A woman in Huddersfield saw off a would-be mugger yesterday afternoon, after she was pushed to the ground by her attacker.

Image source, Google

The woman - who's in her 50s - was walking along King Cliffe Road in Birkby when a woman - thought to be in her late 20s or early 30s - grabbed her bag.

The victim fell to the ground and the mugger threatened her. A struggle ensued which only ended when the woman shouted for help and her attacker ran off.

Police say they're looking for a skinny woman with long hair tied in a ponytail wearing a long knee length black coat.

The ex-officers charged over the disaster had wanted financial support from South Yorkshire police.

Rotherham Borough Council planners today rejected the application by chemicals giant INEOS to conduct exploratory drills for shale gas near the village of Harthill in South Yorkshire, to the delight of campaigners.

This is the first application for exploratory drilling by INEOS to be considered by a local planning committee in England. The company has ambitious plans to drill numerous fracking wells near Eckington and Woodsetts both within 10 miles of the Harthill site and due to be considered by local planners shortly.

Image source, bb

INEOS has recently applied to the Planning Inspectorate for the Eckington and Harthill applications to be decided by a government appointed planning inspector because it believes “no local decisions have been made in a reasonable time period”.

Today’s decision by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is an important consideration for the planning inspector in the planning inquiry which could take place as early as May.

The Government wants to know more about the finances of companies planning to frack in North Yorkshire.

The Business secretary says that Third Energy, which is waiting to hear if it can frack at Kirby Misperton, has missed a deadline to submit its accounts.

For several months now the business secretary Greg Clark has been considering Third Energy's plans to frack at Kirby Misperton. It's the last hurdle before the controversial drilling technique can go ahead.

In a written statement to the Commons he says the technical requirements have been met.

But now he wants a full financial assessment of the companies wanting to frack so there is confidence in their ability to meet their commitments.

A new study from the University of Sheffield has found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in IBS patients.

Their findings suggest supplements may help to ease symptoms which can include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.

Image source, Thinkstock

IBS is a debilitating functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Little is known about why and how the condition develops, although it is known that diet and stress can make symptoms worse.

The symptoms often cause embarrassment for patients meaning many live with the condition undiagnosed.

The Bradford-born head of Theresa May's new anti-extremism commission - set up after the Manchester Arena attack - has faced criticism from some Muslim leaders.

Image source, Home office

Sara Khan, who has campaigned for women's rights in Muslim communities, has been given the task of rooting out extremism in the UK.

She has promised "zero tolerance to those who promote hate".

But her support for the Home Office's Prevent strategy has led to claims she is too close to the government.

Lady Warsi of Dewsbury, the first Muslim woman to serve as a British cabinet minister, said many British Muslims saw Ms Khan as a "mouthpiece" of ministers.

The Conservative peer questioned Ms Khan's likely independence as the Commissioner for Countering Extremism in a series of tweets and warned of "destructive and dangerous games" being played.

Mike Kemp
Reporter, BBC Radio York

York council is in disarray after the departure of two executive members and the leader being accused of misleading the public.

Leader David Carr says he will not tolerate behaviour which undermines the trust and confidence of residents.

Councillor Carr has been responding to the sacking of one of his top team and the resignation of another which has caused anger among some members of his own party.

He says he was first informed by Councillor Stuart Rawlings when it appeared in local press back in December, that his family had an interest in a site included in the Local Plan.

Image source, Local Government Information Unit

In January, after discussing the situation with the monitoring officer, it was decided that Cllr Rawlings should refer himself to the standards committee.

David Carr says he felt Cllr Rawlings should stand down from the executive in view of his extended family's interest in that land which he says had not been declared and because of the Local Plan's political significance.

Andy Kershaw
BBC Radio Sheffield News

People who are against fracking in Harthill in Rotherham are protesting outside a meeting where Councillors are trying to decide whether to allow energy company INEOS to drill a test well in their village.

Officers have recommended the planning application is rejected.

That's unlikely to halt the plans as the chemical company has decided to move directly to a Planning Inspectorate decision, circumventing local opinion.

Campaigners have told the planning board the proposal will have a terrible impact, saying the 60 metre drilling rig, the noise, light pollution and HGV traffic will all affect sleep, stress levels, ecology and landscape.

A North Yorkshire MP is accusing the Government of failing residents by not putting appropriate flood insurance in place.

Currently there are flood warnings in effect for the River Ouse in York and at Naburn Lock., external

The Government says it's investing in flood protection and claims the 'Flood Re' scheme has brought down insurance premiums.

But speaking in the Commons, Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, said the measures "don't go far enough":

Police in Leeds have issued an urgent appeal to find a missing schoolgirl.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Jessica Richardson was last seen on All Saints Road in Woodlesford at about 08:00 today.

The 12-year-old was wearing a black waist-length puffa-style jacket, black trousers and a white shirt.

Det Insp Fiona Gaffney from West Yorkshire Police said: “We are very concerned for Jessica’s welfare given her young age and we urgently need to trace her and check that she is okay.

Andy Kershaw
BBC Radio Sheffield News

A protest is taking place at Rotherham Town hall against the Ineos application to drill an exploratory well, prior to fracking for shale gas on greenbelt land at Harthill.

The council is expected to refuse the application on the grounds that the impact on the ecology of the area outweighs the benefits of drilling.

This is the scene at the moment:

David Gedge, the Leeds-born frontman of indie legends The Wedding Present, has tweeted this tribute to The Fall's Mark E Smith after his death was announced last night:

Smith died yesterday morning at the age of 60, according to Pam Van Damned, The Fall's manager.

Joining the tributes, Smith's former bandmate Marc Riley said the singer "taught me a lot about life and he taught me a lot about music".

Team GB will take more skiers and snowboarders to a Winter Olympics than ever before, with a record number of athletes selected for next month's Pyeongchang 2018 Games.

Image source, Team GB

Among them is 22-year-old Katie Summerhayes, from Sheffield, who's competing with her 20-year-old sister Molly.

Katie was just six when she first learned at the Sheffield Ski Village, just 10 minutes from her house.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Peter Speight and 26-year-old James Woods, also from Sheffield, are taking part.

Woods, a four-time World Cup winner in ski slopestyle, finished fifth in Sochi despite a painful hip injury.

Jonathan Cowap
Presenter, BBC Radio York

Earlier we told you the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has been called out more than 40 times at night in the first two months of it being allowed to fly when it's dark.

Before the end of last year the service had been restricted to daylight hours only - in winter that meant emergency flights stopping at about 16:00.

My show on BBC Radio York is being broadcast live today from the charity's base near Thirsk.

It's there that I spoke to Abby Balmby from the organisation about its reliance on fundraising efforts.

She told me it wouldn't operate without the £12,000 donated every day:

Staff at a nature reserve in Leeds says they're "very pleased" the area is no longer being considered for use as a flood water storage area by the city council.

Image source, Google

Officials examining the Flood Alleviation Scheme had been looking for places to build an upstream water storage area in a bid to manage river levels.

The council's decision to look for somewhere else has been welcomed at Rodley Nature Reserve where staff say the site safeguards the area for wildlife.

There's been a steep rise in the number of violent crimes recorded by police in England and Wales.

Official figures show cases of murder and manslaughter are at their highest level for almost a decade.

In North Yorkshire, the increase in the number of recorded crimes is much lower - it's up by only 1% on the year before.

However, while the overall rise is 1%, numbers in some crime categories have risen significantly.

The number of violent crimes has risen from 9,313 to 10,091, while the number of murders has risen from five to seven and sex offences from 1,316 to 1,463.

A dog belonging to someone on Croasdale Gardens, Carcroft in Doncaster has died after eating meat left under the garden gate.

Image source, Google

It's thought the food had been laced with paracetamol and the suspected poisoning is being investigated by police.

New crime figures reveal that there has been a 15% increase in overall crime in West Yorkshire.

Image source, Getty Images

The figures show there's been a big rise in violent crime in West Yorkshire.

There's been a rise of more than a quarter between September 2016 and September 2017.

There's been a similar increase in the number of house burglaries.

Contractors carrying out the work says it is being paused because of safety concerns for staff.

The number of people sleeping rough in York has significantly increased, according to figures released this morning.

They suggest an estimated 29 people are sleeping rough in the city. At the last count, in autumn 2016, there were 18 rough sleepers.

Last October homeless man, Chris McCann, was found dead in a shop doorway in the city centre.

The figures also show six people are sleeping rough in Harrogate.

The number of people sleeping rough across England is now estimated to be at its highest level since current records began.