The offences were uncovered as part of Operation Hind to tackle the illegal tobacco trade across the county The seventh and eighth prosecutions in a countywide crackdown on illegal tobacco products have been secured by Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards. Kinga Piotrowska and Mahdy Hussein Fatah, who both worked at International Supermarket at 52 Sparrow Hill, Loughborough, separately pleaded guilty to offences relating to the sale of counterfeit and smuggled ciga

As thousands of students prepare to start or return to university this autumn, fraudsters and cyber criminals will be looking for opportunities to exploit the excitement and uncertainty that often comes with a new term. Moving to a new city, arranging accommodation, managing finances and building new social networks can create opportunities for criminals to target students. Whether you're a student, parent, guardian, friend or family member, understanding the risks can help p

Blood pressure monitors can be borrowed by adults for free under a new council initiative launched in libraries across Leicester. The city council has made 100 devices available for loan across all city libraries, and members can borrow them free of charge for up to three weeks at a time. It is estimated up to 24,000 people living in Leicester could have high blood pressure and not know it. Around one in three adults in England are affected by the condition. High blood pressu

Leicester and Leicestershire are gearing up for a blockbuster autumn of events, with major exhibitions, spectacular cultural celebrations, fright-filled Halloween attractions, fantastic food and dazzling firework displays giving visitors plenty of reasons to get out and explore the city and county over the coming weeks. Black History Month events There are events running throughout the month, from a classical concert using only black composers, a rare show from the iconic Len

The proposed closure of New Parks Leisure Centre We at Leicester Media have received the following email from Leicester Penguins Swim Club asking for local support. Please can you help share our story on how the closure of New Parks Leisure Centre will massively impact our club and swimmers. Firstly, as a club that uses the pool for 6 hours a week, we were not informed of the proposed closure until yesterday after the consultation went live and posters were put on the front

Leicester’s Open Streets festival is returning to the city centre with a special heritage-themed event. Taking place around the Clock Tower on Sunday 27 September, this ‘heritage edition’ of the popular mini-festival will celebrate walking and cycling as a great way to visit the city centre and explore Leicester’s culture, stories and landmarks. The free event will include heritage craft workshops, live traditional blacksmithing demonstrations, and a Hidden Histories guided t

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault in Leicester city centre. The incident happened at around 2am on Saturday 12 September on High Street between Shires Lane and Carts Lane. During the incident, the victim – a man in his 30’s - sustained a broken nose, broken eye socket and broken cheekbone after being assaulted by a group of people. Two people – a man aged 21 and a woman aged 20 - have been arrested on suspicion of assault and released on police bail pen

A drug dealer arrested as part of a proactive operation has been sentenced to more than four years in prison. Samuel Omubo Dede was arrested on the morning of 30 March this year, at his home address in Limetree Grove, Loughborough. The 32-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. At the address officers found a significant amount of cocaine and associated drug paraphernalia. Searches of the property found drugs in the defendants’ co

Designs for a new walkway that would link Leicester’s Green Dragon Square with St Martin’s Square, and complete the route from Town Hall Square, have been revealed by the city council. The landscaped link would also provide a substantial new, green, open space in the city centre, which would include new trees to provide shade, bee-friendly shrubs, sensory planting and grassed areas. Children’s adventure play equipment made of natural materials would be a key feature of the n

Get free support to quit for good. Smokers across Leicestershire are being encouraged to take part in this year's national Stoptober campaign and take the first step towards a healthier, smoke-free future. People who stop smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good, making Stoptober the perfect opportunity to break the habit with support from QuitReady, Leicestershire County Council's free stop smoking service. Over 14,000 people have successfully quit s

People in Leicester are being invited to have their say on proposals that would shape the the next phase of investment in Leicester City Council's leisure centres. The council has launched a six-week public consultation on proposals for Leicester Leys Leisure Centre and New Parks Leisure Centre. The proposals include an £8million investment in Leicester Leys Leisure Centre, with the aim of transforming it into a modern leisure, learning and well being facility. The plans incl

Films by two Leicester filmmakers will be among 19 to be screened at the Recovery Street Film Festival, a free event which takes place at the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre this Saturday (26 September). It’s the first time Leicester will host the national festival, the only one of its kind dedicated to short films made by people affected by substance use. The festival is being brought to the city by Sobriety Films, a social enterprise that uses film to raise awareness of reco

Ten community champions have been recruited from dozens of applications to help explore and celebrate Leicester’s diverse heritage. The champions have been selected through the city's Inclusive Heritage project as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund's Heritage Places programme. The project aims to give a voice to Leicester’s diverse communities and ensure that more people feel involved in, and represented by, local cultural and heritage activity. Working with the city

People are being invited to have their say about proposals for a new permit parking scheme in part of Leicester. Leicester City Council has drawn up a scheme that would cover eight streets in the St Peters area. It follows complaints from residents and local councillors about the number of commuter and business vehicles using on-street parking in residential streets for free all-day parking. Under the proposal, households will be required to pay £35 a year for each vehicle to

A Mob of giant monsters is set to return to Leicester city centre next month, just in time for half-term and Halloween. From 22–31 October, the eight playful monsters will appear on city rooftops, at windows and around corners, popping up in unexpected places to surprise unsuspecting visitors. Following the event’s debut in 2023, which attracted more than 80,000 visitors, The Return of Leicester Monsters will introduce families to a colourful cast of larger-than-life characte

Join Fosse Park on Thursday 15th October for a free one-day Recruitment Event, with doors opening at 10am and last entry at 2pm. Local candidates looking to reach their full potential and find their next opportunity will have the opportunity to connect with a variety of brands at the shopping destination, including Marks and Spencer, Boots, TK Maxx and Primark. Taking place in Unit 10/11 (between Sports Direct and Nike), the day will have a mix of one-to-one ‘speed inte

Witnesses are being asked to come forward after police were called to a report of disorder at an under-18s football match in Coalville. Officers were deployed to Owen Street just before 4pm yesterday (Sunday 20 September) after it was reported there had been altercations involving around 30 people at the game between Coalville Town and Syston Town. No-one involved suffered serious injuries and enquiries are ongoing. PC Katie Dawson, the investigating officer, said: “Our enqui

“A force of nature and the epitome of love and strength” The family of a woman killed in a collision while travelling home in a taxi have spoken of the enormous void her death has left in their lives and described her as a “force of nature” who “knew how to do life well”. On Saturday 16 September 2023, Donna Brighton had spent the day celebrating her 60th birthday with friends in Birmingham. She was making her way home from the train station when the taxi she was travelling i

“I haven’t really slept since the incident happened. I constantly wake up during the night because I am always thinking about what has happened to me. I am anxious and I haven’t processed what’s happened.” These are the words of a victim whose face was left disfigured after he was attacked with a power tool. In March this year the victim was attending an event in Runcorn Road in Leicester when he was involved in an argument with 26-year-old Deen Garratt. Garratt threatened th

Police are investigating a burglary after a car was reversed into the shutters of a store in Saffron Lane, Leicester. As part of enquiries, police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information about the incident. Police were called to the scene shortly before 3.15am yesterday (Sunday 20 September). A red Ford Fiesta had been used to gain entry to the shop and had been left at the scene. From enquires carried out, it is believed three men ente