Leicestershire Police have updated the recent statement issued earlier today The ongoing investigation into a fire at Thurmaston Shopping Centre has led to the arrest of three teenage boys. Police were called to the shopping centre in Barkby Thorpe Lane just after 4.15am on Saturday 20 June following a report of a fire. Officers attended alongside colleagues from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. No one was injured in the incident. During the past few days, the fire ser

New figures have revealed that the economic impact of the tourism sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is worth £2.676 billion, despite a challenging environment for these businesses. This figure relates to activity in 2025 and is up by 4.62% on the 2024 figure of £2.558 billion. Over 32.5 million people visited the city and county in 2025, this is an increase of 1.65% on the previous year’s figure of 32.04 million, which was 2.4% up on 2023. Of these numbers, the county

A consultation on a new strategy setting out how travel choices could be improved across Leicestershire is still open for views. Leicestershire County Council’s Enabling Travel Choices Strategy is a long‑term plan looking at how people get to work, school, shops and essential services. Residents, businesses and parish councils are encouraged to take part in the consultation to tell the county council how people travel, the barriers to travelling and what would make the bigges

The Armed Forces Day flag was raised by David Gibbs, who served in the Army as a Royal Military Police officer for 22 years The Armed Forces Day flag is flying proudly at County Hall following a ceremony held on Monday to show support for all our service personnel ahead of the national Armed Forces Day on Saturday. Armed Forces Day honours the huge contribution made by current and former members of the armed forces, their families, reservists and adult cadet volunteers, and i

Detectives investigating an arson at Loughborough Town Hall last month are appealing for information from the audience members who were evacuated. The fire service and police were called to a report a fire around 7.30pm on Wednesday 20 May, moments before the start of a performance of That’ll Be The Day. As part of ongoing enquiries, detectives investigating the incident are particularly keen to speak to any men who exited the toilets shortly before the alarm sounded. DC Jaso

In October 2023 a 20-year-old man was subjected to a serious sexual assault in a city park. Today (Wednesday 24 June) the perpetrator was convicted of one count of rape. During the afternoon of 9 October, the victim was sitting on a bench in Abbey Park when he was approached by 43-year-old Islamuddin Talash. The pair briefly spoke about bicycles, with Talash telling the victim he had one that he was willing to give him. Talash then suggested they went to his flat so the victi

The ongoing investigation into a fire at Thurmaston Shopping Centre has led to the arrest of three teenage boys. Police were called to the shopping centre in Barkby Thorpe Lane just after 4.15am on Saturday 20 June following a report of a fire. Officers attended alongside colleagues from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. No one was injured in the incident. During the past few days, the fire service has been working to establish the cause of the fire and this remains ong

A partnership between local councils and universities that threw open the doors of three university libraries has driven hundreds of new memberships. New figures reveal that thousands of local residents have visited libraries at De Montfort University (DMU), the University of Leicester and Loughborough University since February 2025, when local people became able to join the university libraries for free. The initiative has transformed access to academic library resources for

Emergency services are currently in attendance on Abbey Park Road here in the city. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue service and East Midlands Ambulance service are at the scene. This road traffic collision involves 2 cars, we have no details on any injuries at this time. Abbey Park Road between Wolsey Island Way and the Belgrave roundabout is currently closed both ways. The main entrance for Abbey Park is within the area of the Police cordon and has been taped off. Please find

A dedicated public spaces team is taking to the streets as part of the city council’s ongoing bid to tackle antisocial behaviour across Leicester. The new team will initially focus on the city centre, supporting the enforcement of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that was introduced last year to crack down on nuisance behaviour. Wearing distinctive blue protective vests, with their role clearly displayed on the back of their jackets, the six officers will have delega

Two people have been charged as part of a police investigation into firearm discharges in Leicester. The investigation remains ongoing in relation to offences which occurred on Tuesday 2 June in Cort Crescent, Braunstone, and two incidents on Tuesday 9 June in Brascote Lane, Newbold Verdon and Station Road, Glenfield. In all three incidents, damage was caused to the front of the properties – consistent with a firearm having been discharged. A car was also damaged in Newbold V

Back in early April this year, a car accidentally drove into a restaurant on Bell Street in Wigston. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries, apart from severe damage to the shop front and interior, causing the business to close for 10 weeks. The owner, May Chan, is pleased to announce the reopening of the restaurant tomorrow, Tuesday, 23rd June, at 12 noon, and would love to see old and new customers walking through the new front door to experience the menu, adding, 'we d

Governors' decision made with support for parents on offer. Leicestershire County Council is supporting parents to find alternative primary places for their children after Diseworth Church of England Primary School announced its intention to close. Governors voted to close the school from the end of this academic year following the loss of staff, leaving it without any teachers and support staff for the start of the next school year. The primary school was expected to have 35

Multiple Fire crews are responding to a car transporter fire on the M1 motorway north of the Catthorpe Interchange (J19). M1 JUCTIONS 19 - 20 CLOSED Credit - LFRS Seven cars are ablaze, as well as the transporter. There are no casualties. There are six fire engines currently at the scene, plus two water carriers. Colleagues from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Services are assisting. The northbound carriageway of the M1 is closed in this ar

A Red Heat-Health Alert has been issued across the Midlands and southern England until 25 June. This is the highest level of alert and indicates a risk to everyone's health, not just vulnerable groups. Northern England is under an Amber alert. For further information, visit the data dashboard: Alerts are in place from 1am on Wednesday 24 June until 11pm on Thursday 25 June https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/weather-health-alerts/heat?type=heat

A fire which destroyed multiple units at Thurmaston Shopping Centre is believed to have been started deliberately, police have said. A spokesperson from Leicestershire Police said: "Police were called to the Thurmaston shopping centre just after 4.15am on Saturday (June 20) following a report of a fire. Officers attended alongside colleagues from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. "The fire is believed to have been started deliberately and enquiries are continuing. We wo

Demolition started over the weekend to make the site safe. The cause of the fire is not known at this time. The latest from the Fire service is that this incident has now been handed over to Leicestershire Police for investigation. Fire Service received multiple calls at 4am on Saturday morning to reports of a large fire at Thurmaston Shopping Centre affecting several units. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue service deployed 8 fire engines, 2 Aerial appliances and over 40 firefi

Rail passengers planning to travel through Bedford next week are being warned by the rail industry to expect disruption to train services until the end of next week (28 June) and to only travel on this route if their journey is essential. Following an incident on Friday (19 June) involving a collision between two East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains in the Bedford area, in which an EMR driver sadly died and many passengers were injured, the railway is expected to remain closed

The train driver who sadly passed away in the collision near Bedford on Friday, 19 June, has been named as 60-year-old Shaun Burton. Mr Burton was at the controls of an East Midlands Railway service travelling from Corby to London when it struck the rear of another train heading from Nottingham to London. In a statement, his family said they were “devastated by his loss” and extended their sympathies to all those affected by the crash. "We are devastated by his loss. Our thou

East Midlands Ambulance Service releases statement as emergency services pull out from Pride events across the UK Firefighters, police officers, and ambulance service personnel will not be taking part in Pride marches in certain areas of the country East Midlands Ambulance Service says its staff will be permitted to join Pride marches - amid an ongoing debate which has seen emergency services elsewhere in the country withdraw their support. Whilst emergency services in these