A woman from York, whose eight-month old kitten was shot and killed, says she fully supports a call for air guns to be licenced.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Jennifer Kendrew's ginger kitten Biscuit (pictured), was shot in the Acomb area of the city.

It happened on Almsford Road on 18 March.

The cat was taken to a vets and was found to have a pellet embedded in his spine and the vet had to put him to sleep.

Jennifer says: "It was devastating, he was in excruciating pain."

In a message to the person who shot Biscuit she said: "You've caused a great amount of pain, why do that?

"If you want to do something like that go to a shooting range, but not on live animals, what are you going to do next?"

More than 100,000 people have signed a petition by the charity Cats Protection calling for a change in the law, external to make it tougher for people to own air guns.

The organisation said: "The government launched a review into air weapons legislation in October 2017, including a consultation which concluded on 6 February 2018, but have still not reported their next steps."

A man was taken to hospital after he was pushed down a flight of stairs in a Huddersfield nightclub.

Image source, Google

The incident happened at Mavericks Lounge on King Street at about 02:00 on 16 March.

The suspect is described as being a white male aged in his 20s, who was about 6ft tall and was wearing a red jacket.

Police are keen to hear from anyone with any information.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

One of Britain's most successful Paralympic athletes has been named South Yorkshire's first ever active travel commissioner.

Multi-gold medal and world championship-winning sportswoman Dame Sarah Storey will lead efforts to promote and incorporate walking and cycling into everyday transport.

Metro mayor Dan Jarvis welcomed the 41-year-old into the role at an official unveiling at Sheffield Hallam University.

The new commissioner will work with Mayor Jarvis to support his vision, working to develop and deliver an ambitious 'Active Travel Plan'.

Living in high-rise accommodation isn't for everybody, but falcons seem to quite enjoy it on cliffs at Malham in the Yorkshire Dales.

Image source, Dave Dimmock

And from this week a viewpoint is opening at Malham Cove for people so you can watch the peregrine falcons up close.

It will open between 10:30 and 16:30 five days a week, from Thursday to Monday until 30 July.

RSPB area manager Anthony Hills said: “The fastest animal on the planet, the peregrines, are incredible to watch.

"It's like a soap opera watching them raise their family."

At least 61 young have been raised at Malham since the first peregrine pair nested there in 1993.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus

A yard in Holme Wood was the scene of a significant fire last night, after several bin wagons were set alight., external

Image source, TELEGRAPH AND ARGUS

Three people have been arrested after police cars were torched in Barnsley overnight, officers have confirmed.

Image source, Malik Walton/BBC

We told you earlier about the blaze involving the cars outside Goldthorpe police station.

South Yorkshire Police said a van, not belonging to the force, was also damaged in the fire.

Three men from Barnsley, aged 18, 33 and 35, have been arrested on suspicion of arson and criminal damage.

The force said no-one was injured in the blaze.

A complete smoking ban comes into force today at a North Yorkshire hospital and will mean smoking will be prohibited across the hospital site.

The South Tees Hospitals Trust has signed a national pledge to make the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton completely smoke-free.

It's rebranded the main entrances with its Time to Clear the Air message, trained 60 smokefree champions, and is providing on site stop smoking support for staff.

Kay Branch the trust's midwife consultant for public health says: "We'll have help from security and staff will be trained in how to have conversations with people, but we really need public support to help us to do this."

Image source, South Tees Hospitals Trust

The trust says: "Every week our doctors and nurses see the impact of smoking as they treat patients with conditions such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease and stroke.

"As part of the smoke-free pledge we'll be providing nicotine replacement therapy to smokers who have to stay in hospital overnight."

It says it will also offer advice on how to stop smoking to all patients attending clinics and will advise those wanting to quit on where to find help.

Lives could be put in danger by plans to cut the number of firefighters on engines in South Yorkshire, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has claimed.

Image source, SYFR

Crews could be reduced from five to four as the fire authority looks to save up to £4m a year.

FBU regional secretary Neil Carbutt said public and firefighter safety was at risk as well as the loss of 83 jobs.

The fire service said many engines already attended incidents with a crew of four.

Mr Carbutt said the news was "devastating for firefighters" and would leave them having to make a moral judgement at call-outs.

"Typically on an engine, you'll have two firefighters who go into the building, one pump operator, an overall officer in charge and a fifth person looking after the crew inside, making sure they've got adequate air, water and that the building is stable," he said.

"Ultimately, reducing those numbers means people will not be able to sleep safely in their beds at night."

The fire service said the multi-million pound shortfall was a result of no longer being able to use cost-cutting shift patterns, which saw some firefighters work four days and nights in a row.

Pregabalin and gabapentin have been made class C drugs after a rise in deaths linked to their use.

The Princess Royal will today see the progress of a three-mile tunnel which is being dug under the Humber.

Image source, REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Princess Anne will be given a tour of works on the tunnel, which will house a new gas pipeline running between Goxhill in North Lincolnshire and Paull in East Yorkshire.

Work started last year on the £100m National Grid project, which is currently an estimated two thirds of the way to completion.

New research shows that West Yorkshire Police is one of the top five forces for catching speeding drivers.

The force logged more than 174,000 offences between 2017 and 2018, according to RAC Foundation research.

Analysis of Home Office data, by lecturer Dr Adam Snow, found that 2,292,536 speeding offences were detected across England and Wales in 2017/18, up 4% compared with the previous 12 months.

Two police cars were destroyed after being set on fire outside Goldthorpe police station in a suspected arson attack.

Image source, Malik Walton

Firefighters were called at about 02:10 to cars on fire on Barnsley Road, Goldthorpe.

The fire is being treated as deliberate.

Police in South and West Yorkshire are being given greater stop and search powers to tackle rising knife crime.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is making it easier for officers to search people without reasonable suspicion in places where serious violence may occur.

It comes after fatal stabbings rose last year to the highest point since records began.

But campaigners said the move was "disappointing and regressive" and that stop and search is not effective.

Stop and search powers have been controversial for many years, with evidence that they are frequently misused and that they target black people disproportionately.

But Mr Javid said: "The police are on the front line in the battle against serious violence and it's vital we give them the right tools to do their jobs."

The change is being trialled in seven police force areas in England and Wales where more than 60% of knife crime occurs: London, the West Midlands, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Wales and Greater Manchester.

A father from Sheffield, whose son killed himself after becoming addicted to gambling, has welcomed changes to gambling rules.

Image source, PA

From today, the maximum stake that can be played on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) is being cut from £100 to £2.

The new rules are meant to  cut the risk of players losing large amounts of money in a short space of time.

Charles Ritchie from Sheffield lost his 24-year-old son, Jack, to suicide in 2017.

Following the change, Mr Ritchie has said the machines are "incredibly dangerous".

"Most people who play FOBTs don't get a great deal of fun out of them", he said.

"It's very different from going to the races.

"For a very significant proportion of people, it's a hellish experience.

"[This change] is moving from something where you could lose £300 a minute to something where you could lose £6 a minute."

It's been revealed more than 40% of children in parts of Hull are overweight or obese.

Image source, PA

The new figures come from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), who measured children's height and weight during the school year.

Using Hull's old council wards to determine the percentage of overweight children in different parts of the city, NCMP revealed St Andrew's, Newington and Pickering have the largest proportion of obese and overweight children.

A person is obese if their body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30 kg/m².

In St Andrew's, almost 28% of 10 and 11-year-olds are considered obese, while 42% are overweight.

Last week, Hull City Council held its third Childhood Obesity Conversation event, where organisations across the city came together to discuss how they can tackle the issue.

You can click this link to find out your own body mass index and see how you compare with the rest of the nation.

South Yorkshire Police say they dispatched Armed Response Vehicles in Doncaster to arrest a suspect for a serious wounding involving a machete yesterday.

A drone was also successfully deployed, contributing to the safe arrest of the suspect:

Police are asking for help from the public to find a missing teenage boy from Leeds.

Image source, WYP

Zion Hinds, 13, was last seen in the Woodhouse area of the city on Friday.

Officers say Zion (pictured) has brown eyes and a one centimetre scar below his right eye.

He is thought to be wearing a sky blue Nike t-shirt and grey Nike jogging pants.

Anyone who sees him or has any information about his whereabouts is being asked to contact the West Yorkshire force.

Piece Hall has an operating deficit of £855,142, says the building's first report and accounts.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to relocate more than 100 caravans at risk of coastal erosion on to a golf course have been approved, despite hundreds of objections.

Image source, MARTIN DAWES/GEOGRAPH

Far Grange Park and Golf Club in East Yorkshire's Skipsea, will move 128 pitches from the holiday park to the nine-hole course, despite more than 300 people opposing the move.

Park owners Bourne Leisure said it had a responsibility to move those at-risk pitches away from the cliff edge.

Addressing East Riding of Yorkshire Council planners, one resident said: "There is a great deal of unrest and a feeling that they're being disloyal to us really."

The park owners said it had to provide alternative pitches.

The application forms part of a "roll back" scheme where caravans deemed unsafe are placed elsewhere, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A report put before the council said despite the worst affected caravans still being some 16 metres from the cliff edge, planning for roll back in advance is deemed a "sensible" approach in this case.

Bourne Leisure said it was looking into providing a replacement pitch and putt course.

A 48-year-old man's in hospital recovering from serious injuries after being found outside a house in a village between Leeds and Wakefield.

Image source, Google

Police say they were called out to Common Lane, East Ardsley, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A 32-year-old woman and 39-year-old man have been arrested.

Officers say a police scene is currently in place while investigations continue.

Anyone who witnessed anything in the area is being asked to contact West Yorkshire Police.