Police in Bradford are warning people to be "vigilant" after reports of forged Scottish banknotes being used to pay for items bought online.

Image source, PA

Officers say they're investigating two separate crimes in Bradford where counterfeit £20 notes have been used to pay in cash for items sold via the Gumtree website.

PC Toni Hinnells said: "We urge both people selling online and businesses to be cautious as there are a number of forged notes in circulation.

"People living outside of Scotland will be less familiar with these banknotes, so may not know what a genuine note should look like," he added.

The Royal Bank of Scotland gives the following advice on spotting counterfeit notes:

• Serial Numbers – Genuine notes have unique serial numbers, if you have two notes displaying the same serial number at least one of them is a counterfeit.
• Paper – Genuine banknote paper should be reasonably crisp and not limp, waxy or shiny.

The West Yorkshire force says anyone with any concerns is advised to refuse to accept a payment and report it to the police.

Europe's most complete Victorian Turkish bath, in Harrogate, is undergoing a spruce-up which has revealed parts of the historic building which have been unseen for decades.

Image source, Tony Bartholomew

The £300,000 scheme to improve the Grade II-listed Harrogate Turkish Baths involves Harrogate Borough Council, Historic England and the Harrogate Civic Trust.

Manager Chris Mason says: "Moorish design, Islamic arches and elaborate ceilings make it one of the most complete of the seven 19th Century Turkish baths surviving worldwide.

"This will see modern coverings ripped out to reveal grand high ceilings and an original room, blocked up for decades, revealed once again," he adds.

Image source, Tony Bartholomew

In the 19th Century, Harrogate was England’s pre-eminent spa town.

The Turkish baths, built in 1897, were just one of a number of facilities available, which included medicinal waters, a dispensary, hydrotherapy departments, mud baths and steam rooms.

Image source, Tony Bartholomew

Money seized from criminals in West Yorkshire is being used to increase children's awareness of road safety.

A total of £35,000 has been awarded to a project in Leeds which encourages secondary school pupils to make educational films about road safety.

A further £2,500 has been awarded to the Polish Saturday School in Huddersfield.

Abid Saddiq, from Masbrough, and Waseem Khaliq, from Sheffield, will appear in court on 21 June.

North Yorkshire Police have spoken to protesters and local residents to work out how to minimise disruption when work at a fracking site in Kirby Misperton gets under way again.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Thirsk and Malton Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake said there were concerns police had previously been heavy-handed in dealing with protesters at the site in Ryedale.

Campaigners set up a camp near Kirby Misperton in 2016 after Third Energy was granted planning permission to frack for shale gas at the site.

The company is still waiting for final consent from the government and moved some equipment off the site in March this year.

Following this, anti-fracking campaigners dismantled their protest camp, but have maintained a presence at the entrance to the site.

Mr Hollinrake says: "When work at the site restarts, which is expected to be in the autumn, there'll be regular meetings to make sure peaceful protesters, local residents and the police can work together."

Police investigating a burglary in Sheffield have released CCTV images of a man they believe has information about the incident.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Officers say sometime between 11:20 and 12:40 on Wednesday 2 May, a property on Hyacinth Road in the Wincobank area of the city was broken into and electrical items and bank cards were stolen.

It was reported the stolen bank cards were used to purchase items from a newsagents on Bellhouse Road, Sheffield, later that afternoon.

Anyone with information about the man's identity is being asked to get in touch.

A daily fee up to £50 is planned for high emission lorries, buses and taxis in Leeds

Would you eat your lunch with a rat scurrying about on top of the table?

A night aimed at restoring the reputation of the rat has taken place at a so-called "Rat Cafe" in the York Dungeon tourist attraction.

The Dungeon says: "The event followed years of bad PR, where rats were widely considered to be carriers of the plague, despite the plague actually being carried by fleas."

Here's a host of happy dungeon-dwellers reaching out to their rodent friends:

Jamie Elliot, 18, tried to drive a golf buggy through a McDonald's drive-thru.

Peter Spencer
Reporter, BBC Radio Sheffield

Sheffield Steelers have announced the signing of Canadian Tanner Eberle.

Image source, Sheffield Steelers

The winger, who joins from the Jacksonville Icemen, has played 176 ECHL games, and 11 games in the American Hockey League.

The 24-year-old has been coached and comes highly recommended by former Steelers head coach Mike Blaisdell.

A rail company which operates trains from North Yorkshire to London has been rated the joint-best in the country for passenger satisfaction.

Image source, GRAND CENTRAL RAIL

Grand Central, which travels to London from Northallerton, Thirsk, and York, achieved a 95% score in the study from independent watchdog Transport Focus.

Planning permission for the redevelopment of a Bradford retail park has expired after the scheme failed to materialise within three years of being approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Image source, Bradford Council

British Land, the owners of Forster Square Retail Park, announced plans to redevelop the area in 2014.

The proposals included making the shopping area more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists by improving links with Bradford city centre, increasing the number of cycle spaces, altering the layout of the car park and adding facilities like a customer service building, public toilets and a children’s play area.

The scheme was hailed as a “comprehensive” overhaul of the retail park when Bradford Council approved a planning application in 2015.

One of the conditions of approval was that work on the site had to begin within three years - a common condition when such plans are approved - as that hasn't happened the permission has expired.

A lorry fire has caused huge delays for anyone heading westbound on the M62 towards Manchester.

Two lanes are closed:

If you've ever contemplated cycling at over 100mph and wondered what it might feel like, here's a man who can tell you...

Neil Campbell, a 42-year-old architect, is aiming to cycle at 127mph today at Elvington airfield, near York, as part of a bid to break the European speed cycling world record.

He gets a tow until he reaches about 70mph, but after that it's all down to his legs:

The discount retailer, which started in Wakefield in 1974, collapsed into administration last week.

Two men have been charged with raping and indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Rotherham.

Image source, Getty Images

Abid Saddiq, 37, of Masbrough, in Rotherham, and Waseem Khaliq, 33, of Eldon Court, in Sheffield, were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of rape, conspiracy to rape, and indecent assault.

The offences date back to 2001 and are part of the National Crime Agency’s investigation into child sexual abuse and exploitation in Rotherham.

They have also been charged with child abduction after two girls aged 14 and 15 were allegedly taken to Sheffield for the purposes of sexual activity in 2002, police say.

They have both been bailed.

A drink-driving teenager who got behind the wheel of a golf buggy and attempted to go into a North Yorkshire drive-though has been banned from the road for a year.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Jamie Elliot, 18, from Richmond, took the vehicle from Catterick Golf Club in the early hours of 29 May and tried to go through a McDonald's drive-thru.

When he was taken to a nearby police station, Elliot was breathalysed and gave a reading of 47 micrograms of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath, the legal limit being 35.

At the time, police said it was the "most unusual job" of the night.

Elliot admitted a count of driving while unfit through drink when he appeared in front of magistrates in Northallerton.

He's also been ordered to pay fines and costs of £235.

Hundreds of public buildings and spaces in Yorkshire are being sold off by councils, it's being claimed.

Image source, Google

The figures have come from campaign group Locality, which has criticised the sale of parks, libraries, town halls and swimming pools.

The charity submitted freedom of information requests to all local authorities in England, asking about asset sales.

In the Yorkshire region, almost 500 council-owned sites are sold every year, according to the campaigners.

Locality says this land shouldn't end up in the hands of developers and believes local authorities facing financial pressures are "denying future generations access to many community assets".

The research was published as the group launched its Save Our Spaces campaign in a bid to keep assets in community ownership.

A final community event examining the proposed high-speed HS2 rail route is taking place in South Yorkshire today.

Image source, HS2

It's a chance for residents to talk to the team behind the project and the impact it might have on where they live.

The team from HS2 Ltd has been visiting locations along the preferred phase 2b route in South Yorkshire, talking to people about how the design of Britain's new high-speed railway is progressing.

Today's meeting is in Mexborough at the business centre, close to where part of a new housing estate is due to be demolished for the railway.

The sessions run from 14:00 until 20:00.

Two young peregrine falcons at a North Yorkshire beauty spot have made their first flights.

Image source, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority/Dave Dimmock

The six-week-old birds took to the skies last week at Malham Cove.

Did you know that peregrines have been recorded reaching speeds over 200mph, making them the fastest animal on the planet?

Anthony Hills from the RSPB said: "We’re excited to see the two peregrine chicks taking to the skies."

People visiting Malham Cove are being asked to adhere to seasonal access restrictions in place there to help prevent any unintentional disturbance to the raptors.

Malham Cove is one of the most successful peregrine nest sites in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with 59 young raised since a pair first nested in 1993.