Alex Duval Smith

Jun 29, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Alex Duval Smith

Two people have been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a fire in Derbyshire. Police said officers were called to a property in Hallam Court, Ilkeston, at about 17:45 BST on Saturday. The pair were taken to hospital following the blaze. A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said, external no further details were available at this stage. Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, external, on X, external, or on Instagram, external.

May 18, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Dan Whitworth |Alex Duval Smith

Unpaid carers must repay more than £250 million after many were unknowingly overpaid their allowance, new figures show. The government is seeking to recover money from more than 134,000 carers. Carer's Allowance must be repaid in full if a strict earnings limit is exceeded by even a few pence. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it was "progressing an enhanced notification strategy" to alert carers to overpayments.

Mar 27, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Alex Duval Smith

Two men in their 20s died when the car they were travelling in crashed into a lorry parked in a lay-by in Leicestershire. Police were called to a stretch of the A5, near the junction with the B4114, near Hinckley, at 20:20 GMT on Tuesday. Officers were told a grey Audi S4 had crashed into the lorry, with the men pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the lorry was not injured, a Leicestershire Police spokesperson added.

Mar 18, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Alex Duval Smith

Banksy appears to have confirmed that he is behind a new artwork that appeared in north London on Sunday. The street artist uploaded before and after pictures of the Finsbury Park mural to Instagram on Monday. It shows green paint sprayed on a wall behind a cut-back tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose next to it. Crowds have gathered to see the mural, with one local saying they were "proud" their street had been chosen.

Mar 1, 2024 | bbc.com | Alex Duval Smith

Image source, Leicestershire PoliceImage caption, Two-year-old Xielo Maruziva has been missing since he fell into the River Soar on 18 FebruaryMore than 200 officers have been involved in the ongoing search for a two-year-old boy who fell into a river in Leicester, police have said. Xielo Maruziva fell into the River Soar, in the Aylestone area, at about 17:00 GMT on 18 February. Despite specialist teams, divers and other organisations joining the search, Xielo has not yet been found.