You can countdown to the start of the Tour de Yorkshire in hours now, it's that close!

We've been getting plenty of your pictures of the decorations that are going up across Yorkshire for the race, here's a great shot of the preparations in Ilkley:

Image source, @julielovesstu

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There are warnings there could be cuts to West Yorkshire's Fire & Rescue Service if it has to honour pay rises with no extra funding.

For years firefighters like other public-sector workers have been limited to a 1%-a-year pay rise, but it looks like the government may change that.

But it's led the West Yorkshire Fire Authority to warn of cuts elsewhere to pay for the higher wages - claiming every 1% rise above inflation costs £600,000 a year with money to be saved elsewhere.

The Fire Brigades Union wants a significant increase after years of pay limits and says it can be paid from reserves instead.

If you suffer anxiety about going to the dentist, University of York researchers have found evidence that acupuncture could help you.

They've reviewed trials involving 800 patients and concluded symptoms like nausea and dizziness could be reduced when the needle technique is used.

But Hugh MacPherson, the professor of acupuncture at the university, says that while early indications about the effectiveness of the treatment "look positive", more trials are needed to "measure the impact".

Ataul Mustafa showed Sohbia Khan's dead body to his family after beating her.

Yorkshire Evening Post

A depraved father who subjected his teenage daughter to years of humiliating sexual abuse has been brought to justice after more than 30 years., external

Image source, Yorkshire Evening Post

Two people have been left with serious injuries after a crash near Skipton this morning.

Image source, Google

At about 08:30 a man riding a red Yamaha motorbike was in collision with a red Vauxhall Astra and a black Dacia Duster on the A59 near Broughton Hall.

The biker is still in hospital after the crash and police say he's in a serious condition.

A woman who was driving the Dacia was also taken to hospital, she also suffered serious injuries.

Police say they want to speak to anyone who saw either of the cars or the motorbike.

Seven branches of RBS are to close in Yorkshire it has been announced.

Image source, PA

The bank said that the Barnsley, Halifax, Harrogate, Sheffield Meadowhall, Rotherham, Scarborough and Wakefield branches will close.

The move follows existing plans to close 52 bank branches in Scotland that serve rural communities, and 197 NatWest branches.

The Unite union has calculated that in the case of 71 of the 162 branches closing, customers will be forced to make return journeys of about 25 miles to reach another one.

A super-sized bike has appeared on the glass roof of the Trinity Shopping Centre in Leeds:

Anyone would think there was a big Yorkshire-wide bike race coming up this weekend....

People in our region are being told to make sure their children have had both MMR vaccinations after it's been confirmed that measles is "circulating" in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Image source, Science Photo Library

Since the end of 2017, more than 50 case have now been reported, with the majority of these linked to a previous outbreak in Leeds and an ongoing outbreak in Bradford.

The warning comes from Public Health England (PHE) who say "further cases across the region are expected".

Symptoms of measles include:

• High fever
• Sore, red, watery eyes
• Coughing
• Aching and feeling generally unwell
• A blotchy red brown rash, which usually appears after the initial symptoms.

Children get the MMR vaccination at age one and then again at three years and four months as a booster.

A Doncaster man has admitted the rape of a child and other child sex offences as well as making indecent images.

Image source, SYP

Stephen Riley, originally from Ravenfield Street in Denaby, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court where he admitted the rape of a child under 13, two counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity and one count of inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences were committed in August 2016 and were discovered when images were found on electronic devices when he was arrested for unrelated matters.

Riley, who has been on remand at HMP Lincoln since he was charged in November last year, will appear before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on Friday 22 June.

Here's a little animation showing the route for Stage One of this year's Tour de Yorkshire.

The race, which starts on Thursday, goes from Beverley and finishes in Doncaster.

Jenny Eells

There are safety fears over a new £900,000 cycling scheme in Sheffield.

The city council and their contractor Amey have turned Broomhall Road into a one-way system for cars.

But some locals say the layout is dangerous and a waste of money. As reporter Jenny Eells found out:

If you're driving around York you're being reminded there's major roadworks at one of the city's busiest junctions.

Engineers are replacing traffic lights at Tadcaster Road and St Helen's Road.

The city council says the job could take six weeks and is warning of severe disruption. Tony Clarke is from the council.

Spring seems to have sprung across North Yorkshire today as these lovely images from our BBC Weather Watchers show.

From left to right Scarborough chalets, Pickering fields and a deer in the woods near Elvington

A new plan to tackle a rising alcohol problem in Barnsley is to be introduced after data shows hospital admissions for men and women are above the national average.

Image source, Getty Images

Almost one percent of male hospital admissions in the borough can be blamed on alcohol, the figure is slightly lower for women.

Work is being finalised on a new alcohol strategy by Barnsley Council's public health unit, which aims to tackle affordability, availability and acceptability when it comes to drinking booze.

A 20-year-old woman is arrested on suspicion of witness intimidation.

Barnsley Council wants to become a sugar-free borough and has already banned the sale of sugary drinks at the council's headquarters.

Image source, PA

Vending machines have also been removed from its buildings.

Elsewhere in the town, takeaway food outlets are being encouraged to offer 'healthier' meal choices.

The council's long-term goal is also to have shops display how many calories are in the sandwiches they sell.

It's hoped the Park Hill flats in Sheffield could be the new home of Channel 4 if the broadcaster decides to move to the city.

Image source, PA

The broadcaster is searching for a base and two other hubs outside London and plans to move hundreds of jobs to the new sites.

There's an event promoting Sheffield's bid today, with Liverpool already having launched their bid last week.

Leeds is also in the running and is expected to submit its bid to host Channel 4 soon.

Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and an academic from Leeds are meeting government ministers to call for more action to be taken on tackling childhood obesity.

A third of young people are either overweight or obese and Dr James Nobles, from Leeds Beckett University, will join the chefs to explain the issue.

Jamie Oliver told the BBC that he does not ban junk food in his home, but that it is only eaten by his children as a "treat".

Barnsley Council launches a new food strategy in order to address poor diet and obesity in the town.