A drop in the number of assaults on council workers in Leeds may sound like good news - but it may actually point to a bigger problem, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Freedom of Information request showed that the number of attacks on Leeds City Council workers fell dramatically, from 525 in 2014-15 to just 98 in 2017-18 - a drop of more than 80%.

However, unions say they are worried some staff aren't reporting assaults as they are unhappy with how they are dealt with by the council and feel there is "no point".

Councillor James Lewis says: "Changes in practice, improvements in training and awareness for staff has all helped to reduce numbers of assaults."

More than 800 people have signed a petition to save a park in Barnsley which they say could be a turned into a roundabout if new plans get the go-ahead.

Image source, Crown copyright/Barnsley Council

Proposals have been drawn up by Barnsley Council to build a new gyratory system on Penny Pie Park in a bid to relieve congestion along Dodworth Road and Pogmore Road.

The council hopes to cut journey times between the town and the M1 by up to 10 minutes, but it will mean building over a playground and the possible loss of dozens of trees.

Tim Turner, from the Penny Pie Community Group, says people won't come to the park if it means crossing two busy roads.

"We've half-a-dozen kids playing in the football area. That's going to be moved. We've got a lovely play area where we get all the nursery people. That's going to be moving," he says.

"People are not going to cross over two busy roads to go and play. It just doesn't make sense," he adds.

BBC Weather

This morning, many areas of Yorkshire will remain dry with spells of sunshine with just the chance, especially later, of the odd shower.

There'll be some sunshine this afternoon with isolated showers, but for most it'll stay dry.

Most areas will remain dry through tonight as any daytime showers die away:

Police looking for a missing Bradford girl have released CCTV images of the last confirmed sighting of the teenager.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Mary Vunana, 15, who was last seen in the city centre at about 22:45 on Friday 3 August after originally being reported missing on Monday 30 July.

She is described as being of medium build, about 5ft 3ins tall with short red hair.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

She was last seen wearing black jeans, a white t-shirt, socks and slippers.

She has links to the BD3 and BD4 areas of the city and is also known to frequent the city centre.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is being asked to contact police.

BBC News Travel

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire today, most services appear to be running to time at the moment.

However:

• The 06:37 Doncaster to Sheffield is delayed by 25 minutes
• The 06:46 Doncaster to Plymouth is currently delayed by eight minutes

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station, external
• Leeds Station, external
• Sheffield Station, external
• Doncaster Station, external
• Wakefield Westgate, external
• Bradford Interchange, external
• Bradford Forster Square, external

• Hull Station, external

An incident in which a high-speed train was pelted with rocks in Sheffield earlier this week "could have ended in tragedy", according to British Transport Police (BTP).

Image source, British Transport Police

Three young people were seen throwing objects at the train from a footbridge near Butterthwaite Lane at about 18:30 on Sunday 5 August.

The incident left the windscreen of the train, which was travelling at 70mph, badly damaged.

In a statement, BTP officers warn that throwing things at high-speed trains is highly dangerous.

"Not only did it cause damage, it could have ended in a tragedy," they say.

Defender Callum Howe heads in a late equaliser for Harrogate in a 2-2 draw at Hartlepool.

Halifax continue their perfect start to the National League season with victory at home to Barrow.

Middlesbrough pick up their first win of the Championship season as they blow Sheffield United away with three quick goals.

More than £10,000 has been raised at an annual lifeboat weekend in North Yorkshire, with organisers hailing it as an astounding success.

Image source, RNLI Filey

The money, which goes towards the running of the lifeboats, benefits the charity the RNLI.

The £10,250 total is almost £600 more than last year.

Have you seen Jack Gates? Police want to talk to him after two women were assaulted in Scarborough in the early hours of this morning.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Officers have issued an urgent appeal to find the 27-year-old following the incident.

"Numerous enquiries" have been carried out to locate him since the assaults, but he remains "unaccounted for", say police.

Officers say they are also concerned for his welfare.

Anyone who has seen him, or knows his whereabouts, is being urged to contact police.

Ash trees which are part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park's ancient woodlands are being affected by the "devastating" disease ash dieback.

Image source, Getty Images

The park says infected trees can be seen on roadsides verges all around the Park, as well as in woodlands.

The disease entered the UK in 2012 and there is no cure, the park says it has now stopped planting ash trees.

Scientists at the Forestry Commission are now trying to develop ash trees that are more resistant to the disease.

About 80% of the park's ancient woodland is made up of ash, making it the "iconic tree of the Dales".

A taxi driver was left with multiple stab wounds and left in a serious condition after he was attacked by several people in Batley on Friday

Image source, Google

It happened on Bradford Road at about 01:50 and police say they're looking for "several suspects".

The 36-year-old man was left with stab wounds to his leg, arm and head outside a BP garage, officers say the attackers got out of a silver Ford Galaxy and a silver Volkswagen Golf.

He was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

Brentford re-sign former Hull right-back Moses Odubajo on a one-year contract, with the option of a further year.

A new application has been submitted to change a well-known Doncaster building into dozens of flats, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Image source, Google

If given the go-ahead, Danum House, the former Co-Op building on St Sepulchre Gate, is will be converted into 78 one, two and three-bedroom apartments.

The 1930s Art Deco building, which played host to The Beatles in a previous guise, also hosted the Karisma, Romeo and Juliets and Seventh Heaven nightclubs.

The first four floors above the ground floor will become properties ranging from £85,000 to £230,000, with the ground floor still holding retail units.

The flats are said to be "marketed primarily into the Far East and UAE".

A new application has been submitted to alter the layout of one of the three-bedroom flats.

A decision is expected to be made later this month.

Ash dieback, a fungal disease, is spreading "phenomenally quickly" through the Yorkshire Dales National Park, which covers a large area of south east Cumbria.

Image source, YDNPA

The disease is apparent from the bare branches on ash trees at a time of year when they should be covered in leaves, like these near Garsdale, external.

Eight out of 10 trees in the semi-natural woodland that covers about 1% of the park are ash and the only weapon against the disease is felling.

Mr Garrett said ash trees that die should be replaced with other native species, and the Forestry Commission was hoping to identify and breed from ash trees that were resistant to the fungus.

North Yorkshire County Council has taken to Twitter telling followers important messages on keeping safe across the county...with an, er, disturbing picture alongside:

The characters of "Ed" and "Rosie" have appeared in a few of their most recent Tweets, each as worrying as the last...

A company in Leeds, which started making badges with a hand held machine 13 years ago, is now planning to open a factory in the US.

Image source, I Like Press

Awesome Merch started in 2005 when husband and wife Luke and Charlotte Hodson started making badges to help them through university.

They now own one of the fastest growing businesses in the north, employing 35 people and making 65 million promotional items - from t-shirts to guitar picks - since they launched.

They now want investors to help them raise £350,000 to help them into the next phase of their journey.

The works at Effingham Road, Sheffield exploded in 1973, killing three workers and injuring dozens.

Ishaq Al-Noor, 21, raped one woman and attempted to rape another in a Hull cemetery.