Three new crime fighters are ready to detect drugs, money and firearms in North Yorkshire, say police.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Cocker Spaniels PD Skye (left) PD Barney (middle), and PD Mason (right), have all just passed their drugs, cash and firearms detection dogs course with flying colours.

Officers say PD Skye has a natural ability to search, no matter what the environment.

PD Mason was gifted to the force by the Dogs Trust and is said to take everything is his stride.

And two year-old PD Barney, who passed his course before Skye and Mason, has already sniffed out a haul of drugs hidden inside a computer.

Instructor PC Martin Gayles (pictured), a dog handler for the force says: “It’s a tough course which involves a lot of commitment from dogs and their handlers.

"But their determination and desire to progress and learn resulted in them passing with shining colours."

Huddersfield Town winger Isaac Mbenza joins French side Amiens on loan until the end of the season.

CCTV footage of men suspected of stealing a mobile phone from a 23-year-old woman in Sheffield has been released by police.

Two men on a moped drove past the woman at the cathedral tram stop on Church Street at about 21:40 on Thursday 9 January.

The pillion passenger on the moped ripped the phone out of the woman's hand, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Officers believe the men then headed in the direction of Park Square roundabout and later threw the phone through the door of the Chantrey Arms pub at Woodseats.

Anyone who recognises any of the men in the footage is being urged to contact police:

Staff at seven universities in Yorkshire are set to take part in 14 days of industrial action in disputes over pay and pensions.

Image source, Getty Images

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) will walk out between 20 February and 13 March, following votes in favour of industrial action.

The action relates to two separate ongoing disputes - one on pensions and one on pay and working conditions.

The universities affected are:

• The University of Leeds
• The University of Sheffield
• The University of Bradford
• The University of York
• Sheffield Hallam University
• University of Huddersfield
• Leeds Trinity University

Last year, staff at 60 universities across the UK took part in strike action.

A police van camera operator has been injured by a laser pen shone from a moving vehicle in North Yorkshire, police say.

It happened just after 11:00 on Friday as the motorist was driving along the A168 near Dishforth, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Image source, Google

The operator was taken to hospital for treatment.

Police say they want to hear from motorists travelling on the A168 at the time who might have seen the laser pen light from their vehicles.

A retired bus driver has made an emotional plea to locate a former colleague more than 40 years after they first met.

Image source, Age UK

Len Whiffin, 81, is hoping to trace the woman who he knows only as May, who he worked with at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive in the 1970s where she was employed as a bus conductor.

Mr Whiffin (pictured) launched his search with the help of Age UK after bumping into May on the Moor, in Sheffield, in May 2019 and spending an hour reminiscing about their jobs.

He said: "It was lovely to see May again. As we said ‘Goodbye’, she asked me for a kiss, but I felt too shy at the time. It’s something I regret.

"I’ve been back to the same spot every Wednesday afternoon since we met, but I haven’t found her.

"It was so lovely to bump into May and I would love to see her again.”

May, who is thought to be 81, is believed to live in a care home in Nether Edge.

A spokesperson for Age UK said they offered to share Len's story in the hope somebody might help put them back in touch.

They said: "Len was very emotional at the thought of finding her again and he said people would think he is daft for pursuing this, but he is desperate to find her."

The £60m centre is set to open in 2022 and would be located next to the M1 motorway in Barnsley.

Fire crews remain at the scene of a major blaze in Wakefield at the weekend.

The fire, at Speedibake, near Westgate Retail Park, broke out at about 13:30 on Saturday.

At its height, about 140 firefighters tackled the blaze:

Rotherham United captain Richard Wood signs a contract extension until the end of next season with the League One club.

Three companies have been fined a total of £670,000 after admitting fire safety failings at student accommodation in Leeds.

Image source, Google

Problems at Trinity Hall on Woodhouse Street came to light when the father of a student rang the fire service to report the building.

On Friday, at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Robin Mairs described the situation in September 2016 as having "potential for catastrophe".

Twenty seven students had been at risk, the court heard.

The building's owners, Trinity Developments Ltd, admitted four safety breaches:

Niche Homes Ltd, who were contracted to manage and let the facility, admitted the same four breaches.

APP Construction Ltd, who had been contracted to design and build the hall, admitted one charge of failing to provide an adequate number of fire escape routes and exits.

The judge fined APP Construction Ltd £450,000, Trinity Developments Ltd £160,000 and Niche Homes Ltd £60,000.

York council says the city remains "open to residents and visitors from all over the world".

Bradford City part company with manager Gary Bowyer following a run of seven League Two matches without a victory.

The family of a York woman and her three-year-old son who were evacuated from China following the coronavirus outbreak say they're "relieved" to have them back in the UK.

Image source, Family photo

Natalie Francis and her son Jamie (pictured) arrived back in the UK on Friday before being taken to a hospital in the Wirral to spend a 14 days in quarantine.

Ms Francis had initially been told her son was not able to leave China because he has a Chinese passport.

Her aunt, Michelle Carlisle, who lives in Easingwold in North Yorkshire, says she's spoken to her niece from Arrowe Park Hospital.

She says: "I think Natalie has done a wonderful job in raising the profile of people who were having difficulty in Wuhan and it's worked out well for her and Jamie.

"At the hospital they have a very nice room, share a kitchen, have toys for Jamie, a television and ready meals brought in."

Meanwhile, students at the University of York are being told to go about their business as usual, as they're given health and hygiene advice following a student being diagnosed with coronavirus.

A Chinese student from the university and their relative were confirmed last week as the first two cases of the virus in the UK.

They're being treated at a specialist infectious diseases unit at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

A number of homes in Huddersfield have been evacuated and several streets sealed off while a bomb disposal team carry out investigations, police say.

Image source, Google

Following a domestic incident and the subsequent arrest of a 28-year-old man yesterday evening, officers who searched a property on Greenwood Street say they've identified what are believed to be a number of fireworks.

Cordons remain in place in Armitage Street, Primrose Hill Road and Cross Lane.

A number of properties in the area have been evacuated while investigations are conducted by Explosive Ordnance Disposal officers, police add.

Louise Redknapp will headline Hull Pride this summer, it has been announced.

Image source, PA Media

The singer and former Strictly Come Dancing star will appear on stage together with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK finalist Divina De Campo.

The event, which brought more than 50,000 people to the city last year, will take place on 25 July.

A former prison officer has called on the government to do more to protect staff from violent inmates as figures show attacks on jail staff remain at record highs.

Assaults on prison officers have more than quadrupled across Yorkshire in five years, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Justice.

The figures show in the year to September 2019 more than 10,000 assaults were reported - in Doncaster prison there were 44 assaults in 2013 rising to 205 in 2018.

Steve Gough suffered minor brain damage after being punched and stamped on in Leeds prison in 2010.

He said it was time the government listened to the "foot soldiers" of the service and made changes before a prison officer was killed.

The MoJ said they were spending £2.75bn to improve jails and bolster security in order to cut violence.

You can see more on this story on Inside Out (Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) on BBC One tonight at 19:30.

Up to 1,300 new jobs are set to be created in South Yorkshire after delivery firm Hermes announced plans to build 'Europe's largest' parcel distribution hub in Barnsley.

Image source, Jan Woitas/DPA/PA Images

Hermes said the 363,000sq ft facility, nick-named Colossus, will have the capacity to process 1.3million parcels a day.

The firm said the £60m warehouse, due to open in 2022, is being built to cope with the growing demands of online shopping.

Martijn de Lange, CEO at Hermes, said: “The online shopping boom shows no sign of slowing down and we have just experienced our biggest Christmas period to date, handling in excess of 49.1 million parcels during December 2019 alone – significantly up from 39.5 million in December 2018."

Staff at a bakery destroyed in a fire on Saturday will continue to be paid, union leaders say.

West Yorkshire Fire Service has just posted this tweet, showing the extent of a fire at a Wakefield factory at the weekend.

The blaze, at Speedibake, near Westgate Retail Park, broke out at about 13:30 on Saturday.

At its height, about 140 firefighters tackled the fire and crews are still on site today damping down:

Withernsea Town Council is to decide later whether to ask the government for money to look at whether the town's rail link can be restored.

Image source, Nigel Thompson/Geograph

The East Yorkshire town lost its Hull and Holderness rail link in 1964, a victim of the Beeching cuts, and its station has since been demolished (pictured).

Last week, Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps announced funding to assess whether some former railway lines should be re-opened.

Withernsea Town Council is expected to decide this evening whether to bid for a share of the cash.

Councillor Brian Cloke believes Withernsea should seize the opportunity and says it could be a case of "back to the future".

"We should certainly register an interest. I don't know quite how feasible it is, but I don't see why it shouldn't happen," he said.