The Futurist Theatre in Scarborough is to be demolished.

Image source, Google

The decision was taken by Scarborough Borough Council's planning committee this afternoon.

More details to follow.

A man is to go on trial accused of murdering a mother-of-two.

Jessica King, 23, was found dead by police at a house in Oxford Lane, in the Siddal area of Halifax on 27 August.

Jordan Thackray, 27, of East Grange View, Leeds, has appeared before Bradford Crown Court where he denied her murder.

He was remanded in custody until his trial, which is due to take place on 12 February.

A group of four friends from North Yorkshire have swum the English Channel in aid of charity.

It took them 18-and-a-half hours of swimming, mostly in the dark and through rough seas.

The swim was organised to raise money for the Martin House Children's Hospice, near Wetherby, and raised £5,500 for the charity.

Campbell Watt and Joanna Holmes, from Selby, took part in the swim.

Joanna says she couldn't see because of the dark which made her feel sea-sick.

She says they ended up swimming 10 miles more than they needed to:

Looking back on the venture Campbell Watt says the next time he goes across the channel he'll "take the ferry"!

A charity offers to help save a much-loved 150-year-old oak tree in Sheffield from being felled.

The family of a man who's been missing from his home in Leeds since the early hours of this morning are "very concerned" for his welfare.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Police say they're urgently trying to trace Danny Love, 34, from Morley, who was reported missing at about 02:30 when concerns were raised for his welfare.

Mr Love is described as white, 6ft 1in tall, stocky, with short black hair which is shaved at the sides. He only has one hand.

Det Insp Fiona Gaffney says: "Danny’s family are very concerned for his welfare and we urgently need to trace him and check he is okay.

"We would like to reassure him that we are only interested in speaking to him with regards to his welfare and he is not wanted."

Anyone with information about Mr Love's whereabouts is being asked to get in touch.

Three people have been charged with several offences following a house break-in in Rotherham.

The charges follow the theft of a BMW and bank cards from a property in the Flanderwell area yesterday morning.

The bank cards were reportedly used at various petrol stations and shops later on Thursday and attempts were also made to remove registration plates from a bus in Doncaster.

Two men, aged 38 and 46, and a woman, 37, all from Rotherham, are charged with burglary, two counts of fraud, theft of a motor vehicle and attempted theft of a motor vehicle.

They're due to appear before Sheffield Magistrates' Court later.

We told you earlier that emergency response training exercises were being carried out today in Calderdale as part of a major operation.

Local emergency services, including West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service are taking part to learn and get better at dealing with incidents like flooding.

So don't be alarmed if you seem the various teams carrying out drills when out and about today:

North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner says she is pushing ahead with plans to take over running the fire service as well following a public consultation, external.

Julia Mulligan says the results "demonstrate clear support" for the idea.

The plan is for North Yorkshire's Fire Authority, made up of local councillors, to be abolished with its work taken over by what would become a Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Ms Mulligan claims her proposed move would be easy to implement, would save an estimated £6.6m over 10 years and would mean public safety was "likely to improve significantly".

But Steve Howley, Fire Brigades Union representative for North Yorkshire, says decisions should be made by a group of people rather than one individual:

Andy Kershaw
BBC Radio Sheffield News

Here's a good news story from Hexthorpe in Doncaster.

The small community in Doncaster has seen an influx of East European migrants over the last five years.

At first it caused tensions and right-wing marches, but now one inspirational man with a passion for sport is doing something about it with the power of football.

Martin Nistor, a Czech migrant, has formed a club called Hexthorpe United and he takes 30 to 40 children of all ages off the streets for training sessions.

It's helped reduce anti-social behaviour and has the support of Doncaster Council.

Some sad news now as one of West Yorkshire Police's longest serving recruits has died.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Police Horse Connor, aged 19, served in the force for 14 years after joining in October 2003.

During that time, he attended many football matches, patrols, demonstrations and a number of ceremonial events.

Inspector Julie Fitzpatrick said, “Connor was a handsome, hardworking and consistently brave horse who was popular with the team at Carr Gate and the public alike.”

Calderdale's flood sirens are due to be tested today as part of a major training exercise.

Image source, Calderdale Council

It's the second time Calderdale Council has carried out the operation, with the authority saying it wants to keep learning and getting better at dealing with incidents like flooding.

Teams will have to deal with a search and rescue operation and a recovery operation which are both aimed at improving communication between all the different agencies involved.

Over 3,000 homes and businesses were flooded in the Calder Valley during floods on Boxing Day 2015.

Police have just confirmed more details of an incident at a bank in Sheffield this morning.

Two men with their faces covered broke into the HSBC bank on Staniforth Road in Darnall.

Our reporter Oli Constable is at the scene now:

Police say the two men are thought to have left the scene in a red vehicle.

At this time, it's not yet known if anything was taken from the bank.

A police cordon is now in place at the scene and officers are asking for any witnesses to get in touch.

There are reports of a bank robbery in Sheffield this morning.

Witnesses say they saw men wearing balaclavas target the HSBC bank on Staniforth Road in Darnall.

Police are at the scene and a cordon is now in place.

More details as we get them...

Police searching for a man who's been missing from his home in North Yorkshire since last week say there've been several sightings of him.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Richard Taylor, 30, from South Milford, went missing last Thursday.

A person matching his description was seen near the canal close by the A19 on Saturday and again on the A63 between the A19 and A1041 roundabouts on Tuesday.

The man was described as looking unwell and dishevelled.

Officers say on both occasions the man appeared to be wearing a long white-sleeved top and jeans - the same clothing Mr Taylor was wearing when he was last sighted before being reported missing.

These sightings have led the police to believe Mr Taylor may be living rough in this area, and they are asking the public to check their outhouses and sheds in case he has taken shelter.

As the Victoria Gate shopping centre in Leeds celebrates its first birthday, the firm behind the £165m development, Hammerson, says footfall across the centre and the Victoria Quarter is up by 20%.

However, some nearby independent businesses say the centre's opening has had a negative impact on their trade.

James Brunskill, who runs music store Big Deal on Eastgate, says he's being forced to shut up shop as a result:

Two women from South Yorkshire have spoken out about their sexual assault and harassment experiences as part of the online campaign #MeToo.

The campaign follows further allegations of rape against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Since the allegations surfaced many high-profile names have used social media to highlight the problem of sexual assault, some also detailing the harassment they've endured.

Using just their first names, Penny and Erica, both from South Yorkshire, have openly shared their stories to encourage other victims to speak out:

Owain Wyn Evans
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

A murky and damp start to the day across Yorkshire, with some drizzle.

As the morning goes on, it'll gradually become brighter with sunny spells at times.

Watch my full forecast here:

The fate of the former Futurist Theatre in Scarborough is expected to be decided this afternoon.

Image source, Google

In January, councillors voted 22 to 21 in favour of spending £4m to knock down the former venue which was opened in 1921.

In its heyday, the Futurist's stage played hosts to artists including The Beatles and Shirley Bassey, but has been closed since 2014.

Officers are recommending that the borough council's planning committee approves an application to demolish it, at a cost of £4m.

Campaigners had hoped to run the theatre as a charitable trust and believe the venue could host large-scale musical productions.

They say they haven't yet given up trying to save the theatre, even if planners vote later for it to be demolished.

A change in the law that would mean tougher sentences for people who attack emergency workers is due to be discussed by MPs today.

Halifax Labour MP Holly Lynch has been campaigning for attacks against firefighters, ambulance staff, police officers and healthcare professionals to be taken more seriously.

Her private members bill has its second reading in the House of Commons later and she says it's needed to protect our emergency services:

The funeral of one of Sheffield's "Women of Steel", who were recently immortalised by a city centre statue, is to be held today.

Ruby Gascoigne (pictured right) died at the age of 95 earlier this month.

She was one of four women from Sheffield who fought to get official recognition for the thousands of women who kept the city's steelworks producing munitions during World War Two.

A statue dedicated to the women was finally unveiled in Sheffield last year after a fundraising campaign raised more than £160,000 to pay for the bronze sculpture by artist Martin Jennings.