified door staff, a maximum capacity of 180 people and a 1.30am closing time on Sundays – requirements Mr Sturgess has already agreed to.

Mr Sturgess said he worked with the council's noise team before the application was submitted, and has not received any complaints while operating on temporary licences.

"I think sometimes when people put late licences in there's some misconception about what will be happening there," he said.

"We have agreed things with the noise team like not playing amplified music outdoors, not opening windows and doors, which seems to be working."

The license will be granted or refused at a hearing at the Town Hall on Thursday.

Thomas Waldrom admits he has endured a "tough few weeks" after suffering defeats for club and country.

The 29-year-old was in the Leicester Tigers team beaten by Wasps on Sunday, and that followed on from the surprising defeat he suffered while playing for England against Australia the previous week.

Throw into the mix being dropped from Stuart Lancaster's squad ahead of last Saturday's game with South Africa, and it was easy to understand Waldrom's frustration.

"It has been a tough few weeks, but that is the way that rugby is sometimes," said a downcast Waldrom.

"Things have not gone as well as I would have liked over the past three weeks.

"Rugby is a game of inches and gaining momentum, and I feel like I have been on the back of that for the last few weeks, which has been frustrating."

Waldrom was dropped from Lancaster's match-day 23 after the loss to Australia and replaced by Gloucester's Ben Morgan for the defeat by South Africa.

Waldrom rejoined the England squad on Sunday night in preparation for the visit of world champions New Zealand on Saturday.

"Some of those things are out of my control," said Waldrom. "They (England) decide what they want to do.

"All I can do is to come back and play well for Tigers if they decide not to pick me.

"I just have to train as hard as possible and see what happens.

"I would not have played for England if it was not for Tigers.

"(Director of rugby) Richard Cockerill is always there to support me, but I also have to just crack on with my own job."

Waldrom gained little joy at Wasps as Tigers' pack, with 21-year-olds Fraser Balmain and Jonny Harris starting, struggled in slippery conditions.

"It was tough but we still had chances to win it," said Waldrom.

"There were some young fellas in the front row and they did a good job.

"Richard Cockerill has faith in the young lads and the boys were right behind them. They did really well in a big game.

"I thought everyone stood up and worked hard, but it wasn't good enough. We need to look at ourselves and find out where we went wrong.

"We knew, going into the game, that our set-piece was not going to be as good as it has been for us in the past. That was frustrating as we struggled to get a foothold in the game."

Tigers got one over on their nearest and dearest rivals, Northampton Saints, at under-18 level in the warm-up to the new Academies League season.

Tigers scored four tries at Oval Park in a 24-11 win.

Saints struck first, claiming two penalties and then a try to earn an 11-0 lead before Tigers got on the board.

No.8 Ed Milne grabbed the first home try and wing Henry Purdy soon added a second.

The conversion from Olly Bryant gave Tigers the lead for the first time at 12-11 approaching half-time.

Replacement forward Charlie Beckett and wing Rhys Williams scored during the second half to complete the triumph, with Bryant adding a second conversion to stretch the lead to 13 points.

Concerns have been raised after two incidents involving a mistake in medication and in an operation were reported at Leicester's hospitals.

In August, one incident was described as "inappropriate administration of a medication".

Last month a "foreign object" was left in a patient after an operation, a mistake immediately rectified.

A spokesman for the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said no more details could be given due to patient confidentiality but there had been no major harm to patients.

Is follows three other incidents which the Mercury reported on earlier this year.

A leading GP who heads the new Leicester City clinical commissioning group, which takes over responsibility for running local heath services in April, said the number of incidents, known as "never events", was worrying.

A "never event" is a serious, preventable patient safety incident which the Government says should not occur.

The commissioning group, which is responsible for monitoring the contract with the hospitals, is to level a penalty of £6,513 at the trust.

Moira Durbridge, director of safety and risk at the trust, said: "Never events are rare in our hospitals and we take them incredibly seriously, using the learning from them as a spur for improvement.

"Over the past year, we have looked after more than a million patients and carried out around 148,000 operations.

"During that time we have reported five 'never events'.

"While this is a very small number, it is still five too many and we will continue to make improvements to ensure the safety of our patients."

She said all the events were thoroughly investigated and measures put in place to stop it happening again.

In April, one patient was given the wrong lens during cataract surgery and had to have a second operation to put in the correct one.

In a second incident in April surgeons started to operate on the wrong finger of a woman.

As surgery began, a trainee surgeon noticed the consultant starting to make a cut on the wrong finger which had to be dressed to close the wound and surgery carried out on the correct finger. In May, doctors took out the wrong tooth of a female patient.

A spokesman for the clinical commissioning group said it was working with the trust to improve standards of care and "to ensure incidents such as these are a thing of the past."

Last year £3,000 was withheld in payment to the hospitals by the primary care trusts because of "never events".

There was a penalty of £2,553 after a swab was left in a patient and £638 after chemotherapy was given by the "wrong route" – the right drug and dosage were given to the patient but not in the way doctors prescribed.

Zuffar Haq, from the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said: "It is very sad to see these numbers increasing and a worrying trend."

Christmas is almost upon us, which means Mercury photographers are getting ready to visit schools to capture images of youngsters taking part in their nativity plays.

Whether you are putting on a traditional Christmas play or giving the story a modern twist, we want to feature it in the paper.

We are planning to run daily features, so need to know about as many as possible.

We do not want to disrupt your nativity production on the day, so we would come to a dress rehearsal.

Mercury chief photographer Andy Baker said: "The Mercury photographers are standing by to photograph your school nativity.

"Please contact us to secure your place in our diary. Book as soon as you can to help us arrange to cover as many schools as possible."

If you would like our photographers to come to your school, send an e-mail to the address below, putting "nativity" in the subject box.

Include the name and address of your school, a contact name and telephone number and suggest dates and times when we could come along.

Please give us two options if possible.

Schools must ensure before the photographer arrives that permission has been given by parents for their child to be photographed. picturedesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

A shopping centre is gearing up for strong Christmas trading after announcing sales are up six per cent this year.

Highcross, in Leicester, said like-for-like sales from January to the end of October were up on the same period last year.

Managers said areas performing well in the run-up to Christmas were men's fashion, footwear and jewellery, as well as restaurants and cafes.

John Lewis, which has a store in Highcross, announced £109.6 million of sales nationwide in the week to Saturday – a record figure for November – and up 11 per cent on the same time last year.

Cliff Vanstone, managing director of the Leicester store, said sales were 16.5 per cent higher on Saturday and Sunday than in the same weekend last year, suggesting consumer confidence could be returning.

A spokeswoman for Highcross said sales had been helped in the past few weeks by the opening of new stores, including a Fuel juice bar and children's retailer A-Maze-Ing.

Aroma Candles, Calendar Club, Image Surgeons and Inside Out Art have also recently opened, alongside pop-up retailer The Perfect Christmas.

The centre's restaurants and food outlets, which include Zizzi, Carluccio's and Mem Saab, have been added to this year by PizzaExpress, Ed's Diner, Aunty Anne's Pretzels and Patisserie Valerie.

Highcross general manager Jo Tallack said: "To go into the festive season in a strong position and see sales figures such as these is extremely encouraging.

"For Highcross, the festive season really has started early this year and we're confident it will be another successful Christmas at the centre.

"It's encouraging to be able to welcome brands to the city during this key trading period and build on the credibility Leicester has as a regional shopping destination.

"We're looking forward to seeing how these new retailers grow in the coming months.

"We are also looking at a number of strategic leasing opportunities for the new year and hope to make an announcement on several brands coming into Leicester after Christmas."

John Lewis said it had seen strong sales of sofa beds, festive furnishings, Christmas trees and lighting, as well as china, glass and candles this month.

Tablet computers, radios, cameras and coffee machines also performed well.

Mr Vanstone said: "Sales for John Lewis last week were very encouraging and the same can be said for our shop here in Leicester.

"We were pleased to be up 16.5 per cent on last year and remain cautiously optimistic for the coming weeks.

"Our Christmas assortments this year have really excelled so far, with tablets especially proving very popular as gifts, as well as Barbour jackets for the cold weather.

"Our growth in online sales continues to do well for us, especially as customers make the most of click and collect or delivery."

Bianca Wright manager the TM Lewin clothes shop, which specialises in business shirts, said: "It's hard work but we go out of our way to deliver amazing customer service and great products.

"Our sales are up on last year, so we are mirroring what the shopping centre is saying."

Highcross begins its late-night trading hours on Saturday and has already opened its Christmas Grotto and launched its Give a Child a Gift toy appeal.