Hinckley Times

Hinckley bids to be the UK’s first ‘town of culture’

HINCKLEY is one of four towns in the county bidding to become the UK’s first Town of Culture and win a £3 million prize fund. The towns of Coalville, Ashby and Melton Mowbray have also said they will enter the 2028 competition, which aims to boost...

Woman stole £21k from bosses at funeral directors

A woman has admitted stealing about £21,000 from her employer but will have to wait until next month to find out if the Crown Prosecution Service will pursue her for a higher amount. Laura Gamble stole the money from the Co-op funeral directors in...

103 homes planned on edge of town

AN APPLICATION has been made to build 103 homes on fields between Hinckley and Barwell. The homes would be built along the A447 Ashby Road and on farmland behind existing properties on the road, taking the boundary of Hinckley to within just 200m of...

Community centre set to become special needs school

A community centre is to become a school for up to 75 children with special educational needs. Councillors who met to decide the fate of the former Westfield Community Centre in Hinckley voted unanimously to change the use of the building after...

A5 bridge returns to top spot as most bashed in the UK

A notorious A5 accident blackspot has again been named the most crashed-into railway bridge in the UK. The bridge near Hinckley was hit 22 times in the past year, often leading to delays for rail passengers between Leicester and Birmingham. There are...

Body found in search for missing woman

A body has been found in the search for a missing 85-year-old woman from Earl Shilton. Glenda Keal had been reported missing after last being seen in Hinckley on Sunday afternoon. Police said shortly after 8.40am on Thursday December 11, a report was...

Police searching for Glenda last seen in bus station

NEW details have emerged in the search for a missing woman. Police are searching for 85-year-old Glenda Keal, who was initially last seen at a bus stop in Earl Shilton town centre on Sunday, December 7. The force said it is now known that Glenda got...

Man’s body is found in grounds of school

A MAN’S body was found in the grounds of a school on Thursday morning with police saying the death is not being treated as suspicious. The discovery was made in Townend Road in Barwell. Officers said they had received reports of the body being found...

Town hotel set to go under the hammer this week

A longstanding hotel in the town centre is going under the hammer. The property is located in Hinckley’s Regent Street and has a guide price of £475,000. According to SDL Auctioneers, the Hinckley hotel is also a pub and has been trading under the...

Festive lights are to be switched on this Friday

THOUSANDS of people are expected to visit Hinckley town centre on Friday to see the town’s Christmas lights switched on. The event will get under way 4pm, however the lights will be switched on 6.30pm in the Market Place by the Mayor of Hinckley and...

Plans for 10,000 homes would see three new villages, schools and shops built

A community of 10,000 new homes in the countryside near a major tourist attraction could “obliterate” a Leicestershire village, a resident has claimed. Nurton Developments hopes to develop more than 1,700 acres of land at the edge of Norton Juxta...

Six officers face probe after death of man, 24

GROSS misconduct notices have been served to six police officers as part of an investigation into the death of a 24-year-old man. Drew Kenney died at University Hospital Coventry earlier this year. Mr Kenney, from Earl Shilton, was detained by...

Russian terror group stooge acted from ‘ugly greed’

A group of Wagner Group stooges have been jailed for setting fire to a warehouse storing aid to Ukraine, as part of a planned “campaign of terrorism and sabotage” for the Russian state. The arson attack on the units in Leyton, east London, on March...

Fear marina flats will lead to ‘absolute chaos’

A decision on 76 flats at a marina has been delayed after fears were raised over parking spaces and the security of existing canalboat residents. AG Homes want to build the flats in three new apartment blocks at Trinity Marina, just off Coventry Road...

Teacher who filmed up schoolgirls’ skirts given lifetime ban

A maths teacher who filmed up schoolgirls’ skirts has been banned for life from classrooms. Stuart Norris used his phone to video 14 and 15-year-old girls while they were taking part in their mock GCSEs. During the police investigation, tech experts...

Proposal for 26 starter units in field near town

A FIELD on the outskirts of a Leicestershire town could be turned into 26 commercial units. Land north west of A47/Leicester Road in Earl Shilton has been earmarked for the scheme by Robert Finch and Richard Harrison. Planning documents submitted to...

Pool hall and sports bar set to open in town

THE Crescent is set to welcome its first-ever Pool Hall & Sports Bar, marking a milestone in its nine-year history. The venue, which will be called Ballers Pool Lounge, will offer pints, pizzas, and a range of refreshments, alongside live TV sports...

Plans for new link road to cut traffic on the A5

LEICESTERSHIRE County Council is seeking to ease congestion and improve safety along stretches of the A5 by creating a new link road. The authority is working on plans, pictured, for a new route to the west of Hinckley to thin out traffic on the...

Pedestrian is badly hurt in collision with e-bike

A pedestrian has been seriously injured and a teenager arrested following a collision. Police said the incident involved an electric bike and a 19-year-old man has been arrested. Officers were called to Normandy Way, Hinckley, at 1.41am on Saturday...

Police not treating death of man as suspicious

The police have said the reason for a cordon in a park was the discovery of a dead body. The man’s body was found in Wykin Community Park on the outskirts of Hinckley at the weekend (Saturday, August 30). The cordon was near to a wooded area of the...

Town could have a new council

RESIDENTS are being asked for their opinions on a potential new council. Under the proposal, Hinckley could get its own town council. The move comes amid an uncertain future political landscape for Leicestershire. Currently, the county is governed by...

Controversial roundabout delays plans for 415 homes

A controversial planned new roundabout on a busy Leicestershire road has delayed the decision on more than 400 new homes in the area. The delay comes after councillors said “many” residents had expressed concerns about the scheme. The Richborough...

‘Unacceptable’ risks over plans for 5,000 homes

PLANS for 5,000 new homes could lead to “unacceptable” risks, it has been claimed. New schools, reworked motorway junctions and “three new communities” would be built west of Stoney Stanton if the plan is approved. The plan, put forward by a...

Snap to it at family festival

MUSICAL mash-ups, a tug of war with Filbert the Fox, a funfair, dancing and a dragon will be at a town park next week when a popular family festival returns. A fancy dress swap shop will also make its debut. Snap Dragon Children and Families Festival...

Cocaine gang leader is jailed for 22 years

THE leader of a cocaine supply gang made thousands of pounds by employing a “chef” to mix the drugs and boost profit margins. Ian Breen, 41, from Barwell, led the conspiracy that used bicycle couriers and encrypted apps to coordinate operations. The...

Trio recruited by county man found guilty of arson attack on warehouse

THREE men have been found guilty of an arson attack on a warehouse linked to Ukraine on behalf of the terrorist Wagner Group following a groundbreaking trial. The trio were recruited by a Leicestershire man in an attack which caused about £1 million...

Summer blitz on crime in town

A “summer blitz” on crime is taking place in seven Leicestershire town centres. The towns are seeing increased police patrols and “local action” as part of a national effort to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in shopping streets, the Government...

‘Historic day’ for town healthcare as £24.6m hub opens

A multi-million pound Leicestershire healthcare hub is officially open. The long-awaited community diagnostics centre, at the old Hinckley and District Hospital site, has been described as the “first of its kind in Leicestershire”. The new...

Row over bid to save ‘historic’ hospital facade

A COUNCIL leader has written to the Health Secretary in the hope of saving the facade of a Leicestershire town’s “historic” hospital. But the town’s MP has hit out at the letter, claiming any delays to the scheme could “jeopardise” millions of pounds...

NatWest latest bank set to close

HIGH street bank NatWest has announced it intends to close its Hinckley branch later this year, along with four others in the county. NatWest says it plans to close the branch, which is in The Borough in Hinckley, on 17 September. A letter sent to the...

Key next step taken in plans for 5,000 homes

CONSTRUCTION of up to 5,000 homes in three new communities is a step closer. Land west of Stoney Stanton has been earmarked by a consortium comprising Barwood Land, Parker Strategic Land and Leicestershire County Council. The consortium has asked...

Plans for 28 homes to be built in garden plot on green wedge

AN MP has welcomed £10 million of funding for a day case unit at Hinckley Hospital while calling for the council’s Liberal Democrat group to support improvements and “not squander this opportunity.” The new facility is planned for the derelict Cottage...

Work starts on huge logistics park with bashed bridge ‘fix’ in pipeline

BUILDING work has begun on a massive industrial park as part of a scheme that will also lower the road under a bridge notorious for being hit by HGVs. Developer Mountpark has revealed ground has now been broken on the 1.46million sq ft logistics hub at...

Multi-million pound plan to replace hospital

PLANS to demolish a town hospital and replace it with a modern facility have taken a step forward. The proposal would see the 125-year-old Hinckley and District Hospital flattened to make way for a day surgery service. The plans, put forward by the...

Drink-driving chef gave strangers lift but crashed

County votes for Reform

REFORM has swept away the established political order in Leicestershire – and many of the people who have shaped it for years. The party founded by Nigel Farage claimed 25 of the 55 seats on the county council - not quite enough to seize complete...

Firm ordered to halt all work on housing development

WORK on a 239-home development has been halted after council officials said unauthorised construction had begun. Developer Persimmon Homes was issued with a Temporary Stop Notice on all work. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council served the notice...

Long jail terms for gang which dealt hard drugs from town

A cross-county cocaine supply network has been dismantled following a year-long police operation. Two gangs traded in multikilogram quantities stretching from the West Midlands into Hinckley, Stoney Stanton, Barwell and Burbage. The eight-month...

Body pulled from water following police search

A MAN’S body has been found in the water at Stoney Cove diving centre. Leicestershire Police were alerted on Monday morning that a man had been seen entering the water. The force carried out a search of the lake at Stoney Stanton and the surrounding...

Life-changing injuries for cyclist after collision

A cyclist involved in a collision with a van suffered life-changing injuries, police say. The incident happened in Ashby Road, Hinckley, just before 5am on Sunday. The cyclist, a man in his 40s, remains in hospital. A 31-year-old man from Nuneaton...

Door closes on town charity store

THE HINCKLEY high street has suffered another blow, with major charity shop chain Scope announcing it was to close a significant number of its branches on Monday of this week with more to follow The disability charity, which operates in England and...

Plans to fix most bashed bridge on the A5 delayed

MAJOR work to prevent lorry strikes at Leicestershire’s most bashed bridge have been pushed back beyond Easter as further extensive work is required. The delay to the A5 improvement scheme comes as the original timeframe has been labelled “totally over...

Hundreds of jobs at risk as firm proposes restructure

WORKERS at a Leicestershire distribution centre have been told their jobs are at risk amid a proposed “restructuring” of the company. Staff at Alliance Healthcare’s site in Hinckley are affected by the proposal which could see the closure of their...

Refused

A RULING has been issued over whether a hugely unpopular, massive rail hub can be built in the Leicestershire countryside. The £750 million Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI) scheme has been widely opposed by local residents and...

Borough council wants to merge with three others in the county

THE county council has set out its preferred approach to local government reorganisation. The early proposals would see one new authority for the county, with Leicester and Rutland separate. Splitting the county into two single-tier authorities –...

M69 service station green light despite traffic concerns

A MOTORWAY is one step closer to getting its first services after a council gave Welcome Break the go ahead. The service area is proposed for land off junction 1 of the M69, with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s plans committee last week...

Another huge development proposed for town

A huge warehouse and office development more than twice the size of Fosse Park is planned for land near Hinckley. Wilson Bowden Developments, a major commercial and residential property developer, has earmarked fields on the outskirts of Hinckley for...

Spa and lodges plan for field used to grow Christmas trees

A field used to grow Christmas trees could be turned into a spa, wedding venue and almost 40 holiday lodges. Applicant Toby Ryley has asked Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council for planning permission to build on land next to the former Bosworth...

Flats plan approved for dilapidated art deco former cinema

A dilapidated art deco cinema that has become an eyesore in a town centre is to be turned into flats. The former Cannon Cinema in Hinckley has fallen into disrepair, having stood empty for the past two decades. It opened as the Danilo cinema in the...

Resident hit with £922 bill for repeatedly ignoring call to clear up mess

A RESIDENT who ignored repeated warnings from the council to clear up waste on his property and allowed it to spill onto the pavement has been fined. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council said that its officials had tried to contact Matthew Farrell on...

Shop closed down after selling illegal cigarettes to undercover officers eight times

A SHOP has been ordered to close for three months after it was caught selling illegal or counterfeit cigarettes to undercover investigators on eight occasions. When it failed to adhere to the law, trading standards officers from Leicestershire County...

Cinema conversion ruling delayed due to parking concerns

PARKING problems are so “chronically bad” that councillors have delayed a decision on converting a historic cinema into flats. The former Danilo cinema, in Trinity Lane, Hinckley town centre, an Art Deco building described by council officers as...

Work to start this spring on tackling the ‘most bashed’ bridge

Work to tackle Leicestershire’s most bashed bridge could begin this spring according to National Highways. The Watling Street bridge in Hinckley is notorious for its repeated hits and was struck multiple times last year. According to National...

Maximum 4.99% rise in council tax proposed

residents are set to see their council tax rise by the maximum amount this year, 4.99%. The news came as Leicestershire County Council once more said it would struggle to balance its books over the coming years, as it unveiled its draft budget for the...

Work set to start on day care centre in town

PREPARATION work for a day case unit at Hinckley and District Hospital is to begin in the coming weeks. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has extended the spend date of the allocated funding for the £10.5 million new unit until March...

Goalposts moved again as Government comes up with a new house-building target

THE number of homes which must be built across the county has changed once more. Shortly after it came to power in July, the government set out proposals for fresh house-building targets for all local councils under a plan to radically overhaul...

Tragedy as driver dies after car crashes into tree off A5

AN ELDERLY man has died after the car he was driving crashed into a tree off the A5. Police confirmed that the man, who has not been identified but is aged in his 80s, was pronounced dead at the scene on Monday. He was behind the wheel of a blue Kia...

‘Cards stacked against us’ as 25 homes approved

A COUNCILLOR said the “cards were stacked against us” as a controversial housing development on the edge of historic fields was given the green light. 25 homes on the edge of Bosworth Battlefield will go ahead despite having no affordable housing...

Police appeal as three men arrested after fatal car crash

A TEENAGER was in a critical condition in hospital after being hit by a car which failed to stop. Police have arrested two people in connection with the incident, which caused serious injuries to a 17-year-old girl. Officers were called to Factory...

Developer is told to halt work at new homes site

A DEVELOPER has been ordered to stop preparatory work at a site set for 81 homes after residents pointed out final planning permission was not in place. The development off Clickers Way, Earl Shilton, was given the go ahead by Hinckley and Bosworth...

‘A danger until the end of his days’ says judge

A man who stabbed his mother to death as she fled screaming from their home will remain a danger until the end of his days, a judge has said. Schizophrenic Gregor Bauld had grabbed a kitchen knife and chased after Tina Bauld, whom he would later...

Fly-tip woman hit in the pocket with fine

A woman has been prosecuted for dumping a fridge and household waste in the countryside near a tourist attraction. The waste was abandoned in Ambion Lane, Sutton Cheney, near Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre, last October. Jade Kavanagh, of Beryl...

Pictures from early town carnival

A nice selection of pictures this week as we show pictures of the Carnival queen and her attendants. We also feature the staff of Robinsons engineering of Derby Road. Hinckley Sea Cadets on Coventry Road picture was bought to our scanning session at...

HARE COURSING MAN IS HANDED A 15-YEAR DOGS BAN

A MAN caught hare coursing has been banned from having a dog for the next 15 years. William Johnson, pictured, from Burbage, was also hit with fines and fees totalling more than £7,000, and banned from counties across the East Midlands if he is...

New battle lines drawn over bid for 25 homes

PLANS to build 25 homes at a former poultry farm on the edge of Bosworth Battlefield have been criticised by councillors for a lack of so-called affordable properties. Applicant Karl Maughan is seeking permission to demolish farm buildings and build a...

Man admits stabbing his mother but denies her murder

A man chased his “defenceless” mother from their home and stabbed her in the back, later telling police “that’s justice”. Christine Bauld was stabbed five times in total by her 22-year-old son Gregor, who had been taking drugs prior to the...

Head shave target is smashed in bid to help ‘inspirational’ teacher

STUDENTS and a staff member at a secondary school have had their heads shaved in support of an “inspirational” teacher diagnosed with a brain tumour. Hastings High School pupil Blake Aston, 16, set up an online fund-raiser for Stephen Webb, who...