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.
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
With an abandoned tricycle sitting in an empty corridor, this derelict but once grand mansion could be the setting for The Shining .
COURAGEOUS climbers descend 400 metres as they manoeuvre their way through thick walls of ice .
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
With blue waves tumbling over them, these surfers glide underneath a tunnel of water .
AN OLD ENGLISH cottage packed full of history and valuables has been left to rot .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
A diving guide leaves a shark completely docile and balanced in the palm of his hand .
THIS astonishing film shows the moment a hit-and-run driver ploughed into a woman and a toddler on a Coventry street .
Pic By Graham Gibson/ HotSpot Media - SHARK HYPNOTIST BALANCES SHARK IN PALM OF HIS HAND- In Pic - Diver Tom and Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas- A SHARK hypnotist balances these predators in the palm of his hand by sending them to sleep with a gentle nose rub .
These are the faces of orphans suffering from the horrifying effects of chemical warfare .
A frilled lizard appears to be belting out a tune as it sits in a tree with its mouth open wide .