Latest news with #Nottingham
BBC News
15 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Binned batteries started bin lorry fire in the Arboretum
A lorry load of rubbish had to be dumped on a Nottingham street after binned batteries sparked a from London Road and Stockhill fire stations were called to a Nottingham City Council bin lorry that had caught fire in Hardy Street, in the Arboretum, on Thursday waste had to be emptied on to the road, said the fire service, so crews could work through it and fully extinguish the are urging residents to check with their local council or recycling centre for guidance on how to safely dispose of batteries to help prevent future fires
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mother, 47, found dead with her disabled daughter, 18, had refused help before they were discovered lifeless at home, inquest hears
A mother who was found dead with her 18-year-old disabled daughter had refused help from a number of agencies prior to their deaths, an inquest has heard. Alphonsine Leuga, 47, and Loraine Choulla, 18, are believed to have died 'weeks to months' before their bodies were tragically discovered inside their home on Hartley Road in Radford, Nottingham, on May 21, 2024. Ms Leuga, originally from Cameroon, is believed to have died of pneumonia of an uncertain cause, while her daughter's cause of death is set to be determined during an inquest. Now, Nottingham Coroners' Court has heard how Ms Leuga refused help from members of the council who tried to access her property to assist with issues such as damp and mould for up to three years before her death. The mother-of-two had originally relocated to the UK from Italy in 2016 with daughters Elvira Choulla and Loraine, who suffered from Down Syndrome and relied on her mother for food and hydration. Elvira, who told Nottingham Coroners' Court that she had left the family home in 2022, initially said that she maintained a 'happy and healthy' relationship with her mother and would visit the pair up to four times a week. However, the relationship 'began to deteriorate' after Ms Leuga took Loraine on a two-month holiday to Africa in July 2023 without informing Elvira. The pair then began to speak 'less and less', with Elvira only seeing her mother and sister 'every few weeks'. Having last seen Ms Leuga and Loraine in November 2023, Elvira told the court: 'I got a text from her in the last week of January (2024) when she asked me for money for food and taxis. 'I transferred her some money but, after this date, I asked her in late January if she and Loraine were OK and she replied with a thumbs up, nothing further was said.' After being unable to make contact with her mother over the phone, Elvira said she tried to visit the home on multiple occasions in early 2024 - twice in February, once in March and once in April 2024. On April 18, Elvira said she attended the address in the hopes of giving her mother money for a birthday cake for Loraine, who was set to turn 19 the following day. There, she was met with an 'overgrown' front lawn alongside a house 'in darkness' with 'no signs of life'. However, she was hesitant to report the pair as missing given that her mother would often travel for months at a time to Cameroon or Italy, bringing Loraine with her. A close friend, who also visited the property, reported there being no signs of anyone in the home, but claimed to have seen the pair in the first few weeks of 2024. Kathy Sheldon, assistant director of tenancy at Nottingham City Council, said that Ms Leuga had initially engaged with council services and attended maintenance appointments. However, from January 2021, there were ongoing issues with the mother-of-two allowing access to the property 'on multiple occasions', including for reports of damp and mould, a leak and also an annual gas review. In October 2023, Ms Leuga reported the heating had not been working since March 2023. Access was not provided for repairs, however, and a further appointment was cancelled by Ms Leuga. The annual gas safety checks remained incomplete due to Ms Leuga repeatedly not giving access to her property and the gas was cut as a standard procedure in April 2023. It was left to her to call the council and request for the cap to be removed at her convenience after four failed appointments. The inquest was also told the mother was in arrears of rent, but deductions from her benefits, including Universal Credit, meant she was not at risk of eviction. East Midlands Ambulance Service were also said to have missed an opportunity to attend the family's address following a 999 call from Ms Leuga. She requested an ambulance, telling the call handler 'I need help to my daughter' and 'I'm in the bed, I feel cold and can't move' before cutting off the line, the inquest heard. Pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton told the hearing that he could 'not rule out' that Alphonsine might have died on February 2, 2024 - the day she called 999. Prior to Ms Leuge's death, she had been in 'critically unwell' in hospital between January 26 and 28, with low iron levels that required a blood transfusion of up to three litres. She was also suffering from a respiratory tract infection. Both Ms Leuga and Loraine failed to attend 'multiple' doctors appointments from January 2024. Describing her mother as 'truly loving', Elvira said that Ms Leuga 'took great care of Loraine and was very patient and understanding'. The court heard that Loraine had several health conditions that included difficulty breathing due to her weight and epilepsy. Primarily non-verbal, the teenager was also unable to walk short distances and eat on her own, making her 'entirely dependent' on her mother for her hydrational and nutritional needs. Adding that Loraine 'was very friendly and lovely with everyone', Elvira added: 'She was able to say when she was hungry or needed to go to the toilet, but that was about it. She always had positive energy around other people and never appeared sad. 'I loved Loraine and I could tell she loved me back. Loraine and I had an amazing relationship and she was and still is my best friend. She was always there for me.' Between 2018 and 2022, Loraine attended Oak Field School a special needs school located in Bilborough. However, her mother eventually withdrew her attendance from the school due to feeling that she was being 'neglected'. In a statement, the school's headteacher explained that Ms Leuga had told the establishment that she was taking Loraine to Cameroon for two months for her grandfather's funeral. However, by October, the pair still had not returned. While she started attending school again in November 2022, the headteacher said that her attendance continued to 'dwindle', with the mother informing her teachers that 'Loraine didn't want to go to school'. Eventually, her attendance dropped to just four per cent, with Loraine attending only eight days in one year. The inquest heard that the school made a 'significant number' of attempts to engage with Ms Leuge but that she had wanted Loraine to attend Nottingham College. The inquest continues.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
Disabled daughter 'left alone for weeks after mother died'
A mother died leaving her disabled daughter to fend for herself for weeks inside their home, the detective who led the investigation into their deaths has told an Con Jack Cook was called to the home of Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, and her daughter Loraine Choulla, 18, in Radford, Nottingham, on the day their bodies were discovered during a safe and well check on 21 May told the inquest police believed Alphonsine had died shortly after a 999 call was made to East Midlands Ambulance Service on 2 investigations showed Loraine, who had Down's syndrome and was "entirely dependent" on her mother, had been alive until 28 February as she had been using her tablet. The five-day inquest led by assistant coroner Amanda Bewley, which began on Monday, previously heard Alphonsine had made an emergency call for an ambulance using Loriane's tablet, days after being discharged from hospital when she had been critically ambulance never came as it had been wrongly labelled as an "abandoned call".Det Con Cook from Nottinghamshire Police's CID said: "Loraine had been left in the premises alone and had been alive until her device had lost charge."Police believe she had likely died before her 18th birthday in April. Det Con Cook told the hearing he had previously visited their home in 2023 while working as a uniformed officer, to support social services in accessing the that time, he noted their home was "clean and tidy" with their fridge stocked and beds inquest heard on his second visit on the day they were pronounced dead, there had been mouldy food in the fridge, uncooked pasta, noodles and spaghetti on the kitchen work surfaces, and two unopened tins of tuna placed in the and half-eaten food including bread and raw pasta along with two empty water bottles were found in one of the bedrooms, where Loraine had used bedding and pillows to "make a den" on the floor between two of the tablet showed a number of calls had been made to the tablet in the weeks following Alphonsine's likely death, including by Nottingham City Hospital, which had been unanswered and replied to by text using one of three stock messages, which police believe were sent by Loraine. Alphonsine's eldest daughter, Elvira Choulla, said her mother "was a very strong woman" who "always strived for the best" for her and Loraine, and that Loraine was "such a happy person" with a "big positive energy".She said: "When I was happy, I was happy because of Loraine".Christopher Atherton, strategic director of adult social care at Nottingham City Council, told the inquest work was taking place to restructure its services into a "neighbourhood model" to better join up with health providers like GPs and voluntary inquest continues.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Repairs on collapsed Nottingham city centre sewer 'complex'
A water company has warned work to repair a collapsed brick sewer below a busy route in Nottingham city centre is likely to be "complex".A section of Upper Parliament Street was closed on Wednesday morning after the city council said the damage was causing the road to collapsed section was initially described by the authority as a water pipe, but Severn Trent Water said on Thursday it was a brick date has yet been set for when repairs will be completed. Safety 'a priority' A Severn Trent Water spokesperson said: "We're incredibly sorry for the inconvenience caused by our work on Upper Parliament Street, following a collapse to a brick sewer under the road."We've been carrying out surveys, and making the area safe - ready for teams to bring equipment to site today."Our surveys suggest that this may be a deep, complex repair and to keep everyone safe as we work, the junction will remain closed."We know this is causing disruption, but it will be our absolute priority to work as quickly, and safely as possible and have everything back open as soon as we can."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tottenham target Morgan Gibbs-White joins up with Nottingham Forest squad for pre-season tour
Tottenham target Morgan Gibbs-White has joined Nottingham Forest on their pre-season training camp in Portugal. The midfielder not travelled with the squad to southern Portugal on Monday due to what Forest said was a private matter that was not transfer-related. Gibbs-White's future remains uncertain, with Forest considering legal action over Tottenham's approach for him and Spurs still hopeful of a deal Forest, who say they never gave Spurs permission to speak to Gibbs-White, are looking at whether a confidentiality agreement in his £60million release clause has been breached. Gibbs-White played 45 minutes for Forest in their 0-0 draw with Monaco last weekend. He is said to be keen on a move to Spurs but his team-mate Ola Aina has said the 25-year-old has kept professional. 'He's keeping it professional; I don't know the ins and outs of that," Aina told Sky Sports last weekend. 'He was here today, playing, and he's training, keeping fit as normal.'At the end of the day, we're all professionals - we've got a job to do and that's what Morgan is doing right now. He's keeping it professional." Gibbs-White joined Forest in 2022 in a deal worth £42.5m. He has made 118 appearances for Forest, scoring 18 goals and providing 28 assists. Gibbs-white helped Nuno Espirito Santo's side finish seventh in the Premier League last season. Spurs are looking to further bolster their attacking options this summer following the £55m arrival of Mohammed Kudus, with Frank a long-term admirer of Gibbs-White.
