With just over two weeks to go until the Tour de Yorkshire, external , drivers in Scarborough and Whitby are being warned to prepare in advance and to allow extra time for their journeys.

Image source, Getty Images

Scarborough will play host to the finish of Stage One of the 2017 competition on Friday, 28 April.

Before reaching Scarborough the race, starting in Bridlington, will pass through Norton, Malton, Pickering, Goathland, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay.

The vast majority of the race route will be closed under rolling road closures typically lasting for up to an hour per race. 

Emergency crews are dealing with a large amount of rubbish on fire on the outskirts of York.

The blaze is just off the A1079 at Dunnington.

Driving conditions are being currently described by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service as "difficult" due to heavy smoke:

The Yorkshire-based police drama Happy Valley has been nominated for three Bafta awards , including best leading actress for Sarah Lancashire (pictured), supporting actress for Siobhan Finneran and best drama series.

The gritty BBC One crime drama, set in the Calder Valley, won the Best Drama Award at the 2017 Royal Television Society Awards last month.

Its writer, Sally Wainwright, also won Best Drama Writer and the Judges Award.

Sally is, of course, a true Yorkshire lass, born in Huddersfield, brought up in Sowerby Bridge and studying at the University of York.

A teacher from Rotherham who asked pupils to undress in order to measure their genitals has been indefinitely banned from teaching .

Image source, Google

A disciplinary panel heard that 72-year-old Denis Hays was teaching at Greasbrough Primary School when he invited pupils to his home between 1975 and 1977. 

Three pupils, aged between 11 and 14, took part in what he claimed was a "child development study". 

The panel did not accept Denis Mr Hays' claim the study was not sexually motivated.

Paul Walker
Presenter, BBC Radio Sheffield

Despite there being more adult volunteers in Yorkshire than ever before, the waiting list for wannabe scouts is also at an all-time high . 

As you can see from these scouts in Sheffield at Shiregreen, there's plenty for young people to get excited about when they do manage to get a place.

Tony Richardson is a Scout leader for the 20th Sheffield Scout Group and he told me what sort of help they're looking for:

A coroner's inquest has concluded that the death of a man in a gas explosion in Haxby, near York, last year was accidental.

Paul Wilmott, 63, died in the explosion at his home on Springwood on 19 February 2016, which is  thought to have been caused by a corroded copper pipe  dating back to the 1970s. 

Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic Andrew Hewitson had earlier told the jury he thought the explosion had been a "possible plane crash", so bad was the damage at the scene.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Mr Wilmott's body was found underneath rubble at the back of the house. 

He died of multiple fractures of the skull and injuries to the brain, consistent with having been sustained in a domestic explosion, the jury heard.

The inquest jury heard a statement from Mr Wilmott's partner, Olivia Costello, who said the pair had noticed a "very extreme and pungent" smell in the house before the blast.

As you'll know, mumbling on some TV shows has led to complaints from viewers - with several dramas coming under fire, including SS-GB and West Yorkshire-based Happy Valley (pictured).

Image source, BBC/Red Productions/Ben Blackall

It's even been debated in the Lords , and now a group of people in Bradford have been involved in an experiment about it.  

You'd assume the problem might be either down to your own ears or just poor sound quality, but the experiment's participants say it might actually be the fault of the actors themselves.

The experiment took place at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford and some of those taking part concluded that poor diction is the main problem:

Nick Wilson
BBC Radio Sheffield

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder insists the club won't be reckless in their bid to re-establish themselves in the Championship next season.

Image source, Getty Images

The Blades  confirmed their promotion  back to the second tier of English football after a six-year absence at the weekend.

United will be crowned League 1 champions if they take four points from their remaining four fixtures.

A singing Special Constable from Skipton has donated her vocal talents to a police charity single.

Special Sergeant Debbie Wood joined police colleagues around the country to record a charity police single in aid of Care of Police Survivors (COPS).

Here she is in her police role (left) and belting it out in the studio on the right:

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

The single, called The Thin Blue Line, has lyrics penned by the sons of a Northumbria police officer. 

Last year PC Peter Baker's boys, aged 11 and 13, wrote the song about what police do and how officers across the country work together. 

Their aim was to have a member of every police force in England, Wales and Scotland represented on the song, which is being uploaded to iTunes today. 

The proceeds of the all sales of the track will go to COPS.

These new houses may seem a bit on the small side, but they're ideal for the type of resident the council is hoping to attract. 

Image source, SCC

The boxes were made and donated by talented Streets Ahead staff members.

16 bird and bat boxes have been installed at Kelham Island by Sheffield city council's Streets Ahead team, in the hope of encouraging more of the creatures to inhabit the area.

I've heard of batty neighbours, but not on this scale...

Ninety-two social care workers quit their jobs every day in Yorkshire alone. 

Providers say staff shortages will mean lower standards of care.  

Here's a look inside St.Cecilia's Care Home in Scarborough:

Nick Wilson
BBC Radio Sheffield

An inquest has been opened and adjourned into the death of a 14-year-old kick boxer from Sheffield. 

The cause of Scott Marsden's death has not yet been ascertained. 

He collapsed during a fight in a national competition in Leeds  a month ago   

During the three-minute long hearing in Wakefield, coroner Jonathan Leach said preliminary medical inquiries has reported his death to be "unexplained pending further investigation".

Image source, Other

Yorkshire Post

One of Yorkshire's smallest councils paid its outgoing chief executive almost £400,000 last year, according to a new report. , external

Hambleton Council, in North Yorkshire, said the payment to Phil Morton was part of a redundancy settlement that will save the authority money in the long term.

Image source, Yorkshire Post

Pubs across Yorkshire are hoping to pull in the votes as well as the pints as the search begins to find the county's most popular local. 

Nominations have opened for this year's Yorkshire's Favourite Pub competition, run by tourism organisation Welcome to Yorkshire.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, says: "Here in Yorkshire, pubs are not only places to relax, they're also a vital part of our communities and heritage. 

"So, whether it's cosy surroundings, real ale or a fantastic countryside view, we want to know what makes your local your favourite."

Organisers say 18,000 people voted in last year’s competition which saw The Bull Inn (pictured), in West Tanfield, North Yorkshire, crowned the county’s favourite.   

Seriously, what is up with some people?

Here's West Yorkshire Police's latest warning about the use - and misuse - of the 999 service:

A Rotherham woman in her in 80s was fooled by conmen into being taken to a bank and withdrawing a "substantial amount" of money to pay for repairs to non-existent damage to her roof, police say.

Image source, Google

It happened between 11:30 and 13:00 on Friday 7 April when three men approached the woman at her house in Beech Grove, Bramley, and offered to carry out the work.

The men, in a white Ford Transit van, told her the roof damage was extensive and they then took her to a bank on Bawtry Road to withdraw the cash to pay for repairs.

A darts player from Selby is still competing in the game aged 90 -  and can still thrown a maximum 180. 

Ron Tate's been playing darts since he was 13-years-old and he still competes in three leagues.

Sadly, the oldest 180-thrower is not recognised as a category for the Guinness Book of World Records.

But Ron isn't far off the world's oldest competitive darts player and, as you'll see, he's got no intention of stopping:

Waiting lists to join the scouts are hitting an all-time high , with 800 youngsters in Leeds and Wakefield queueing up for a place.

The news comes as the organisation issues a plea for more adults to volunteer as leaders, saying it's the only way they can meet demand. 

Becky Burrell, a scout in east Leeds, says it teaches people skills just as much as practical ones:

Bradford Telegraph and Argus

A community trust has been formed to save a West Yorkshire village hall, with users and residents joining forces to protect Holden Hall, at Oakworth, from closure, external .

Image source, Telegraph and Argus

Take a look at this very intriguing tweet from North Yorkshire Police.

We'll keep you updated with more details when we have any: