A man had to be rescued from a smoke filled flat after an unattended pan caught fire.

He was given oxygen at the scene by firefighters before being taken to hospital.

The fire occurred in Humberstone Gate, Leicester at 11.20pm on Friday.

A fire service spokeswoman said: "A man was rescued suffering from inhalation of smoke and was given oxygen therapy by the fire service.

"He was then taken to hospital by the ambulance service."

She said the fire had been caused by "unattended cooking".

She said the area around the cooker was damaged by fire and smoke.

<b>9.40am:</b> Animals on the road on M1 causing disruption  in both directions between J20, A4303 Lutterworth and J21, M69 Leicester.       

<b> 9.30am:</b> Area Traffic Control reports Belvoir Road in Coalville  has been closed at the Avenue Road junction as the emergency services deal with an accident. Expected to be closed until midday.

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After frosty start, most places today will be dry with bright or sunny spells. But there will be a few showers. It will feel cold in a northwesterly breeze. Maximum temperature 6C.

Any showers will ease through the evening. Variable cloud will give some clear spells with a frost developing in places and perhaps some isolated mist or fog patches possible. Minimum temperature -1C.

A man was airlifted to hospital this morning with serious injuries after a head on crash in Coalville.

Firefighters were called to release the injured person trapped following a collision in Belvoir Road at 8.26am.

Another casualty was treated at the scene by the ambulance service.

The road was closed between the High Street and Ashburton Road.

A police spokesman said: "A man was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a head on crash involving two cars this morning.

"The other casualty received non life threatening injuries."

A spokesperson for the fire service said: "We were called by the ambulance service at 8.26am to a report of a road traffic collision with multiple persons trapped.

"When we arrived the ambulance service had already released one person and were treating a casualty."

She said the other victim was freed by the fire service and airlifted to hospital.

It was expected that the road would be closed until midday.

Traffic on the M1 was disrupted this morning by a group of dogs who simply wanted to cross the road.

Motorists on both carriageways had to take avoiding action as the animals ambled across both carriageways between the Lutterworth exit at junction 20 and junction 21 for the M69 at Leicester.

The incident occurred at around 8am and a warning was issued to drivers to be on the look out.

A spokesman for Leicestershire police said: "It appears that some dogs wanted to cross the road. And it looks as if they all made it."

Three fashion design students from De Montfort University have been shortlisted for the prestigious Golden Shears Award. T

The Golden Shears, which includes a £2,500 cash prize, is given to the most promising student or apprentice tailor in the UK.

Leicester students

Jack Dorman, 21, Florence Tudgay, 20, and Hazel Symons, 19, will attend a gala event at Merchant Taylors' Hall in London on March 16 to discover if they have won.

They have been shortlisted by a panel including supermodel David Gandy, fashion designer Betty Jackson and actress Jennifer Saunders.

De Montfort University course leader Della Swain said: "'We are thrilled that three of our students have gone through to the finals of such a high-calibre and prestigious competition."

A businessman who helped launder almost £260,000 of dirty cash, as part of a £100 million conspiracy, can have no complaint about his sentence, judges have ruled.

Jasvir Singh, 49, allowed tainted cash - much of it gathered by drug-dealing gangs - to be stored and counted at his Leicester-based firm as part of a huge criminal enterprise.

Singh, of Cyril Street, Blaby, was jailed for seven years after he was convicted of entering into a money laundering arrangement at Birmingham Crown Court in August, 2012.

Yesterday, three senior judges at London's Criminal Appeal Court rejected his sentence challenge, saying there is "no merit" in claims his punishment was too harsh.

Judge Keith Cutler QC said Singh was among scores of defendants snared by Operation Smarten, which smashed a nine-figure international money laundering ring.

The judge said the network used money exchange bureaus to move millions in ill-gotten gains - mostly made from drug dealing - to different countries across the globe.

Singh allowed premises connected to his Leicester-based textile business to be used for counting and storing some of the illicit cash.

He was specifically linked to illegal stashes of £209,000 and £50,000.

While Singh may not have known the cash was partly derived from drug dealing, he knew it was "criminal" proceeds, the judge said.

He played a "significant and trusted role" in the conspiracy, he added.

Singh's counsel, Mark McKone, argued that, for a "family man" with no previous convictions, Singh's punishment was far too tough.

But Judge Cutler, sitting with Lady Justice Arden and Mr Justice Green, said: "We come to the conclusion that there is no merit in this appeal against sentence."

Stargazers in Leicestershire will be on the look out for a rare phenomenon known as the Dance of the Planets tonight.

It happens when Venus, Mars, Uranus and the crescent Moon are all visible close together in the evening sky.

And the good news is the weather forecast has predicted a clear sky for Leicestershire from about 8pm until midnight tonight.

Venus and the Moon will be the brightest but astronomy experts say that Mars should be visible as well.

Uranus can also be seen but will be quite hard to spot to the naked eye. Binoculars will make it easier.

The phenomenon happens as Venus moves steadily higher in the sky after sunset in February and March, passing close to Mars and then close to Uranus in early March.

The planets have not appeared as close together in the sky since 2008.

Even if you missing seeing this tonight, there could still be another chance over the next few weeks.

If you take any pictures of the phenomenon this evening, e-mail them to picturedesk@leicestermercury.co.uk

A new branch of restaurant TGI Friday's is to open in a "dead" corner of Leicester city centre.

The American bar and grill is to take over the empty Highcross unit by Next, on the corner of Bath House Lane and Causeway Lane.

The unit was previously a beauty products shop but has spent much of the time empty since the Highcross opened in 2008.

In a recent planning application for large signs outside the restaurant, Clive Cunio, the planning agent for TGI Friday's, said: "The area around the unit appears visually 'dead' during the daytime and particularly in the early/late evening.

"The premises have experienced extended periods of vacancy despite repeated marketing attempts."

He said the restaurant would "increase the vibrancy and footfall in this area, which is currently lacking" and bring "significant investment to Leicester".

Leicester City Council has now given full planning permission for the restaurant and the new signs and it is expected to open some time in the next five months.

The first TGI Friday's opened in New York in 1965 and there are now about 1,000 in cities world-wide including Derby, Nottingham and Coventry.

Jo Tallack, Highcross centre manager, said: "It's a great brand and we're very pleased they're coming to Leicester.

"They've just got planning permission for their external signs, which is really good news.

"Restaurants here are doing incredibly well, particularly after 5pm each day.

"There's been a big change in people's habits and we're seeing a real growth in the evening economy.

"It's partly people staying in town after they've been shopping to visit the restaurants and the cinema.

"But we can also see from the car park use that a lot of people are also driving into the city centre at the end of the day.

"The change is also encouraging people to stay in the city centre after work to go the restaurants and the cinema and it's been a big shift in the past 18 months.

"I think we've got a good range of places to eat here now - but I'm always looking for the next thing."

Businesses around the site of the former City council offices are set to shut down tomorrow as the two tower blocks are demolished.

Restaurants will not be opening for Sunday lunches.

Some are hoping to serve customers in late after noon or evening.

But one taxi firm A & B Cabs in the shadow of the buildings will close for the entire day.

The demolition is expected to be carried out at around 10am, depending on weather conditions.

But a 150-metre exclusion zone will be in place from 6am to 6pm.

Some of the businesses and residents being evacuated tomorrow will be going to the Leicester Tigers' ground in Welford Road to see the demolition on a big screen.

Adam Ali, who runs A&B Cabs in Welford Road said: "We are closing down completely tomorrow. We cannot move our computers or run our 16 drivers on mobile phones."

He said they would not be going to the rugby ground to see the demolition.

But he added: "I hope that we have something better to look at than an ugly office block in the future.

"A nice parade of shops and restaurants would be preferable."

Suresh Kesavan who runs the Shivalli restaurant in Welford Road said: "We shall be closed for lunchtime because of the demolition.

"However, we are hoping to open in the evening when things are over."

Muda Subasingha, who runs Subway in Market Street, said: "The city council has kept us fully informed of what is happening.

"However, we have not decided when can open tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to reopen after midday."

The city council has not announced what will be built to replace the 1970s office blocks.

It is 100 years since a woman police officer was given the power to arrest someone.

To celebrate the anniversary, Leicestershire Police aims to hold a day of events.

But the force needs to hear from retired women police officers or staff.

A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Police said: "The careers and ambitions of female police officers and police staff will be commemorated in September to mark 100 years since the first British police woman was given the power to arrest.

"Are you a retired Leicestershire female police officer or member of police staff? Or do you have a friend or relative who was? If so get in touch."

People are being asked for photographs or memorabilia which could showcase the role of Leicestershire women police officers or members of police staff over the years."

People can get in touch by email: Dominique.allen@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk

A TGI Friday's is the latest restaurant set to open in Leicester's Highcross shopping centre. It comes just weeks after Peter Pizzeria launched in Welford Place, and Bill's restaurant opened, also at the Highcross. So we want to know if you think Leicester city centre has a good selection of restaurants. Take part in our poll at the bottom right of this story. And also tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Anti-privatisation campaigners staged street theatre in the city centre calling for the protection of NHS services.

They performed in the High Street near the entrance to Rackham's store to raise awareness of the new local health scheme called Better Care Together.

Sally Ruane, chair of the Leicester based Campaign Against NHS Privatisation (CANP) said: "We are very concerned about the changes which have already taken place in Leicester and especially about the 'Better Care Together' programme a major reorganisation which will be implemented over the next five years."

She said they were concerned about how care will be moved from hospitals into the community and the increase in workloads it will bring on Leicester GPs.

Group member Brenda Worrall said: "I think the drama was well received by shoppers on Saturday.

"The piece depicted a scene involving a pensioner, played by me, who could not get a hospital bed and a GPs who did not have the resources to help me."

They group is holding a public meeting at Leicester Adult Education College, Wellington Street at 2 pm on Saturday, February 28.

Ms Ruane added: "The NHS impinges on all our lives. We hope that this meeting will enable the people of Leicester to come and find out more about the programme and question those involved in making it happen."

A 70-year-old man who accessed and passed on images of child pornography has been jailed for two years.

Richard Moore pleaded guilty to 10 counts of downloading indecent images of youngsters, six counts of distributing them and two of possessing extreme pornographic images of bestiality, between August 2010 and March last year.

Leicester Crown Court was told that police officers from the paedophile online investigation team visited Moore's then home in North Evington and seized his computer equipment, last March.

Neil Bannister, prosecuting, said analysis of the computer equipment showed that Moore had been searching online for the indecent images and movie clips of youngsters.

He distributed 25 indecent images, comprising of 19 in category A, two in category B and four in the least serious bracket, category C.

Moore was also found to have accessed more than 350 images and 50 video clips, spanning all three categories, and featuring children aged between six and 17.

He also downloaded 25 images of extreme pornography involving adults and animals.

When interviewed he accepted full responsibility and claimed his actions were primarily "voyeuristic."

Moore, a married granddad, who later moved to Nevada Park, Melton Mowbray, has no previous convictions.

Judge Simon Hammond told him: "These were absolutely disgusting images.

"The defendant accepts he exchanged some images and movies with eight or nine other males.

"The gravity of these offences is that either in this country or abroad young children have had their childhoods ruined because of sexual activity with adults in order to create these images.

"It's not a victimless crime.

"They've had their childhoods destroyed.

"The defendant has written a letter to the court explaining how he got involved in this and I've read letters from his wife and three other people who speak highly of him.

David Charman, mitigating, said that Moore pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and was fully cooperative with the police.

"He's deeply remorseful," said Mr Charman.

Moore was told he will have to enlist on a sex offenders' register for 10 years and was placed on a sexual offences prevention order, enabling the authorities to monitor all future computer use. 

The spectacle of New Walk Centre's demise was brief but preparations for the levelling of the structures were lengthy and complicated.

It took months to clear the buildings and strip them down to their basic skeletons.

It also took a week of meticulous planning to set up rainbow-coloured spider's web of more than 7,000 metres of wires and cables, connecting detonators and some 1,100 explosive charges across the two buildings.

After both blocks had been rigged to blow contractors from DSM invited the Mercury into New Walk to take a final look at the doomed towers.

Heavy black curtains had been put up on the outside if the towers where ever charges had been laid. They left sections of the concrete skeletons of the structure in almost total darkness and served not only to protect the charges from the elements but to prevent rubble being blasted out and damaging nearby properties - the closest just metres from the complex's old B Block.

The curtains also kept out prying eyes.

Final preparations included a visit from counter-terrorism officers to make sure the massive undertaking ticked stringent security requirements.

So strict were the security arrangements that the Mercury had to agree not to publish a word about what it saw inside the demolition site until two hours after the towers were down.

Parts of the towers were weakened and the charges to blow a wedge out of the structures ensuring they collapsed in on themselves within their own footprint.

DSM explosive engineer Robin Rushforth said: "Just before the demolition is not really the worrying part. The worrying part is when you first walk through the building and think "How on Earth an I going to bring you down?"

"This was a difficult one because we had the old building plans but it quickly became clear they didn't match what had actually gone up.

"But there's always a way once you have done your calculations.

"A lot of people still think it is a simple as piling up a load of dynamite at the bottom, getting everybody out, pressing down the big plunger and it's goodbye building.

"No, this is a precise and detailed process."  

Police have sealed off the entrance to the Athena events venue in the heart of Leicester's cultural quarter.

Tape in the front of the building is preventing anyone from getting close to the front doors.

Officers are on duty to prevent people going onto the steps of the building.

A police spokeswoman said: "The were reports of an incident on Saturday evening.

"The investigation is in its early stages and at present no further information is being released."

This astonishing slow motion footage shows the two towers of Leicester's New Walk Centre being demolished.

The buildings were razed to the ground in a matter of seconds - but this film gives you time to see even more detail of the demolition - including masonry falling and the huge dust cloud rising up about the site.

The towers - an eight and 13 storey block - were demolished at 10am today following months of preparation.

Thousands of people gathered around the tightly manned cordon of the 150 metre exclusion zone while others sought out lofty vantage points across the city to witness the fall of the remnants of the concrete blocks.

This video footage was taken from the top of multi-storey car park in Welford Road by Matt Short - and turned into slow motion by Shawn Ryan (www.shawn-ryan.co.uk)

Robots, K-nex and Lego attracted hundreds of youngsters to a creative technology event in the city.

Creat-A-Con was staged at the Queen's Building at De Montfort University on Saturday.

Kate Knaggs, a teacher at Roundhill Academy in Thurmaston, took her children to the event.

She said: "My son Luka really enjoyed working with the materials available including Lego.

"There were hundreds of primary school-aged children there in the morning.

"The secondary students went along in the afternoon."

A spokesman for the organisers said: "Creat-A-Con is supporting the goal of inspiring young people to take up further education and careers in the core areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

"We hope that we can encourage greater participation in the local groups and university societies, and turn Creat-A-Con into a platform to promote these various groups to the wider community."

During the event youngsters could get hands-on experience with robots, 3D printing, Minecraft, K-nex, and building Raspberry Pis - credit-card sized computers that plugs into your TV and a keyboard.

Surreal knock-knock jokes and inspired ranting about Jaffa Cakes have won a newbie stand-up the prestigious Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year award.

Tom Little, 27, who has been doing stand-up comedy for just 20 months, was awarded the title on Saturday night in front of a packed audience at the city's Y Theatre.

Comedians are nominated by the UK's top promoters and the competition is seen as one of the best in the country for up and coming comics.

Tom, who completed as MA in social work at Preston University before deciding to follow his dream of being a stand-up, said: "I'm delighted. It's voted for by people in the industry and looking at past winners, I'm in very good company."

Tom's original style and inventive material stood out in what was a stellar night of strong performances.

Compere Rob Rouse said: "They will all be putting me out of work in a couple of years' time. Everyone who has taken part has been absolutely brilliant."

Runner-up was Norwegian comic Ingrid Dahle, whose brilliantly inventive trousers-from-Primark gag was just hilarious. "It is the best £5 I have ever spent," she said before turning the trousers into a dress, after-picture for a slimming ad and Essex girl outfit.

Self-confessed "humpty dumpty love god" David Jordan kicked off the night with a confident, crowd-pleasing set of songs. Welsh lass Kiri Pritchard-McLean alternated her gift for anecdotes with killer "did she really say that?" punchlines. Penella Mellor might have walked on stage looking like butter wouldn't melt but don't be fooled: her deadpan set revolved around the hell of having kids, especially ones who bring home rubbish presents from school. "Why do they never ask what mummy likes? Mummy likes vodka".

Lolly Adefope's character "Gemma" a mad office worker who can't see how rubbish she is, built to a punchline no-one saw coming, while Jake Lambert's clever material and brilliant puns showcased some great writing and assured delivery. Stephanie Laing's geeky endearing persona mused on the awkwardness of life and her reasons on why men are like buses was a highlight.

Last year's winner Kate Lucas made a triumphant return with her brilliantly bitter songs, including an inspired anti-Disney melody which mercilessly skewered Cinders.

The almost 250-year-old diary of a ship's captain unearthed in a dusty old box at a home in Glenfield has been sold for £4,900.

The box had been destined for the skip when the owner realised the diary, charting a journey by the East Indies Company ship Bridgewater from London to China via India, might have some value.

It went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire last week with a guide price of £300 to £500.

But it raised much more than that. However, the identity of the new owner has not been revealed.

The log is by a Captain Skottowe and contains insights about life on the seas, what the crew ate, how they were punished and various illnesses and accidents that struck the ship.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "The book is incredibly special since it records the life and times on board the ship Bridgewater, which set sail from London in 1769 to Madeira, Madras and China."