Emma Trim, BBC Radio York

Since his partner died in 2013, North Yorkshire man Jim Carmichael has been filling the hole left in his life by collecting stuffed animals.

Jim says he's spent £3,500 in five years filling his home with taxidermy.

Here's a peak around rooms filled with the likes of Smiler the stoat and Wilber the wildebeest:

Along with Smiler and Wilber, the full cast of Jim's house includes Macaroon the racoon, pigmy goat Spike, Moxy Foxy, Snapper the alligator, roe deer Turbow, Big Eric the stag, Rocky the crocodile and tawny owls Joe and Hoss.

You'll have spotted some cardboard cutouts, too, which are brown bear Samson, Goliath the lion and tigers Nasha and Cuddles.

Strictly Come Dancing star and documentary film maker Stacey Dooley is to headline a Sheffield documentary festival this summer.

Image source, Sheffield Doc/Fest

Sheffield Doc/Fest will welcome her as headliner of the BBC Interview which takes place in June.

Some of her BBC films have looked at domestic violence, drug abuse and child migration.

Road markings on Hull's North Bridge are being repainted this morning, with motorists being advised to use an alternative route.

Image source, Geograph/David Wright

Work started at 09:30, with motorists advised to go via Drypool Bridge but pedestrians and cyclists are able to access it as normal.

Traffic flow on North Bridge is being "managed manually" with barriers dropped and lifted intermittently to keep traffic moving "as normally as possible".

Hull City Council estimates the work will be completed by noon.

Louise Hobson
BBC Local Live

Snakes have taken over at Whitby Abbey!

Don’t worry, it’s all part of an £1.6m re-interpretation of the museum.

The centre at Whitby Abbey has been closed for five months while English Heritage have undertaken extensive work.

One addition to the museum is four giant snakes - celebrating the legend of St Hild who banished the serpents from the grounds of the monastery.

The wife of a North Yorkshire man who's been missing since February has thanked everyone who's helped her try to find him.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Nicholas Harper, 50, a teacher from Pickering, left for work on 7 February.

His black Citroen Picasso was found later parked about 13 miles away, near Helmsley.

His wife, Rachel, says: "I really have to put out a huge thank you to so many of my friends, so many people from the community, who've done an amazing job both in the search for Nick and in putting so many posters up.

"It's been something totally out of the blue and unexpected, so it's really hard to understand what might have happened."

The tram train service between Sheffield and Rotherham has been suspended until further notice after a structural fault with one of its vehicles was found.

The manufacturer found an issue with a Citylink vehicle, forcing operators Stagecoach to stop all services.

The manufacturer has detected a potential problem relating to the structure underneath the vehicle, known as the bogie, Stagecoach said in a statement.

Fire crews have been tackling two blazes in South Yorkshire this morning.

Image source, Google

One was at a derelict pub in Rotherham town centre, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Four crews were called to the derelict Masons Arms (pictured), on Wellgate, at about 03:50 this morning.

Elsewhere, about 20 firefighters have been tackling a fire at a former care home in Kendray, near Barnsley, overnight.

They were called to the fire, on Neville Avenue, at about 05:20.

The Sheffield to Rotherham tram train service isn't operating this morning because of "circumstances beyond our control", the operator Stagecoach has said.

The service usually runs from the cathedral in Sheffield city centre to Rotherham Parkgate.

No tram trains have been running this morning and won't "until further notice", Stagecoach confirmed.

Lisa Gallagher
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

A chilly start but with sunshine to come and it will stay dry.

Watch my full forecast here:

Motorists are being advised to avoid the M1 this morning after a crash north of Sheffield.

Image source, Highways England/Crown Copyright

Drivers are being turned around in the trapped traffic, with several miles of tailbacks on the M1 southbound between junction 35 and junction 34 for Meadowhall.

The accident is thought to have happened at about 07:30, with a vehicle leaving the carriageway and overturning.

Image source, Jonny Forrester

Emergency services and the Air Ambulance have been at the scene.

A 54-year-old woman's been arrested in a drugs raid in East Yorkshire following a tip-off from concerned residents.

Image source, Humberside Police

Police say the woman was taken into custody after a number of items, including mobile phones, drugs and drug paraphernalia, were seized from an address on Kent Road in Goole.

Officers say they received information drugs were being dealt from the address and served the warrant shortly before 21:00 last night.

The woman was questioned and released under investigation, police say.

A train operator which runs services into South Yorkshire has been banned from competing for three rail franchises.

Image source, PA

Stagecoach, which is the current train operating company running as East Midlands Trains, has been banned by the government because of a row over pensions.

The transport group said the Department for Transport had told it that bids for the East Midlands, South Eastern and West Coast franchises were "non-compliant".

Dutch operator Abellio has been announced this morning as the successful replacement after bidding for the East Midlands Railway franchise.

New trains, smart ticketing and more frequent services for passengers are what's being offered, the government has announced.

Intercity trains will be replaced with £600m being spent on improvements, which could see hydrogen-fuelled trains run on the network.

Passengers will benefit from an 80% increase in the number of morning peak seats into Nottingham, Lincoln and St Pancras, a statement said.

Abellio will run the services from August 2019 until 2027.

Super League's bottom-of-the-table side Leeds Rhinos sign Cronulla Sharks prop Ava Seumanufagai.

Sheffield Star

Police are appealing for information after a pizza delivery driver had his motorbike stolen at gunpoint in Rotherham, external.

Image source, Google

BBC News Travel

There are currently several miles of tailbacks on the M1 southbound in South Yorkshire after a crash.

Traffic's stationary between J35 (Rotherham/Chapeltown) to J34 (Meadowhall), with congestion to J36 (Birdwell/Sheffield North).

The accident's thought to have happened at about 07:30, with a vehicle leaving the carriageway and overturning.

Emergency services and the Air Ambulance are currently at the scene.

William Rose
We Are Bradford

Empty high street shops in Bradford are to be turned into "vibrant community hubs" as part of a scheme aimed at breathing new life into town and city centres.

Image source, Getty Images

Bradford is one of five areas chosen by the government to take part in the Open Doors project, which is aimed at helping town centres by renovating unused retail units.

The government plans to match landlords with community groups who offer services such as well-being classes and business support sessions.

Stoke-on-Trent, Rochford, Kettering and Slough will also take part in the new trial project.

Housing and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire MP said: "Our high streets are the beating heart of the places we call home and make a real difference to the well-being of our communities.

"This pilot is a great way to tackle some of the challenges faced by landlords and communities. It will support groups across the country and demonstrate the potential 'meanwhile use' of unused spaces."

Old explosives were found washed up in East Yorkshire during a beach clean-up meaning bomb disposal experts had to be called to the scene.

Image source, Humber Coastguard

The ordnance was found by volunteers during the Plastic-Free Hornsea beach clean, with Humber Coastguard notified.

Image source, Humber Coastguard

The items were found near Mappleton on Saturday, with the Army attending the following day to search for the items after the tide receded.

Image source, Humber Coastguard

Explosives specialists removed items for disposal including one which appeared to be a bomb with the remains of a parachute still attached.

Police say they're concerned for the welfare of a a 21-year-old man who's gone missing from Bradford.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Lewis Turner was last seen in the Holme Wood area at about 22:35 on Monday 8 April, according to police.

He's described as white, 5ft 6ins tall, of medium build, with a goatee beard, long, straight, brown hair and brown eyes.

Det Insp Ryan Bragg said: “We are very concerned for Lewis’s welfare as he is vulnerable."

Anyone who sees Mr Turner, or knows anything about his whereabouts, is being asked to contact the West Yorkshire force.

BBC Weather

This morning will start chilly but will be bright with spells of sunshine and light or moderate winds.

Tonight, some areas of low cloud will move in from the east, but it looks like staying dry and there should be some clear periods too:

York College has been named by the government as one of 12 "Institutes of Technology" in England which are intended to provide high quality skills training.

Image source, Getty

The aim is to offer young people a vocational alternative to universities.

Employers will support the institutes, most of which will be based around existing colleges and universities.

As well as York College, four of the new Institutes of Technology will be based in London, two in the west Midlands and the other five in Milton Keynes, Swindon, Durham, Exeter and Somerset.

Prime Minister Theresa May said they would "end outdated perceptions" that were biased against vocational skills.

But Labour said the plans were too small-scale and would not help the "overwhelming majority" of students in technical education.

Vocational training has often been seen as being under-served by the education system, with more status attached to young people taking an academic pathway through GCSEs, A-levels and university.