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.
A cheeky gorilla sticks her tongue out and plays up for the camera at Bronx Zoo .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
An Australian beach is illuminated by an enticing neon blue glow as a rare phenomenon lights up the water .
HOPPING onto the scales, these adorable baby Humboldt penguins are ready for their first weigh-in .
Destroyed buildings and overturned cars are seen after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013 .
BALANCING 30 metres above ground, these slackliners take the expression of living dangerously one step further, by tightrope walking NAKED .
THESE kingfishers prove no rod is needed as they go fishing for their dinner .
STRETCHING his little legs in the air, a smiley leaf-tailed gecko breaks free from his old, scaly skin .
An adorable little squirrel wakes from a nap and pops out his tongue for the camera .
A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .
FINALLY catching a meal, a pair of great white egrets fight over their dinner .