A police officer charged with rape and sexual assault has appeared in court.

Image source, Ben Lack

Sgt Ben Lister, 35, of West Yorkshire Police, is accused of attacking a woman in Bradford on 29 August 2016.

District Judge Tan Ikram granted him unconditional bail after a brief hearing at Bradford Magistrates' Court and ordered him to appear before the city's crown court on 21 April.

West Yorkshire Police said Sgt Lister, who was based in the Bradford district, had been suspended from the force.

The loss of the John Lewis store in Sheffield will be "a hammer blow" and will leave a "gaping hole" in city centre shopping, an MP has said.

John Lewis stores in Sheffield and York are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", the company says.

A total of 209 jobs at the York site and 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

Sheffield Heeley Labour MP Louise Haigh says: "John Lewis is a huge draw and the closure will have a knock-on effect for businesses across Sheffield.

"The government are washing their hands of any responsibility for reviving our high streets, and creating a level playing field for local businesses.

"It’s the communities and workers who rely on them that are paying the price."

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

A man has died after being hit by a lorry on the A1 near Blyth.

Nottinghamshire Police were called to the road just before midnight and said the man, who is from Doncaster, died at the scene.

The road was closed in both directions overnight between junction 35 (M18 Interchange) and junction 34 near Blyth, and the southbound carriageway did not reopen until after 08:00 this morning.

Collision investigator Louise Melbourne said police were keen to speak to drivers who had information or dashcam footage from around the time the accident happened.

Image source, Google

The Sheffield branch closure will bring to an end a retail landmark with over 170 years of history in the city.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work's begun to dismantle the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate almost a year after it was built at a cost of more than £27m.

Image source, NHS England/Simon Dewhurst

The temporary 500-bed site was set up at the town's Convention Centre in April last year to cope with a surge of coronavirus cases, but it hasn't treated a single Covid patient during the pandemic.

It was one of seven built in England in 2020 to try and prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed during the pandemic.

A spokesperson said: “The phased dismantling of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber has begun.

“The removal of some larger pieces of equipment will require road closures which will be advertised through the appropriate channels in due course.”

Although no Covid patients were treated at the emergency unit, non-virus diagnostic tests and outpatient appointments took place there.

Earlier this month, the NHS described the network of Nightingale hospitals as the “ultimate insurance policy”.

In a statement, the NHS thanked its staff and partners "who worked so hard to set the Nightingales up so swiftly".

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

A woman has been banned from keeping animals after RSPCA inspectors found she had left her dog locked in a house starving for almost two months.

The RSPCA said the five-year-old husky cross, called Yogi, was like a "walking skeleton" and weighed just 8kg (17lbs).

Her owner Ayla Gilchrist appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court earlier this month where she pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offences and admitted leaving Yogi alone at her house in Egreaves Avenue, Heanor, Derbyshire, with no food.

Gilchrist, 24, now of Gleadless Road, Sheffield, was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 weeks, and banned from keeping pets.

Image source, RSPCA

The RSPCA said they were contacted after Yogi was spotted through a window by a housing officer in January last year looking underweight and among dirty nappies, litter and dog faeces.

Animal rescuer, Rachel Leafe, said: "Her stomach was so sucked in that it looked like somebody could easily wrap their hands around her waist. I could not see any food or water. I was very concerned that if the dog was to be left any longer she may not survive."

After emergency veterinary treatment, Yogi is now back to full health and has been re-homed with new owners.

BBC Radio Bradford

A supermarket which donated more than 60 laptops to help support learning for children in Bradford during the pandemic has been told the donation is "a real boost" for those receiving them.

Image source, Bradford Council

Bradford-based Morrisons gifted 63 machines which were no longer in use at its head office to schools in the district.

Five schools are sharing the donation, and will distribute the equipment to children who most need it.

The Morrisons donation is in addition to a government scheme which supplies laptops, tablets and internet access, as well as BBC local radio's "Make a Difference: Give a Laptop" campaign.

Richard Woods, headteacher of Hanson School, which received 13 devices, says: "Working from home can be a challenge for many of our young people who don’t have easy access to technology.

"This is a fantastic gesture from Morrisons. The laptops will be a real boost to young people’s learning during the pandemic and beyond."

The head of York's John Lewis store says the announcement that it is to close has been made with "a heavy heart".

Image source, Google

The York shop, which opened at the Vangarde Shopping Park in 2014, will not open again after coronavirus lockdown restrictions are eased, the John Lewis Partnership has confirmed.

The move puts 209 jobs at risk in York, with the planned closure of the company's Sheffield store putting a further 299 jobs under threat.

A consultation involving those workers whose jobs are affected will now be launched, the company says.

John Lewis plans to close a total of eight of its stores across the UK, with the firm's boss, Sharon White, saying it's "necessary to secure the whole partnership for the future".

Ms White adds: "We are very sad about the proposed closure of our York store and we’re very grateful for our loyal customers and partners for their support over the years.

"If the closure goes ahead, we have put together a carefully considered package of support for our York partners and would look to redeploy as many of them as possible."

Kylie Gilson, head of branch for John Lewis in York, says: "It has been a huge privilege to work alongside such brilliant partners at the Vangarde Shopping Park.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the proposal to close the store."

Following the announcement that Sheffield's John Lewis shop is to close, the head of the store says it "holds a special place in many people’s hearts" in the city.

Sheffield and York's John Lewis stores are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", the firm says.

A total of 209 jobs at the York site and 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

In a statement, Patrick Duffy, head of branch for John Lewis Sheffield, said: “John Lewis holds a special place in my and many people’s hearts in Sheffield as we have had a presence in the city since 1940.

"We are incredibly proud of the long and valued legacy of service we’ve held in Sheffield and thank our customers for shopping with us over many years.”

The John Lewis Partnership says it will "seek to find alternative roles" for as many as possible of those whose jobs are at risk at the two Yorkshire stores.

Sharon White, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We appreciate this is incredibly difficult news for the people of Sheffield.

"We are acutely aware of our long history in the city and are hugely grateful to all our customers in Sheffield for their loyalty," she added.

Sgt Ben Lister, of West Yorkshire Police, is accused of attacking a woman in Bradford in August 2016.

John Lewis stores in York and Sheffield are to close, putting just over 500 jobs at risk, the company has confirmed.

The shops in the two Yorkshire cities are two of eight across the UK due to close as the firm "rebalances its store estate to reflect how customers want to shop", according to the John Lewis Partnership.

A total of 299 jobs at the Sheffield city centre site (pictured) and 209 jobs at the York site are under threat, with the company launching a consultation with those workers affected.

The company says it will "seek to find alternative roles" for as many as possible of those whose jobs are at risk.

In a statement, the John Lewis Partnership says all the shops affected "were financially challenged prior to the pandemic".

It adds: "We do not think the performance of these stores can be substantially improved".

Workers who cannot, or choose not to, remain with the company will be given access to "a unique Retraining Fund" which will contribute up to £3,000 towards a recognised qualification or course for up to two years for any employee with two years’ service or more, the company says.

A hospital consultant who has spent the past year treating coronavirus patients has admitted she is now close to breaking point.

Dr Kim Chandler is the Covid-19 lead at York Hospital and is part of a team battling against the effects of the disease.

The hospital now has only one ward for Covid-positive patients - down from seven at the height of the pandemic.

Dr Chandler said: "I have lots of flashbacks and memories of how awful it has been on here at times and it does play on your mind":

Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich tests positive for Covid-19, according to the Polish Football Association.

Contractors begin removing medical equipment from the unit at Harrogate's Convention Centre.

A major new testing programme has been launched for workers in Leeds who might have contracted Covid-19 but aren't showing symptoms.

Image source, Reuters

Three testing stations have been set up across the city for asymptomatic people who can’t work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Leeds City Council.

The centres have opened at Leeds Beckett University's Headingley and City campuses and at The Old Fire Station in Gipton.

Councillor Salma Arif said: “We’ve launched this initiative to help drive down transmission rates.

"Increased community testing is a vital additional tool at our disposal to help identify those who are infected and infectious, but unaware they might be spreading the disease.

“I’d encourage as many asymptomatic people as possible who can’t work from home to take advantage of this new service. By doing so, they’ll not only be protecting themselves, but also all those around them.”

Details of the new testing centres can be found here, external.

Candlelight vigils were held across the country in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the pandemic.

Scunthorpe end a run of five games without a win with a hard-earned 2-0 success over mid-table Bradford.

Colin Nesbitt founded the Bradford-based Little Heroes Trust after his grandson became ill over a decade ago.

Reg Kemp visited his wife's care home in Scarborough each day for three years until Covid restrictions were introduced.

Dr Kim Chandler says she has given her all in the fight against Covid-19 over the past year.