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23 hours ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
A busy Leicester street is set to get two more adult gaming centres in spite of concerns it could promote "all day" gambling. One of the new centres will be set up in the former Ginns and Gutteridge Funeral Directors premises, in Narborough Road. The second will take over two former hairdressing stores – Aquarian and Mystique. Planning permission for both has now been granted by officials on Leicester City Council.
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1 day ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
A newly elected Leicestershire councillor was fired from his previous job with Leicestershire Police. Andrew Hamilton-Gray, one of the new county councillors for Loughborough, was sacked by the force in January 2024 following a misconduct hearing. The then PC was found by Leicestershire Police to have lied about being ill in order to travel to Barcelona after not being granted the time off due to a ban on leave in the run-up to the King's coronation, hearing documents state.
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1 day ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
Staff at Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) are “working around the clock” to keep patients fed after a major fire. An electrical fault in the hospital’s chilled food storage area was responsible for the blaze on Saturday night, officials said yesterday (Tuesday, May 13). At the height of the incident, 10 fire engines were in attendance, with crews remaining on scene until Sunday afternoon (May 11).
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2 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
A Leicestershire primary school could be getting a huge expansion to meet growing pupil numbers. Hallam Fields Primary School, in Birstall, is expected to have a deficit of more than 100 student places by January 2026. That gap is predicted to grow to more than 200 places by 2028 if nothing is done. The school, which sits next to the 900-home Hallam Fields housing development, needs to effectively double in size to meet need, planning documents submitted by Leicestershire County Council reveal.
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2 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
Plans to build flats on a city pub car park have been rejected for a second time. The proposal would have seen a block of five apartments constructed next to Addies Bar, in Leicester’s Courtenay Road. An earlier attempt for six homes there was refused by planning officers at Leicester City Council in January last year.
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3 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
Reform UK has chosen its new leader for Leicestershire. The party became the biggest group on Leicestershire County Council at the local elections on Thursday, May 1, securing 25 of the authority’s 55 seats. Its victory meant the end of more than two decades of continuous Conservative leadership in the county. However, the group did not secure enough seats to take overall control of the council.
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3 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
A vacant Leicester care home which has been branded a “magnet for anti-social behaviour” is set to be brought back into use. Brookside Court has “suffered significant vandalism and break-ins” since it closed in 2016, a planning application submitted to Leicester City Council in December stated. Despite being taken over and secured by care provider Omnia in late 2022, the empty building was still being “frequently targeted” and police were “regularly” called to attend it, documents added.
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3 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
Residents fear crime, litter and parking issues will increase if a new shop gains an alcohol licence. La George, in Leicester’s Narborough Road, is seeking permission from Leicester City Council to stay open until 11pm every night, and to also sell alcohol until that time. A number of residents have objected to the licensing request, though no concerns have been raised publicly by Leicestershire Police or council officers.
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4 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
A Leicester bar is seeking to extend its opening hours, prompting concerns over crime and noise in the area. The Alino African Bar and Restaurant, in Narborough Road, wants to stay open and serve drinks until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights – two hours later than its current licence allows. Leicestershire Police and Leicester City Council’s noise and licensing teams have all raised concerns over the proposal, saying they believe it could increase issues in the area.
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4 days ago | 
leicestermercury.co.uk | Hannah Richardson
Omissions in an off-licence application has prompted concerns from police that customers could stay and drink in the back of the shop. Leicestershire Police has said the late-night booze sales bid from Ranya only covers half of the Braunstone Gate premises for which it is intended.
