A motorcyclist has been injured in a collision with a car.

The crash on Dysart Way, Leicester, between Catherine Street and Belgrave Circle, happened at about 2.10pm today. 

Police said the motorcyclist was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary for assessment but his injuries were not thought to be serious.

The car driver is not injured.

The road was closed for nearly two hours - leading to congestion on Belgrave Road, Belgrave Circle and Humberstone Road.

It re-opened just after 4pm.

Two weeks on from the miracle shot that saw Leicester Riders ousted as BBL Cup champions, Kieron Achara and his Glasgow Rocks return for a league match-up tomorrow night (7.30).

Amazingly, the Loughborough University clash will be the fourth meeting between the sides already this season.

The Rocks hold a 2-1 edge, although all three matches have been close.

"I think what you have found in all the games is that they were very competitive and the games were decided very late," said Riders coach Rob Paternostro, who has been forced to watch back the heartache of a fortnight ago.

"It's unique that this has occurred, but both teams will know each other very well.

"When you prepare for a team, you have to go back to the last time you played and that was the last time we played so we have watched the film and we've just tried to figure out the best way to play this team," he said.

"They are a hot team right now, when you look at other games they have played since then, they are in a heck of a rhythm and that rhythm starts with the three-point shot."

Achara's 'Hail-Mary' game winner in the BBL Cup quarter-final was just part of a stellar month for the big Scot, who this week scooped the BBL Player of the Month title for November.

The award is largely based on statistics, but that is only part of what he gives to the Rocks, according to Paternostro. "I think when you look at the numbers he's done a good job, but if you look at his value to the team, his ability to impact the game goes further than the stat sheet and he's been a huge signing for them," the Riders boss said.

Riders' squad should, hopefully, be boosted by two new signings, with American TrayVonn Martin's paperwork expected to be completed in time to debut tonight and experienced English guard Yorick Williams also set to rejoin the team having been part of the treble-winning squad two years ago.

Paternostro said: "We're trying to get accustomed to TrayVonn. We're happy to have him and are looking forward to working with him.

"Hopefully he'll be ready to go this weekend. Yorick has been practicing with us, I kept in contact with him all the time.

"Last time he was here he not only impacted the game on the floor, but also in the dressing room, he's an excellent veteran to have on the squad."

Riders: Bernardini, Watson, Martin, McSwiggan, Maynard, Noel, Gamble, Washington, Lamble, Anderson, Hassan, Losonsky, Rowe, Williams.

Rocks: Smith, Davis, Grieve, Bunyan, Freeman, Achara, Glass, Ogedengbe, Huffor.

Marc Albrighton admits it will be a strange feeling returning to Villa Park after spending his entire football career as a Villain, but he said his only concern is getting all three points for Leicester City.

Albrighton signed for Villa, the club he supported as a boy, at the age of eight and admits he was shocked when he was not offered a new contract by Villa boss Paul Lambert in the summer.

However, Albrighton says he will not let sentiment get in the way when he returns with City on Sunday and he would be delighted to upset all his Villa-mad family.

"It is going to be a bit strange going back to the club where it all started and facing my old team-mates and friends," he said. "I spent 16 years there in total.

"I am really looking forward to it but I have to treat it like any other game. It is a game we are looking to win and get those all-important three points.

"I have all my family going; my mum, dad, family and friends. Everyone has asked for a ticket, so it will be special. Hopefully I can get some game time and we can get a win.

"It is something I am looking forward to. I have never played against an old club before. It will be a new experience but I can't wait for Sunday to come so I can get out there."

Albrighton is still in touch with his old team-mates but says the pre-match banter has been more fierce from his family.

"I will speak to the lads up until the day, but it is more from my family," he said.

"They are all die-hard Villa fans. They are in my ear and one of them doesn't even want to come and sit in the City end. He has refused the ticket so he can sit in the Villa end.

"I haven't been in the gaffer's ear yet, but I will start on Saturday so it stays fresh in his head.

"He will pick the team to win the game on the day and hopefully I will be a part of it."

Albrighton's return to Villa Park is just a sub-plot to what is a huge game for both clubs.

City are without a win in nine, while Villa are not clear of the relegation danger themselves, despite a couple of positive results recently.

"For us, without a win in so long, it is a great opportunity to go there and play with a freedom and get three points," said Albrighton.

"That is what we are looking to do and I have every belief we can do that.

"For them, although they have a couple of decent results if they were to lose at the weekend it drags them back into it.

"It is a massive game for both sides and a mouth-watering prospect."

Rutland-based military working dogs and their handlers joined regimental comrades celebrating the end of service tours of Afghanistan.

Soldiers and dogs from 104 Military Working Dog Squadron (MWDS), based at St George's Barracks, in North Luffenham, and personnel from Melton's Defence Animal Centre (DAC) flew to Germany for the ceremony at Sennelager today.

The highly-trained dogs and their handlers served in Afghanistan on frontline patrol, with search dogs sniffing out roadside bombs and searching vehicles for weapons, while others provided protection for bases.

Some of those at the celebration received their operational service medals from Lt Gen James Everard, Commander Land Forces.

During the latest and last tour, Operation Herrick 20, the handlers and their dogs carried out a total of 10,000 searches, with 182 finds of weapons or explosives and 3,709 individual tasks completed.

During the seven-month tour, the 55 dogs deployed consumed 5.3 tonnes of dog food.

Two dogs from 104 MWDS were posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal - the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross - on duty in Afghanistan.

Theo, a springer spaniel, was awarded the Dickin Medal after his handler Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was also killed in Afghanistan in March, 2011.

Four-year-old Labrador Sasha was awarded the same rare honour after she was killed with her handler, Lance Corporal Kenneth Rowe, in 2008.

One soldier present at today's event became a military dog handler after coming into contact with the search dogs at a kennels he worked at.

Pte Michael Kelly, 21, joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps as a handler last year after working at Kirby Kennels and Kattery(c) in Kirby Bellars, near Melton. Many of DAC's search dogs were boarded there while their kennels were rebuilt.

Pte Kelly, of Melton, said: "I had worked part time at the kennels for about 18 months when some of the springers and Labradors from the centre were temporarily re-homed there.

"The soldiers would deliver and collect the dogs, and I became interested in their work.

"I completed an online application, and after initial training I joined the dog training section at the DAC."

Pte Kelly, who recently returned from Afghanistan, where he helped prepare the few dogs remaining in theatre for return to the UK, added: "You could say it's a dream come true. It was something I wanted to do as soon as I saw the work they do.

"I probably wouldn't have done it if the dogs hadn't been boarded there.

"It's challenging but very rewarding work, and you don't know what to expect from one month to the next."

A total of 345 military working dogs have been deployed to Afghanistan since the conflict began.

The eight remaining dogs deployed at Camp Bastion are due back before Christmas.

A teenager caused people to fear for their lives when he brandished what appeared to be a gun in Leicester city centre.

Zunaid Bobat was caught on CCTV in Humberstone Gate, where he fired one shot into the air before pointing the weapon at people in the street, including one at very close range.

Men and women can be seen running for cover on the CCTV footage.

Nobody was injured.

The weapon was never recovered after it was discarded by Bobat.

However, it was accepted during the trial that it would be considered an imitation firearm.

Bobat (19) was jailed for 18 months today after being found guilty, at an earlier hearing, of possessing a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence.

The incident happened at about 6.30am on Saturday, March 22.

The court was told Bobat left nearby Vestry House, where he had been staying in a flat, and went to join a fight involving two groups of people in Humberstone Gate, some of whom were his friends.

CCTV footage shows him heading to Humberstone Gate and discharging the pistol, before aiming it at several people.

The shooting incident lasted between 20 and 30 seconds.

Recorder Russell Gumpert QC told the defendant, of Cavendish Road, Aylestone Park, Leicester: "There was a fight going on in the pedestrianised area of Humberstone Gate, in the centre of Leicester.

"Why you joined that fighting, it seems to me the only explanation was a telephone call.

"You disguised yourself and put on a face mask and, carrying an imitation firearm, ran down the street to where the fighting was taking place."

The court heard that a passer-by gave evidence of hearing at least one shot.

Mr Gumpert said: "We've seen CCTV which shows you making gestures to a number of different people who I judge to have been in fear of their lives."

He added: "It was clearly premeditated. You intended people to believe their lives were in danger."

With the help of further CCTV footage, police followed Bobat back to Vestry House, via Lee Circle car park where he had dumped his clothing.

He was arrested later that day.

In mitigation, Avik Mukherjee, defending, said Bobat's age and previous "low level" of previous offending should be taken into consideration.

He said: "There was only one shot fired. His actions did cause fear of violence, but I disagree it caused people to fear for their lives."

The court heard that Bobat had pleaded guilty, on October 31, to a separate offence of common assault in January, prior to the firearm incident.

Bobat was sentenced to two years in prison, reduced to 18 months due to his young age. He will serve the sentence in a young offender institution.

He was ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Bill Beechey said: "Bobat will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars.

"I hope this sentence reassures the public that he is no longer a risk to them.

"Fortunately no one was injured in this incident, however it could have been so much worse."

Detective Sergeant Dave Speight, from the Force Serious Crime Team, said: "Through the extensive CCTV network we were able to trace Bobat.

"Without this CCTV coverage we would not have been able to secure this conviction."

He added: "Leicestershire Police takes all firearms offences extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to investigate, gather evidence and put this before the courts.

"Be warned, if you get yourself involved in this type of criminal behaviour we will come looking for you.

"Incidents such as this are rare in our city and counties."

Nigel Pearson has vowed he will continue to protect himself and his Leicester City players from terrace abusers.

The City boss refused to apologise to the abusive fan, but said he did regret it if anyone in the vicinity was offended by the verbal exchange.

The club also revealed that the club's Thai owners were subjected to abuse by some fans.

Pearson said he has had run-ins with supporters before during his career and said the team would probably be targeted again, if their current sequence of nine games without a win continues.

However, Pearson said he was convinced the vast majority of City fans were fully behind him and the players.

"I have had run-ins with fans in the past and, in the heat of the moment, these things happen," he said.

"There certainly won't be any apologies though.

"I will continue to protect my players and myself and I am more than happy to stick up for myself in that situation and, more importantly, protect my players.

"If people were offended by what happened then, in some ways, that is regrettable but there is certainly no need for me to apologise to someone of that ilk.

"The perennial moaners are at most football clubs and some people revel in bad news and things not going well.

"I thought Tuesday's performance was very good in lots of ways.

"The vast majority of supporters can see they are getting 100 per cent commitment from our players." Pearson was not the only member of the club's hierarchy who was targeted by disgruntled supporters.

He said the club's owners had also been abused by some people in a nearby box during the Liverpool game.

"I spoke to Susan Whelan (Chief Executive) after the game and, unfortunately, she had to deal with some box holders who were giving some abuse to our owners," he said.

"I find it incredible that anyone could question the integrity and commitment of our owners.

"I think it is nothing short of disgraceful if I am honest. It is borne out of the fact that we are on a difficult run."

An Oval Office meeting between Barack Obama and Prince William is due to take place on Monday.

The White House has announced that the Duke of Cambridge will visit the White House during a three-day trip to the eastern United States and the BBC reported that he was also expected to give a speech on combating illegal wildlife trafficking at the World Bank.

In February, Princes Charles and Prince William attended an international conference held in London where a declaration was signed on fighting the illegal trade in wildlife.

The White House press secretary said: "The president welcomes the Prince's work in this global fight against what is both a national security threat and a devastating environmental problem.

"This visit underscores the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom."

While the Prince is attending events in Washington, the Duchess of Cambridge will be in New York to visit a child development centre.

A motorist was taken to hospital after a crash in Thorpe Astley.

The car came off Meridian Way at about 2.50pm today.

Fire crews were called to the scene and cut the driver free from the car and they were treated by paramedics at the scene and later transferred to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The injuries suffered are not believed to be life-threatening.

The emergency services left the scene at about 4pm.

The UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said many people feel uncomfortable about women breastfeeding in public.

The row began when a 35-year-old woman was asked to breastfeed under a cloth in a London restaurant.

Weighing into the debate, Mr Farage, a 50-year-old father-of-four, said mothers should "perhaps sit in the corner" when they breastfeed and that breastfeeding mothers should be discreet – although he added that it was not an issue he felt strongly about.

Speaking on LBC radio, he said: "I'm not particularly bothered about it, but I know a lot of people do feel very uncomfortable, and look, this is just a matter of common sense, isn't it?

"I think that, given that some people feel very embarrassed by it, it isn't too difficult to breastfeed a baby in a way that's not openly ostentatious.

"Frankly, that's up to Claridge's, and I very much take the view that if you're running an establishment you should have rules."

Loughborough College athlete Matt Hamilton has triumphed to win gold for Great Britain at the largest para school games in the world.

At his first overseas competition, the 17-year-old took first in the T46 400m at the Brazilian Paralympic School Games with a time of 54.89 – only 0.1sec off his personal best.

Despite being involved with elite sport for less than two years, the GB selection was the Loughborough College sport student's second for major competition in 2014, following the World Junior Games in the summer.

Hamilton, who was in Sao Paolo to represent Great Britain with the Paralimpiadas Escolares 2014 team alongside 1,000 international competitors, said: "The atmosphere was incredible but I was very nervous.

"With announcements for the call room and the race start in Portuguese, I was worried that if I didn't miss the race altogether I might be on the start line and not know when to go – so to then win gold was brilliant.

"I am very happy with my progress and where I am in the world rankings but I am getting a real insight into where I need to be if I am aiming for the Paralympics."

Matt, whose right arm is affected by Erb's palsy, felt excluded from school sport but was inspired to compete following a visit to the 2012 Paralympic Games.

In December 2012, Matt began para cycling, going on to achieve national records in C5 under-16 in the 200m flying start, 500m standing start and 2km standing start before he was talent-spotted as a runner last year at a sports fest.

"The AASE Programme I am on is massively valuable in helping me with the support and structure I need for my development," he said.

"I just need to put the right things in place with training and funding and focus on my dreams for Rio and Tokyo.

"I'm determined I won't give up until I get there."

Leicester Sharks were the dominant force at the annual Leicestershire ASA Young Teams relay gala at Braunstone Pool.

In the Division One gala, Sharks' A team won the Norma Smith Trophy, while their B team finished third. Braunstone A were runners-up.

Three teams were relegated tom Division Two – Coalville A, Melton and Market Harborough.

In Division Two, Leicester Neptune were clear victors, while Hinckley B and Loughborough were also promoted, finishing equal-second. Results:

Division One (Norma Smith Trophy): 1 Sharks A 88, 2 Braunstone A 82, 3 Sharks B 68, 4 Hinckley A 64, 5 Penguins 62, 6 Coalville A 51, 7 Melton 33, 8 Market Harborough 16.

Sharks A team: Bradley Knight, Matthew Worthy, Jack Taylor, Zac Chaplin, Alex Keeble, Louis Fensom, David Ridley, Kai Bacon, Joseph Fletcher, Emily Mears-Bentley, Madeline Squires, Hannah Lines, Keanna Kowal, Millie Randle, Maisie Elliott, Zoe Lock and Nicole Smith.

Division Two (LASA Cup): 1 Neptune 55, =2 Hinckley B and Loughborough 42, 4 Braunstone B 30, 5 Coalville B 17.

Neptune team: Lewis Newcombe, Austin Johns, Charlie Sneesby, Euri Euste, Chris Sneesby, Harry Preston, Alex Hulson-Brown, Ben Cliffe, Eloise Raine, Daisy Robson-Jones, Emily Langton, Hayley Cliffe, Katie Shelton, Grace Barnacle, Kate McAllister and Chelsea McKay.

During the gala, a presentation was made to Jill and Pete Ramsell, who are retiring from their posts after more than 25 years service to the association.

Jill has been the Trophy Lady during that time, present at every County gala and keeping track of the dozens of County trophies.

Pete has been a qualified official for many years and has recently helped Jill because of her failing eyesight. They are both past presidents of Leicestershire.

Also presented were first swim County badges to Zoe Lock (Sharks) and Will Bell (Loughborough).

They made their first swim for the County at the British Gas Inter-counties event at Sheffield in October.

Sileby Boxing Academy's James Button aims for a place in the finals of the National junior development championships tomorrow.

Button will be in action in Chesterfield after beating Rugeley's Morgan Jones on a split decision in their quarter-final.

It was a hard-earned win, too, as Jones came out throwing hooks and floored the Sileby youngster in the opener.

The Lancaster School will represent the Midlands at the Team Tennis Schools national finals after their year 10 boys squad won the regional title.

The under-15 team of Daniel Tarokh, Roman Kenny-Manning and brothers Daniel and Luke Tatman won their Midlands semi-final and final at Corby Tennis Club to qualify for the national event at Bolton Arena, which begins today.

This is the third consecutive year a Lancaster team has progressed to the national finals, following the success of their under-13 and under-18 sides in the past two seasons.

It is also the seventh time coach Chris Whitmore has guided a Lancaster squad to the event.

In their regional semi-final, Lancaster under-15s breezed past Wolverhampton Grammar School. Tarokh and Daniel Tatman both won their singles 6-0, Kenny-Manning won his 6-2, while Luke Tatman recovered from a break down to win 6-4.

Lancaster continued to impress and took both doubles to win 6-0 overall.

In the final, Lancaster took on Repton School, from Derbyshire. The teams split the singles 2-2, but Lancaster showed great character and nerve to again triumph in both doubles matches, taking the overall tie 4-2.

Lancaster's year eight boys had also qualified for the regional event in Corby, but they suffered defeat in their semi-final to Warwick School.

However, they raised the game for the third-place play-off, where they thrashed St Joseph's High School 6-0.

Two theatre bosses failed to act when evidence emerged the venue had been infiltrated by paedophiles, an official inquiry has found.

Two members of the board of trustees at Hinckley's Concordia Theatre "brushed under the carpet" concerns raised about two men, an investigation by the Charity Commission concluded.

One of the trustees, the commission said, took no action after being made aware several years ago of an allegation of inappropriate behaviour made against actor Matthew Wilson.

Wilson was jailed for nine years in June last year after he admitted a series of sexual offences against children.

Wilson, then 34 and living in Elm Tree Drive, Burbage, also admitted downloading more than 2,000 indecent images of young girls.

The commission also said the two trustees, who resigned this year, did not inform their colleagues when they discovered the second man, who was employed at the theatre, had previous convictions for offences against children.

The Charity Commission said the two trustees' failings amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.

The theatre's licence to stage performances involving children was suspended earlier this year when police revealed the venue was under investigation.

The licence has since been reinstated. The venue, which is run as a charity, is under the management of a new board of trustees. The commission stressed it had full confidence in the new board.

Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement at the commission, said: "Trustees should ensure they take seriously and react promptly and responsibly to concerns raised.

"In this case, concerns raised were brushed under the carpet."

"We give credit to the current trustee board in how they responded to dealing with this and ensuring that public confidence in the charity is restored.

Police made public their concerns about potential paedophile activity at the theatre in February, reporting that two other men with connections to the venue had been arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

Those suspects remain on bail while inquiries continue.

Leicestershire County Council and Leicestershire Police conducted their own inquiries into the venue.

A fifth man associated with the theatre was found to have convictions for offences against children, Leicestershire police told the Mercury earlier this year. However, the commission's report made no reference to that case.

The county council initially suspended the licence needed to allow children to take part in performances.

Ivan Ould, the council's cabinet member for children and families, said: "Keeping children safe is our number one priority and given the major concerns raised, issuing performance licences wasn't an option.

"The theatre now has robust safeguarding procedures firmly in place.

"We've worked very closely with the Concordia and provided comprehensive advice and training to help them draw up and embed a new approach, and will carry out ongoing checks as part of our regular performance licence process.

"We would welcome contact from any other theatres in Leicestershire which feel they need further advice about their safeguarding procedures and practices."

A police spokesman confirmed officers were still investigating two men for alleged possession of indecent images of children.

He said: "The new trustees have moved a long way and have done everything we have asked to ensure young people are in a safe regime when they are at the theatre." A spokesman from the theatre said: "The Charity Commission has recognised the work carried out by the theatre in the early part of 2014 to strengthen its safeguarding procedures. "We worked very closely with all of the relevant stakeholders – including Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire County Council – to put in place a much more robust set of child protection measures, in line with their advice and guidance. "The new policies have now been in place for over six months, but we continue to liaise closely with the authorities to ensure that the Concordia Theatre remains a safe environment for all."

Like the kindly pal who comforts the crying girl in the nightclub toilets, Leicester City have a habit of cheering up teams who've been feeling down in the dumps of late.
Newcastle, Liverpool, West Brom, QPR... we've given them all a lift in troubled times. Next up: Aston Villa.
City head for Birmingham tomorrow, for the first league meeting between the sides since we got thumped 5-0 back in 2004, in a season they stuck a total of eight past us.
Watch it on Sky Sports 1 from 3.30pm. Possibly from behind the sofa.

Right, The Sound of Music is up and running at Curve.
We've put our own review through the Mercury centrifuge and here are the denser words and phrases that went spinning away from the axis: Joyful, glorious arrangements, well-drilled, immense likeability, goosebumps, flawless, spine-tingling, fear, uncertainty, sheer beauty, poignancy, worth the ticket price alone. Get the picture? Good. It's on until January 17.

A little piece of history will be made at Welford Road tomorrow.
Someone in the Tigers ticket office has noticed that the club will hit a landmark tomorrow when the home crowds for European games top the one million mark.
The two-time European champions Tigers have notched up gates of 981,309 at Welford Road during European competition and after flogging more than 20,000 tickets for tomorrow's visit of Toulon, a milestone has been passed.
A fancy-that fact, ripe for pub quiz setters: The Tigers are the only club to play in Europe's elite competition in every year of English participation since 1996/97.
It kicks off tomorrow at 5.30pm, and if you can't get to the game, it's on BT Sport 2 from 5.15pm.

Manchester City croon Blue Moon. Stoke sing Delilah. Sunderland belt out I Can't Help Falling In Love With You. West Ham have I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles.
But Leicester City's very own terrace anthem, the depression-era When You're Smiling, never really gets the rousing rendition it deserves.
Too mumbly. Too rushed. Nowhere near enough City fans join in.
Jersey Budd raised hopes that our premature enunciation would come to an end when he recorded a slowed-down version of the song with the team back in 2010, but it didn't do the trick. In fact, we can't recall the last time we heard his take played at the ground. Ho-hum. Jersey's at The Cookie Jar tonight.

If Leicester was a cliche-ridden American high school movie, Clarendon Park would play the role of the slacker outsiders. The ones who occasionally get shoved from behind by the jocks.
Tomorrow, the most free-spirited bit of town stages its annual Christmas Fair, when Queens Road is closed to traffic and the crowds mill about a multitude of street stalls and life is agreeable.
There are two entertainment stages and fun fair rides, too.
It starts at 11am and finishes at 5pm.
Meanwhile, over the road on Victoria Park, the Great Leicester Santa Run starts at 10.30am and finishes at 1pm. So if you were thinking of driving over and effortlessly finding somewhere to park, because it's a Sunday, you might want to think again.

www.thesantarun.org.uk/great-leicestershire-santa-run.html

Here's a jolly thing. Each year the south Leicestershire village of Burton Overy fills its church with a sparkling display of Christmas trees.
You can see it from 10am to 6pm today, and 10am to 5pm tomorrow.
Admission is £2, children go free, and there are gift stalls too. Proceeds go to the Alzheimer's Society, the church and the village hall.

I wanted to take my dad and brother-in-law to the Tottenham home game on Boxing Day.

I naively assumed that, as in previous seasons, as a LCFC Season Card holder for the past six years, I would be able to purchase some tickets. That's not the case.

There's a priority system for buying home tickets and season ticket holders are bottom of that list. Tickets were due to go on sale in mid-October, but I could not buy mine until December 1 – if any were left.

My seat – I pay £850 for a Season Card each year – is in the Fosse Club area. Three seats from me is one of the few regularly empty seats in the ground. I was hoping to get hold of that seat and that if any tickets were left, they would be in there, due to the cost of standalone tickets (£55 per seat last season).

I was put through to hospitality and told any remaining tickets (i.e. any tickets not renewed by season ticket holders from last season and all other empty seats) in the Fosse Club area had been taken by the hospitality team and that Tottenham tickets were available immediately – at a price of £250 per ticket.

So, to take my father and brother-in-law to the game I would need to fork out £500? Yes, I was told, but it does include a padded seat (I get one of those), complimentary programme (ditto), free tea and coffee (ditto) and a carvery before the game. As a vegetarian, the carvery isn't much use. However, I wouldn't qualify for the meal anyway, but I could upgrade for a mere £75.

So to guarantee two places for the Boxing Day match, I need to find £575, plus the price of my ticket, which works out at £44.74 per game.

That's a total of £619.74, plus the price of a beer or two – now £4 a pint in the Fosse Club.

Now, either it's a very lean Christmas for the children, or I needed to find another way. So I decided to purchase a Silver Fox membership, which would at least give me some chance of getting the tickets before they sold out. I paid £40.

I called the ticket line and was asked for the three membership numbers required to buy the tickets. I needed to have spent a further £80 on memberships for my family as well myself (one ticket per membership).

I'm not a miser. I don't mind paying a premium to see top class football against famous opposition.

However, multiple levels of membership, releasing tickets at arbitrary points in the season and showing no respect to the most loyal fans is wrong and contrary to the spirit of being a member of any club.

There is an argument the membership scheme allows those supporters who cannot afford a season ticket to get access to some games each season for a small fee.

However, if this is the purpose, then why, as a season ticket holder, am I allowed to buy a membership at all? Surely I shouldn't be allowed the same purchasing power to access additional home tickets at the same time as the non-season ticket holders?

What happened to queuing at the ticket office? In those days, if you wanted a ticket badly enough, you camped out. It was democratic and allowed fair access to tickets. I know, I've done it.

I'm not going to pay for additional memberships, that's for sure. I'll take my chances and risk my father's Christmas gift in the process.

I'm not going to throw away my Season Card, instead I'll see out the season and hope we get relegated so things can go back to the way they were for next season.

PS: On Monday, the tickets became available. I called straight away, sat on hold for half an hour and when I got through was told that only single tickets were available and if I wanted three tickets I would have to have one in SK1, one in the West Stand and one in C Block. Brilliant! I'm going to investigate sitting in the away end.

Mat Mabe, Western Park.

Today: A cold, frosty and bright start. Sunny at times during the day, but cloud will gradually increase through the afternoon with freshening winds. Remain largely dry. Maximum Temperature 7C.

Tonight: A chilly evening, but cloud will thicken through the evening with outbreaks of occasionally heavy rain spreading southwards overnight. Rain will begin to clear around dawn. Turning colder. Minimum Temperature 2C.

Sunday: A cold feeling day with strong winds and a few blustery showers and perhaps turning sleety. Good sunny spells likely between showers. Maximum Temperature 5C.

Two teenage girls are among three people who have died in crashes which happened a few hours apart.

Two girls, aged 17 and 18, were killed in a collision involving a bus and a car in Rutland yesterday afternoon.

The collision occurred at about 1.25pm, in Empingham Lane, Tickencote, Rutland and involved a blue Peugeot 206 and a single decker bus.

The girls, who have not yet been named, were the driver and passenger in the car. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The girls are understood to have been pupils at Oakham School.

The driver of the bus, and eight passengers, suffered superficial injuries.

Detective Constable Pete Davies, of the East Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "The car was travelling along Empingham Lane towards Empingham and the bus was travelling in the opposite direction towards Tickencote when the collision occurred.

"We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or saw either vehicle beforehand to contact us."

The road was closed for several hours while the emergency services dealt with the incident.

A man was killed in a crash involving two vehicles on the M1 in Leicestershire on Thursday evening, at about 6.20pm.

The motorway was closed northbound from junction 20 to 21 for eight hours.

A police spokeswoman said yesterday that the driver of one of the cars had died and inquiries were continuing to find his next of kin.

Two people in the other vehicle, a black Audi A4, were uninjured.

Some motorway users were caught up in tailbacks for several hours following the crash.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Detective Constable Ady Keeble, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "The road closure did cause some significant disruption to motorists and I want to thank motorists for their patience while officers carried out their investigations at the scene. I would like to ask anyone who saw the collision to please get in contact with any information they have."

Yesterday afternoon, a motorcyclist was injured in a collision with a car.

The crash, in Dysart Way, Leicester, between Catherine Street and Belgrave Circle, happened at about 2.10pm.

Police said the motorcyclist was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary for assessment but his injuries were not thought to be serious.

The car driver was not injured.

The road was closed for nearly two hours, leading to congestion in Belgrave Road, Belgrave Circle and Humberstone Road.

It reopened just after 4pm.

Anyone with any information about any of the incidents is asked to call police on 101.

Here are the EuroMillions lottery results for Friday, December 5.

Ball numbers: 5, 8, 37, 47, 48

Lucky Stars: 2, 3

UK Millionaire Maker / Raffle: WFP477150

Prize breakdown in the UK: