There are many things West Yorkshire is famous for, but surely none are as impressive as the Rhubarb Festival held in Wakefield. 

This year's starts today:

The three-day celebration of the pink vegetable includes star guests chef Jean Christophe Novelli and the winner of Alan Sugar's The Apprentice Alana Spencer. 

Away from the heady world of celebrity, there's plenty else on, with bands playing, sessions for children to get involved and street entertainment.

Tree protesters in Sheffield have vowed to continue their campaign after talks with the city council fell through this week. 

Sheffield Tree Action Group (STAG) says a meeting with councillors was their latest attempt to find a resolution over the felling of trees as part of the £2bn Streets Ahead scheme, external.

Campaigners are upset healthy trees are being removed and say an offer from councillors of two places on the city's Independent Tree Panel isn't good enough.

Helen McIlroy has been part of the negotiating team for STAG and she says the group is willing to do anything to avoid more trees being felled:

More on the news that South Yorkshire police is investigating after a mosque in Rotherham received a hate letter through the post. 

It was sent to the Jamia Mosque on College Road in Masborough from someone calling themselves "Muslim Slayer". 

A meeting of all Rotherham mosques has now been called.

Jahangir Akhtar, from the Jamia Mosque Committee, says the letter refers to the recent lethal terrorist attack on a mosque in Canada:

More on the news that a man's being treated in hospital after being found with serious injuries near Lendal Bridge in York.

Police were called to the scene just after 03:00 this morning where a man was found in a critical condition at the bottom of the steps on Dame Judi Dench Walk.

The 25-year-old man, from London, was taken to Leeds General Infirmary.

Lendal Bridge remains closed while police continue their investigations to determine exactly what happened.

Anyone with information is being asked contact police.

A 25-year-old man from London is in a critical condition in a Leeds hospital after being found injured near York's Lendal Bridge.

More to follow.

More money's being spent on ridding pigeons and gulls from the streets of Leeds than almost anywhere else in the country, new figures show.

Image source, Thinkstock

About two-thirds of England's councils responded to a BBC information request on bird control.

Leeds City Council is near the top of the league for cash spent on the problem among councils outside London.

The British Pest Control Association said the increase in spending might reflect a growing awareness of public health risks posed by some birds.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

Police are looking for the owner of this Subaru car which was found abandoned in a field in Gateforth, near Selby, earlier this week.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Who can guess what the owner was up to?

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

If it the car is yours, unsuprisingly North Yorkshire Police would like to chat to you.

I imagine the farmer who owns the field might like a quiet word too...

Oliver Wright
BBC News Online, Yorkshire

An exhibition charting the life of Dickie Bird from miner's son to world famous cricket umpire opens this weekend in his home town of Barnsley.

Image source, John Tanner

The show will feature personal memorabilia including his umpire's bag and a short film charting the 83-year-old's life.

Image source, John Tanner

Dickie Bird told the BBC: "I'm chuffed, especially to have it in my home town. It will be marvellous. I'm very proud."  

The exhibition runs at Experience Barnsley from 18 February to 14 May.

An insurance firm is investigating allegations that homeless people in Leeds were deliberately soaked with water outside one of their buildings.

Image source, Facebook/James

A Facebook post claimed that a worker at a Direct Line office on Leeds' Headrow poured water on the pavement, wetting three men sleeping nearby.

The poster told the BBC that the "water appeared to have been poured downhill with the intention of waking the men".

Direct Line said it had apologised to the men.

David Ward
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

Lendal Bridge in York remains closed as police continue their investigations in the area following an "incident" earlier this morning.

It happened at about 03:00 and we're told it doesn't involve anyone going into the river. 

Here's the scene at the moment:

BBC Travel

Here are the latest details of problems on Yorkshire's roads:

• A1036 St Leonard's Place in York is closed in both directions due to a police incident between A19 Bootham/High Petergate and B1227 Rougier Street
• This incident is also affecting Lendal Bridge, which remains closed to vehicles and pedestrians
• Heavy traffic's reported on the A629 Huddersfield Road northbound in Halifax at A6026 Wakefield Road/B6112 Stainland Road in the roadworks area.
• Thornton Road in Bradford is currently closed in both directions due to an accident between Thornton Old Road and Allerton Road
• Slow traffic due to traffic light failure at the junction on M1 at J34 A631/A6178 (Meadowhall), congestion to J33 A630 (Catcliffe/Sheffield/Rotherham)

BBC Sport

The top sporting stories from around the county this morning include:  

• Barnsley forward Marley Watkins admits his head was turned during the January transfer window after he was made aware of interest from top flight clubs
• Huddersfield Giants suffer their first defeat of the new Super League season as they go down 30-20 at home to Salford
• York City say they're unlikely to bring anyone else in for tomorrow's game at Boreham Wood, despite a season-ending injury for Lappin, and Klukowski facing a late fitness test

Andy Kershaw
BBC Radio Sheffield News

A police investigation's been launched in South Yorkshire after a mosque in Rotherham received a "hate letter".

Image source, Google

The letter was sent by post to the Jamia Mosque on College Road in Masborough.   

It's been seen by a BBC reporter and shows a number of "jigsaw"-shaped symbols with references to some of the most recent atrocities around the world affecting Muslim and Jewish groups. 

There have been several threats or attacks linked to mosques in Rotherham in recent years:

• Last year two men were jailed for killing an 81-year-old muslim grandfather as he walked to prayers at a Rotherham mosque
• A man was arrested for sending a bomb threat to a mosque in Eastwood in Rotherham last year

A meeting of all Rotherham mosques has now been called as a result of the letter.

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

Sheffield has the slowest internet connection speeds of any of England's large cities, according to data from telecoms watchdog Ofcom. 

The average download speed in Penistone and Stocksbrige is 10 megabits per second, that's the slowest in South Yorkshire and the slowest measure available.

Louise Haigh, the Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley and shadow minister for the digital economy, says the city is being left behind:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

There could be major travel problems in York this morning.

It's because Lendal Bridge has been closed for about five hours.

It follows an incident at about 03:00 this morning. 

The BBC's David Ward is out at the scene now and this is his latest report:

The funeral takes place today of Huddersfield-born 'Allo 'Allo star Gorden Kaye.

He died last month aged 75, while suffering from dementia in a nursing home in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Kaye played cafe owner Rene Artois on the hit show, which centred on the fictional exploits of resistance fighters in World War Two in German-occupied France.

He appeared in all 84 episodes of the sitcom, as well as a stage version.

David Ward
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

Lendal Bridge in the centre of York remains closed at the moment.

Police are currently investigating an incident which is thought to have taken place at about 03:00 this morning.

We're told it doesn't involve anyone going into the river.

Here are the latest pictures from the scene:

A man has been charged after his dog fatally injured a neighbour in West Yorkshire.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

David Ellam, 52, suffered multiple injuries near his home on Riddings Road, Sheepridge, Huddersfield, on 15 August and later died in hospital.

Aaron Joseph, 29, has been charged with owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.

He was also charged with possession of cannabis and bailed to appear at Kirklees Magistrates' Court on 2 March.

Abbie Dewhurst
Weather Presenter, BBC Look North

A cloudy but mild start to the day with extensive cloud cover, fog and some occasional rain.

Light winds and highs of 10C (50F).

Watch my full forecast here:

Andrew Barton
BBC Local Live, Yorkshire

York's Lendal Bridge is currently closed following what's described as an "incident" by North Yorkshire Police.

It seems it's not just closed to vehicles, but pedestrians too: