We use some essential cookies to make this website work We would also like to set additional cookies to understand how you use this website and improve Council services We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services Environment Agency flood warnings and flood alerts remain in place in the Charnwood area this evening Flood warnings mean flooding is expected in those areas The current warnings and alerts are summarised below For the latest travel information in the area tune into local radio stations and follow @ATCLeicester on X or visit the one.network website: https://one.network/ Check for flooding in your area - https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/ River Soar at Mountsorrel Lock and riverside properties and mills issued at 5.01pm with areas most at risk being Mountsorrel Lock https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFSOMNTSORRL River Soar at Cotes and Loughborough Moors issued at 5.27pm with areas most at risk being Cotes including the B675 Quorn to Barrow Upon Soar road https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFSOCOTES Wood Brook and River Soar at Loughborough to the north of Derby Road issued at 5.47pm today with areas most at risk being Loughborough from the River Soar Minor banks are at risk of overtopping from the River Soar Water entering the floodplain and canal system puts property at risk around Belton Road and Bottle Acre Lane https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFSOMNTSORRL Rearsby Brook at Rearsby at 1:53pm on 6 January 2025 River levels remain high at the Leicester Rearsby river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall roads and farmland continues through today into this evening Areas most at risk are properties at Brookside and Church Lane The ford at Church Lane may remain impassable https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFRBREARSBY River Soar at caravan parks near Barrow upon Soar at 4:40pm on 6 January 2025 River levels are rising at the Brentingby Dam river gauge Areas most at risk are Proctor's Pleasure Park near Barrow upon Soar https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFSOCARAVANBS River Soar at Zouch Island at 2:56pm on 6 January 2025 River levels remain high at the Kegworth river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall roads and farmland remains through today into tomorrow https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFSOZOUCH Rivers Wreake and Soar for riverside properties near Syston and Birstall at 4:09pm on 6 January 2025 River levels are rising at the Freemans Weir river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFWRRIVSYST River Wreake at Thrussington and Ratcliffe on the Wreake at 1:44pm on 6 January 2025 River levels remain high at the Frisby river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall the risk of flooding to property and farmland remains through today into the early hours of tomorrow morning https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFWRRATHRUSS Thrussington and Ratcliffe at 11:39am on 6 January 2025 River levels are rising at the Syston and Frisby river gauges as a result of heavy rainfall https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFWRMILLS Rothley Brook at Glenfield and Anstey at 2:14pm on 6 January 2025 River levels remain high at the Glenfield river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall roads and farmland remains through today into tomorrow morning https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFROGLENFLD Wood Brook and River Soar at Loughborough to the north of Derby Road at 12:11pm on 6 January 2025 River levels remain high but are beginning to fall at the Lisle Street river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall Areas most at risk are areas north of the A6 in Loughborough including business properties around Belton Road https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034FWFWOLOUGHB Loughborough urban watercourses and local tributaries to the River Soar at 9:35pm on 5 January 2025 River levels are forecast to rise at the Loughborough river gauge as a result of recent rainfall and snowmelt flooding of roads and farmland is possible https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034WAF426 Lower River Soar in Leicestershire at 4:29pm on 5 January 2025 River levels are rising at the Pillings Lock river gauge as a result of recent rainfall and snowmelt Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including Slash Lane at Sileby and the Mountsorrel to Sileby road https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034WAF428 River Wreake in Leicestershire at 4:38pm on 5 January 2025 River levels are forecast to rise at the Frisby river gauge as a result of recent rainfall and snowmelt flooding of roads and farmland is possible from tomorrow morning https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034WAF404 Quorn Brook and Sileby Brook in Leicestershire at 4:29pm on 5 January 2025 River levels are forecast to rise at the Glenfield river gauge as a result of recent rainfall and snowmelt https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/target-area/034WAF403 For more flooding advice and information, visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/flooding. If you have any questions or suggestions and would like to find out the best way to get in touch with us, please visit the Contact Us page or connect with us on social media Enter your house number and your street name or postcode for more localised information Website developed by Cuttlefish First published in the September 2024 issue of Quarry Management AI's ability to identify patterns and abstractions from data make it ideal for understanding complex processes in mineral processing Many of us may have tentatively dabbled with Artificial Intelligence (AI) perhaps to generate a self-image for use on social media or help write a short letter or report where real-world dynamics and people are involved has perhaps been viewed with more scepticism The reasons are very understandable; AI not being properly understood; not knowing appropriate implementations for its use; little willingness to test it due to lack of understanding or perceived prohibitive costs; even simply the use of the word artificial being conflated in the mind with not being real and as a sector working with huge scale and volumes the minerals products industry has so much data that needs attention such potential won the Institute of Quarrying Emerald Challenge – an initiative created to invite the mineral products sector to test innovative environmentally focused ideas that could help the industry on its path to Net Zero The Emerald Challenge grant is there to support research and development into new processes or concepts to help deliver better performance or deliver existing technologies within a new context for the sector Before looking at the winning work of Ground Engineering Applied Research Services (GEARS) in joint venture with New Gradient and its early adoption and consequential development investment by Tarmac at their Mountsorrel Quarry first it is useful to try to better understand what is meant by AI There is no doubt that the use of AI is growing The AI market amounted to around US$200 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow well beyond that to more than US$1.8 trillion by 2030 the more the need for digital intelligence to extract trends from this data and the greater AI’s value in doing the work that would otherwise be an insurmountable challenge for human resources permeates extensive areas of our lives; for instance responding as chatbots for customer service AI has proven extremely useful in other extractive industries and industrial sectors AI is now used extensively in new oil field and precious metals exploration in cases such as safety checks for identifying personnel not wearing required PPE Whilst data analysis is often a process of review of what has happened the transformative value of AI is in its ability to predict using that analysis to discover patterns and consequently devise better ways to do things Improvements in efficiency that reduce cost and increase knowledge AI systems perform hazardous tasks and improve workflows That does not mean that AI can replace humans entirely the growing volume of data necessitates skilled data analysts With 90% of the world’s data generated in the last two years and expected data growth of 150% by 2025 AI tools augment rather than replace human expertise AI allows data scientists to focus on more complex analyses from its output Creating and leveraging reliable AI systems involves: Data collection: Gathering data from diverse sources is essential to train AI algorithms effectively Model training: An AI model must be trained on the selected data tuning parameters to make sure the model does not over-fit and offers representative and robust predictions Model deployment: AI models must be optimized for their specific deployment use case a model must be optimized in such a way to reduce inference cost Model inference: Once deployed the model can be run on a continuous stream of data offering intelligent and robust predictions Data-driven decision-making: Leveraging the outputs of AI models leads to faster Predictive analytics can foresee potential issues allowing businesses to address them proactively Further reading regarding the use of AI in mining; Insights and ethical considerations is available along with comment on AI machine learning and autonomous technology Trailblazing with AI: Blasting down CO2 at Mountsorrel Quarry the Institute of Quarrying requested submissions from the sector for development projects with the potential to show a positive environmental impact and contribute to the sustainability of the industry One of the winners was a collaboration between GEARS The team presented their initial hypothesis on the CO2 impact of poor blasting quality Their idea was to undertake a project whereby cost-effective AI solutions could be developed and implemented to measure the impact of the blast design on the entire process The aim was to reduce CO2 emissions using Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry as a test case This would serve as an example for the UK hard rock quarrying sector trailblaze how to use AI to address more ‘mine-to-mill’ operational efficiencies and more accessible route to mine-to-mill operational improvements Hard rock quarries produce between 2.5kg and 4kg of CO2 per tonne primarily from diesel-powered load-and-haul equipment and energy-intensive processing plants Recognizing the economic constraints and logistical impracticality of immediate replacement of mobile plant and processing plant with new plant powered by renewable energy GEARS shifted focus to optimizing existing operations particularly through improved blast fragmentation is costly (often 10–15% of total production costs) and often optimized solely for expense reduction which can compromise blast quality and increase ™ overall CO2 emissions without precise measurement of blast fragmentation the impact on CO2 emissions and total operational costs was unclear GEARS believed precise measurement would be possible With such high costs blasting is often being targeted to reduce cost but often to the detriment of good fragmentation Without accurate methods of measuring the quality of fragmentation from blasting it is impossible to assess fragmentations influence on CO2 emissions and impact on the total operational cost was chosen due to its high production levels the recent addition of a new primary crusher plant and mobile plant telemetry system The quarry’s potential for significant CO2 and cost savings made it an ideal location for the project AI’s ability to identify patterns and abstractions from data make it ideal for understanding complex processes such as the optimization of mineral processing thus facilitating intelligent decision-making AI allowed for data gathering at a frequency and accuracy otherwise not possible with just humans Acting on this data makes it possible to optimize processes in a way that would otherwise be impossible Drill and blast process: New Gradient used their AI-driven tool via drone imagery and AI computer vision to measure rock sizes in blast piles with access to a wide range of blast design data an AI programme that predicts blast pile outcomes based on input factors Crushing and screening: Monitoring the particle size distribution (grading) through the crushing and screening process is challenging yet crucial Incorrect settings can lead to increased energy usage and reduced throughput is another AI tool developed by New Gradient to continuously monitor grading and aggregate volume on conveyor belts facilitating optimization of the crushing process and linking blast pile quality to downstream processing efficiency A fully operational prototype of AggCAM is deployed on the conveyor downstream of the new primary crusher at Mountsorrel The research revealed that by improving blast fragmentation dumper loads could be increased by up to 10% previous research has demonstrated improved fragmentation can increase processing plant energy efficiency by up to 20% subsequently requiring less energy per tonne and optimization process are still at an early-stage total production cost savings of around £1 per tonne may be achievable as well as significant reductions in CO2 constant measuring of crusher conveyors using AggCAM identified non-productive operation of around 15% This feedback led Tarmac to immediately review the efficiency of the supply to the primary crusher resulting in an increase in the mobile plant fleet to ensure continuous efficient operation of the crusher FragMAP has allowed Tarmac to improve drill and blast efficiency by facilitating objective measurement of clear KPIs for blast quality The use of AI at Mountsorrel and introduction of in-house drone data capture capability has not only empowered the Tarmac quarry management team to make better-informed decisions and challenge contractors to improve outcomes but has also upskilled the team and fostered a deeper understanding of the processing system The project is testament to the value of the Institute of Quarrying’s Emerald Challenge as it has inspired individuals and companies to think about and innovate in the environmental space the project and its results demonstrate the power of AI to solve problems at speed and be the catalyst for genuine and valuable change Thomas Clifford (GEARS) and Oliver Kibble (Tarmac) will be presenting their work on ‘Blasting Down CO2’ to the IQ Derbyshire branch on Wednesday 11 September 2024 at Buxton Rugby Club. To book, visit: go.quarrying.org/blasting-down-co2-event A fuller case study of the work undertaken is also available on the Institute of Quarrying website. Visit: go.quarrying.org/blasting-down-co2; or use the QR code below: Subscribe to Quarry Management the monthly journal for the mineral products industry to read articles before they appear on Agg-Net.com jobs events and articles direct to your inbox Subscribe Here Agg-Net is the ‘go-to’ website for key decision makers within the aggregates and recycling industries market reports and industry features provide an independent and informed voice for the industry Agg-Net is the official digital partner for Hillhead providing unrivalled coverage of our June event 7 Regent StreetNottinghamNG1 5BSUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)115 941 1315 Following the news in September 2024 that HiQ Tyres & Autocare and Carsa are cooperating they are expanding their strategic partnership with the opening of two new autocare centres in Greater Manchester and Leicestershire The two new centres in Bolton and Mountsorrel aren’t the end of it either with more locations “already in the pipeline” Tyrepress and Tyres & Accessories subscribers can log in below to read the full article If you are not yet a Tyrepress or Tyres & Accessories subscriber If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com Ian Payne is Leading Britain's Conversation The body of a man has been recovered from a flooded area of North Yorkshire as parts of the UK have been hit by heavy rain Two major incidents have been declared in regions in England 17 people were rescued by fire crews this morning and many cars have been seen floating in water North Yorkshire Police said the body - which is yet to be identified - was recovered from an area of flooding near Intake Lane in Beal The force said: "Despite extensive enquiries including with our colleagues in Humberside and West Yorkshire Police "He was found without any identification or personal belongings with light brown short hair and stubble." The force believe he may have entered the water within the last 24 to 48 hours Major incidents have been declared in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire after rain brought severe flooding in the Midlands on Monday Firefighters in Leicestershire received more than 200 calls and rescued 17 people on Monday morning while authorities in Lincolnshire warned conditions could deteriorate overnight as water iced over The incidents come as wintry conditions continued to disrupt travel and close schools with yellow warnings for snow and ice in force across large parts of the UK the Environment Agency had 193 flood warnings in place across England at 5.45pm and another 306 flood alerts indicating flooding was possible See more More Latest News See more Latest News See more The News Explained See more Royals See more Highlights & Opinion See more More Topics CloseFirefighters tackled a large grassland blaze in Leicestershire which reached the edge of several houses The large fire on Castle Hill in Mountsorrel burnt around 500 sq m of land on Sunday afternoon a volunteer with Leicestershire and Rutland 4x4 Response said he helped to contain the blaze before firefighters arrived at the scene "It was no further than 10ft away from the hedges of the houses," he said "If the they had come 10 or 15 minutes later it would have been worse." A spokesperson for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze was not yet known Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionExplore moreGrassland fire 'feet away' from houses 00:00:31Grassland fire 'feet away' from houses 0:31 Up Next Drone footage reveals hidden 17th Century garden 00:01:56Drone footage reveals hidden 17th Century garden 1:56 Green spaces across England parched in weekend heatwave 00:01:07Green spaces across England parched in weekend heatwave 1:07 Before and after pictures show hot weather's impact 00:01:15Before and after pictures show hot weather's impact 1:15Editor's recommendations Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 00:01:40Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 1:40 Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 00:01:25Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 1:25 Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster Video 00:01:21Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster 1:21 'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 00:01:20'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 1:20 Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 00:02:54Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 2:54 Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 00:01:32Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 1:32 Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 00:01:11Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 1:11 Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 00:00:50Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 0:50 Ros Atkins on.. What's in the US-Ukraine resources deal 1:23 Kamala Harris hits out at Trump in first major speech since losing election 00:01:18Kamala Harris hits out at Trump in first major speech since losing election 1:18 Watch: Moment Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi is released 00:00:46Watch: Moment Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi is released Dom Joly is Leading Britain's Conversation Commuters face travel chaos this morning as flooding and heavy rain cause road closures and delays Flood alerts remain in place across England amid warnings that thunderstorms and heavy rain will cause travel disruption There were more than 80 alerts cautioning of possible flooding on Wednesday morning with flood warnings Flood warnings were updated overnight for the River Anker in Warwickshire and areas around the River Blackwater near Southampton After a weather warning for thunderstorms in the south of England ended at 3am the Met Office said showery rain would push into eastern parts of England over Wednesday Other warnings were issued for Gog Brook in Warwick Bunches Brook from Broadway to Childswickham in Worcestershire and for low-lying properties near the River Brue and Glastonbury Millstream from Lovington to Highbridge in Somerset A warning was also issued for the B1040 Thorney to Whittlesey Road to the south of the River Nene near Peterborough TfL: "Severe delays between Kennington and Camden Town via Bank while we fix a signalling system failure." Commuters on the Northern line are facing delays due to a signalling failure there is good service on the rest of the line "London Underground tickets are being accepted on London Buses," TfL added traffic is being held on the M4 Eastbound at Junction 24, A449 because of an accident Also on the M4, but in Berkshire A329(M) because of an accident in the roadworks There are queues on the Western stretch of the M25 anticlockwise from Junction 17 there are delays on the M6 Southbound from Junction 4, M42 to Junction 3, Bedworth Bypass because there's been an accident and only one lane is open Greater Anglia and Stansted Express services aren't running between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne because of an investigation And if you were planning on flying to Florida today do check with your individual airline because flights have been cancelled ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton an MP warned that parts of Northumberland were experiencing "severe flooding" amid "extreme conditions". Blyth and Ashington MP lan Lavery said his office had "taken numerous calls about the serious flooding" in south-east Northumberland A local councillor said roads had been closed near Blyth and fire and rescue service crews were at the scene Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Flood alerts are in place across England amid warnings that thunderstorms and heavy rain will cause travel disruption There were more than 70 alerts cautioning of possible flooding on Tuesday evening as the Met Office issued a weather warning for thunderstorms were also in place for seven locations on Tuesday evening Other warnings were issued for Gog Brook in Warwick, Bunches Brook from Broadway to Childswickham in Worcestershire, and for low-lying properties near the River Brue and Glastonbury Millstream from Lovington to Highbridge in Somerset. A warning was also issued for the B1040 Thorney to Whittlesey Road to the south of the River Nene near Peterborough. On Tuesday evening, an MP warned that parts of Northumberland were experiencing “severe flooding” amid “extreme conditions”. Blyth and Ashington MP lan Lavery said his office had “taken numerous calls about the serious flooding” in south-east Northumberland. A local councillor said roads had been closed near Blyth and fire and rescue service crews were at the scene. It came after the Met Office warned that thunderstorms may cause flooding and road closures across parts of southern England. A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms was issued by the Met Office from 10am on Tuesday until 3am on Wednesday. An area from Dorset to Kent, and stretching as far north as Worcester and across to East Anglia, was covered by the warning. The Met Office said spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures. It added that there was a small chance some communities could be cut off by flooded roads. Mr Lavery said on Tuesday evening that south-east Northumberland was “experiencing severe flooding”. In a statement posted on social media, the Labour MP said: “We are aware that the emergency services and NCC (Northumberland County Council) are on the ground doing their best in the extreme conditions. “I know many people have seen their properties flooded and this is just the latest in a series of recent floods affecting the area and there are a number of issues which has made them worse.” In a post on social media, county councillor Scott Dickinson said: “A number of roads have been closed in the Blyth area and NCC teams are at the scene, along with crews from Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, Northern Powergrid and Northumbria Water.” National Highways said the M5 in Somerset was temporarily closed southbound on Tuesday afternoon due to flooding after heavy rainfall. Liam Eslick said: “We are looking to see quite a lot of rainfall with 20mm-30mm in two to three hours but there could be some very heavy bursts with 40mm-50mm falling over a longer period of time. “We are expecting to see not just rain, we are expecting some hail and quite a lot of thunder, a lot of these showers could turn thundery as they combine together and become larger systems. “So we are expecting thundery outbreaks and quite gusty conditions, it’s a pretty hefty system across the south.” The Met Office said showers and thunderstorms will move north and east across southern Britain into Tuesday evening, before gradually clearing from the west. It added that 40mph gusts of wind are possible in the south of the warning area. PHILIP SHERRATT PROFILES RAIL OPERATIONS AT TARMAC’S MOUNTSORREL QUARRY IN LEICESTERSHIRE The granite quarry at Mountsorrel is one of the largest in Europe Granite quarrying has taken place in the Charnwood area of Leicestershire for at least 250 years The site extends over approximately 494 acres It has planning consent secured until 2040 and Tarmac is currently in the process of extending the quarry which will allow further mineral reserves to be accessed and will increase its life by 25 years the site is close to the Midland main line and around 60% of the stone from the quarry is transported by rail from Tarmac’s Barrow-upon-Soar railhead Tarmac faces the challenge of securing the train paths to meet its needs on a network which is under increasing strain Once stone has been cut to the correct size Material which does not move to the railhead is distributed locally by lorry The connection to the Barrow railhead adjacent to the… This is a premium article and requires an active subscription You will need your print Customer ID ready to set up an account you'll find this on your welcome email and cover sheet delivered with each print magazine Register now Key Publishing Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with Company Number 2713662 Enter a location to help give the most relevant search result for you Clear Triumphant food in contemporary bucolic surrounds Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment leaves home to work for the likes of Claude Bosi and Simon Rogan then returns in 2014 to open his own restaurant in a 16th-century farmhouse next to his family’s 4,000-acre farm Given the off-grid surroundings (you can hear cows mooing from inside the farm shop) this is the full contemporary bucolic experience – one that is booked weeks in advance The first-floor dining room is rustic and homely Duffin's cooking is refined and he's not afraid to take risks maxing out his agricultural heritage along the way an ox sirloin tartare paired with pumpkin-seed emulsion and a smoky/salty charcoal and grilled cream could have been muddled – instead Other recent highlights have included a delicate truffle pudding accompanied by a soup of wild garlic and Beauvale Blue cheese as well as poached halibut topped with asparagus and morels paired with tapenade and elevated by a salted lemon sauce We could also taste every component involved in a dish of home-reared Leicester Longwool hogget (shoulder and belly) bursting with flavour and served alongside allium Jersey Royals and a full-bone reduction split with oil plus a freshly baked onion and rosemary roll and soda bread (perfect with salty wild garlic butter as well as a creamy butter made smoother by the addition of a little yoghurt) was so good that we had to stop ourselves from eating more Szechuan pepper oil and kaffir lime was a subtle segue from savoury into sweet a delightful sweet cheese was matched with anise-infused poached rhubarb and a topping of hazelnut crumb The wine list has interesting bottles every which way starting from £35 and heading skywards to the highly coveted millennial 'Pingus' at £1,200 Three dozen come by the glass (including Coravin) with the bonus of helpful and incisive notes The wine pairings for the tasting menus are particularly well considered Accommodation is now available in two self-contained cottages 'just a stumble from the restaurant' Stonehurst Farm, 139-141 Loughborough RoadMountsorrelLeicestershire LE12 7ARGB Make a reservation Chester brings a distinctive flair to the dining scene in Cheshire with a growing number of restaurants that balance creativity From bold Mediterranean flavours to plant-led plates and modern British cooking Ahead of the next instalment of our Claridge’s Supper Series we caught up with Elly Wentworth from The Angel The South Hams boasts some of the most beautiful stretches of the English coastline with fertile farmland stretching from sea-sprayed headlands to steep rolling pasture and cool It’s home to a fiercely local food and drink scene and .. Samantha Miller and Jane Baxter’s eccentrically located restaurant brings people together in a shared table format Here’s a light summer recipe to bring to your dining table Have we seen the last gasp of late night London Critic and Good Food Guide columnist Jimi Famurewa doesn't think so Some of the best restaurants in the city will still seat you come 10pm Bangkok Diners Club began life as District a Thai fusion tasting menu restaurant on nearby Oldham Street that attracted plaudits from local and national press before closing in 2022 due to financial difficulties. few things are as uncomfortable as having to hurriedly recalibrate opinions about a formerly wholehearted recommendation I excitedly dragged my wife along for a very late Restaurant Index Our website uses cookies to improve your experience and personalise content. Cookies are small files placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to improve your experience of a website, gather reporting information and show relevant advertising. You can allow all cookies or manage them for yourself. You can find out more on our cookies page any time These cookies are needed for essential functions such as signing in and making payments These cookies help us optimise our website based on data Using these cookies we will know which web pages customers enjoy reading most and what products are most popular Residents in Leicestershire are angered over plans to expand the Mountsorrel Quarry closer to the villages of Quorn and Mountsorrel and extend its operations for 18 more years is considered nationally significant for supplying crucial building materials to UK construction projects the Stop Mountsorrel Quarry Expansion group has criticized the quarry for damaging local woods and creating a massive scar on the landscape They are also concerned about the potential health impact of dust on the residents of Mountsorrel and Quorn Tarmac claims their proposals consider the development’s effects The current permission for granite extraction at Mountsorrel expires in 2040 but Tarmac’s plan aims to extend it to 2058 A spokesperson from Tarmac said: “To continue providing a consistent high-quality supply of products to some of the most critical infrastructure in the UK we need to secure the future of the quarry which can only be done by expanding it in the coming years We have submitted a planning application for a northern and south-eastern extension to Mountsorrel Quarry The application has now been validated by the Leicestershire County Council (LCC) “The application is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment which carefully considers all potential effects of the development and proposes mitigation measures where required Tarmac is committed to being a good neighbour and to working alongside local communities We have hosted meetings for local residents to discuss our proposals and hear views from the local community.” A spokesperson from the petition group against the quarry expansion said: “Tarmac takes out millions of tonnes of rock from Mountsorrel and Quorn every year They’ve been doing this for decades and have created a massive chasm in our community The crater is so big that it could fit all of the UK population in it 20 times over It’s already 130m below sea level and has swallowed up vast areas of local wildlife “We think Tarmac’s operations are having a big impact on our health Vast amounts of dust are thrown up that people can breathe in People tell us their respiratory health has deteriorated Tarmac would like you to think that they’re part of our community and that everything is OK Any objections against the quarry expansion can be submitted until November Three-tonne granite marker heralds haven of natural beauty thanks to Tarmac donation A THREE-tonne lump of Leicestershire granite now marks a tranquil wildflower meadow that will be ablaze with colour to delight residents carries a plaque explaining that Navins Wildflower Meadow is a public space the meadow was the brainchild of members of the Mountsorrel Heritage Group – part of the Mountsorrel Museum & Heritage Trust – led by the late Ken Wiblin The meadow has since been nurtured using organic and traditional methods into a small wildlife haven chairman of the trustees of the Mountsorrel Museum & Heritage Trust said: ‘The meadow started as just a patch of land which was maintained by a small team of volunteers more people have been expressing their appreciation of the many varieties of flowers that bloom during spring and summer ‘There were so many questions about the meadow that we decided to create an information board Having obtained the necessary clearance from the local authorities we approached Christ Church & St Peter’s Primary School to get the pupils involved in the design and artwork.’ delivered the three-tonne stone as a plinth for the board Thanking the company on behalf of the heritage group Mr Doyle said: ‘We could not have undertaken the work without the support of Mountsorrel Quarry making it possible for us to weed and seed the site This was followed by the provision of the boundary stones and now said: ‘It has been a real team effort to transform this small patch of land into a lovely haven for flowers and wildlife for the enjoyment of everyone We were happy to be able to play our part in supporting Mountsorrel Museum & Heritage Trust in their initiative.’ Charnwood Borough Council secured the closure order for the flat in Churchill Road from entering the property for a period of three months Closure orders aim to protect residents and the local community by putting a stop to anti-social behaviour which is taking place in or around the property the council received reports of drug related activity taking place at the flat including drug dealing and drug paraphernalia being taken into the property Council officers visited the property to carry out a number of checks and when entering the flat The council worked with partners to gather the evidence required to successfully obtain the closure order at Leicester Magistrates’ Court The council will now consider any further action which can be taken in relation to the tenant If serious nuisance is caused to local residents closure orders can be used to prevent people entering the premises and stop the anti-social behaviour If anyone breaches the order and enters the property they can be fined or face a prison sentence Council tenants are responsible for their behaviour as well as the behaviour of visitors to the property lead member for public housing said: “This is the third closure order the council has secured this year I hope it clearly shows we will not shy away from taking action against those demonstrating disruptive behaviour and causing a nuisance in our communities “The council is committed to working with partners to make our towns and villages safer and I would like to thank all of those involved in securing this latest closure order “If anyone is experiencing anti-social behaviour I would ask them to please report it to us so we can look into it.” The closure order will remain in place until July 6 Local residents with concerns about anti-social behaviour can report them on the Council’s website at www.charnwood.gov.uk/asb Leicester’s leading independent news & communications agency based in the heart of Leicester city centre providing high-quality news footage for established television channels including the BBC and ITV engaging with human interest community stories alongside current affairs involving political cultural and social issues of global significance The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response UK’s largest granite quarry hosts visit by newly elected Member of Parliament for Loughborough TARMAC welcomed new Loughborough MP Jane Hunt to Mountsorrel Quarry on Friday 28 February As one of Mountsorrel’s largest and most significant employers the quarry was high on Ms Hunt’s list of local sites to visit ‘It was absolutely fascinating to take a tour of one of the best-known local employers in this part of the county,’ she commented ‘Watching huge slabs of pink granite being turned in to different sizes of building materials – including rail ballast – was a real eye-opener ‘I didn’t realize just how many people are based at the quarry – or the extent of the significant contribution the site makes to the local economy.’ Mountsorrel director Alastair Meyers and Tarmac’s strategic planning and performance manager escorted Ms Hunt and her team around the site Mr Meyers said: ‘While we directly employ 150 people at the quarry many of whom live within a five-mile radius of the site a further 230 jobs are directly dependent on the quarry ‘I am extremely proud of all our team here who are passionate but also about their contribution to the local economy national strategic objectives and local community projects.’ Ms Pickford added: ‘We were delighted to welcome Jane to Mountsorrel Quarry recognizably the largest granite quarry in the UK ‘We are very proud of our site and our teams who make a significant contribution towards sustainability by moving volumes of vitally needed aggregate off the road and on to the railway tracks.’ Jane Hunt was elected to Parliament in December 2019 replacing long-serving local MP Nicky Morgan The team at the quarry heard of the connection via BBC Radio Leicester presenter Ben Jackson who had recently interviewed the Leicestershire-born naturalist and broadcaster for his mid-morning show Sir David credited his study of the rock with helping him earn a scholarship to Cambridge University He also spoke of a prized collection of Mountsorrel granite samples he used to own before donating them to the University of Leicester’s geology department when it was founded in 1951 On learning that Sir David no longer had a sample in his possession Ben contacted Tarmac to ask if a piece of pink Mountsorrel granite could be sent to him ‘It was definitely one of the most unusual and exciting requests we’ve received at the quarry,’ said works manager Trevor Warren ‘We were thrilled to hear of Sir David’s interest in Mountsorrel granite and jumped at the opportunity to send him a sample.’ A large piece of granite was carefully selected and polished to allow Sir David to see its special geological features Tarmac then invited Ben Jackson to the quarry to collect the sample and find out more about their work on site ‘The sample was much larger than Ben was expecting,’ said Mr Warren ‘but we wanted to make sure Sir David could appreciate the rock properly given his obvious passion and enthusiasm for the region’s geology.’ Mr Jackson had the opportunity to visit different areas of the quarry asphalt plant and railhead at Barrow-upon-Soar An account of the visit was aired on his radio programme shortly afterwards we sent the sample to Sir David the next day with some information about the history of Mountsorrel Quarry,’ said Mr Warren the team received a letter from Sir David thanking them for the granite which he described as ‘magnificent’ and ‘superb’ The letter also included more about his experience studying the local geology ‘I’ve been a keen geologist all my life and have enjoyed Sir David’s work,’ continued Mr Warren ‘I never thought I would have the opportunity to correspond with him directly especially over something as close to me as Mountsorrel ‘It’s a real privilege to know that despite travelling the world far and wide and seeing some amazing sights Sir David still remembers the unique and special qualities of our Mountsorrel granite.’ has acquired three quarry sites and Gemmix has acquired five ready-mix concrete sites with the help of Grant Thornton’s corporate finance team The acquisitions expand the group’s operations with the sites acquired from Heidelberg Materials while the quarries are located in Norfolk and Northamptonshire The Competition and Markets Authority mandated the sale following Heidelberg’s acquisition of Mick George Group Tarmac has been fined £1.275M for a 2017 incident in which a 26-year-old worker was crushed to death after being trapped between a conveyor and a feed hopper died on 21 June 2017 after the incident during maintenance work at Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire working on behalf of Branston Site Services was part of a nightshift maintenance team that was repairing a feed hopper at the Loughborough quarry He had been stood on a conveyor that was located under the feed hopper and had not been effectively isolated – through cutting the power – before the repair work started The conveyor was then inadvertently switched on A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into this incident found Tarmac Aggregates had failed to ensure the feed hopper was properly isolated before the repair work commenced The test button on the conveyor electrical panel was not connected to the test circuit and was therefore inoperative This issue appears to have existed for many years before the incident meaning Tarmac Aggregates failed to ensure critical defects were recorded and rectified in a timely manner The company should have also provided a visual and audible pre-start alarm for the conveyor “Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.” A spokesperson for Tarmac said: “We acknowledge the impact of the tragic incident which occurred at Mountsorrel Quarry in 2017 and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Luke Branston “The safety of everyone at our sites is of the highest importance to Tarmac and is the primary focus at our operations every day We have fully cooperated with the Health and Safety Executive throughout the investigation and have implemented a number of actions to prevent reoccurrence.” Like what you've read? 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Tagged with: health and safety executive HSE Tarmac tarmac aggregates A number of engineering and consultancy firms have made some big changes… Alun Griffiths has pulled out of delivering a flood defence scheme in… National Highways and Tarmac departed from standards to deliver the lowest carbon… Nine different contractors have been named across three lots on the £800M… Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said they received a huge number of calls to the incident and Wood Lane was closed between Mountsorrel and Quorn The fire service told ITV News Central that the first call came in at 6.31 to a fire in a four storey industrial building where the top two floors were on fire "We received the call at 6:31 this morning to a fire at Mountsorrel Quarry "This is a commercial/industrial fire consisting of 4 floors measuring approx 25m x 30m with the top 2 floors fully involved in fire "The building is used as a tile dust plant." The fire service say "There are no casualties at present" and that they sent four engines The local parish council has written on Facebook "we have been reassured that everyone there is safe." The Mountsorrel Quarry is a granite quarry operated by Tarmac The website says it is "a nationally significant quarry" and that "it supplies vital building materials to major construction projects locally and throughout the UK." In a statement a quarry spokesperson said: “An isolated fire occurred at around 6am today (4 November) at Mountsorrel Quarry "We acted promptly to alert the fire services We can confirm that no one was hurt and the fire services responded quickly to contain the incident The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.” How will rail strikes impact the Midlands in November? XFASTINDEX The machine is the largest of its kind in operation at a UK quarry Capable of moving more than three million tonnes of material per year, the Cat 6030 hydraulic mining shovel weighs approximately 300 tonnes generates more than 1,500 horsepower and completes the firm’s line-up of new equipment at Mountsorrel Now fully operational, the excavator is playing a key role in sustaining output at one of the UK’s busiest quarries Tarmac manufacturing manager Ian Brown said: “Our objective is to continue to provide high quality construction materials to our customers and it’s important we have the right plant and equipment to deliver maximum site productivity “The 6030 excavator is our second here at Mountsorrel and the two are the largest of their kind in operation at a UK quarry This new user-friendly machinery will undoubtedly enable us to run the quarry to its optimum output “With the machine remotely monitored by our Finsight engineering team in our Cannock head office, using the latest MineStar and Cat Product Link technology we are able to ensure the Tarmac team has performance and productivity data at its fingertips Monitoring this information also allows us to help Tarmac maintain high levels of uptime by spotting trends and alerts that can be used to schedule preventative maintenance.” Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk 14 hours Following a recent expansion into North America, Murphy Group has now entered Australia. 3 days A Devon housing development has emerged as the centre of a web of corruption. 14 hours Controversial government plans to allow developers to pay into a central nature levy to offset local environmental harms are generating increasing opposition. 3 days Dolphin Living has appointed The Hill Group to deliver the redevelopment of the New Era housing estate in Hackney. 3 days Tilbury Douglas continues to progress after collapse of parent company 3 days John Sisk & Son has started work on a £65m refurbishment of Haringey Civic Centre in London. © 2025 The Construction Index [Company No ' + response[i].created_nice + ' ' + response[i].description + ' We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK remember your settings and improve government services You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports This item has been moved to the National Archives as RAIB has published its report describing this accident. See Report 21/2016 a passenger train collided with a conveyor boom projecting from an aggregates train standing in Barrow upon Soar sidings (some Network Rail documents refer to the sidings as Mountsorrel sidings) The train was the 10:20 hrs East Midlands Trains service from Leicester to York It consisted of a seven car class 222 diesel multiple unit and struck the boom of the wagon The maximum speed allowed for this type of train at this location is 110 mph (176 km/h) The driver applied the emergency brake and the train stopped approximately 0.75 miles (1.21 km) from the point of impact The front coach of the train was damaged by the impact but did not derail The unloading conveyor arm was also damaged and a member of staff was seriously injured and was taken to hospital by air ambulance the train was moved at low speed to Loughborough station where the passengers were detrained to continue their journeys on other services The wagon involved in the accident was part of a train which had been loaded with aggregates ready for departure the following day It was being prepared for service by the member of staff at the time of the accident Our investigation will examine the sequence of events leading up to and during the collision the preparation and maintenance work that was being carried out on the wagon the procedures which govern this work and any underlying management issues Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) or the Health & Safety Executive including any safety recommendations at the conclusion of our investigation; these will be available on our website You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details Police and HSE launch investigation following death of contractor at Europe’s largest granite quarry It has been confirmed that a man who died at Mountsorrel Quarry yesterday (21 June) was a contractor working at the site police were called to the quarry just after 5am yesterday morning to a report of a man being injured A police spokeswoman said the man was pronounced dead at the quarry She said: ‘We were called to a quarry in Wood Lane just after 5am this morning following a report of a man being injured The injured man subsequently died at the scene.’ said: ‘It is with great sadness that we can confirm a contractor Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with the man’s family ‘We are all shocked and saddened by this news and will continue to do all we can to help the authorities with their investigations and to provide care and support for the team on site it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.’ A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said: ‘We are aware of an incident involving the death of a man at a quarry in Leicestershire We are assisting the police with their enquiries.’