Businesses in South Yorkshire face "starting again" when it comes to getting customers through their doors now the region is to be given stricter coronavirus restrictions, one business owner has said.

From Saturday, pubs and bars in South Yorkshire must close, unless they serve substantial meals. Betting shops, casinos and soft play areas are also set to shut.

Rebecca Flynn (pictured), who runs children's venue Playmania in Sheffield, says it's been tough paying staff while the business has been closed.

She told the BBC: "We've worked really hard to keep our bank of staff on, as many people as possible through furlough and keep giving everyone a little bit to keep their households ticking over.

"Now we're really going to struggle to keep those staff on board. We've obviously worked really hard to get customers back in and getting the safety procedures right so customers have confidence in us.

"But we're going to have to start again with that."

A police investigation is under way after the suspected poisoning of two peregrine falcons in North Yorkshire.

Image source, Guy Shorrock/RSPB

The protected birds of prey, a male and a female, were found at a quarry near Stutton, Tadcaster.

A member of the public who'd been observing the birds found the male bird dead on a cliff ledge and the dead female peregrine falcon in the bottom of the quarry.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Both birds were sent for testing which confirmed high levels of Bendiocarb in their systems and this was found to be the cause of death.

"The male bird was found next to a pigeon carcass which it is believed may have been used as bait."

Officers say Bendiocarb is licensed for use as a pesticide in England, but is highly toxic and shouldn't be released into the environment where wildlife could be exposed to it.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said: "The pesticide has been used to kill birds of prey in North Yorkshire previously and as such, police believe this was a deliberate act of poisoning."

Anyone who knows anything about the incident is being asked to contact police.

South Yorkshire will move to very high alert and face the toughest Covid rules from Saturday.

A man who was reported missing from his home in Leeds last night has been found, police say.

Jason Brown, from Pudsey, went missing yesterday evening.

He's now been found "safe and well", according to West Yorkshire Police.

Officers have thanked people who shared their appeal for information.

The government has "significant concerns regarding the current proposal" for a 4.5 mile rail track.

The owner of a Sheffield pub says he feels like the hospitality industry has been "thrown under the bus" after South Yorkshire was told it was being moved into tier three of the coronavirus alert system.

From Saturday, pubs and restaurants which don't serve substantial meals will be forced to close in South Yorkshire.

Jamie Hawksworth, who owns the Sheffield Tap, said: "I think we saw it coming. The media was already highlighting this was going to come into effect.

"I think I speak for most of my staff and certainly the management team that it's devastating. It's a livelihood. It's a way of life. We've had the entire business pulled from under us."

Image source, Glyn Baker/Geograph

He added that the knock-on effect will mean local breweries, abattoirs and other suppliers will now go without orders.

Mr Hawksworth said: "Hospitality only accounts for 3% of the Covid risk at the moment. We pay the most to the government and receive the least. We're basically being thrown under the bus, we're the scapegoat."

A £41m funding package to help people and businesses affected by the restrictions in South Yorkshire has been agreed, according to Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis.

Shoppers in Barnsley react to the news South Yorkshire will move into tier 3 on Saturday.

Businesses in South Yorkshire need financial support "as quickly as possible" following the news that tier three coronavirus restrictions will be in place in the county from Saturday, Doncaster's Chamber of Commerce has said.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Under the stricter rules, pubs and bars in South Yorkshire which don't serve "substantial" meals will have to close.

Betting shops, adult gaming centres, casinos and soft play centres will also close - though gyms will remain open, though gym classes won't be allowed.

Doncaster Chamber of Commerce chief operating officer, Andy Hibbitt, said: “It is absolutely imperative packages of financial support are distributed to businesses affected as quickly as possible.

“Businesses need clear guidance, clarity, transparency and a timeline to work towards as they make further sacrifices while we navigate through Covid-19.

"With a rollercoaster of stop-start restrictions, this support needs to be accessible at an accelerated pace, while we work together as a region to protect lives and get out of these restrictions as quickly as possible.”

A £41m package of support has been agreed between the Sheffield City Region and government, Mayor Dan Jarvis said.

Meanwhile, Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones added that the tier three announcement would "cause concern" for people in the town.

“Very high tier three will mean tighter restrictions for the borough and we must all collectively do our bit to get the infection rate down," she added.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

One of Leeds’s tallest buildings could be demolished to make way for a student accommodation block more than double its size.

Image source, Google

Early plans have emerged which, if given the go-ahead, would see the construction of a 43-storey student accommodation building on the site of the Arena Point tower.

The proposals, which are set to go before Leeds City Council planning chiefs later this week, are what's known as a “pre-application”.

They include blueprints for the building which is expected to house nearly 700 students.

It will add to current tall building developments in the area around the Merrion Centre, including the 23-storey Symons House, the 27-storey White Rose View and the 37-storey Hume House.

The 19-storey Arena Point building, formerly known as Tower House, was built in 1965.

There is a growing and "extremely concerning" number of seriously ill people in hospital with coronavirus, the leader of Sheffield City Council has said.

Image source, PA Media

Her comments were made after it was announced earlier that South Yorkshire is to be placed under tier three restrictions from Saturday - the highest level of the coronavirus alert system.

Councillor Julie Dore said "doing nothing is clearly not an option", but she added that financial support needed to brought in to help people and businesses in South Yorkshire.

"People should be given the same level of support as they were in the national lockdown to help them get through these incredibly challenging times," she said.

"While government are providing extra funding, they are giving South Yorkshire a standard package of support which they are providing to the areas going into tier three. This will not allow us to provide the support for people that is needed.

"We will continue to push government to provide enough support for people and businesses as they are now placing us in these measures which will have such serious consequences for the people most impacted.

“We can and will get through this, but we will only do so by pulling together. The government’s approach at this moment in time will not bring about this togetherness," Councillor Dore added.

Some businesses in York would be better recompensed if the city was put in the top tier of coronavirus restrictions, a health boss has said.

Image source, PA Media

Under the Chancellor's Job Support Scheme, which replaces furlough at the start of November, workers at firms told to shut because of coronavirus rules over the winter will receive at least 67% of their pay from the government.

The Director of Public Health for York says: "Under the current rules, businesses like pubs and restaurants which might find themselves impacted by tier two rules don't receive any compensation from the government.

"But if the city was in tier three, then they would get financial compensation. So there are mixed feelings as our numbers continue to rise."

This morning it was announced that from Saturday, people living in South Yorkshire will be placed in the tier three – the very high alert category.

The tier three rules for South Yorkshire apply to everyone living in the region's four local authority areas.

Businesses fear for the future as South Yorkshire faces the highest level of Covid restrictions.

Train services through Selby have resumed after earlier disruption caused by a boat colliding with a swing bridge in the town.

Image source, J Thomas/Geograph

The boat hit the bridge, which runs over the River Ouse, just before 11:00, said Network Rail.

Buses had been replacing trains between Hull and Selby and other services were diverted while engineers carried out safety inspections on the bridge.

People living in Barnsley have been giving their views on the announcement South Yorkshire will be subject to stricter coronavirus restrictions at the weekend.

From Saturday, the whole of South Yorkshire will move into tier three - the highest level of the coronavirus alert system.

Market stall trader John Duffield (above) said: "It's a bit worrying for us, we don't know what the future is going to be. We don't know if we're going to be open next week or not. Our customers are panicking a bit by now, too."

Eric Roland (below), who lives in Barnsley, said he thought going into tier three was a "good thing".

He added: "We're not getting any better. We need to get better sometime. I think it'll help sort it out if public houses get shut where people seem to gather.

"Nobody is bothered about wearing masks. Even in shops, they don't wear them. I'm 84, we lived through World War Two. This is worse really."

But Maureen (below), from Barnsley, said she thinks the decision to move South Yorkshire into tier three was "ridiculous".

She said: "We should never have been in lockdown. All the people who are vulnerable should have been helped and kept safe.

"I look at it this way, I've not got all that many years left of me and I'm not going to be fastened in a house when the government have got it all wrong."

June Watkins, out in Barnsley with her daughter Chloe this lunchtime (both pictured below), said: "I think it's a good thing, I really do.

"It should have happened a couple of weeks ago. People are not doing what they should do. If people use their common sense and did what they should do we'd be fine but they're not."

Chloe, a university student in Leeds, added: "Nobody is following the rules."

Deborah Walker (below), from Barnsley, said: "I think we need a short, sharp shock and if everyone gets on board that's what it will be and we'll go into it and come out of it all better off.

"I do feel sorry [for businesses] but it's necessary. We need to get it under control."

Two men have been arrested after a number of shots were thought to have been fired at a house in Bradford.

Image source, Google

Damage "consistent with bullet holes" was caused to the window of the house on Coleshill Way in the early hours of Tuesday morning in what police said was a "targeted" incident.

Two men, aged 36 and 44, have been arrested overnight in connection with the incident and both remain in custody, officers say.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who saw anything suspicious in the area, is being asked to contact West Yorkshire Police.

The "largest" military exercise to be run by the Royal Air Force in the UK for over a decade has begun off the Yorkshire coast.

Image source, UK MOD/Crown Copyright

The RAF, Royal Navy, US Marine Corps and United States Air Force are taking park in Crimson Warrior - a "high intensity tactical training" exercise over the North Sea and North East of England.

More than 70 aircraft are taking part and includes fast jet flying, the RAF said.

The exercise started on Monday and runs until 5 November.

Pubs and breweries across South Yorkshire will be "absolutely devastated" by new rules being brought in to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

Image source, Dominic Lipinski/PA Media

From Saturday, pubs and bars which don't serve "substantial" meals will be forced to close after the government placed South Yorkshire in tier three - the highest level coronavirus alert.

A £41m funding package to help people and businesses affected by the restrictions in South Yorkshire has been agreed, according to Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis.

Camra said the new restrictions would be "devastating" for businesses in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

The organisation's chief executive, Tom Stainer, said: “Publicans have done everything to make their premises Covid-secure, and have been operating at reduced trade for months while trying to recover from both the first lockdown and months of reduced consumer confidence as a result of restrictions like the curfew.

“If pubs across South Yorkshire are to avoid becoming a sacrificial lamb then they need a decent, long-term financial support package.

"This must properly compensate pubs for having to either close altogether - or stay open with extremely low footfall while they serve food.

“It also needs to help pubs pay wages before the new jobs support scheme kicks in, as well as providing help in the weeks and months after restrictions are lifted if pubs and breweries are to have any chance of getting back on their feet and avoiding having to close their doors for good before Christmas.”

All train services heading to and from Selby have been disrupted after a boat hit a swing bridge in the town.

Image source, J Thomas/Geograph

Train services through the station may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes, said train operator Northern.

The disruption is expected to last into the early afternoon, added the company.

The first affected train was the 10:17 Hull to Halifax which is currently delayed at Selby.

:Any updates on the situation can be seen here, external.

Police searching for a man who's gone missing in Leeds say they're "very concerned" for his welfare.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Jason Brown, 40, went missing from his home in Pudsey shortly after 21:00 last night.

He was last seen wearing a grey hoodie with orange trim, light grey Nike bottoms and blue Nike trainers

Det Insp James Entwistle said: “We are very concerned for Jason’s welfare and urgently need to find him and check he is okay.

“We currently have officers out searching for him and we would like to hear from anyone who has seen him or who has any information that could assist.”