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.
AN ANGRY giraffe gave a bush-riding cyclist a scare when he stomped his £2K bike into the dirt .
Sam Notaro built his own flood defences to protect his four-bedroom home in Moorland, Somerset Flooding is likely to get worse around Somerset as groundwater levels continue to rise .
ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
LOCATIONS bursting with vibrant greens and chestnut browns, these photographs capture the peaceful English countryside in all its glory .
A BABY-faced burglar is starting a seven year stretch in custody after being nabbed by a Jaffa Cake .
A little clownfish opens its mouth to reveal a blood sucking intruder living on its tongue .
A photographer has travelled the length of the UK capturing lighthouses and their picturesque surroundings .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .