A new temporary mortuary is to be built in Hull in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

The new facility is to be sited at the former McBride's site on Stockholm Road (pictured), according to Hull City Council.

The new mortuary will be "part of the strategic response to the pandemic led by Humber Local Resilience Forum (LRF)", the council says.

It will supplement existing mortuary provision on the North Bank and South Bank, the authority adds.

Chris Blacksell, chair of Humber LRF, says: "Tragically, we anticipate the number of deaths in our region will rise and this is why we must ensure we have in place adequate mortuary space to manage this.

"All partners in the Humber LRF want to ensure each person receives respectful, dignified care on their final journey and this facility is essential to that."

Flooding caused by a burst water main has closed part of the M1 in South Yorkshire today.

Image source, Highways England/Crown Copyright

The M1 southbound between junction 32 and junction 30 has been closed as Yorkshire Water engineers try to stem the leak.

It's lead to flooding on parts of the road with police closing the motorway while the pipe is repaired.

The roundabout at junction 31 for Aston has also been closed because of flooding and possible carriageway damage.

The Understudy, based on David Nicholls' novel, will be broadcast online in May.

Construction work is continuing at the site of Yorkshire's first Nightingale Hospital, being built in Harrogate to help deal with the rising number of coronavirus cases.

Image source, Sarah Mills

A temporary Nightingale Hospital is already operational at the ExCeL Convention Centre in London.

NHS England says the Harrogate Convention Centre will be able to care for up to 500 patients during the pandemic.

These medical liquid oxygen tanks (pictured top), which have appeared outside the Royal Hall, next to the Convention Centre, are the latest signs the work is moving as fast as possible to get the hospital up and running.

Image source, BOC

Image source, BOC

Another Nightingale Hospital is planned for Bristol.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said: "We're giving the go-ahead to these additional sites, hoping they may not be needed, but preparing in case they are."

A spokesperson for BOC, who installed the tanks, said it was "proud" to be working on the project.

Image source, Sarah Mills

More about coronavirus:

• A SIMPLE GUIDE: What are the symptoms?
• AVOIDING CONTACT: Should I self-isolate?
• STRESS: How to protect your mental health
• LOOK-UP TOOL: Check cases in your area
• MAPS AND CHARTS: Visual guide to the outbreak
• VIDEO: The 20-second hand wash

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Doncaster businesses which are struggling due to the coronavirus lockdown have been given their first support grants and rates relief, according to council bosses.

Image source, PA Media

Business across the borough started to get cash sums via bank transfer on Friday 3 April and the council will be continuing this week as bosses expect "several thousand" submissions in the coming days.

Civic Office bosses urged business owners to be patient as they sift through the huge number of applications for grant payments and rent relief.

The council says it has received over 2,500 online webforms for the schemes to date, including the £10,000 Small Business Grant, which is available to businesses with a rateable value of up to £15,000 who are in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief.

There is also a £10,000 or £25,000 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant, which is available to firms in those sectors with a rateable value up to £51,000.

As part of additional support measures, the council is also processing changes to the Retail Relief scheme which will mean most retail, leisure and tourism businesses will pay no business rates in 2020-21, regardless of their rateable value.

A number of major events in Harrogate have been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, it's been announced.

Image source, Harrogate International Festivals

The events include the Harrogate Music Festival, Crime Writing Festival, Spiegeltent and Children's Festival, as well as several outdoor theatre and community events.

Sharon Canavar, from Harrogate International Festivals, said: "This difficult decision was made after carefully assessing several factors, but most importantly the health and safety of everyone involved.

"Many months of dedicated work went into planning this season and we share in the disappointment felt by the writers, musicians, thinkers, performers and festival-goers who were set to join us in Harrogate."

These pictures show just how quiet it's been in some usually popular beauty spots in Leeds due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Roundhay Park would normally be pretty busy on a Sunday near Easter, but because of lockdown restrictions police helicopter crews said yesterday it looked "weirdly deserted":

Image source, NPAS

Image source, NPAS

Image source, NPAS

Paramedics were called to a house on Thursday where the 46-year-old man was found seriously injured.

Oli Constable
BBC Yorkshire Live

This was the moment an 86-year-old woman found presents and flowers left on her doorstep as a birthday surprise from neighbours.

Image source, b:Friend

Mary, who lives in Doncaster, was left the gifts by a volunteer from b:Friend - a group which pairs older people with younger neighbours who can drop in for a chat.

She had been facing the prospect of celebrating her birthday alone in isolation however volunteer Kirsty Thorley arranged the surprise.

She said: "She was down to begin with and said she was struggling to fill her time throughout the day, so we came up with a plan and I’ve been sending her quiz questions to do each day, which she quite likes.

"Initially for her birthday we had planned to have an afternoon tea party together, it obviously didn’t quite work out like that but where there's a will there's a way.

"Her smile when she opened the door made my day."

She added: "I think one of the questions people constantly ask at the moment is ‘What will be the first thing you do when this is over?’ and for me it will be to visit my family and I’d include Mary in that. She is a really special lady."

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died after being attacked in a village near Barnsley.

Paramedics were called to Thurnscoe at about 16:40 on Thursday after receiving reports of a man being found seriously injured at a property in Monsal Street.

He was taken to hospital but died yesterday as a result of his injuries.

South Yorkshire Police said a 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody.

Two men, aged 31 and 41, have been arrested on suspicion of assault. Both have been bailed pending further inquiries.

A large scale operation has started in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire to get hundreds of people discharged from hospital as quickly as possible.

Image source, PA Media

The work is being done to prepare for the anticipated increase in patients with coronavirus

Health organisations from both the public and private sector are working together to make sure every patient gets the level of support they will need.

As the process needs to happen quickly, patients and families have been thanked in advance for their cooperation and understanding because people wont be able to choose their discharge destination.

Teresa Cope, from Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said in the next two to four weeks they predict half of their beds are to be used by patients with coronavirus.

She said: "All the patients who are leaving hospital are thoroughly assessed and we do not allow them to be discharged until we know that support is there in the community."

A man has been charged in connection with a burglary at a Sheffield gun shop.

A number of guns were stolen from Hardy's Gunsmiths on Alderson Road during the break-in in the early hours of Friday morning.

Andrew Coy, 33, of Eldon Court, Sheffield has been charged with aggravated burglary, burglary, possession of a shotgun and possession of a firearm.

He is due to appear before magistrates later.

Two other people arrested in connection with the incident, a 38-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, have been released under investigation while inquiries continue, South Yorkshire Police said.

New workers hired by supermarkets amid the Covid-19 pandemic share their surprising back stories.

A shoe firm has donated 600 pairs of trainers to staff at two Leeds hospitals to say thank you for their "outstanding ongoing work" in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, Moda

Leeds-based Moda in Pelle says it has given the trainers, worth £45,000, to the "hard-working NHS heroes" at Leeds St James’s University Hospital and the Leeds General Infirmary.

Moda's Gianni Casagrande said: “Our local NHS heroes are doing an incredible job to keep us all safe and both of the hospitals we’ve chosen are close to our heart.

"While we can never truly repay them for the work they do, we hope this gesture goes a little way in showing the nurses just how much we appreciate them and all that they do.”

A murder investigation has been launched after a man who was found seriously injured in a Barnsley village died.

Image source, Google

The 46-year-old man was discovered at a property in Monsal Street, Thurnscoe, at about 16:40 on Thursday.

He was taken to hospital to be treated but later died, South Yorkshire Police say.

Two men, aged 31 and 41, arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the incident have been released on bail while investigations continue.

Anyone who knows anything about how the man was injured is being urged to contact police.

Jack Bingley is charged with assaulting the police officer in Dronfield and saying he had coronavirus.

A South Yorkshire art gallery has transformed its collection into jigsaws for people to piece together online.

Image source, The Cooper Gallery

The Cooper Gallery in Barnsley is home to 17th to 20th Century paintings, watercolours and drawings by artists, including JMW Turner.

Each day it shares a digital puzzle based on a piece from its collection of about 400 works on social media.

One user took little more than four minutes to piece together Café de Galata, Constantinople by Charles Theodore Frère (pictured).

People from around the world have competed to solve them in the quickest time during the lockdown across many countries.

Barnsley Council said the town's other museums would be posting similar challenges online.

Councillor Tim Cheetham said: "In these unusual and difficult times Barnsley Museums want to bring joy and excitement direct to people's homes."

Police in North Yorkshire have thanked the public for staying at home and not travelling to beauty spots over the weekend.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

PC Ffion Twomlow posted a picture while on patrol in Helmsley on Sunday (above) while talking to members of the public about the Covid-19 restrictions.

She says: "I want to thank the people of Ryedale, as well as those from outside the area who rightly stayed away.

"We need to keep this going throughout the Easter period to limit the spread of the virus."

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Insp Steve Paxton, who took the photo above while on patrol in Scarborough yesterday, said: "It appears people are generally abiding by the message to stay at home and not visit the coast from outside the area.

"Seamer Road and Filey Road would usually be like car parks at this time of year with visitors."

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

However in the Yorkshire Dales police say they had to turn away a number of people from heading to Malham Cove.

The force said: "Walkers from Leeds, Keighley, Bradford and Oldham have ignored government advice to refrain from travelling out of their area for exercise.

"The officers were on hand to speak to the people about their behaviour, which could aid the spread of Covid-19.

"All the walkers agreed to travel back home and there was no requirement to take any further action."

After a cloudy start to the day with perhaps the odd spot of rain it will then brighten up, with long sunny spells in the afternoon.

Tonight we're in for a fine, sunny evening and it will remain dry overnight though it will be quite chilly.

Top temperatures today of 15C.

Three people have been arrested after firearms were stolen during a burglary at a gun shop in Sheffield.

Police said several items were taken in the break-in at Hardy's Gunsmiths on Alderson Road on Friday.

Officers carried out warrants across the city and made a series of arrests but have not yet recovered the stolen weapons.

Two men, aged 33 and 38, and a woman, 31, are in custody on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.

Officers were called to the shop, which sells new and used shotguns, at about 00:50 and are reviewing CCTV footage and evidence.

Anyone with information is asked to come forward.