Council officials are investigating shopkeepers thought to be operating illegal drinking dens.

Leicester City Council believes a small number of off-licence owners are allowing people to drink on their premises.

In one case, the authority said it suspected a shopkeeper had opened his cellar to his customers.

In other cases, it believes, drinkers are gathering on the shop floor or in other rooms inside the shops.

Off-licences are only permitted to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises.

Failure to observe the legal conditions contained in their licences can result in shops being fined or having their right to sell alcohol removed.

One shop owner is to appear before the city council's licensing panel next month.

The owner is alleged to have created an ad hoc bar in his cellar.

Bobby Smiljanic, of the city council's licensing team, said the authority had dealt with similar cases in the past but that it appeared to be a growing problem.

She said: "Apparently, a small number of off-licences are doing this. It's new and it seems to have crept in recently.

"Their licences do not allow them to serve alcohol on the premises and we obviously have concerns about what could happen if there was some kind of incident in one of these shops, even a fire."

Pc Tejas Mavani, of city police's licensing team, said: "It seems to be an attempt to bypass the licensing laws and, as far as we know, it is only a small number of shops involved.

"It still needs to be curbed and we will be doing checks and visiting shops to ensure they are adhering to their licences."

Subhash Varambhia, of Snutch News, in Fosse Road South, Leicester, said: "I have never heard of any shops doing this. If these shopkeepers want to run bars, they should apply to open bars.

"They have to realise the risks they are taking and what is at stake. They could lose their licences if they are caught allowing people to drink alcohol in their shops.

"But also things could easily get out of hand if the people they are letting in drink too much.

"These people are shopkeepers, not publicans, who can tell people they are not serving them because they've already had too much to drink.

"People are finding it difficult in the current economic climate and they are buying more booze, particularly the cheap stuff."

Bosses at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust are launching their biggest- ever drive to recruit nurses.

They are hosting a special open day in a campaign to fill more than 180 nursing vacancies. The extra posts follow a review of staffing levels last year.

The review looked at 100 wards across the trust and found there were shortfalls in staffing in a number of areas.

It was decided to allocate £2million to fund extra posts to care for patients – particularly those who are frail and elderly .

Carole Ribbins, director of nursing at Leicester's hospitals, said: "This is very exciting time. This is the first time we have ever tried to recruit such a large number of nurses in one go.

"Anyone who comes along will be able to meet some of our nurses from across a variety of areas and hear why they think it is one of the best places to work in the country.

"There will be tours around both Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield Hospital and nurses will be able to tell visitors about the development and learning opportunities as well as the benefits we offer at Leicester's hospitals."

The trust is looking for nurses to work in a range of departments, including surgery, theatres, the children's hospital, cancer, medicine, renal, haematology, accident and emergency and on wards where patients have heart and breathing problems.

The open day will be held on Saturday, January 26, from 10am to 2pm in the boardroom of the Victoria Building, at Leicester Royal Infirmary and the Clinical Education Centre, Glenfield Hospital.

Those interested can go to either location.

Supporters of a £3 million Lottery bid to help spruce up Charnwood Forest are calling on the public to back the campaign.

A questionnaire has been produced by Leicestershire County Council on behalf of Charnwood Forest Regional Park Steering Group.

It asks people to say what they love most about the forest and what they would like to see improved.

With submissions for the first phase of funding due in May, Councillor Lesley Pendleton, the council's environment spokesman, said public backing was crucial.

She met Peter Tyldesley, manager of Bradgate Park Trust, and its chairman, Councillor David Snartt, in Newtown Linford, to discuss the bid and chat to visitors.

"Charnwood Forest is unique area, not just in the county but the world in terms of its geological significance," she said.

"We want to ensure it continues to be a vibrant place to live and visit.

"There is so much that could be done to enhance and conserve the forest, as well improving on what it has to offer.

"The Heritage Lottery will be looking for bids with significant popular support and with the public's backing we have a greater chance of success."

Projects could include new bridle paths and cycling routes, training in woodland skills, classes on the forest's history and archaeological surveys.

For the questionnaire, call 0116 305 7067 or visit:

www.leics.gov.uk/ charnwood_forest

A man charged with dumping nine black plastic bin-bags full of household refuse in Charnwood Forest has been given a six-months conditional discharge.

Alin Madalin Munteanu (43) of Greenhill Road, Coalville, pleaded guilty at Leicester Magistrates' Court to fly-tipping the bags in Whitcrofts Lane, Ulverscroft, on September 19, 2012. John Cunliffe, for Charnwood Borough Council, said the bags were seen on grass next to a hedgerow and an envelope from Romania was discovered in one of them, containing the Greenhill Road address.

"Other bags contained food wrappers with Eastern European writing on them."

Munteanu was interviewed by the council on October 8 and said he and a cousin had dumped the bags although he was aware it was illegal – the same laws exist in Romania.

Alan Mee, for Munteanu, said he and his wife shared a house with another couple and their rubbish had not been collected for two to three weeks, so the bin-bags had accumulated.

"Ironically, he could have taken them to a waste disposal tip at no cost."

Mr Mee said Munteanu fully admitted his responsibility for the fly-tipping.

The magistrates gave him a conditional discharge for six months and ordered him to pay £412.23 costs.

Fraudsters phoned a pensioner dozens of times pressuring her to buy a voucher in exchange for a £2,000 cheque they claimed she had won.

A persistent woman phoned 69-year-old Jessie Dunkley on her landline and said she knew her bank details, address and even called her on her mobile phone number when she refused to buy the £100 voucher.

Even a stern warning from a police officer, who later answered Mrs Dunkley's phone, did not deter the scam caller, and the pensioner has now changed her phone number.

"I felt very unnerved, with her saying she knew my address and mobile number and bank," said Mrs Dunkley, of Western Park, Leicester.

"People have said it could have been a plan for a burglary, and they wanted me to go out to get this voucher and they would target the house.

"It left me feeling nervous about going out. I had to have people come back into the house with me when I was getting home and checking the house."

The calls started last Friday lunchtime with the caller trying to offer Mrs Dunkley help claim back PPI – which she declined.

"She then phoned back immediately and I picked it up and said again that I was not interested.

"I went back to the bedroom and she rang again. She said 'why do you keep putting the phone down on me when I have good news for you.'

"She said she had a cheque that needs to be delivered between 2pm and 3pm today."

To claim the cheque, she told Mrs Dunkley she needed a £100 U-Kash voucher she could buy from a filling station or a newsagents nearby.

"I put the phone down but I rang my friend who is on Neighbourhood Watch, because this woman would just not give up," Mrs Dunkley.

"She said she had my bank details – she knew what bank I was with and the first four digits on the card."

Mrs Dunkley was even more unnerved when the woman rang her mobile phone.

Brenda Caver, Mrs Dunkley's friend and a member of the Letchworth area Neighbourhood Watch, began taking the calls from the woman.

She said: "They just kept coming so we called the police. They arrived and tried to phone the number the woman had left for herself – she didn't answer. But then she rang the house phone – again – and the policeman answered it."

Mrs Dunkley said: "He told her in no uncertain terms to stop ringing me. But even when he put the phone down and was scribbling in his notepad, she rang again."

Mrs Dunkley warned others not to be taken in by the scam.

"My worry was I had the sense not to give her information, but someone more vulnerable might have given her more details or fallen for the voucher trick," she added.

Leicester City Council Trading Standards team said they had not received any reports of this particular scam.

Trading standards manager Ron Ruddock said: "You should never pay money to collect a prize. Consumers should ask themselves whether they actually entered a competition. In most cases they have not.

"Many scams now ask people to buy money vouchers to make payment.

"These vouchers, like Western Union type transfers, are virtually untraceable and can often be cashed anywhere in the world making it difficult to detect the perpetrators of the fraud."

This was the moment a seismometer at Leicester University registered an earthquake which hit Leicestershire early yesterday morning.

The tremor, which hit the county at about 5.20am, centred two miles north-west of Loughborough and measured 2.9 on the Richter scale.

The British Geological Survey said it was felt within a 18-mile radius, with reports from residents in Anstey, Groby, Syston and Coalville.

Richard England, professor of geophysics at the University of Leicester, said most 'quakes in the UK went unnoticed.

"It's a fairly minor earthquake, but significant enough that people felt it," he said.

"It woke me up in Leicester, but all I felt was something like a train passing.

"I'm not too far from one of the railway lines so I didn't think about an earthquake until I heard it on the radio, much to my embarrassment!"

Mum Lisa Rimmer, of Groby, slept through it, but was told about by her husband.

The 44-year-old said her husband, Des, had woken up and the house was shaking.

Another Mercury reader, from Anstey, e-mailed to say she had felt the quake.

"My husband said I had imagined it, but I heard a loud rumbling sound and the bed and wardrobe shook," she said.

"It was quite frightening."

Another reader said: "I was suddenly woken up by my bed shaking. I thought I was having a heart attack, then I thought my house was going to crumble!''

British Geological Survey seismologist David Galloway said the earthquake had caused buildings to shake, but no serious damage was expected.

"It was a fairly small earthquake in world terms and moderate in UK terms, but it would have been quite alarming for people who have never felt an earthquake before," he said. "A lot of people across Leicester, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire felt it.

"Some were woken from their sleep. We've had reports of houses shaking and windows rattling,"

Mr Galloway said. "Earth is made up of different plates and they're all moving about and crashing into each other, roughly at the rate that fingernails grow. We're in the middle of a plate, not the edge, so we don't get the big earthquakes like they do in places such as Japan and California, but every now and then we'll get a little effort."

Six inches of snow caused traffic chaos yesterday, leaving roads in the city and parts of the county gridlocked.

People tried to get home early before the blizzard jammed major routes, but traffic in the city had almost come to a standstill by 4pm. At one stage it was taking up to two hours to travel half-a- mile, and the problems continued well into the evening.

East Midlands Airport suspended all flights just before 3pm and bus passengers were left stranded as companies First and Arriva decided to stop services from 6pm as many city and county roads became unsafe.

Steve Zanker of First said: "It was not safe to send out vehicles in the conditions."

East Midlands Trains said services to London were delayed by signaling problems caused by snow .

Mohammed Thalukdar's drive to pick up his two teenagers from school took two hours, instead of the usual 12 minutes. Mohammed, 41, of Highfields, Leicester, said: "The dual carriageway in Oadby was thick with snow and cars were sliding. They just couldn't get a grip on the road and it wasn't just on the uphill bits. It was as if they hadn't gritted at all."

Craig Johnson, 39, from Coalville who had a slow commute home from Whetstone, said: "There was a lorry stuck on the approach to the M1 at Fosse Park and traffic was crawling. Then the motorway traffic was only doing 20mph and the A511 was crawling, too."

Last night's kick-off time for the Leicester City v Middlesbrough match was put back after the visitors' team coach got caught up in the chaos in the city and around the King Power Stadium.

City stars also battled to be there on time – defender Liam Moore had to abandon his car a mile from the stadium and walk the rest of the way, midfield star Anthony Knockaert walked from the train station and striker Martyn Waghorn jogged to the ground from Fosse Park.

Police warned motorists to stay off the roads unless their journey was vital.

A spokesman in the force control room said: "It's gridlock out there. Our officers are answering emergency-only calls because we do not want to put them at risk.

"We would warn people to stay off the roads unless they really have to travel."

The force reminded people to only call 999 for real emergencies, and urged people not to call the police to report snowballs being thrown.

The county council's 17 gritters treated key routes across Leicestershire last night and were due to be on the road again today and tomorrow.

Additional quick response teams were deployed to deal with any problem areas, following the snowfall yesterday.

Earlier in the day, more than 40 Leicestershire schools had shut early.

In Hinckley, the Centrebus services halted at 4.30pm, while Arriva reported several roads, including some in Oadby and Lutterworth, that were no longer safe to use even by early afternoon.

Council libraries, leisure centres and recycling sites closed their doors early and waste collections in Leicester, Hinckley and elsewhere were cancelled.

County Hall transport spokesperson Lesley Pendleton said: "We will monitor the situation, including weather forecasts, closely over the next few days to ensure we are as prepared as we can be."

Leicester Mercury weatherman Dave Mutton said: "We haven't had snow this thick for a long time.

"With a frost overnight, it makes it very icy on the roads, too. They're working hard with the gritting lorries on the roads, and we can only advise people to stay indoors with their thermal underwear on and the heating up.

"I expect to see some more snow on Sunday and some more wintry weather well into next week."

For those safe at home yesterday, the snowfall was a source of fun.

Sarah Hill, 22, of Thornton, made a snowman with her boyfriend Ben Smith, 28, who also posed for a photo wearing nothing but a woolly hat and one of Sarah's bikinis.

Sarah said: "It was really cold and there was loads of snow. It started coming down at 10am and just didn't stop. They stopped the buses when the roads got bad.

"But we had good fun and made a proper snowman with a carrot for a nose and everything."

The county council's customer service centre is opening from 8am to noon today , for urgent snow or ice queries.

Residents can call it on 0116 305 0001.

David Nugent fired Leicester City into the automatic promotion spots after a tight clash with promotion rivals Middlesbrough at a snow-bound King Power Stadium last night.

However, City had to rely on a stunning penalty save from Kasper Schmeichel in added time to deny Marvin Emnes and ensure the victory after Jamie Vardy had tripped Rhys Williams inside the penalty area.

Nugent struck in the 70th minute with his 13th goal of the campaign to see off plucky Boro – who started the day on the same number of points as City – and stretch City's winning run to four Championship games.

The only negative from a City point of view was that only 8,585 fans – from more than 20,000 tickets sold – were able to make it to the stadium because of the horrendous wintry weather, which caused havoc around the city and delayed the kick-off by 15 minutes.

It was hardly the most ideal preparation for a game of such importance.

The congestion caused by the snow meant that an hour before the original kick-off time, Middlesbrough had yet to turn up, Nigel Pearson had only nine City players at the stadium and only two of the match officials had arrived.

Several of the City players had to walk or run to the stadium – Martyn Waghorn from Fosse Park, Anthony Knockaert from Leicester station and Liam Moore from his abandoned car.

It looked so bad at one stage that injured defender Sean St Ledger was preparing to play.

The game was delayed until 8pm and Boro eventually arrived at 7pm, and immediately ran out to warm-up on the King Power pitch, which was in immaculate condition.

However, while the key figures on the pitch were present, thousands of fans had not made it.

About 20,000 tickets were pre-sold for the game, but the terrible road conditions away from the ground had understandably put the majority off attending.

The debate will rage as to whether the game should have been called off and, regardless of the result, in hindsight it should have been to give more fans the chance to see such a vital clash.

There will be plenty who feel aggrieved, although the victory may go some way to placating them.

Despite the conditions and the build-up, both sides served up an enthralling encounter and Boro certainly had their moments, but it was City who had the better chances and were unlucky on three occasions – Anthony Knockaert and Michael Keane struck the crossbar in the first half and Chris Wood was denied his seventh goal in four games when his header struck the post at the start of the second.

Nugent had the ball in the net on two more occasions, both being ruled out for offside, but his superb hooked first-time shot into the bottom corner from Wood's flick was a fitting winner.

An angry man held a knife at his ex-partner's chest and threatened to kill her during a violent attack on her birthday, a court heard.

The mother-of-three's frightened children heard and saw part of the incident, as she was punched in the face, dragged by her hair and badly bitten on the lip.

The two eldest children, aged 13 and seven, fled the house with their mother when she eventually escaped to a neighbour's home, seeking help.

She suffered a swollen face and needed three stitches to her bitten lip, which left a scar as a "constant reminder".

Shane Upton (35) was jailed for 16 months on Friday.

He admitted causing actual bodily harm on September 11 last year.

Leicester Crown Court was told Upton and the victim's five-year relationship ended in 2010. They had a two-year-old child together.

Upton visited his ex-partner's home off Welford Road, Leicester, to give her a birthday card and present. He was said to have taken umbrage because the victim's 13-year-old daughter was allowed to watch Chicken Run on television, instead of something he wanted to see.

He went off in a huff, but then rang his ex-partner and threatened to return to "sort it out" at 6.30pm. He arrived at 7.40pm and began shouting at the 13-year-old.

When his 33-year-old ex-partner told him to leave the house, he assaulted her.

Alan Murphy, prosecuting, said: "He pushed her against a wall. She managed to get free and went into the kitchen. He pushed her over the sink and picked up a kitchen knife and held it towards her chest.

"He said, I'm going to kill you.

"He didn't touch her with the knife but she feared she would be killed. When she said, 'if you're going to kill me, then kill me,' he slammed the knife down and threw her across the kitchen before biting the left side of her top lip.

"She hit him with a bin lid and he hit her in the face, and when she tried to escape he grabbed her by her hair, pulling her back into the house. He punched her in the mouth."

The woman escaped, followed by the two older children.

Before leaving the scene, Upton handed his two-year-old into the care of a neighbour.

The next morning, he called his ex-girlfriend and said: "You're getting it now. Social Services are coming for you."

He was arrested soon afterwards but could not remember much in interview about his actions, although he remembered she hit him.

Upton, of Saffron Lane, Leicester, also admitted witness intimidation, in the phone call the next day.

Jonathan Longman, mitigating, said Upton was seeking to get help to control his temper.

He said: "The children saw some of that incident, which he regrets."

Recorder Sue Carr QC said: "It's difficult to estimate the impact on those children.This was violence on a mother in front of her children, in her own home."

A restraining order was made, banning Upton from contacting the victim or her family, apart from through solicitor's in relation to their child.

Leicester Tigers suffer a late blow as England centre Manu Tuilagi drops out with an ankle injury to be replaced by Matt Smith.

But Richard Cockerill has brought out all his other big guns for their do–or-die clash with Toulouse at Welford Road.

4 min A great break from Adam Thompstone sees him offload to Niall Morris, who dives over the line in the right corner. The whole of Welford Road think it's the first try of the game but, after a TMO decision, Tigers are adjudged to have knocked it on.

5 min: PENALTY (3-0) From the resulting scrum, the strong Tigers pack win a penalty and Toby Flood has the chance to put his side ahead from 5m in from the right-hand touchline. The England fly-half makes no mistake.

11 min: Toulouse counter wonderfully after Clemont Poitrenaud takes a high ball. The visitors are awarded a penalty on the left touchline but Lionel Beauxis' strike is well wide of the posts.

14 min: The fly-half has another chance for three points as Toulouse are awarded a penalty in the same spot. Beauxis takes no time over his kick but it hits the posts and bounces out.

15 min: Steve Mafi pulls up while chasing down a kick. That's the end of the Tongan's game as he is helped off to be replaced by Jordan Crane.

17 min: Is it third time lucky for Toulouse as they get another penalty? It's Luke McAlister who takes it this time but, again, the kick hits the post and bounces wide. Tigers are somehow still in the lead.

31 min: PENALTY (6-0) Tigers are awarded a penalty at the breakdown and Flood has another chance to put Tigers six points clear straight in front of the posts. No mistake this time.

35 min: Toulouse make a quick break off the back of a scrum inside the Tigers 22. Louis Picamoles charges over the line under a mound of bodies and referee Richard Clancy has to go upstairs. After an agonisingly long wait, the try is not given. Great defence from Tigers.

38 min: PENALTY (9-0) Tigers are awarded a penalty just inside their own half after Parling is pulled down in the lineout. After a bit of off-the-ball 'afters', Flood strikes at goal and watches on as it sails over the posts. That could be a very important score on the stroke of half-time.

H-T: Tigers 9 Toulouse 0

41 min: Tigers under early pressure, which leads to Beauxis attempting a drop-goal. His attempt is wide of the posts.

48 min: TRY (9-5) A majestic cross-field kick from McAlister is fumbled by Smith. He claims it at the second attempt but is tackled and the ball runs free. Yoann Huget is there to pounce and dives over the line. Beauxis' bad day continues as he pulls his kick left of the posts.

60 min: Toulouse showing their class at the breakdown as they force Tigers to concede a penalty inside their own 22. McAlister lines up the kick this time but his radar is off. Tigers are holding on for dear life.

66 min: The Welford Road crowd is getting increasingly nervous as Tigers are bombarded with pressure.

67 min: The whole of Welford Road cheer as they think that a Toulouse player is heading to the sin bin only to gasp in horror as it is Flood that is sent to the sidelines for an alleged deliberate knock-on. This could well be the game-changing moment.

75 min: Tigers are hanging in there and win a penalty on the halfway line and George Ford finds touch. Welford Road is shaking as Tigers are just five minutes away from the quarter-finals.

77min: Toulouse get a penalty on the halfway line and Beauxis, who has had a woeful game, finds touch brilliantly right in the corner. Flood returns to the field.

80 min: Toulouse knock the ball on and there is only just time to have the scrum. Welford Road erupts as the final whistle goes. Tigers are through to the quarter-finals.

F-T: Tigers 9 Toulouse 5

Cases dealt with at Leicester Magistrates' Court include:

Jacqueline Proudman, (42) of Barnwell Avenue, Belgrave, Leicester, admitted drink-driving on September 10. A measurement showed she had 88 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrammes. She was fined £160, told to pay £85 court costs and was banned from driving for 12 months.

Theo Badu, (22) of Garth Avenue, Mowmacre Hill, Leicester, admitted driving while disqualified and driving without insurance on November 22. He was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work, pay court costs of £85 and was disqualified from driving for a further 12 months.

Kenneth Crewe, (67) of Blackbird Road, Stadium Estate, Leicester, admitted producing cannabis on October 17. He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £40 court costs.

Richard Henderson, (46) of Loughborough Road, Belgrave, admitted stealing meat from Sainsbury's in Western Boulevard, Leicester, on November 22. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £24 compensation to the store.

Nikki Hewerdine, (26) of Dunton Street, Woodgate, Leicester, admitted possessing a stolen camera on November 21. She was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £40 court costs.

Sade Ibrahim, (19) of Kestrel Lane, Hamilton, Leicester, admitted taking a car with- out the owner's permission, driving without insurance and driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence on November 21. He was fined £100, ordered to pay £40 court costs and had six points put in his licence.

Darren Hurst, (37), of Pinder Road, New Parks, Leicester, pleaded guilty to committing criminal damage by wrecking furniture to a value unknown belonging to Leicester City Council, at the Dawn Centre homeless hostel in Conduit Street, in Highfields, Leicester, on November 24, last year. He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £150 compensation.

Council officials have told tower block tenants to remove doormats from outside their homes – because they are a health and safety hazard.

People in flats on the St Peter's estate, in Leicester, said they were bemused when a city council official knocked on their doors and issued the warning.

The official also pointed out that tenants should not leave other obstacles such as bicycles, pushchairs or mobility scooters in corridors.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has backed the decision to issue the advice.

However, St Peter's Neighbourhood Monitoring, a community group which uses its own cameras to film litterbugs and other forms of antisocial behaviour, has criticised the authority.

Albert Berer, a resident and a member of the group, said: "I had a knock on my door and it was an official from the council, carrying a clipboard.

"He told me I could not have a doormat outside my home because I might trip on it on my way out if there was a fire.

"I thought he was going to say then, 'it's all right, I'm only joking!', but it became clear that he was serious.

"It struck me as totally unnecessary, jobsworthiness. What can possibly be wrong with having a doormat outside your house? It is not a safety hazard.

"I think too many councils have a misguided grasp on health and safety. They are paranoid and make these decisions based on the fear of facing litigation."

He and other tenants have now taken their mats in.

But Mr Berer urged the city council to turn its attention instead to people who park illegally in the area, blocking access to the estate for the emergency services.

"That is the real fire safety issue here and that is what the council should be looking at," he said.

"If there was a fire here there is a good chance the emergency services wouldn't be able to get to us."

A city council spokeswoman said: "For the safety of all our tenants, we inspect our tower blocks once a week.

"We work closely with the fire service to make sure our buildings can be evacuated safely in the event of an emergency – and that means ensuring that communal areas are kept clear of trip hazards and combustible materials.

"Therefore, doormats should not be placed on the communal walkways outside flats.

"Our staff will also remind tenants that keeping buggies, bicycles or other items in communal areas is not allowed.

"We understand that tenants want to keep their flats clean, but we also need to keep our tenants safe.

"A doormat placed inside their front door will help keep their properties clean – and ensure that communal areas and evacuation routes are kept free from trip hazards."

Ian Lockyer, of the fire service, said: "If an area needs to be evacuated it is crucial that staircases and hallways are clear of all obstacles, including doormats.

"The city council is quite right in what it is saying. There should be nothing of a combustible nature or a trip hazard in these areas."

As the final whistle blew at Welford Road yesterday, the meeting between arguably England's best two fly-halves was confirmed.

Leicester Tigers' 9-5 victory over French champions Toulouse secured a Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Toulon – who have one Jonny Wilkinson among their ranks.

These two will be no strangers to one another either, having played together at Newcastle for four years and spent years sparring for the same England shirt.

Flood kicked all nine of Tigers' points yesterday as they qualified for the knock-out stage of the competition for the first time in two years.

And the current England fly-half is relishing the prospect of meeting his former mentor.

"It's massive isn't it? It's the glitterati of world rugby," said Flood. "They've got some sensational players, and they've been playing really well this year.

"They are top of their league (the Top 14), which is no mean feat after seeing what Toulouse can produce today. So, it's exciting for us.

"We'll go away, we've got time to put it to rest, and then we'll come back in the next couple of weeks and attack it really hard."

Flood also acknowledged the effect Wilkinson had on his game.

"When I went through there, you'd end up punting and kicking at goal together and have conversations about those sort of things and, obviously, with the development of international stuff, he was a huge benefit to my game.

"It was the same as it is here. I do a lot of work with George (Ford) because us two No.10s do a lot of kicking together. It's normally in the same schedule and it was the same at Newcastle."

Flood gave his side a 9-0 lead on the stroke of half-time when Tigers were awarded a penalty inside their own half and the fly-half watched on as his kick sailed over the posts.

"I realised it was massive for us and had a big implication on the game," said Flood. "Deacs (Tigers captain Louis Deacon) kept asking me 'Are you sure?...Are you really sure?' So I thought, well, I had better kick it then.

"That nine points, two scores, is a big thing in these kind of games." Yesterday was not a day for the faint-hearted as the snow and the swirling wind made the contest very scrappy.

"I'm not going to whinge – it wasn't ideal," said Flood. "It wasn't the crisp, clean day with still air. It was a bit stodgy and, with the breakdown being slow, Toulouse were able to put a lot of pressure on anyone catching the ball.

"But it was just an attritional day. It was one of those days where you just have to dog it out, hang on in there, and do as much and as best you can for those guys around you."

An epic occasion. Soaked in drama and drenched in snow. Leicester Tigers are in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

Tigers showed all the attributes that the club's proud heritage has been built on.

They gritted their teeth, rolled their sleeves up and simply out-fought a club that reportedly spends £14million on wages, compared to Leicester's £4.5m.

It was not a day for finesse as morning snow picked up in intensity during the game making handling a lottery.

It was, however, a day for Leicester's dogs-of-war and the likes of Geoff Parling, Julian Salvi and man-of-the-match Louis Deacon were rabid.

Tigers will travel to the south of France, in April, for a quarter-final against a Toulon side whose wage bill makes Toulouse's look like a child's pocket money.

Before then, Leicester can bask in the glory of their biggest win at Welford Road since beating Stade Francais in a quarter-final thriller, in 2007.

It began well in the first half after the frost protector had been lifted from the surface.

Toby Flood kicked the hosts ahead in the sixth minute after the strong start they needed.

Toulouse fought back in style as their famed off-loading game hit top form, even in the atrocious conditions.

Crucially through, Luke McAlister and the truly dreadful Lionel Beauxis missed three penalties in a six-minute spell.

Flood missed one of his own on 27 minutes and Niall Morris missed two try-scoring chances as he dropped the ball diving over the line before knocking-on in midfield with the try-line begging. Flood made it 6-0 on 31 minutes though and then landed a third penalty from inside his own half just before the break to give Tigers a 9-0 lead.

That seemed huge in the arctic conditions but Toulouse flew out of the blocks in the second half.

A wonderful up-and-under from McAlister put Mathew Tait and Morris in trouble near their own line and when the ball bobbled free, winger Yoann Huget dived on it over the line for a try on 49 minutes.

It was no surprise that Beauxis missed the conversion but momentum had changed.

With some excellent kicking from McAlister and livewire scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain, Tigers' back three of Adam Thompstone, Morris and Tait were given a torrid time.

Toulouse also threw bodies into the breakdown and Tigers were pinged repeatedly, but the Frenchmen's profligacy with the boot continued to kill them.

Beauxis and McAlister ended up missing five from five and it quite simply cost them the game.

The closing stages were almost unbearable as the home crowd whipped themselves up into a nerve-ridden frenzy. The noise in the final seconds was truly deafening.

When Flood was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on with 12 minutes to go and Toulouse enjoyed a succession of five-metre lineouts, it looked as though their pressure would finally tell.

But Leicester dug in. Great defence in the middle of the park forced a turnover, then Tigers remained calm and organised to continually thwart Toulouse's driving mauls – as they had done wonderfully all afternoon.

As Flood ran back on with two minutes to go, Parling rose superbly to disrupt another five-metre lineout, Leicester dived on the bouncing ball and Ben Youngs cleared.

The end came as a messy scrum was whistled dead and 24,015 people went into orbit.

Bizarrely, Toulouse ran off without shaking hands or clapping off the winning team.

"That was strange and not really in the spirit of rugby," said Tigers' flanker Salvi afterwards. "Still, they are in the Amlin Cup and we are in the quarter-finals, so who cares?"

With Toulouse back in the changing room, Leicester left the field with a warm glow and the adulation of their supporters ringing in their ears.

It was a day to remember.

Motorists trapped in the Haymarket car park because the steep exit ramp had not been gritted decided to do it themselves.

Seven members of the public got shovels from cleaning staff at the centre and used them to clear the snow and distribute grit from a bin near the ramp.

They acted after being told they might have to leave their vehicles at the city council-run car park overnight on Friday – and pay the extra charges.

A spokesman for the council said it had been aware of the problem, but its gritters had been caught up in the gridlock which brought the city to a grinding halt.

Janet Ellson, 74, of the Scraptoft Lane area of Leicester, was among those trapped, along with her son, Colin, who helped clear the snow and spread the grit.

She said: "When we got there at 3.50pm we were told it was too dangerous to drive down the ramp.

"A security guard said he had called the city council, but no-one arrived. He said we could leave the vehicles overnight, but would have to pay the extra charges!"

A spokesman for the council said: "We had all of our gritting teams out on Friday treating about 283 kilometres of roads. We did get a call to go to the Haymarket, but the team were caught up in the congestion and did not make it until after the drivers had gone."

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson praised the professionalism of his players after they overcame chaotic preparations to beat Middlesbrough and move into the top two.

Some of Pearson's squad were trapped in the horrendous traffic around Leicester, caused by the wintry weather, and had to abandon their cars and run to the stadium.

Winger Anthony Knockaert ran from Leicester rail station to make the kick-off, which was put back by 15 minutes as the Middlesbrough team coach was trapped in traffic on Narborough Road for two hours.

An hour before kick-off, Pearson only had nine first-team players at the stadium.

City overcame the disruption to beat promotion rivals Boro, courtesy of a stunning David Nugent strike in the second half and a last-minute penalty save by Kasper Schmeichel.

"I was a little bit worried that they could have their full complement of players here before us," said Pearson.

"A lot of our players and staff found it difficult to get here. Some of our lads ditched their cars and ran.

"We do pride ourselves in getting our preparation right but sometimes there is not a lot you can do when it takes you three or four hours to travel five or six miles.

"It wasn't ideal but both sides performed in a way which is a credit to the division.

"There isn't a lot you can do in situations like this. It is just a matter of going out there and performing as best you can.

"Having said that, I thought it was a pretty good game."

The weather meant only 8,585 fans made it to the game, City's lowest attendance since 8,444 attended the 3-0 win over Brighton at Filbert Street, in 1991.

Pearson hoped City's win, which was televised live, was of some consolation to those fans.

"A lot of fans couldn't make it but, hopefully, we have put on a good display if they stayed at home and watched it," he said.

"Our ground staff worked exceptionally hard to get the game on and I don't think it was ever going to be the pitch conditions which have put the game in doubt. It was going to be the surrounding areas"