A neighbour was alerted to the blaze in Sheffield after smoke alarms in the house went off.

A dog who has lived at a Sheffield animal centre for almost 440 days while waiting for a new home could be one of Britain's "loneliest" dogs, according to the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

Diefer's owner died in 2018 and the dog was then taken to the RSPCA in Sheffield just before Christmas of that year.

The nine-year-old terrier cross came to the charity's centre as a very anxious animal, needing lots of work to settle him down, staff say.

Hayley Crookes, from the RSPCA Sheffield Animal Centre, said: "We are heartbroken the lovely Diefer hasn’t found his forever home yet. He has been so close, but sadly it has fallen through when someone showed an interest in him.

"Once he is comfortable with you, he is an absolute diamond. His favourite people get cuddles and kisses by the bucketload and he really does enjoy human company," she added.

A neighbour who tried to save an elderly woman from a fire at her home in Sheffield this morning is being treated in hospital for the effects of breathing in smoke.

The man was alerted to the fire after hearing smoke alarms going off in the house, on Grindlow Close in Heeley, at about 08:00.

He tried to fight his way into the house to help the woman but was "beaten back by the flames and smoke", according to the fire service.

The woman was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The man is in hospital being treated for injuries he sustained trying to help, a fire service spokesperson added.

The Environment Agency (EA) is still pumping tonnes of floodwater away from people's homes, a week after parts of East Yorkshire were hit by flooding.

Image source, Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Snaith and East Cowick are just two places to have seen homes evacuated after the nearby River Aire overtopped.

Almost 100 homes and businesses have been affected with pumps working flat out over the last few days to move the water.

Millions of litres of water is being pumped into the River Don nearby every hour to bring floodwater levels down.

Water levels in the area are now dropping, the EA said.

Image source, Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

A member of North Yorkshire police staff has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Bradley Paul Smith, 36, of Nether Poppleton, York, was a safety camera van operator until his arrest last year.

He was arrested on 6 February 2019 and suspended from duty before being sacked from the force, according to North Yorkshire Police.

At York Crown Court, Smith pleaded guilty to making over 3,600 indecent images and videos of children - including several Category A, the most extreme.

He also pleaded guilty to distributing several indecent photos of a child, taking an indecent photograph of a child and eight counts of voyeurism.

Sentenced yesterday at York Crown Court, Smith was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders' register.

Det Sgt Lee Allenby, of the Online Abuse and Exploitation Team, said: "We were able to prove beyond doubt that he is a serious offender and it's pleasing he admitted his guilt at court.

"He is now facing up to the consequences of his sickening actions," he added.

Shareholders from Sirius Minerals are due to vote later on whether to accept a takeover bid from global mining giant Anglo American for a £4bn potash mine in North Yorkshire.

Image source, Sirius Minerals

The mine would extract polyhalite, a naturally occurring fertiliser which is used in agriculture, from a mile underground the North York Moors National Park.

The future of the mine has been in doubt since Sirius failed to raise cash to unlock funding.

It had hoped to raise £403m with a bond issue in September to enable it to borrow £1.9bn from banks.

The business has thousands of small shareholders, many of whom live in the area the mine is being built.

If they accept the deal from Anglo American they'll get 5.5p per share, which some say will mean they'll lose thousands of pounds - and in some cases their life savings.

A year ago the shares were worth 22p each.

The company argues that accepting the deal is "the only feasible option" before it runs out of cash at the end of this month.

The mine had been expected to open in 2021 and create 1,000 jobs, although Sirius Minerals slowed construction work at the end of 2019 due to its funding problems.

The vote on the takeover offer is expected to take place in London at about 11:00 this morning.

A neighbour attempted to fight a fire in a Sheffield home in which a woman died, the fire service has said.

Emergency services were called to the property on Grindlow Close, Heeley, which was "well alight, at about 08:00 this morning.

A neighbour was alerted by smoke alarms sounding in the property, before then trying to fight their way into the house to try and save the woman inside, according to fire crews.

Steve Jones, from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The property did have smoke alarms and the smoke alarms did go off.

"That alerted a neighbour who bravely tried to enter the property to rescue, but was beaten back by the flames and smoke.

"We had four appliances turn up and were faced with a well-developed fire which they committed breathing apparatus into the fire straight away and they extinguished the fire."

A woman was pronounced dead at the property, the fire service has confirmed.

A woman has died in a house blaze in Sheffield this morning, South Yorkshire Fire Service has confirmed.

The fire happened at a property on Grindlow Close, near Gleadless Road, at about 08:00.

Firefighters went into the property wearing breathing apparatus, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The property was "well alight" when emergency services arrived, according to the fire service.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, it adds.

A floor-to-ceiling mural of a young boy with his favourite Sheffield United player is helping him cope with "tough days", his mum has said.

Harri, 10, who is from Killamarsh in Derbyshire, was born with half a heart, but despite his condition he devotes time to help other people.

He won a competition from Sheffield artist Chris Ashmore for a free mural, and the Blades-mad supporter asked for one depicting a meeting between him and his favourite player - goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

His mum, Jenny Parker, said: "Some days recently since the mural's been done and Harri's having a bad day, I'll say, 'Go and climb in mummy's bed'.

"He's said, 'No, I'll go and get in my bed' and he lays and looks at that [mural] while he's playing on his phone and it makes him feel a little bit better."

Three flood warnings remain in place on the River Ouse in York as water levels in the area are "closely monitored".

The Environment Agency (EA) says the warnings for St George's Field, Queen's Staith, riverside properties and Naburn Lock, external remain in force as "river levels continue to remain high".

The current level of the river is 3.05m above its normal level.

The EA says it's keeping a close eye on the situation as levels are "expected to fall slowly".

This footage of the current river level was shot from Scarborough Bridge in the city centre at 08:00 this morning:

CCTV footage has been released showing an 81-year old man who went missing from his home in North Yorkshire at the weekend as the search continues to find him:

The footage shows Brian Warriss when he was last seen in the village of Aldwark, north of York, at about 16:45 on Sunday.

In the CCTV images, Mr Warriss is seen wearing a red hat, fleece jacket and navy trousers.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

A police search team, dog handlers and the York Rescue Boat are all involved in looking for Mr Warriss, who is described as slim with blue eyes and a grey moustache.

Officers say they are "very concerned" for his welfare and anyone who sees him is being urged to contact police immediately.

BBC News Travel

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Tuesday morning, there are some problems to be aware of.

A points failure between Newcastle and Durham is having a knock-on effect on CrossCountry, LNER and TransPennine Express services elsewhere, according to National Rail Enquiries, external.

Trains may be delayed by up to 60 minutes or cancelled until approximately 10:30 this morning,

Meanhile, flooding on the railway at Snaith in East Yorkshire means all lines through the station remain blocked, according to National Rail Enquiries, external.

As a result, trains will not run between Knottingley and Goole.

Disruption is expected until at least Saturday 14 March, with three trains per day running between Leeds and Goole (Monday to Saturday only). More details here, external.

Also:

• The 08:23 Wakefield Westgate to Plymouth service has been cancelled
• The 08:49 York to Manchester Airport service has been cancelled
• The 08:58 York to Kings Cross service has been cancelled
• The 09:15 Leeds to Manchester Airport 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

A man's being treated in hospital for gunshot and knife wounds following a suspected shooting in South Yorkshire.

Image source, Google

It happened at about 14:00 on Monday in the Clough Road area of Rotherham, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The 22-year-old was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to his thigh and knife wounds to his torso, say police.

His condition is currently described as "stable".

Officers say two men are believed to have left the scene on foot.

Acting Det Insp Janine Broughton said: “Our priority is to speak to anyone who was on Clough Road, or in the surrounding area, between 13:50 and 14:30 yesterday afternoon."

Anyone who saw anything unusual or suspicious in the area at that time is being asked to contact police.

The trust has been criticised over the deaths of young people in its mental health wards.

The Transport Secretary says it will take time for the changes to take effect in the north.

A man has been treated in hospital after being shot in Rotherham.

Image source, Google

The victim, who is in his 20s, suffered "suspected gunshot and knife injuries" in the Clough Road area this afternoon at lunchtime, police say.

Emergency services were called to the area at about 14:00 GMT.

South Yorkshire Police say its inquiry is in "its very early stages".

A Sheffield play has won a national award at a ceremony in London last night.

Image source, Johan Persson

Life of Pi, which is Lolita Chakrabarti's adaptation of Yann Martel's best-selling novel, premiered at Sheffield Theatres last year.

It was named Best New Play at the What's On Stage awards last night.

Actors use puppets, fashioned from a lightweight, super-strong foam, to prowl the stage and interact with Pi, played by Hiran Abeysekera.

The play is set to open at Wyndham's Theatre in June.

Image source, Johan Persson

A collection of original film and circus posters which were produced in West Yorkshire has sold for £165,000 - three times the estimated auction price.

Image source, Ewbank's Auctions

Bradford-based W E Berry Ltd produced the posters for Disney, Rank, Universal, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Ealing Studios and Bertram Mills Circus from the 1920s.

Auctioneers Ewbank's Auctions said the sale exceeded the top estimated asking price of £55,000.

Image source, Ewbank's Auctions

Creature from the Black Lagoon was the single highest selling poster, fetching £22,000. It was expected to reach between £2,000 and £4,000.

The posters were owned by the Berry family until they went under the hammer in Surrey on Friday.

Image source, Ewbank's Auctions

Founded in 1888, the firm produced posters for many notable films as well as printing designs for railway companies.

However, financial losses in the early 2000s forced the company into administration and it closed in 2004.

Image source, Ewbank's Auctions

People are being asked to vote on what a new £22.3m bridge in Hull city centre should be called.

Image source, Highways England

The new footbridge spans 60m across the A63, linking Princes Dock to Hull Marina.

The two-year project is coming to completion, with school children being asked to come up with a name for the landmark project.

The public will then be asked to choose the winning suggestion when voting opens next Monday.

The bridge has been installed to better link the city centre and the waterfront in Hull, along with creating a safe pedestrian and cycling route across the A63, Highways England said.

A man and a woman have been arrested after firearms and explosives were found in South Yorkshire.

Image source, PA Media

A 56-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man were arrested on Friday on suspicion of possession of firearms offences at a property on Kelvin Street in Mexborough, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The explosives were taken away by a bomb disposal team and destroyed by controlled explosion, say police.

The woman has since been bailed pending further inquiries while the man has been released under investigation, according to the South Yorkshire force.