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Local Democracy Reporting Service

A hairdresser in West Yorkshire who has failed to pay £17,000 in fines for breaking Covid rules is being taking to court.

Image source, Paul Smith/LDRS

Sinead Quinn (pictured), whose salon is in Oakenshaw, near Bradford, could face an unlimited fine if she is found guilty.

Kirklees Council said Ms Quinn had not paid anything towards multiple fixed penalty notices imposed last year for ignoring lockdown regulations.

Ms Quinn had previously said on social media that she did not consent to or accept the fines.

She had also displayed a sign on the salon door which refers to Magna Carta, and said the shop is "under the jurisdiction of common law".

Officers from Kirklees Council first issued a £1,000 fine on 9 November. It subsequently issued, fines of £2,000, £4,000 and £10,000 after finding the shop open in breach of lockdown laws.

In November, Bradford magistrates granted the council an injunction forcing the salon to close, which was extended in February.

A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said: "We make no apologies for putting the health and safety of residents first.

"We are currently awaiting a court date, after submitting a prosecution case against Quinn for non-payment of fines after she repeatedly breached Covid-19 restrictions by opening and trading during lockdown.

The hearing is listed for 13 August. Ms Quinn has been approached for a response.

Kirklees Council says Sinead Quinn has not paid anything towards the £17,000 she has been fined.

A passer-by who helped an elderly woman in Bradford who had fallen onto a road and suffered a head injury from which she later died is being asked to come forward.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police/family handout

Wendy Elliott, who was 84, died in hospital on 29 March after the fall on Allerton Road five days before, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Ms Elliot fell while crossing at the junction with Chapel Lane and Allerton Road - near Lady Hill Park - between 07:30 and 08:30 on Wednesday 24 March.

Officers are now conducting inquiries on behalf of the coroner and they say they'd like to talk to a woman who stopped to help Ms Elliott and who took her home after her fall.

At the time, Ms Elliott was wearing a black knee-length puffer-style jacket and a white beret-style hat, police said.

Anyone who saw Ms Elliott fall, or who might have CCTV, dash camera or phone footage, is being asked to contact police on 101.

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Sarah Wakefield
BBC Radio Leeds News

A MasterChef semi-finalist who works at Leeds Cookery School says it's "fantastic" to be back teaching people how to cook face-to-face as Covid restrictions are eased.

Image source, Anthony O'Shaughnessy

Anthony O'Shaughnessy, who featured on MasterChef in 2018, now works with men who are over 55 and are often isolated.

He says: "We call it Men That Munch. The men are from the local area and we get them in to do some cooking and then we sit down and eat together and have a chat. It's all socially distanced.

"This week, the theme was 'Italian', so we made a spaghetti carbonara (pictured) - an authentic one - and a roasted aubergine and tomato salad. It was the first time a lot of the men had eaten aubergine and they all really enjoyed it."

Leeds Cookery School works alongside Zest, a community group which recommends the men who would benefit from taking part.

Spectators at the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield are being monitored for how they behave as part of the government's study into allowing events to take place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

The trial is looking at the return of spectators for mass gathering events, with Sheffield's Crucible being part of a pilot.

Capacity at the Crucible will be increased in stages over the course of the snooker tournament until it reaches full capacity for the final, with spectators having Covid tests.

Professor Paul Monks, the Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, says it's not just about looking at the risk of spreading the virus.

"What we're trying at the Crucible is different seating spacing, wearing face masks, not wearing face masks, to try and get an understanding of a number of things," he said.

"How clean the air is in these sorts of situations, environmental studies, but also behavioural studies. How people respond, how they adhere to the guidance, and how they move around these indoor environments like the Crucible."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The owners of a water park near Scarborough have been granted permission to sell alcohol and play live music on the site.

Image source, North Yorkshire Water Park

Wykeham Estate submitted the application for the North Yorkshire Water Park, based at Wykeham Lakes, earlier this year.

The approval means alcohol can be served and live music played there until 23:00 seven days a week and the park can stay open until midnight.

A new 70-seater cafe is also planned for the water park with an outdoor terrace overlooking the lake.

Last year, the water park - which opened in 2017 - was given permission to operate year-round, with water obstacle courses, pedalos and inflatables, open water swimming and wakeboarding.

Manager Gareth Davies says it's hoped the park will host events like wine tasting nights and family functions.

A quad biker has died in a crash with a van in Bradford city centre, police say.

Image source, Google

The rider was travelling on Great Horton Road when he collided with a VW Caddy, West Yorkshire Police said.

It happened at about 17:45 yesterday, with the 31-year-old rider, from Bradford, suffering serious injuries.

He was pronounced dead a short time later, police added.

Witnesses to the crash, which happened near Bradford University, are asked to get in touch with police.

Oliver Dixon won this year's Royal Horticultural Society competition with a shot of a flower garden.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A stretch of road in a West Yorkshire town centre could be permanently closed to cars under new plans revealed this week.

Image source, Google

Under the proposals for Shipley, near Bradford, the length of Kirkgate between the town’s indoor and outdoor market (pictured) would only be open to buses and taxis, with the stretch widened to create a cycle lane either side.

A public consultation on the plans, which also includes turning a number of streets into one-way systems and restricting entry to others, begins this week.

Bradford Council says the “bus gate” is the first step in its Shipley Streets for People scheme to make the town centre more attractive for pedestrians and less car-centric.

The new limits would be placed on Kirkgate between the Otley Road and New Kirkgate junctions.

Meanwhile, a section of Westgate, between Kirkgate and the Junction with Atkinson Street - in front of the Sun Inn - would be closed to all traffic and Growgill Road would become a one-way street – with vehicles only allowed to travel from Saltaire Road to Kirkgate.

Bradford Council says: "This would help to reduce traffic along this route, reducing noise and air pollution and improving bus journey times.

"Reducing the volume of vehicles in the Kirkgate area will also help to provide a safer, cleaner and more vibrant environment for everyone to enjoy."

The public consultation runs until 12 May and can be accessed here, external.

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