News

By Chris Harper, Local Democracy Reporter A year after plans to build a biogas farm near Great Bowden were last discussed, they’re back on the table again – and people haven’t changed their minds. Villagers say the long-running plan is “bonkers” and fear it could bring traffic “mayhem”. Leicestershire County Council’s Development Control and Regulatory […]

Harborough District Council has formally set out its opposition to controversial plans for hundreds of homes on the edge of Bushby. Developers Mulberry Land have lodged an appeal after the council failed to determine the planning application within the required timescale. The proposals cover around 160 acres of mainly agricultural land south of  the A47 […]

A Market Harborough jeweller has retired after more than 40 years of serving customers in the town. Ajay Vaitha has closed County Jewellers on the High Street, bringing an end to a family business he opened with his brothers in November 1983. Customers have sent cards wishing Ajay all the best for the future, and […]

The RSPCA is appealing for information after a man was seen putting a cat into a wheelie bin in Rothwell. Doorbell camera footage shared on social media appears to show a man placing the animal into a bin in Goldcrest Way, which was already nearly full. The lid was partially open, meaning the cat was […]

A familiar High Street shop in Market Harborough is closing its doors for the final time today. TG Jones, formerly WH Smith, is shutting after more than three decades serving customers in the town. The closure is part of wider restructuring by the books and stationery retailer, which is seeing more than 100 stores close […]

One of the area’s most popular community events has returned to Lubenham, with thousands of visitors expected over the weekend. The annual Lubenham Scarecrow Festival sees dozens of handmade scarecrows displayed around the village, with residents getting creative and decorating displays outside their homes. The Green will also be at the centre of the festivities, […]

A man has been jailed for 17 years for historic child sex offences against two girls in Kibworth. Jordan Gray-Higgs was found guilty of nine offences committed between 2012 and 2014, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court. The offences came to light in 2022, when the two women, who were children at the time, […]

Strike action which would have affected train services from Market Harborough next Wednesday and Thursday has been suspended. The RMT union says there has been “substantial movement” from management at East Midlands Railway in a dispute over safety concerns surrounding faults with the company’s Class 810 Aurora trains. However, action short of strike action due […]

Plans for private security patrols in Market Harborough town centre have been shelved after a new police patrol scheme was agreed. Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews had been considering using private security wardens to help tackle shoplifting and antisocial behaviour. Instead, Leicestershire Police will receive extra funding to provide dedicated foot patrols by police […]

Independent traders in Market Harborough have criticised Harborough District Council after it emerged Sports Direct was given a year’s free rent on its town-centre premises. The retail giant opened in the town last November after signing a ten-year lease on the unit vacated when Poundland closed, but details of the deal have only now come […]