BBC Local Live: Beds, Herts & Bucks

Any showers should die away this evening to leave a largely dry night. Under clear skies we could see some patchy mist developing. Lows of about 6C (43F).

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Tomorrow should be generally fine and dry with some sunshine but some cloudier periods expected too. Temperatures reaching about 16C (61F).  

We've already heard that Central Bedfordshire Council has issued many licenses for residents to keep wild animals, but what about elsewhere in Bucks and Herts?

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According to Freedom of Information requests by the Press Association, there are capuchin monkeys, lemurs and alligators in Buckinghamshire.

In Hertfordshire, there are scorpions, rattlesnakes, cheetahs and pumas! Not much to make you want to stay indoors and out of harm's way, then...

A Milton Keynes man is among hundreds of guide dog owners who claim they are discriminated against by taxi drivers.

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Colin Bradford says he was let down when seven taxi drivers refused to pick him, his son and his guide dog from outside a hospital in Milton Keynes. He says there should be tougher sentences for taxi drivers who refuse to take guide dogs. 

Charity Guide Dogs says this is not an isolated case and has organised a protest on the issue at Parliament on Wednesday. It says prosecutions are rare and fines are low, with some licensing authorities reporting fines as low as £50 to £100.

It's one of the events that makes us truly British - the Chelsea Flower Show.

Representing Bedford at this year's show is Bloms Bulbs, who are exhibiting their floral fancies.

The company, which began in 1860 and is still family-owned, produces its own bulbs across nurseries in England, Holland and the United States.  

So it's not quite Throwback Thursday but we thought Monday deserved its own title for things you may have missed over the weekend.

If you were getting ready for a big Friday night out you might have missed this feature about the Bedfordshire Clanger on BBC One's The One Show, where chef Ricky Andalcio got to B in his A-Z of UK Food.

Luckily, I wasn't going out and - without a hint of bitterness - made a mental note to share it with you today.  

Earlier we told you about a Muslim mother from High Wycombe, who says she has been racially abused for wearing her hijab in public.

Halfeez/Creative CommonsCopyright: Halfeez/Creative Commons

Arsia, as she wants to be known, said: "I'm just scared of turning on the television and hearing of another attack then thinking 'I've got to go out - am I going to bump into another person who thinks I'm a terrorist?'" 

Arsia told us she was abused following the Paris attacks in November and that if Islamist terror attacks continued, she would soon be scared to leave her house wearing her head scarf.

"I might get punched in the nose, I might get spat at. I will get verbal abuse," she said. 

In Buckinghamshire, the A4146 northbound is closed between Linslade and Water Eaton due to an overturned lorry and mud on the road.

There's a lane closed on the M1 northbound at J11 due to a collision, with traffic queuing to J7.  

Check the latest here.

The St Albans postcode has been revealed as one of the luckiest for major National Lottery prize winners. 

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Since 2014, 15 winners with an AL postcode have won more than £50,000, placing it 15th in the table of 121 postcodes for big winners.

Lottery operator Camelot also says St Albans has seen seven players in the last five years become lottery millionaires.

A man who was retrieving a ball for his dog at a quarry in Bedfordshire had to be rescued after he fell down a steep slope and broke his leg.

Beds Fire and RescueCopyright: Beds Fire and Rescue

The man slipped down the slope at Blows Downs Quarry in Dunstable yesterday afternoon.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service's special "Rope Rescue team" assisted paramedics in getting to the injured man who was then taken to hospital.

A French gardener has denied murdering a British expat, originally from Welwyn Garden City, telling a court that claims against him are "lies".

Jean-Louis Cayrou, 54, is charged with murdering Patricia Wilson, 58, after their brief romance broke down. The pair started seeing each other around April 2012, and Mrs Wilson vanished from her home near the village of Vabre-Tizac in southern France in August, just four months later.

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Mrs Wilson's friends became concerned for her after a lack of contact and let themselves into her home, where they say they found traces of blood, and that the electricity had been cut.

Human blood and DNA from Mrs Wilson were found in the boot of Cayrou's car, on a head torch and a strap, the court heard. Mr Cayrou said these were "lies" as charges were read.

National League club Eastleigh have secured the signing of Luton midfielder Jake Howells on a two-year contract.

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Howells was released by Luton at the end of the season and is Eastleigh's second signing for next term, following David Pipe from Forest Green.

"I'm really pleased to be signing for such an ambitious club as Eastleigh and really looking forward to the challenge ahead," the 25-year-old said.

Business leaders in Hertfordshire are calling for improvements to the West Anglia railway line which runs through the east into London. 

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The MP for Hertford and Bishop's Stortford, Mark Prisk, wants the government to invest more money. "The case for improvement is to make sure that we get new rolling stock, better tracking, a larger railway service in and out of London," he said.

"It's crucial for commuters, it's very important for local businesses and, frankly, it's overdue."

Watford police station and magistrates' court were evacuated this morning after a man handed in a World War Two bomb that he'd found in his garage.

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A bomb disposal unit was called to Shady Lane to check the device. It was declared safe at about 11:00.

An elderly woman was robbed by another woman who told her she had a bee on her shoulder before pushing her to the ground.

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The robbery happened along the High Street in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, on Thursday, where the woman's handbag, money and keys were stolen.

The offender is described as white, about 5ft 4in (1.62m), slim and in her 20s.

About 25 walkers and their dogs turned out for the Boris and Helen Bailey sausage dog walk on Royston Heath.

The event was organised by Ms Bailey's friends to keep the search for the 51-year-old author and her pet sausage dog Boris, last seen on 11 April, in people's minds.

Where is Helen Bailey?Copyright: Where is Helen Bailey?

Ms Bailey's partner Ian Stewart saw the walkers off on their trek, during which they gave out leaflets to other walkers, dog owners and members of the public.

Jay Latchford, who started the Facebook page Where is Helen Bailey?, said: “Although the mood was a little sombre we were so pleased to be walking in the sunshine, each reflecting on Helen and Boris and the small part we were playing in helping to raise awareness that nearly six weeks on they are still missing."

It'll be a bright day with plenty of sunny spells, and it will feel warm in the sunshine. There is a risk of seeing some heavy and perhaps even thundery showers developing into afternoon, though. 

Maximum temperature: 18C (64F).

The Cranbourne SchoolCopyright: The Cranbourne School

Opera singer Nick Allen from Hitchin has become known across the globe after a video of him singing to penguins went viral.

Nick was in Antarctica when he began singing opera to the penguins who promptly ran away.

He sang something a little bit different when he visited our Dunstable studios...

The top stories this lunchtime:

• Detectives investigating the disappearance of Milton Keynes woman, Natalie Hemming, are working with Hertfordshire police following the discovery of a body 
• A gardener accused of the murder of a British expat in rural France has arrived in court  
• Wootton Upper School has been evacuated due to a "security alert"

Jean-Louis Cayrou, 54, is appearing in court today charged with murdering Patricia Wilson, 58, (pictured below right), originally from Welwyn Garden City. 

Press AssociationCopyright: Press Association

He was surrounded by press as he was led to the dock in the Cour d'Assises de l'Aveyron, in Rodez, southern France.

Dressed in a dark blue ribbed jumper and light blue shirt, he stood for photos, speaking quietly to his lawyer. 

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