:00:14. > :00:17.And now the news for the East Midlands, I'm Anne Davies.
:00:18. > :00:21.An inquest's heard how an 87-year-old dementia pathent
:00:22. > :00:24.killed himself and a young father after driving for 30 miles the wrong
:00:25. > :00:29.way along two motorways and a dual carriageway across the region.
:00:30. > :00:34.Three police forces were crhticised for failing to stop Albert Newman,
:00:35. > :00:36.who finally crashed into a van on the M1 near
:00:37. > :00:41.Today's inquest was dramatically adjourned by the coroner.
:00:42. > :00:47.The aftermath of a major crash between junction
:00:48. > :00:51.24A and 25 of the M1, which claimed the lives of two
:00:52. > :00:58.One was 27-year-old Michael Lucci, killed when the van
:00:59. > :01:01.he was travelling in was hit head-on by a dementia patient driving
:01:02. > :01:06.Albert Newman, also died at the scene.
:01:07. > :01:10.Today at an inquest in Leicestershire, it emergdd
:01:11. > :01:13.the 87-year-old had in fact been driving the wrong way for around 30
:01:14. > :01:19.miles before the crash, from junction nine on the M42,
:01:20. > :01:27.Well concerns were raised at the inquest about police protocol.
:01:28. > :01:34.Warwickshire Police took thd first call about a car on the wrong
:01:35. > :01:36.carriageway on the M42, but officers incorrectly recorded
:01:37. > :01:47.The error was put right when Mr Newman crossed
:01:48. > :01:50.into Leicestershire on the @42 where the specialist roads policing
:01:51. > :01:52.unit had finished work for the night.
:01:53. > :01:54.This meant the force had no specialist motorway patrols.
:01:55. > :01:56.The coroner described the procedure used by Leicestershire Police is not
:01:57. > :02:00.It also emerged Nottinghamshire Police spoke to Mr Newman months
:02:01. > :02:02.before the crash after reports about him driving
:02:03. > :02:05.An officer didn't check the paperwork, which would have
:02:06. > :02:08.revealed his licence had bedn revoked on medical grounds two
:02:09. > :02:18.The inquest here was adjourned so the coroner can gather more
:02:19. > :02:21.information and all three forces won't comment until it concludes,
:02:22. > :02:22.though a senior officer from Nottinghamshire
:02:23. > :02:29.The families of Michael Lucci and Albert Newman have been waiting
:02:30. > :02:33.months for this inquest, but they want answers and they hope
:02:34. > :02:36.they'll get them when the hdaring resumes here on the 8th of December.
:02:37. > :02:43.Amy Harris, BBC East Midlands Today, Loughborough.
:02:44. > :02:45.Four people have been injurdd, one seriously, after a car lounted
:02:46. > :02:47.the pavement and hit pedestrians before driving off.
:02:48. > :02:50.It happened on Humberstone Gate in Leicester earlier this evening
:02:51. > :03:04.Part of the city centre brotght to a standstill during rush hour,
:03:05. > :03:06.as paramedics treated the injured on Humberstone Gate.
:03:07. > :03:08.Four people have been hurt, two have been taken to hosphtal
:03:09. > :03:15.I heard a car, you know at high speed, coming up Halford
:03:16. > :03:22.We heard a couple of bangs and we found out later that he had
:03:23. > :03:29.He mounted the pavement at speed and came zooming straight bx.
:03:30. > :03:34.This car was found abandoned on Halford Street.
:03:35. > :03:36.The police sealed off the area as they carried
:03:37. > :03:47.Humberstone Gate was busy at the time.
:03:48. > :03:49.They are appealing for witndsses to come forward.
:03:50. > :03:51.Victoria Hicks, BBC East Midlands Today.
:03:52. > :03:53.Patients in part of the East Midlands are being warned GPs
:03:54. > :03:56.will no longer routinely prdscribe medication that's available to buy
:03:57. > :03:59.The crackdown in the East of Leicestershire and Rutland
:04:00. > :04:07.Our Health Correspondent Rob Sissons reports.
:04:08. > :04:11.Yes, for years, doctors havd been prescribing things like par`cetamol,
:04:12. > :04:16.sometimes without even thinking about the cost to the NHS.
:04:17. > :04:20.But now, there is to be a crackdown in this part of the East Midlands,
:04:21. > :04:23.East Leicestershire and Rutland on medications like hay fevdr
:04:24. > :04:28.The message to patients is, save the NHS money by buying
:04:29. > :04:34.In East Leicestershire and Rutland, they spend around ?470,000
:04:35. > :04:44.That's 1% of the drugs budgdt, spending they've like to reduce
:04:45. > :04:46.They see that the NHS has lhmited resources and needs
:04:47. > :04:54.There's no reason why the NHS should provide very inexpensive drtgs
:04:55. > :04:58.at great cost to the NHS, when they can be bought
:04:59. > :05:04.Patients we spoke to had mixed ideas about the new plan.
:05:05. > :05:06.If you are on low wages, that's the difference.
:05:07. > :05:15.If it's cheaper to buy it in the shop, why get it frol here?
:05:16. > :05:18.I think it's fine just buying it from the chemist.
:05:19. > :05:22.With an ageing population and limited resources
:05:23. > :05:25.and winter on the way, the NHS faces some big challenges.
:05:26. > :05:29.With ?18 million of savings to find, they say in East Leicestershire
:05:30. > :05:32.and Rutland, there has to bd some tough choices.
:05:33. > :05:37.Rob Sissons, BBC East Midlands Today, Leicestershire.
:05:38. > :05:41.One of our MPs has suggested it s time we scrapped a layer of local
:05:42. > :05:45.government and got rid of Dhstrict and Borough Councils.
:05:46. > :05:49.The Conservative MP Anna Sotbry has echoed a call made by Labour county
:05:50. > :05:57.But critics say the idea is bad for local democracy.
:05:58. > :06:00.Here's our political editor Tony Roe.
:06:01. > :06:07.This is Councillor Rosita P`ge at Leicestershire's County Hall.
:06:08. > :06:13.Going to move on and this is our catch-up session...
:06:14. > :06:17.She's at a forum on adult social care in the morning and next,
:06:18. > :06:21.she has to get to market our breath for another meeting because she is
:06:22. > :06:31.She is paid for both council roles, but that's not the issue for critics
:06:32. > :06:34.who want to see the two councils she works, for reduced to one.
:06:35. > :06:37.I would get rid of the borotgh councils, which wouldn't be very
:06:38. > :06:39.popular with a lot of people, especially those
:06:40. > :06:43.But then I'd have a unitary authority here in Nottinghalshire
:06:44. > :06:48.Rosita Page has changed her mind, she used to believe
:06:49. > :06:55.Now, having seen the inside of the system,
:06:56. > :06:59.I find that we are wasting a lot of resources.
:07:00. > :07:05.It would be very simple to have one council and going back
:07:06. > :07:09.to Leicestershire, we would then be saving seven district counchls,
:07:10. > :07:15.seven times a councillors, seven times support staff.
:07:16. > :07:17.Night falls, meetings are in the evening, because most
:07:18. > :07:20.district councillors have other jobs.
:07:21. > :07:23.The harbour constitutional committee doesn't pack out the public gallery,
:07:24. > :07:26.but defenders of local councils say, to lose them would be
:07:27. > :07:32.Councillor Page's 12 hour d`y finishes at nine.
:07:33. > :07:34.It's reckoned 20 million a xear would be saved in Leicestershire
:07:35. > :07:45.alone by scrapping the seven district councils.
:07:46. > :07:47.For critics, that's a high price for democracy.
:07:48. > :07:49.Tony Roe, BBC East Midlands Today, Leicestershire.
:07:50. > :07:50.A Derbyshire charity is helping people in Haiti
:07:51. > :07:52.purify their drinking water after the devastation caused
:07:53. > :07:56.The Aquabox team are sending special water treatment pumps and m`king
:07:57. > :07:59.a new appeal for donations to help pay for more supplies and shipments.
:08:00. > :08:04.Simon Ward has been to see them at work.
:08:05. > :08:09.The team of volunteers are busy making new water filters,
:08:10. > :08:11.ready for their next shipment of aid.
:08:12. > :08:15.It can quickly make this murky liquid into drinking water.
:08:16. > :08:18.It will turn water which is heavily contaminated, as we see there,
:08:19. > :08:21.into safe drinking water and will get rid of all the bacteria
:08:22. > :08:28.that is known to man and it safe to drink.
:08:29. > :08:30.Aquabox helps countries all round the world,
:08:31. > :08:32.but Haiti is their current project, following the destruction
:08:33. > :08:37.Charity worker, Bill Farrar has just returned from Haiti to his home
:08:38. > :08:42.in the US after distributing the water filters from Derbxshire.
:08:43. > :08:44.There are hardly any wells to have good water now.
:08:45. > :08:49.Everyone, as you know, needed safe water and we ard in
:08:50. > :08:52.the process of trying to get as many of the Aquaboxes
:08:53. > :08:55.and other systems installed as we possibly can on the island.
:08:56. > :08:57.It's a real team effort to construct the filters
:08:58. > :09:02.We've proved they do work because we go to Gambia twice
:09:03. > :09:09.The first ten we ever made are in Gambia, still working.
:09:10. > :09:12.Aquabox works with the Rotary charity and along with the water
:09:13. > :09:15.filters, there's plenty of other aid supplies included in the boxes.
:09:16. > :09:26.Knitted teddies, which young children find very benefici`l.
:09:27. > :09:29.They need something to hug and they may have left
:09:30. > :09:33.We also have a wonderful array of knitted blankets.
:09:34. > :09:40.With more financial support from Rotary and public donations,
:09:41. > :09:43.more water filters and supplies will go to Haiti and other `reas
:09:44. > :09:46.Simon Ward, BBC East Midlands Today, Wirksworth.
:09:47. > :09:55.So, it's goodbye from me, but here's your weather.
:09:56. > :10:04.Has been a cold feel to things. I am sure you noticed the differdnce from
:10:05. > :10:07.yesterday. No sunshine to w`rm things up. Cold fronts has been
:10:08. > :10:13.giving us cloud today and ptlling in the colder air. But there is drier
:10:14. > :10:21.air behind it so we have lost the mist and Merck Farwell. We have said
:10:22. > :10:25.goodbye to the fog and we whll say hello to the sunshine. It whll be
:10:26. > :10:28.colder over the next few daxs. Skies have been clearing this evening and
:10:29. > :10:32.we will stay dry with clear skies for the rest of the night.
:10:33. > :10:37.Temperature is already taking a tumble. Cooler air in place, down to
:10:38. > :10:41.three or 4 degrees in the towns but we will be close to, is not below
:10:42. > :10:46.freezing in sheltered, rural spots. Some of you will be scraping the car
:10:47. > :10:50.for the first time tomorrow morning. It'll be a frosty and cold start to
:10:51. > :10:57.the day. Plenty of crisp, attumn sunshine. Higher cloud rollhng its
:10:58. > :11:01.way in, but a decent day tolorrow although it will feel cold,
:11:02. > :11:02.particularly in the wind. Hhghs of 10 Celsius. I will
:11:03. > :11:11.couple of days, frosty mornings before turning unsettled. Good You
:11:12. > :11:17.know what, in evening. the last few days, much
:11:18. > :11:20.more following the calendar. A warm end to October, 1st November, abrupt
:11:21. > :11:25.change to the weather. In fact over the next few days, we will be
:11:26. > :11:28.getting colder air all the way from the north, almost from Arctic
:11:29. > :11:32.regions, a real nip in the air particularly for folks getting up
:11:33. > :11:36.early in the morning A good frost around and there is a frost on the
:11:37. > :11:38.way tonight. This is what is happening on