23/01/2017 East Midlands Today

That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me,

And now the news for the East Midlands.

I'm Dominic Heale. Good afternoon.

First this lunchtime, a Derbyshire couple,

who claim their two young sons should never have been

taken away from them and adopted eight years ago,

say they are seeking a unique court review of their case.

Their lawyer says they may have suffered the most appalling

injustice and there could be other families in a similar situation.

Back in 2008, the couple, who we have chosen not to name,

to protect the children, took their nine-month-old

They say he had a swelling on his head and,

after some confusion, were told he had a skull fracture.

We were in absolute shock. Disbelief.

They asked me, "Do you know what happened?"

They asked me a couple of times and, each time,

After a private family court hearing, their baby and their

three-year-old son were taken into care and adopted.

The police said there was no criminal case to answer.

The mother used her legal rights to obtain the medical records.

One said there was no skull fracture.

Another one said it was more likely a fissure.

I could not believe what I was actually reading.

This had not been disclosed to us, the fissure,

being a natural variant, more like a deep groove,

Their new solicitor represented Angela Cannings,

whose convictions for murdering two of her babies

were overturned in a high-profile miscarriage of justice.

He finds this case just as concerning.

It may be that there was never any fractures in the first place.

The parents may well have suffered the most appalling injustice.

Derbyshire County Council are not commenting, but provided us with

the details of the private court hearing.

Due to legal restrictions, we are not allowed to report them.

Meanwhile, the mother has now been diagnosed

with a genetic condition affecting her joints.

The children could have inherited Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Their lawyer knows of other families in a similar situation,

I believe there is a lot of cases where this connection

may be very important, indeed, to the resolution

of what has actually happened to these children.

He believes nothing can be done about the adoption in the short

term, but it may be possible to review the facts of the previous

And you can see more on that in tonight's

Inside Out at 7.30pm, here on BBC One.

Next this lunchtime, companies across our region have

been reacting to Theresa May's latest industrial strategy.

Aimed at boosting the post-Brexit economy, the Prime Minister's

ten-point plan focuses on investing in innovation, developing skills

Her approach is being broadly welcomed by East Midlands

business leaders, among them the Chamber of Commerce.

Quentin Rayner's been speaking to one company boss

This lunchtime, I am at the business Nottingham. This is the sort of

business that you would expect the strategy to benefit. They have been

operating for the last 40 years and employ 140 people. What is your

assessment of the industrial strategy? I think there has been not

enough said about manufacturing, but on the whole, it was encouraging.

Too much said about technology? I think so, yes. It seeks to address

the skills shortage. Do you suffer from? Yes, we do. Children are not

getting the emphasis on manual skills. I think having that in the

education is very important for the future. We want to be positioned in

a good place after Brexit. Will the strategy help do that? I think so.

Given time, I do not think immediately, given time, I think we

will feel the benefit. Thank you very much. The strategy has been

welcomed by the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce. The belief that

will provide opportunities for the EV as well as address the skills

shortage. A man is recovering in hospital

after he was seriously injured in a hit-and-run collision

in a Leicestershire It happened on this

stretch of Kirkby Road in Barwell at around 10.30pm.

The silver car was later found burnt out on a farm

track several miles away. Two cars were also

damaged in the collision. A 22-year-old man was arrested

on suspicion of GBH and drink driving and has been bailed,

pending further enquiries. The Fire Service in Leicestershire

says it is in a much stronger financial position, than it has been

in for more than two years. Early last year, the combined fire

authority for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland faced

controversial cuts to the service. But after making what it

says were bigger savings than anticipated, its draft budget

released today proposes increasing the number of full-time firefighters

and investing in equipment. The Canal and River Trust

is appealing for more volunteers to become lock keepers along

the region's waterways. The charity says they play a vital

part in welcoming visitors and keeping the historic role

of lock-keeping alive. Geeta Pendse has been

to the River Trent this Yes, it is a misty morning down

here at Gunthorpe Lock. In the winter months,

it is very unusual to see a But in peak season, up

to 60 narrowboats come Key to making sure this canal runs

smoothly are the many Amongst them is Nick,

who is in charge here. What made you decide to become

a volunteer lock keeper? First of all, I love

the outside life. It is mainly in the summer months

that we are in operation. At the lock sides here, we have got

the lovely open countryside. We have got the difference

here at Gunthorpe. We have got a lot

of pedestrians here. So, that gives you the opportunity,

as well as the outdoor life, to meet people all the time.

And I love talking. Nick has been here for around

a year, so he has just had his first full season,

which he says he has really enjoyed. But the Canal River Trust

want to see many more people volunteering and with me is Steve,

from the Trust. Why is it vital that

more people volunteer? Volunteers play a very

important role. They welcome boaters

to the East Midlands, so they provide a really important

first impression to people. But they also share their local

knowledge to visitors, pointing out places for walks or picnics.

But they also help us keep on top of any maintenance.

Thank you very much. On tonight's programme at 6.30pm,

we will be taking a look at exactly what Nick does and what it takes

to become a lock keeper. Now we can catch up

on the latest weather. The fog will clear from some areas,

but it is proving rather stubborn. As we make our way through the week,

it should be generally try and with spilt uprightness. This afternoon, a

good deal of cloud our own. Temperature is about 4-5 C. Into the

early hours from today, you can see this fog beginning to form. It will

also be very cold, with temperatures dipping below zero. Tomorrow

morning, a lot of cloud through the day came tomorrow. Temperatures

similar to today. As for Wednesday, it will be breezy for a time and

again, fuelling cold. On Thursday, just a high temperature to Celsius.

Fog a bit of a problem this week. I will be back at 6:30 p.m.. Goodbye

for now. a free five-a-side tournament

that's for everyone. For more information,

go to the Get Inspired website. If they have a fear of water,

God help them.