A family of foster carers are facing bankruptcy and homelessness after they signed up to a Government scheme to renovate their house to be used for disabled children's short breaks. Two years ago the Waite family received a grant from Leicestershire County Council to transform their home into a respite centre for severely disabled foster children. But after a dispute arose with the builder over the £75,000 extension to their three bedroom house in Leicestershire, Mark Waite, 44, and his wife Clair, 39, now face losing everything they have worked for. The couple, who represent the third generation in a 100-year family tradition of fostering disabled children, have had to sell all their furniture and clothes on ebay to pay solicitor's fees and say they now face total ruin. They say the council has "left them out in the cold" over the legal wrangle, leaving them responsible for tens of thousands of pounds of debt which will almost certainly result in them ending up on the streets with their two children.
SPLASHING around in a paddling pool, this little elephant soaks up the sunshine .
TOMORROW (Saturday) marks the 28th anniversary of the nuclear disaster that left the city of Chernobyl devastated .
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .
WITHOUT A care in the world, this little snow monkey puts his feet up and settles in for a snooze .
ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .
LEAPING through the air this determined little mouse is on a mission for food .
WITH A wide smile plastered across his face, this little gecko is ready for his close up .
SOARING through the air, a hungry white-tailed kite prepares to snatch a vole from his mother’s claws .
A ROAD KILL munching Scot has chewed on everything from a dead squirrel to an unlucky crow – all in the name of art .
WHETHER FLOATING through space or diving underwater, a lucky baby boy enjoys once in a life time experiences - in his DREAMS .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
THE CRAZE for mimicking the video game Streetfighter has spread to the streets of London .