03/01/2017 East Midlands Today

And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Anne Davies.

First tonight, Sherwood Forest could become the latest battleground

Documents obtained by Friends of the Earth show that a chemical

company wants to carry out seismic surveys for shale gas,

and those tests could be within two hundred metres of the Major Oak.

Here's Quentin Rayner to tell us more.

These plans are being revealed through a freedom of

information request by Friends of the Earth.

They show that the chemical company Ineos Shale appears

with the Forestry Commission to carry out seismic surveys

in Sherwood Forest and other licensed sites in the East Midlands.

The survey would involved putting charges in the ground to establish

if there is any gas in the rock underneath, which might be extracted

These tests could take place within 200 metres of the Forest's

most famous attraction, the 1000 Major Oak tree.

Ineos Shale insists it is not fracking in Sherwood Forest and

accuses Friends of the Earth of unnecessarily alarming

information it has received from the

One of its directors recently told us what is involved

with the seismic surveys in licensed areas in the East Midlands,

What we would do is undertake the survey

work then marry the survey work with vertical cord wells,

not fracked but simply samples of the geology, looking at

the depths, the characteristics, the pressures, the content and then

we would use that information to form our conversation with the

communities, the regulator, with the planning

authorities to take on to a

Now, the country park is a site of special scientific interest

as well as a special area of conservation.

Friends of the Earth feel the seismic surveys alone

could damage the ancient woodland and its wildlife.

Local anti-fracking groups fear that if fracking takes place,

it could lead the the decimation of the forrest,

increase the number of earthquakes in the surrounding area,

disrupt the water table and worsen traffic levels.

They plan to make it a rallying point by generating an

international campaign opposing the plans, starting this

Police are appealing for information after more than 60 cars were damaged

in the early hours of yesterday morning across Leicestershire.

People reported slashed tyres and smashed windscreens

Waltham on the Wolds is a relatively quiet village

and that is one of the reasons why so

many people have been so shocked by what has been described as the

mindless destruction that took place here in the early hours of

A woman I spoke to said she stepped out of her house and

encountered ten cars damaged on this street alone.

More than 60 cars had their windows or tyres slashed

However, nothing appears to have been stolen.

We spoke to a couple earlier who had only had their car for

a week before its window was slashed.

Do they wake up one morning and say, yes, I fancy smashing some

My front tyre has just been replaced about one month ago.

It's brand-new and already I'm going to have to replace

that just because some people wanted to vandalise my car for no reason.

The police had told us that no arrests have been made so far

however a black car was found abandoned

yesterday afternoon in

They are asking anybody with any information

about these incidents to

come forward and contact them on 101.

A film warning about the dangers of online grooming has been viewed

more than a quarter of a million times since it was published

Kayleigh's Love Story depicts the last few days Leicestershire

She was groomed, raped, and murdered last November

The film, which has won national awards, was posted

on Leicestershire Police's website and facebook page at

Rescuers say a couple forced to spend a night in the Cairngorms

Bob and Cathy Elmer from Leicestershire were caught out

when a planned hillwalk took longer than expected.

They sheltered with their dog in survival bags in whiteout

conditions before being found by a mountain rescue team.

This was the moment members of the Cairngorms rescue team came across

the couple on a snow laden plateau. The pair had been hill walking in

Scotland for 25 years but the admit despite their experience and

equipment, they were unprepared for equipment, they were unprepared for

the conditions they were to face when they ventured out on the first

day of the year. We knew it was winter time. We probably did not

quite judge how long it was going to take the journey. It became an issue

when I got two thirds of the way down the Glen and Cathy was

struggling to keep up with me. Then I knew it was going to take a lot

With a dog in tour, they found With a dog in tour, they found

themselves in deep snow in darkness. With the batteries in their head

torches having given out. The snow was up to our waste. We decided we

could not go on any further because we did not know where we were going

and we could not see our hands in front of our faces, we decided to

get our survival bags out and get down for the night in them. A night

out in the Cairngorm plateau in those conditions isn't very

attractive, it was the decision that suit their lives. Being prepared for

when things might call wrong is key in the mountains. You can go up Ben

Nevis on a summers day and you can be knee-high in snow. We have been

there, we have done it. You have to go equipped. You have to have the

right kit, even if the sun is shining on the ground.

An East Midlands hospital trust has started a campaign to reduce

They remain a major cause of injury and death,

and Age UK says one in three people over 65 who live at home will have

Our health correspondent Rob Sissons reports.

He's being looked after at Nottinghamshire's

He says he will regret it for months.

Four steps from the bottom, handrail on the

Did I use the handrail coming downstairs?

He suffered a hip fracture and of course he is not the only one.

At Kings Mill they see up to 400 hip fracture cases from falls each year.

Numbers are rising because of the ageing population.

To prevent them, doctors recommend people check their

homes for hazards, such as loose carpets and rugs, regular exercise,

say eat well and get medical help early for problems

They say it is also important to keep warm this winter.

The impact of a hip fracture on people's

It can lead to long-term consequences.

About 65% of patients who have hip fractures can lose

In the run-up to Christmas they have been seeing a

Now, with the New Year cold snap they are

Edna fell at home, aged 90, she says the fall really

I shouldn't go out if it's like that.

I haven't walked too well these last two years.

I'm pleased it was inside and not outside.

Doctors now aim to operate as soon as possible

falling hip fractures as the

latest evidence shows it can improve recovery and shorten

It's been one of the best years for animal breeding at Twycross Zoo

Among the highlights were rare amur leopard cubs,

The stock take of animals at the zoo has just

finished and the total number, minus all the insects?

We pool all our information on this global database so we can keep track

of how populations are changing within zoos, the researchers can use

that data on their and it is having a positive impact on how

Here Here is the weather. It has been a

from me but coming up next is the from me but coming up next is the

national picture. Good evening. But frost or not of frost, that is the

weather question for tomorrow and the answer is no, probably not

because of this weather front that is slipping south from Scotland,

maybe towards the south-west where we might have one or two