Doncaster Rovers Belles appoint Scunthorpe United defender - and former Doncaster men's player - Andy Butler as their new manager.

A descendant of famous locomotive pioneer George Stephenson wants rail bosses to clean up a plaque on a landmark on the world's first passenger line which his relative built.

The stone plaque on Yarm viaduct marks the engineers, superintendent and contractors behind the 19th century monument.

The viaduct opened on May 15, 1852 at a cost of £44,500 and it contains 7.5 million bricks.

But time has taken its toll on the stone tablet with weeds and dirt covering its engravings.

Image source, Andrew Sherris

Cllr Andrew Sherris, who can name George Stephenson in his family tree, wants Network Rail to pull its act together ahead of the 200th anniversary of the first “promoters meeting” of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The railway was built and opened by George Stephenson in 1825 and was the first passenger railway in the world.

The Yarm councillor said: “The stone plaque not only commemorates a fantastic engineering achievement but is also a key part of the industrial heritage of Yarm and the North East.

“As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, this plaque on the viaduct needs to be a visible feature as we seek to boost our visitor numbers to our town and high street.”

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “We understand how important railway heritage is and we are committed to preserving it.

“As a taxpayer funded organisation, Network Rail has a set amount of funding and must prioritise keeping the railway running reliably and safely.

“Unfortunately, this means we have no current plans to clean the plaque.

“Should funding become available, we would look to carry out this work.”

A Sheffield woman says she was left "shaken" after fraudsters tried to take money from her - but they admitted she was "too wise" for the scam.

Marie Whiteley, 95, received a call from someone claiming to be from her bank, seemingly knowing her card number and home address.

But after the scammers told Marie that £400 had been taken from her account and she needed to withdraw £1,000 to stop more being taken she realised something wasn't right.

Before hanging up, the man on the end of the phone offered to send a taxi to collect Marie to take her to the bank to withdraw the money, she said.

"I said to him, 'I think you're having me on here'. He said, 'Oh you're a bit wiser than what I thought you were' and he laughed and put the phone down on me", she said.

"I felt terrible after that. I was all shaken up. It really upset me."

South Yorkshire Police say they're currently supporting a national campaign against such scams.

The Porsche and Ferrari collided on a roundabout in Sheffield in May 2018, police say.

An antique glass harp which was made in 1820 is set to go on show at a Leeds museum as part of a new exhibition about music in the city.

Image source, LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

The instrument is created from a series of different shaped glasses and is played by running a moistened finger on the edge.

The piece was made by Leeds craftsman Joshua Muff and was acquired by the city in 1953.

It's going on display as part of a show bringing together instruments and equipment associated with Leeds over the past 200 years.

Sounds of Our City opens at Abbey House Museum on 25 January.

Image source, LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

The owner of a newsagents in North Yorkshire which has been up for sale for two years says he's giving it away so his staff keep their jobs.

Image source, Google

Mike Williams, who's retiring from Castle News in Malton after more than 30 years, says since the decision to give the business away he's heard from someone willing to take it on.

Mr Williams says: "In desperate measures we announced someone could have it for free, as long as they bought the stock and kept the staff.

"All being well, we've managed to save the jobs of nine staff. The alternative would've been redundancies and a load of leftover stock, so making the best of a bad job really."

Hull KR forward Mose Masoe's serious spinal injury is "career-ending", head coach Tony Smith confirms.

Police have released CCTV images of two people they want to speak to after glasses frames worth more than £4,000 were stolen from two Sheffield opticians.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

The thefts took place at the Specsavers stores on The Moor in the city centre and at Middlewood Road on Sunday 5 January.

The two people pictured could help police with their inquiries, South Yorkshire Police said.

The man is described as being of medium build and was wearing a green and white Superdry bobble hat, dark jeans, a dark jacket, grey scarf and black and white trainers.

He also had a star shaped tattoo on the back of his hand.

The woman is described as being of slim build, with long dark blonde and brown hair.

She was wearing a light coloured puffer coat with a fur hood, dark trousers, white trainers and a white bobble hat with fur pompom.

Anyone who recognises the people in the pictures is being asked to contact police.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

The father of a child shot in the leg has called for "armed thugs to be taken off the streets".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The cost of upgrading one of the key flood defences in York has more than doubled since work began, it's emerged.

Image source, Getty Images

The Environment Agency was originally given £17m to upgrade the Foss Barrier after the floods of 2015, but that cost has now risen to £38m.

The Agency says the cost of the work has soared due to the complexity and scale of the project.

A spokesman said: “The initial concept was for a broadly ‘like for like’ replacement of the pumping station which would be raised above maximum flood levels, with increased pumping capacity.

"But reviews during the early stages of the works identified the need for greater resilience such as duplication of critical control and reporting systems which would maintain operability if any part of the system failed.

“This subsequent increase in complexity resulted in the need for an extension to the original building, increased time for design, construction and testing, all of which increased the cost."

Councillor Paula Widdowson said: “The money comes from Westminster, it’s national funding, and will protect hundreds of homes and businesses."

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says he's spoken to player Oli McBurnie after he was spotted on live TV taunting Cardiff fans while watching Swansea.

Image source, Mike Egerton/PA Media

McBurnie, who was the Blades' record £20m signing from Swansea last summer, supports the Welsh side and was in the away end in the goalless draw at rivals Cardiff on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was picked up on Sky Sports appearing to make an obscene gesture towards Cardiff fans during the match.

Chris Wilder said: "I've spoken to him. We received a letter from the FA talking about Oli's future conduct, which is quite right."

A 52-year-old woman has been arrested in an early morning drugs raid in South Yorkshire, say police.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Officers say they raided a property on Worsley Close, in the Kendray area, after residents raised concerns the home was being used for drug dealing.

South Yorkshire Police say they found Spice in the property and equipment believed to be used for selling drugs.

The woman is being held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply. She remains in police custody.

P&O ferries has been accused of replacing Portuguese crew members on board its ferries from Hull with cheaper Filipino seafarers.

Image source, Ben Stansall/Getty Images

The RMT union says the change will seriously compromise safety of passengers and crew on board routes to Zeebrugge and Rotterdam.

It alleges staff will be paid below the national minimum wage with no pension and contracted to work tours lasting up to six months.

Responding, P&O says the union is being "dishonest" and is trying to politicise a crewing change that is not affecting worker's terms and conditions.

A spokesperson said: "We comply fully with International Transport Federation agreements, which we have voluntarily put in place on our North Sea ships. The rates of pay are negotiated through the International Transport Federation.

The company added that many of its workers have "no interaction with the British economy" but are paid at "fair rates" when compared with their home countries.

More than two thirds of people surveyed about arming police officers in North Yorkshire with Tasers say they support the idea.

Image source, PA Media

Of the 4,000 people who responded to the survey conducted by the county's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, 66% said they would feel safer if every police officer was armed with an electric stun gun.

Tasers fire two small dart-like electrodes which deliver a high-voltage shock to temporarily disable a suspect.

Julia Mulligan says: "We're waiting to hear from the government about how they are going to apportion the £10m they promised last year for additional Tasers.

"We already have a significant number of officers with them, but we did see a nasty spike in violence against officers over the Christmas period and that's brought the safety of our officers into sharp focus."

Ms Mulligan said the final decision on deployment of Tasers to officers across the force rests with the Chief Constable, Lisa Winward.

The results of the survey are being presented to a police watchdog today.

Three men and a 17-year-old boy are accused of murdering Lewis Bagshaw outside a house in Sheffield.

Paul Merson believes Jurgen Klopp is so good he could get Rotherham to the Premier League, but does the Yorkshire club's boss agree?

Thirteen people have been arrested in Sheffield in an attempt to disrupt criminal activity in the Arbourthorne and Manor areas, say police.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

The arrests follow the shooting of a 12-year-old boy, described by police as an "innocent bystander" in Arbourthorne in a gang related drive-by incident.

South Yorkshire Police say four people were arrested for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs after a vehicle search.

The force says nine others were arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs, possession of offensive weapons and burglary.

Assistant Ch Con Tim Forber said: “At the beginning of the week we made a commitment to the community in Arbourthorne, who have been deeply affected by recent incidents, to take their concerns seriously and take action.

“Since then we've deployed extra officers, including our Serious Violent Crime Taskforce on the streets of Arbourthorne, the Manor and Heeley, to carry out large-scale disruption activity.

"This has resulted in a number of significant arrests linked to drugs and weapons offences."

John Robinson died in the crash on the A19 in County Durham in March last year, a court hears.

A "no idling" scheme for drivers has been launched outside primary schools in Bradford today in a bid to help combat air pollution.

Image source, Reuters

Motorists are being asked to switch off engines when parked near the school gates to "make the air cleaner for children".

Parents are also being encouraged by Bradford council to walk, cycle or use public transport to take their children to school.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw said: "Switching off your car’s engine when it’s stopped is a simple change anyone can do to help improve air quality around schools.

"Even parking five minutes walk away from school can increase your physical activity over the day, as well as making the school environment cleaner."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

It's been revealed a major city centre regeneration project in York could mean the council borrowing almost £46m.

Image source, City of York Council

The proposals for the £45.8m Castle Gateway development, feature a new bridge built across the River Foss, three blocks of flats, a park behind the Castle Museum and a multi-storey car park.

A report for the council's executive recommends the scheme goes ahead, with the authority taking control of the development.

City of York Council says it would repay the loans using money from the sale of the flats and rent paid by shops and restaurants in the development.

If all goes to plan, the multi-storey car park would open in summer 2022 and the Castle Gateway development would be complete by spring 2023.