Weekend parking in the run-up to Christmas is to remain free in East Yorkshire as the county council looks to get more people shopping locally.

Image source, Google

Council-run car parks in East Yorkshire have been free for the four weekends up to Christmas Day for the past 11 years.

Now, senior councillors have approved keeping it that way for the next three years.

Signs will help motorists know which car parks are offering the no-charge parking.

A man and his dog have had to be rescued from barbed wire by firefighters in North Yorkshire.

Crews in Skipton freed the pair after the man became stuck attempting to free his dog from the wire.

Fierfighters say they used bolt croppers and both the man and springer spaniel were eventually freed uninjured.

Electric cars could get a huge boost when it comes to battery power thanks to work by engineers in Sheffield.

Image source, Peter Byrne/PA Archive/PA Media

The next-generation lithium ion batteries could see electric vehicles go further as the technology advances.

Researchers and collaborators at the University of Sheffield have been awarded £11m to develop the batteries which could be used to transform the performance of electric vehicles.

The batteries must have longer lifespans and increased energy density to increase the range of electric vehicles.

A giant red and yellow striped inflatable sculpture has been unveiled at a former church in Leeds.

The installation, which is more than 13ft tall in places, has been created by artist Michael Shaw and is on display at Left Bank arts venue inside the former St Margaret's Church in Headingley.

Courtney Spencer, the venue's director, said: "You can't help but smile while you come in and see it.":

A series of "distressing" knifepoint robberies in a West Yorkshire market town have sparked a police appeal for witnesses.

Image source, Google

In one of three incidents, between 21:00 and 21:30 last Friday, a teenage girl and a boy, both aged 15, were threatened with a knife in Otley's Wharfemeadows Park.

The attacker demanded their mobile phones but ran away after the girl fought him off.

Police say at about the same time a 17-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man were threatened with a knife in the park by a white man wearing a grey hoody and a black jacket.

The night before, a 19-year-old man and his friend were robbed opposite the park, near to the cemetery, on Pool Road, police add.

They were approached at about 21:30 by two masked men carrying knives. Both victims handed over their wallets, cards and cash, say police.

Det Insp Andy Norgate said: “These were obviously very distressing incidents for the victims.

“We would like to hear from anyone who witnessed any of the incidents or saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area around the time."

Chris Swallow suffered an "unsurvivable head fracture" in a crash in August, an inquest hears.

A security guard was also doused in liquid and threatened with a lighter in the attack, police say.

Sir Cliff Richard has reached a final settlement after his legal action against the BBC, which will pay a reported £2m, external towards his legal costs.

Image source, Reuters

Last year, the star won a privacy case against the broadcaster over its coverage of a police raid on his home.

South Yorkshire Police officers were investigating an allegation made by a man who claimed he was sexually assaulted by Sir Cliff in 1985 in Sheffield.

But the singer was never arrested or charged and the case was dropped two years later.

The BBC was ordered to pay £210,000 in damages, and later agreed to pay £850,000 to cover legal costs.

However, that figure has since increased. The BBC said the case had now reached its "conclusion".

A BBC spokesperson said: "We are pleased Sir Cliff Richard, the BBC and South Yorkshire Police have reached an amicable settlement of Sir Cliff Richard's legal costs. The BBC's costs are within the scope of our legal insurance."

However, the settlement will not fully cover the star's legal fees. During his trial, the 78-year-old singer said he had spent more than £3m to clear his name.

Young children in North Yorkshire are being encouraged to read by hunting for hidden books.

The Look for a Book scheme asks children to uncover a hidden book, read it, then hide it again.

These Children in Wistow, near Selby ,seem to quite like the idea:

These are the latest pictures from the Asda superstore in Killingbeck in Leeds after armed robbers stole cash from security guards making an early morning delivery.

A police cordon remains in place at the site and armed police are standing guard as investigations continue:

Image source, YappApp

A gang of men wielding an axe and a sawn-off shotgun threatened security guards at about 07:00 this morning, forcing them to hand over cash before escaping in a white Mercedes Sprinter van.

The victims of the raid were left "very badly shaken" but uninjured, according to police.

Image source, YappApp

The van which is believed to have been involved in the robbery was later found burned out at nearby Killingbeck Cemetery where another police cordon is also in place while inquiries are carried out:

Image source, YappApp

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has mobile phone or dash-cam footage from the area at about the time of the robbery, is being asked to get in touch with police.

It was a case of two-for-one for police officers who were packing up following a drug raid in Rotherham earlier this week, only to find another cannabis set-up next door.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Police were originally searching one property in Parkgate where they found 70 cannabis plants, following a call from a member of the public.

However, officers then saw a man climbing through the roof space from a neighbouring property, sparking another police search next door.

As a result, a second cannabis set-up was found consisting of more than 90 plants.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of producing cannabis, South Yorkshire Police said.

Plans to create a new maritime visitor centre in Hull and to move the famous Arctic Corsair trawler into a nearby dry-dock are due to go before councillors later.

Image source, Hull City Council

The multi-million pound proposals for land next to the River Hull are central to the council's vision to attract more tourists to the city.

Last month, the Arctic Corsair, Hull's last sidewinder trawler, was taken a short distance to Alexandra Dock where it will undergo restoration work as part of the plans.

Hull City Council wants to renovate the Maritime Museum and North End Shipyard as well as the Arctic Corsair and the historic Spurn Lightship.

The proposals are recommended for conditional approval by councillors.

A group of men wielding weapons including an axe and a sawn-off shotgun have forced security guards to hand over cash they were delivering to a Leeds petrol station.

Image source, YappApp

The armed robbers targeted guards delivering cash to an ATM at the Asda petrol station in Killingbeck Drive in Leeds at about 07:00 this morning.

After threatening the guards and forcing them to hand over an amount of money, the offenders then left the scene in a white Mercedes Sprinter van which was later found abandoned and ablaze in nearby Killingbeck Cemetery.

Image source, YappApp

Police cordons are currently in place at both sites and investigations are ongoing, police say.

Det Insp Al Burns says: "This was a really frightening experience for the staff involved and although no-one was physically injured, they have been left very badly shaken by what happened.

“We are treating this incident very seriously and are carrying out extensive inquiries to establish the full circumstances and to identify those responsible."

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has mobile phone or dash-cam footage from the area at about the time of the robbery, is being asked to get in touch with police.

A bus service in Sheffield had to be diverted last night because of bricks being thrown at vehicles, a bus operator has said.

Stagecoach Yorkshire tweeted, external to say that youths throwing bricks at buses on the firm's number 1 route would not be using Blackstock Road for the rest of this evening.

Instead, the bus was diverted via Gleadless Road, Leighton Road and Raeburn Road.

A man from Leeds voiced "racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration views" on social media and to colleagues, a jury has heard.

Image source, Bill Henderson/Geograph

Pawel Golaszewski, 34, of Wensleydale Mews, Armley, is accused of possessing instruction manuals on making weaponry and killing techniques.

He denies six counts of possessing a document containing information useful for terrorist purposes under the Terrorism Act at the Old Bailey.

Private investigator Mr Golaszewski said the manuals were for "research".

Armed police had stopped the defendant's car on Abbey Road, Leeds, on 23 February and arrested him on suspicion of terrorist offences, the court was told.

The jury heard the manuals found on a seized laptop and tablet computer included copies of 21 Silent Techniques Of Killing by Master Hei Long, The Anarchist Cookbook and The Big Book Of Mischief.

The trial continues.

BBC Weather

A dry morning with spells of sunshine will be followed by a cloudy afternoon with occasional showers.

Tonight should be dry with clear intervals and brisk winds:

An Elvis tribute act from West Yorkshire has been fined more than £9,000 after neighbours complained about his late-night songs.

Image source, Dean Holland

Dean Holland, 45, regularly performs to fans over the internet from his home in Great Horton in Bradford, many of whom are in the United States.

He was served with a noise abatement notice by Bradford Council, but flouted the order and was summoned to court.

Mr Holland and partner Katie Mooney were fined £4,688 each in their absence by Bradford magistrates.

It amounted to a total of £9,376, made up of fines for five offences each, court costs and a victim surcharge.

The singer told the BBC he performs to a US audience, which leads to him often singing in the early hours due to the time difference.

"I don't do it every night, I might do it like twice a week, three times a week," he said.

"I have sung at 11pm, midnight and 1am, but it's not banging out and it's not like grunge music or AC/DC or anything like that."

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Wednesday morning, most services appear to be running on time.

However:

• The 08:39 Leeds to Newcastle service has been cancelled
• The 09:12 York to Blackpool North service has been cancelled
• The 09:35 Doncaster to Sheffield service has been cancelled

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
• Hull Station, external
• Doncaster Station, external
• Wakefield Westgate, external
• Bradford Interchange, external
• Bradford Forster Square, external

An 11-year-old boy who police describe as "vulnerable" has gone missing from his home in Bradford.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Caleb Montaut (pictured), from Eccleshill, is described as a white male, 4ft 11ins tall, of slim build with brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a blue tracksuit and a black baseball cap.

Anyone who sees him is being urged to contact the West Yorkshire force.

Yorkshire sign New Zealand international spinner Ajaz Patel for the final two games of the County Championship season.