Academics believe they have made a major breakthrough in understanding the evolution of humans.

Working with fossils found in South Africa, Professor Noel Cameron and Professor Barry Bogin, of Loughborough University, have linked Australopithecus afarensis, which died out 2.1 million years ago, with Homo erectus, the first of the "modern human" species, which emerged about 1.9 million years ago.

It is the first time a fossil has been found to fill the void between the two species. It has been named Australopithecus sediba.

The academics have been studying the remains of a juvenile male found in 2008 with an adult female, a second adult and an infant – possibly all related – in a cave in Malapa, 25 miles from Johannesburg.

Prof Cameron said: "We can't say for sure whether sediba was the one that led to modern humans, but it's certainly the filled the gap before Homo erectus, which is part of the lineage which ended up as modern humans."

The find is the largest known post-cranial haul of bones of early human and closely-related species – hominins – that evolved after the split from the line that led to chimpanzees.

Prof Cameron said: "Usually, very few fossil fragments, other than the skull, are found because animals will have taken the rest away and eaten them.

"The chances of finding a skeleton from the neck down are fairly small."

Profs Cameron and Bogin were asked to determine whether the remains displayed the growth characteristics of modern humans or of primate ancestors.

Prof Cameron said: "We were able to look at a variety of bones to allow us to determine whether or not the pattern of growth reflected that of an ape or something more modern.

"The pattern of growth is fundamentally important.

"The only reason you look like you do is because of the way in which you grew.

"So if you understand the pattern of growth, you can determine how far they were from apes and how close they were to modern humans."

Prof Cameron said he could not give more information about the study because the work was "clearly ground-breaking and the results are embargoed until publication in a major scientific journal next year".

Our oldest known ancestor, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, is thought to have lived about six to seven million years ago – although some scientists argue it does not belong to the hominin group.

There are 19 known species in the evolutionary chain, but finding how they link to each other is a difficult task because of a lack of fossils.

South African and former Leicester Tigers head coach Heyneke Meyer believes Tom Youngs is adapting to life as a hooker "better and quicker then he expected".

Meyer was the man who told the 25-year-old to make the unlikely move from centre to hooker when he was in charge at Welford Road in 2009.

Soon after encouraging Youngs to make that drastic change, Meyer was forced to leave Leicester and return to South Africa to care for his terminally ill in-laws.

Youngs, meanwhile, began reinventing himself as a hooker and learning all about the hugely technical side of life in the front row.

Three years later, last Saturday, Youngs made his third start for England against Meyer's Springbok side and the South African said he had been hugely impressed by Youngs' progress.

"It takes time to adapt to playing in a different position but he is doing it much better and quicker than I thought he would," said Meyer, inset.

"I am so happy for him that he is playing Test-match rugby because, when I left Leicester, I was wondering whether I had done the right thing. I was wondering if I had wrecked his career.

"He took two steps back to try to move forward and, for that, I have a lot of respect for him."

Meyer said he asked Youngs to make the almost unheard of switch from centre to hooker because he had all of the physical and mental attributes to make it a success

"I didn't think Tom was big enough or had enough speed to be a centre," said Meyer. "But he had ball-carrying ability, the heart and commitment.

"At the time, I thought England needed ball carriers. I said to him that he was tough enough and it would just be about putting the time into training on the technical side of the position.

"He has a mental toughness, which you need, and he has the build and mentality of a hooker. I am really happy for him.

"I hope everyone is not too tough on him. It is a huge move from centre to hooker.

"You only get experience by playing and making mistakes. They have to stick with him. Tom was brilliant against us in the way that he carried the ball and took it to us."

Meyer's side came out on top at Twickenham 16-15 to complete an unbeaten tour of the northern hemisphere and he said he really enjoyed meeting up with some of the Tigers players he used to coach.

"As England came out in the second half, I was walking from the changing room feeling under pressure and Youngsy came over and gave me a pat on the back and then ran off," said Meyer.

"The bond you have with the players as a coach is great and it is something I really enjoy."

Nine children and 12 adults had their operations cancelled on Monday because of a shortage of hospital beds.

A surge in emergency admissions over the weekend – in part caused by the cold and wet weather – meant there were no spare beds at Leicester's hospitals for patients due to have operations on Monday.

The effect was still being felt yesterday, when three operations were cancelled.

Campaigners are calling for hospitals to be given funding for extra beds as seasonal pressure on services starts to grow.

Phil Walmsley, head of operations at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: "We hate cancelling on any patient, but there was very high demand on Friday, Saturday and Sunday."

He said colder, wetter weather had led to an increase in the number of people suffering respiratory problems.

Nearly 1,400 people were seen in the A&E department at the infirmary between Friday and Saturday, compared with an average of 1,260.

There was also an increase in the number of people admitted.

Mr Walmsley said: "We would expect to admit about 200 people on a Saturday and Sunday but this weekend there were 240 emergency admissions and it is difficult to cope with a sudden peak in activity and patients, old and young, who needed to be admitted.

"Unfortunately, it meant we started Monday with very few beds.

"It is a problem the whole country is struggling with."

Nearly 70 sick children had to be admitted to hospital over the weekend – the average is 40 – which meant cancellations for young patients scheduled to be admitted to the infirmary for operations on Monday.

Mr Walmsley said the children sent home were mainly waiting for ear, nose and throat operations.

Of the adults, nine operations were cancelled at the infirmary and three at Leicester General. The majority were cardiac patients needing non-emergency surgery.

Mr Walmsley said: "We will rearrange all the operations within the next 28 days."

Tom Steele, 29, from Groby, and his wife had to wait more than five hours to see whether his wife's operation would go ahead on Monday.

He said: "There were a lot tears as people were told they would have to go home.

"Eventually, we were told a bed was available and my wife's operation would go ahead but there were at least three others told to go home.

"A doctor admitted it wasn't good enough but it was no good shouting at him."

Campaigner Zuffar Haq, from the Leicester Mercury Patients' Panel, said the situation was "totally unacceptable".

"Winter pressures haven't really started and yet our hospitals seem unable to cope," he said.

"More capacity needs to be funded and it needs to happen now."

Leicester Tigers' Aussie back-rower Julian Salvi believes England's back row is "slightly unbalanced", with no genuine open-side flanker in the squad.

Captain Chris Robshaw donned the No.7 shirt for his country in the narrow defeat by South Africa last Saturday.

But the Harlequins man is by no means a genuine open-side flanker and, with an Elite Player Squad (EPS) that contains no genuine ball- stealer, there has been a clamour for head coach Stuart Lancaster to re-call former London Irish man Steffon Armitage – currently plying his trade in the French Top 14 for Toulon.

With neither of the other flankers in the EPS like Tom Croft, Phil Dowson, Tom Johnson and Tom Wood fitting the mould of a genuine open-side, Salvi thinks Armitage's recall might not be a bad idea.

"Robshaw has done quite well but, more recently, he has been more of a link man than an out and out open-side," said the 26-year-old. "The back row is slightly unbalanced from my point of view.

"There seems to be lots of ball-carrying players and not enough guys who get in there and do the graft that needs to be done in that role of the out-and-out seven. That needs to be changed a bit.

"Luke Wallace has been behind Robshaw at Quins and I haven't seen much of him.

"A lot of good things have been said about Matt Kvesic at Worcester and Andy Saull (Saracens) is a good on-baller. Whether he is ready for England or not, I don't know.

"Steffon Armitage is a good on-baller and a quality open-side. If he is not available and can't be released, I can understand England not selecting him. But he would be a good option."

Salvi has been a huge success at Leicester since joining in the summer of 2011. He has made 34 starts in 15 months and continues to be one of Richard Cockerill's first names on the team sheet.

Salvi is set to face former club Bath at Welford Road on Saturday.

"In today's game, the role of the open-side flanker is extremely important," he said. "You need a player in the team who can be a complete nuisance.

"I enjoy playing against sides without natural open-sides. If they have one, your game changes and you have to be that second quicker to the breakdown."

The floodwater has been flowing across Leicestershire for days – and these are the soggy scenes that have been captured by our readers and photographers.

Photographers pulled on their wellies to take pictures of tranquil scenes in Frisby, while other photos show cars battling through water in Wigston.

Before floodwaters subsided in Anstey, snapper Dave Hector photographed cars creating waves in the village.

Today, the Environment Agency withdrew all but one of the 13 flood warnings it issued this weekend.

The River Wreake in Ratcliffe and Frisby remains on high alert, as water continued to flow into agricultural land and roads – with more rain forecast today.

People living near the Lower River Soar at Sileby, Cossington and Barrow were warned that roads were still underwater, but river levels were dropping.

A spokesman for the fire service said firefighters only attended one flood related incident yesterday.

"Much quieter today," he said. "Just one lady stuck in her car in Snarestone Road, Appleby Magna, at 8.40am.

"Crews from Moira and Ashby went out, but she had been rescued by local farmers by the time they arrived."

Highways officers from Leicestershire County Council unblocked 50 roadside drains and cleared six fallen trees, over the weekend.

An extra 20 staff who usually drive gritters in icy weather were drafted in to cope with the extra work.

Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said the rain will be replaced with night frosts and a cold spell. He said: "Keep those thermals handy."

The number of Leicester secondary schools rated as "good" or "outstanding" has risen in the past year.

But the information, released by Ofsted yesterday, also showed the number of county secondaries with a top rating fell over the same period.

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council's spokesman for children and young people, blames the fall on changes in how the education watchdog rates schools.

He said: "There has been a change in the Ofsted regime that has made it harder for schools to achieve 'outstanding' ratings so it's not necessarily saying standards have slipped.

"There isn't any complacency at County Hall and we will be looking into the reasons why this has happened, but it's quite possible schools are performing at the same levels as before."

Overall, county secondaries performed better than those in the city last year, with 30 per cent rated "outstanding" and 49 per cent rated "good".

However, in the previous year, 35 per cent were rated "outstanding" and 43 per cent were rated "good".

County primaries also did better, with 15 per cent rated "outstanding", up from 12 per cent.

Meanwhile, 12 per cent of the city's secondaries were rated "outstanding" last year, up from 11 per cent the previous year, and the number of "good" secondaries leaped to 59 per cent, from 50 per cent.

The figures for city primaries remained constant, with 11 per cent "outstanding" and 48 per cent 'good'.

Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for children, young people and schools, said: "Since 2007 the number of city schools classed as 'good' or 'outstanding' has risen from 35 per cent to 63 per cent.

"At the same time, the number classed as 'inadequate' has gone down from 9 per cent to 4 per cent.

"The council and schools have been working together with great success to raise standards across the city.

"There is still more work to do, but we are confident that if we continue to work together this rate of improvement will continue and all of our schools will be good schools."

Leicester NUT spokesman Peter Flack said: "In terms of secondary schools, Leicester is better than Derby, Nottingham and Northampton and is continuing its progress. Primary schools are making steady progress, too.

"The county areas always tend to do better than the cities, where there is more deprivation, but I think the city can catch up with the county."

Taking primary and secondary schools into account, the number rated "good" or "outstanding" rose by one percentage point to 63 per cent.

Four per cent of all schools were "inadequate" – which has not changed since last year but is an improvement on five years ago.

1. Kasper Schmeichel

The City keeper was beaten from the penalty spot but handled everything else that was fired at him, and that was not a great deal. Rating: 6

2. Ritchie De Laet

Produced a great block in the first half to rescue City. Failed to spot Dyer unmarked early on when City had a three-on-two advantage. Rating: 6

5. Wes Morgan

Another assured display as Morgan won every challenge he went in for, and even showed composure on the ball in attacking areas.

6. Zak Whitbread

The City centre-half frankly did not do a lot wrong and won some vital headers inside his own penalty box. Rating: 6

18. Jeff Schlupp

Made the worst possible start with the challenge on Byram that gifted Leeds an early penalty. He did not need to make the challenge. Rating: 6

7. Ben Marshall

Struggled to get into the game and repeat his impressive display from Saturday. Replaced by Knockaert just before the hour-mark. Rating: 6

4. Danny Drinkwater

His passing was off colour early on, but he grew into the game and made some timely defensive interventions. Rating: 6

10. Andy King

The City midfielder was neat and tidy on the ball but without really stamping his mark on the game. Rating: 6

11. Lloyd Dyer

A quiet game for the winger, who had been in great form up to the weekend. He did not receive much service down the left. Rating: 6

9. Jamie Vardy

Had one great opportunity but failed to hit the target. Struggled as City were forced to go more direct than normal as the game wore on. Rating: 5

14. Martyn Waghorn

The City striker displayed great technique when he struck the bar with a volley but then later he hesitated when clear on the Leeds goal. Rating: 6

Leicestershire will be on the road when they start their LV County Championship next April.

The fixtures for the 2013 campaign have seen County handed a tough opening trip to face Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, on April 10.

Their first home fixture is an attractive one with the visit of Kent for a four-day game a week later.

Gloucestershire follow Kent to Grace Road on April 30, and the Gladiators are also the Foxes' first CB40 opponents, again at Leicester, on May 4.

The FL t20 campaign starts with a mouth-watering trip to local rivals Nottinghamshire Outlaws on June 28, before back-to-back home fixtures against Derbyshire Falcons the following day and Durham Dynamos (July 5).

The Foxes' other t20 matches at Grace Road are against Notts (July 12), Lancashire Lightning (July 23) and Yorkshire (July 28).

Finals day returns to Edgbaston, where Leicestershire have twice triumphed, on August 17.

Leicestershire will host three tourist fixtures in 2013.

England Lions take on New Zealand in a four-day game starting on May 9, while England Under-19s face their Pakistan counterparts on August 12 in a one-day international. Pakistan then meet Bangladesh Under-19s two days later.

"We are happy with the schedule," said County chief executive Mike Siddall.

"It seems reasonably balanced. There is a bit of disappointment that we haven't got a home Championship game in July, but we are well aware of the difficulties of producing schedules.

"It is hellishly difficult to provide everybody with the cricket they want."

One game, in particular, that Siddall is looking forward to is the CB40 clash with Somerset at Grace Road on May 26.

"We haven't played them in this competition or the Championship for a number of years," said the County boss.

"But the CB40 groups have been mixed up this season and that is good to see. It should be a belter."

County have two Friday night t20 games with the others taking place on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

That fits in closely to what the Foxes would want – all they, and every other county side, would wish for now is better weather than that endured in the group stages this year!

Another high-spot for Siddall will be the visit of England Lions.

"That is a real opportunity for our members and supporters to come and watch the next England stars," he said.

"That should be a good game for everybody."

A man who yelled abuse at a crown court judge was jailed on the spot after he refused to apologise.

Andrew Paul Forster started ranting in the dock as he appeared on an assault charge at Leicester Crown Court. Judge Michael Pert QC told him to be quiet, but he responded with a barrage of abuse, telling the judge: "You're a f*****g div. You're a faggot."

Forster's barrister, Kathryn Hirst, told Judge Pert, the court's most senior resident judge: "He's got something of a short fuse."

Moments before the outburst yesterday, Forster (30), of Hearth Street, Market Harborough, had pleaded not guilty to actual bodily harm.

He then began shouting insulting words about the man he was accused of assaulting, before yelling at the judge.

Judge Pert ordered Forster be removed from the dock and adjourned the hearing for a few moments so Ms Hirst could take "instructions" from Forster in relation to his behaviour in court.

She returned and said: "He's asked to come back into court. He'd like to apologise. He lost control.

He was aggrieved about the incident that led to this allegation he faces." But when Forster returned he said: "I'm not going to apologise.

"I feel I've been treated badly. This geezer has been terrorising my family."

Judge Pert told him: "You've used foul language towards me in my own court. You have to decide whether you want to apologise."

Forster replied: "No. I don't want to."

Judge Pert said: "Mr Forster, it's nothing personal. I've no views whatsoever what you think of me."

Forster said: "It's not you, it's the system."

The judge said: "You can't address a judge in this court in that way."

Judge Pert said he represented the Crown and the Queen's royal crest on the wall of the court.

"They represent the courts of justice," he said. "You have to treat them with respect."

Describing Forster's conduct as "wholly unacceptable," he promptly jailed him for 28 days for contempt of court.

Forster said: "Fair play to you. At least I've been locked up for something I've done."

As dock officers led him downstairs to the cells, he muttered defiantly: "I ain't apologising."

The actual bodily harm charge hearing was adjourned for trial.

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson names an unchanged side for the clash with Leeds at Elland Road.

The starting 11 and all seven substitutes remain the same from Saturday's 2-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Before the game gets under way, there is a minute's applause in memory of former Leeds midfielder Gary Speed, who died a year ago.

2 mins: An early penalty to Leeds. Jeff Schlupp is adjudged to have tripped Sam Byram on the edge of the area. It is the third penalty awarded against City this season.

3 mins: GOAL 1-0 Luciano Becchio sends City keeper Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way from the spot to put Leeds in front. A terrible start for City.

13 mins: City have a three-on-two break with Ritchie De Laet on the ball and he elects to shoot rather than square it for Lloyd Dyer, who is unmarked. Leeds keeper Paddy Kenny saves comfortably. That was a good chance for City.

15 mins: Martyn Waghorn is tripped from behind right on the edge of the Leeds penalty box. Ben Marshall steps up but he drives his free-kick straight into the wall.

27 mins: Schmeichel has to tip Paul Green's effort over the bar. The midfielder is picked out by Becchio and digs out a half-volley, which is heading for the top corner.

31 mins: De Laet combines well with Marshall and the full-back gets to the by-line and whips over a dangerous cross but defender Tom Lees clears. City have not offered much as an attacking force so far.

33 mins: Waghorn strikes the crossbar with a thunderous volley from a very acute angle after Marshall's cross was only half-cleared by the Leeds defence. Waghorn has not had much luck in front of goal in recent games.

34 mins: Danny Drinkwater tries his luck from long range, no doubt buoyed by his first goal for the club on Saturday, but there is not much power in the effort and Kenny gathers.

39 mins: Great covering tackle from De Laet denies new loan signing Jerome Thomas after City are carved open. The Leeds winger was clear on goal.

44 mins: A great chance for Jamie Vardy. Andy King's shot strikes Alan Tate and rebounds to Vardy, who has a clear sight of goal 10 yards out but he volleys harmlessly wide.

45 mins: City have been out of sorts in this first half and have struggled to recover from that early blow, but they have still created some good opportunities

H-T: Leeds 1 City 0

46 mins: Vardy plays Waghorn in and he has a clear run on goal, but he hesitates and the Leeds defence get back in numbers to finally squeeze him out and a chance has gone.

52 mins: BOOKING De Laet for foul on Thomas.

55 mins: Waghorn curls in a high free-kick and Wes Morgan wins it and directs his header goalwards, but it is comfortable for Kenny.

57 mins: SUBSTITITIONS City bring on Marko Futacs and Anthony Knockaert for Vardy and Marshall.

58 mins: Knockaert is straight away in the action and tests Kenny with a long-range effort, which the Leeds keeper has to scramble away at full stretch.

66 mins: Leeds substitute Michael Brown fires wide from the edge of the box with Schmeichel beaten. It's a let off for City.

76 mins: SUBSTITITIONS Jesse Lingard is on for Waghorn.

77 mins: Futacs flashes a shot across goal but beyond the far post.

90 MINS: City are huffing and puffing but not showing their usual attacking quality and are paying the price.

F-T: Leeds 1 City 0

Police have uncovered a major cannabis-growing operation in a disused factory on a former airfield.

They found 2,000 cannabis plants, worth about £250,000, being cultivated at the site.

If the operation had gone undiscovered, the plants could have been harvested two or three times in a year and put a huge amount of cannabis on to the streets.

The find was made in an apparently disused factory on a former airfield in Dalby Road, outside Melton.

Police were called there in the early hours of Monday after reports of suspicious vehicle movements.

They believe the vehicle spotted there might have been part of an effort by other criminals to raid the cannabis farm.

When police arrived, they found cannabis leaves scattered near one of the factory units.

They followed the trail into a portable building attached to the building and found a hidden door which led into the main growing area.

When officers opened two 40ft containers they found more plants, this time recently planted seedlings, and cultivation equipment, including lighting rigs and ventilation pipes.

Sergeant Kev Pulley, of Melton police's safer neighbourhood team, said: "It was one of the most professional cannabis factories I have ever seen.

"This is serious organised crime. It's a massive result for the community of Melton and Rutland because it will inhibit the supply of the drug here and, perhaps, across the region."

Joe Orson, county councillor for the area said: "This is a significant find. It demonstrates the value of phone calls to the police about any form of suspicious activity."

Three men, who were detained away from the site later on Monday, have been questioned and released on police bail.

Police have urged people to call them if they believe a property is being used for cannabis cultivation. Officers said signs to look out for included:

Windows obscured at all times.

Heavy condensation on windows.

Lights being used at odd times.

Deliveries of large items late at night.

Information about drugs offences can be passed to police by calling 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Leicester City slipped to their first defeat in five games as they went down to Neil Warnock's Leeds United at Elland Road.

Leeds were given an early lead when rookie full-back Jeff Schlupp was penalised for a trip on Sam Byram after just 90 seconds and Luciano Becchio stepped up to convert the penalty, which proved to be the only goal of the game.

Going into the game, City boasted the highest proportion of goal attempts on target in the second tier (58 per cent), while Leeds had mounted fewer goal attempts than any other Championship club.

Leeds and Ipswich were the only clubs not to have won a Championship match by more than a single goal margin, while City and Brighton alone had not lost a Championship match by more than a single goal.

Leeds boss Neil Warnock has tipped City to win the Championship, but they looked far from title contenders in the first half.

City, looking for their fourth consecutive victory at Elland Road, were strangely out of sorts.

After Becchio drilled home the spot-kick, City struggled to get going after that until the half-hour mark, when they created several opportunities.

Martyn Waghorn was unlucky with a fantastic volley from an acute angle which struck the bar – the third time in consecutive games the City striker has been denied by the woodwork.

His strike partner Jamie Vardy wasted another good opportunity when he failed to hit the target with a volley from 10 yards.

Overall, Leeds were good for their half-time lead, although they only created one other opportunity despite enjoying the lion's share of possession.

City were off colour but had still hit the target five times.

City dominated possession in the second period, but Leeds had something to hang on to. They sat deep to deny City space and the visitors struggled to break down their defence.

Nigel Pearson made three attacking changes, bringing on Marko Futacs, Anthony Knockaert and Jesse Lingard, but City couldn't find the breakthrough.

It was only the second time this season City had failed to score and they will be looking to bounce back on Saturday against Derby County at the King Power Stadium.

New signing Anthony Rowe capped his Leicester Riders debut by being selected for the BBL team of the week.

The former Plymouth Raiders captain starred in Riders' victory against Durham Wildcats at the weekend after recovering from a serious knee operation in the summer, which led to his release from his home-town club last Friday.

Rowe produced the second-best performance of the weekend in the BBL, with a clinical double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds against Durham.

He made an excellent nine of 12 from the floor in a comfortable win that keeps Jelson Homes DMU-backed Riders top of the BBL Championship.

Riders head coach Rob Paternostro had nothing but praise for his forward.

"Anthony was terrific, particularly considering he is just getting back to fitness," said Paternostro.

"He should get better as he builds his game legs. He has fit very easily into the team, and we are delighted to have got him. We are getting a lot of contributions from a lot of guys this season, but Anthony is fully deserving of this accolade."

Riders face a difficult pair of games away this weekend.

Tomorrow night, they travel to Sheffield Sharks in the first leg of the BBL Cup semi-final at the English institute of Sport.

They then travel to face Glasgow Rocks in the BBL Championship at the Emirates Arena on Sunday.

A family's Christmas plans have been ruined after sewage flooded their home.

Tim and Sharon King and their three young children were forced out of their home in Loughborough's Kingfisher estate after black, foul-smelling water began pouring in on Sunday.

They have spent the past four days in a hotel and said it was unclear where they would stay over the festive period.

Mr King, a foot-care specialist who runs a clinic in Loughborough, said: "The water rushed in really quickly and caused devastation.

"It was flooded up to about three feet in my garage and between six inches and a foot in the house, with horrible black water.

"The place is like a bomb site and a Japanese garden I've spent years developing is ruined."

Mr King said other properties in the area had been affected.

He said: "The insurers are talking about rehousing us over Christmas because they say we can't live in the house as it is with three young children."

Mr King said initially children Kaihran, 10, Indienne, eight, and Shaikira, four, thought it was an adventure.

"When they realised Christmas wasn't going to be at home they got very tearful," he said.

"We normally put up the decorations this weekend, so that's not going to happen.

"We have three very upset kids who are going into school every day crying.

"My wife is not sleeping a lot because of the stress. We don't know if they're going to rehouse us or whether we'll still be in a hotel at Christmas."

Mr King said Wood Brook, which flows beside Forest Road, about 300 metres from his home, flooded on Wednesday last week.

"There's a bottleneck where the brook flows into a pipe under the road," he said.

"There's a grille across it and when debris builds up, it floods."

Mr King said he felt that if the grille had been cleared, the flooding would not have happened.

"Everybody's expressing concern now, but my kids are going to miss their Christmas at home," he said.

"The hotel we're in is looking after us, but we're all in one room so we're having to talk in the bathroom so we don't disturb the kids getting to sleep.

"We're just waiting to see what's going to happen."

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said: "Wood Brook flows into the River Soar.

"Due to the unprecedented amount of rainfall received, Wood Brook was unable to do this due to the high river levels.

"Our teams had been out checking the screens to make sure they were clear – which they were.

"So, unfortunately, the flooding occurred due to the volume of water."

After a weekend of rescues, firefighters said the situation had calmed down yesterday, with no flood-related incidents.

However, there were rescues on Tuesday, with a van and a car getting stuck in Broome Lane, East Goscote, at about 5.45pm.

Earlier in the day, at 8.40am, a woman was rescued from her Mercedes people carrier by farmers, after getting stuck in Appleby Lane, Snarestone.

De Lisle were the big winners at the Leicestershire & Rutland Schools Cross-Country Relay Championships.

Despite wet conditions, 67 teams contested the eight age-group races at Thomas Estley Community College, Broughton Astley.

De Lisle School were victorious in the year seven girls and intermediate boys events, and finished second in the junior girls race.

Loughborough Grammar School claimed the year seven boys title. They will be hoping to match this with victory in the league team competition, which culminates in January.

Humphrey Perkins were able to improve on the second place they achieved in last year's competition to take junior boys honours.

The senior boys race was one of the closest fought on the day, with Lutterworth College eventually striding home for victory.

The teams were made up of four runners in the year seven and junior age groups, with three runners going at intermediate and senior levels

The next meeting will be in the Secondary Schools League, which takes place at Long Field School, Melton Mowbray, a week on Saturday.

Year seven girls: 1 De Lisle; 2 Lutterworth High; 3 Welland Park Community College.

Year seven boys: 1 Loughborough Grammar; 2 Brookvale High; 3 Thomas Estley.

Junior girls: 1 Loughborough High; 2 De Lisle; 3 Kibworth High.

Junior boys: 1 Humphrey Perkins; 2 Loughborough Grammar; 3 Brookvale High.

Intermediate girls: 1 Robert Smyth Academy; 2 Long Field; 3 Lutterworth College.

Intermediate boys: 1 De Lisle; 2 Bosworth College; 3 Robert Smyth Academy.

Senior girls: 1 Ratcliffe College.

Senior boys: 1 Lutterworth College; 2 Rawlins Community College; 3 Groby Community College.

Captaincy is one of the great arts of cricket – but it is under threat.

Top skippers of the past seemed to have the ability to make matches be played on their terms.

If events were drifting, the likes of Mike Brearley, Ray Illingworth, Brian Close and Shane Warne appeared to relish trying the unorthodox, often with startlingly effective results.

Sadly, that rarely seems to happen at Test match and county level nowadays – and it is easy to see why.

The emergence of the role of director of cricket has undermined the authority of captains.

If results are going badly, the captain can stay in a side as a player. But the director of cricket is usually first in line to be sacked, so it is hardly surprising if he wants a major say in tactics.

How many times do you hear current players say: "We've got to execute our plans?"

Fair enough, you have to have a good idea of what you are aiming to do before you go on to the field. But the leading captains used to conjure something up when things did not go according to plan.

Fortunately, in club cricket, the captain is still in charge.

In Leicestershire's Everards League, the dominant figure is Loughborough Town skipper Dips Patel.

The 2012 season marked his 11th year at the helm of the Park Road club and the seventh time he has led them to the title.

The 36-year-old has also skippered them to three County Cup triumphs and four League Cup/Challenge Cup successes.

This year's league title was one of the more remarkable and it makes Patel a worthy candidate for the Leicester Mercury Sportsman of the Year award.

Man for man, you could make a reasonable case that Loughborough were not the strongest side, particularly in bowling.

But, as usual, Patel made his side fight for every point and the success must have been all the sweeter because of key roles taken by young players.

On the field, Patel is somewhat reminiscent of former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd.

He has something of Lloyd's lope around the outfield and, like Lloyd, his giant strides eat up the ground when he is running between the wickets.

Loughborough chairman Barrie Wakeling said: "The lads just want to turn up and play for Dips. I think, if he went somewhere, the lads would go to play for him.

"He's a very good leader and an excellent coach. He's brilliant with the juniors.

"He's so influential. I love watching him as a captain. In the field, he's on to the team all the time."

One of the most memorable sights at Twickenham last Saturday was of South African head coach Heyneke Meyer singing the Springboks' national anthem.

The former Leicester Tigers man lifted his head to the skies, shut his eyes and put his hand on his heart before emotionally blurting out Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika (God Bless Africa).

In terms of passion for his job and the will to succeed, Meyer is one of the most driven men you will ever meet.

You can imagine then the turmoil he must have gone through in early 2009 when news that both of his wife's parents had contracted serious illness back in South Africa, just five months into his tenure at Leicester.

The 45-year-old is not a man to leave a job unfinished. But Meyer resigned from his post and went home to support his family in their time of need. By his own admittance, it was the first time he had ever put family before rugby.

At the end of a traumatic 12 months, both of his in-laws passed away.

The impact that had on his family was huge but, when things returned to somewhere near "normal", Meyer was keen to return to the game.

Having fallen out of the love with rugby after being overlooked for the Springboks job in 2008, the 45-year-old had rediscovered his passion for the sport at Leicester.

"I want to thank Tigers because, if it wasn't for them, I might not have got back into rugby," he said.

"In difficult times when I left, the board, the players and the supporters were awesome to me.

"I have always said to my players that if they couldn't give 100 per cent for me, they should not be playing. That was the same for me back then with what was going on at home.

"I couldn't give Tigers my full attention and I had to leave. It was the right decision but Leicester really ignited my love of the sport and, for that, I am very grateful."

Following the death of his in-laws, Meyer returned to a Bulls side he had won the Super 14 title with in 2007 as director of coaching.

His comeback reached the summit when he was unveiled as the new South Africa head coach in January this year.

If the pressure to be successful at Leicester was high, Meyer insists that running South African rugby is even bigger. Much bigger.

"I was approached to coach the national team but I knew it was going to be tough, and the pressure on me and my family since I took the job has been immense," he said.

"This first year has been tougher than even I expected.

"Tough on me, my wife and my kids too, who have been victimised at school when we lose a game.

"They can't escape it. There is stuff on social media that their friends show them, so it is impossible for them to avoid it.

"We have to win every game that we play to satisfy some people.

"Even though we have lost guys like Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, people still expect us to win every game by large margins.

"Having said that, rugby is a religion back home and I have tremendous respect for our supporters."

Meyer will have enjoyed the flight back home after the win against England last weekend made it three from three for the Springboks during this month.

With a four-year contract under his belt, lasting to the 2015 World Cup in England, expect Meyer and the Boks to be back on these shores with a bang.

The chances are, they will only get better, too.

Frustrated Richard Cockerill has promised to wield the axe in an attempt to get Leicester Tigers back to winning ways against Bath on Saturday.

Cockerill was hugely critical of his side's defeat at Wasps last Sunday, which he described as "simply not good enough".

With a Heineken Cup double-header coming up after Saturday's fixture, Cockerill is keen for his side to be back in the top four during the break from Aviva Premiership action.

"We need to bounce back quickly from last week," said Tigers director of rugby "There was not one player who started at Wasps that probably deserved to wear the shirt this week. There is no point in hiding from that.

"The only positive to take out of the game was the fact that we got a bonus point and we defended well.

"It was a very disappointing performance. It was just not good enough and we were very disappointed watching the game again.

"Some of the guys who played on Sunday will get the chance to put it right. Some will not, because they will not be in the team."

With internationals Marcos Ayerza, Martin Castrogiovanni, Steve Mafi and Vereniki Goneva back from international duty, it is not hard to predict where four of those changes may come.

But with Scott Hamilton and Geordan Murphy also fit again, and the likes of Ed Slater and Micky Young waiting in the wings, Cockerill could see fit to make a raft of changes, with some big-name players potentially in line for the chop.

"Some of those experienced guys should have played better and should have led the side better at Wasps," said Cockerill. "I have had those discussions with those individuals and, hopefully, that will not repeat itself.

"Ayerza and Castrogiovanni are important because they are two world-class players and our set-piece has struggled."

Tigers have enjoyed the upper hand against Bath in recent times, having lost only once to them in their last nine meetings – and that was by a single point in October last year.

Bath have also won only once at Welford Road in the competition in November 2003.

But they arrive on the back of a morale-boosting win over champions Harlequins at The Rec and will have talismanic skipper Francois Lowe back in the mix after finishing his stint with South Africa.