A memorial to Zachariah Pearson, who had links to slavery, could cause offence, Hull council says.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Cleckheaton's fire station is likely to be closed – with local fire cover re-located to Birkenshaw.

Image source, Google

West Yorkshire Fire Service plans to shut the station, on Hightown Road, as part of cost-cutting measures.

A new annexe will be built at the service’s Birkenshaw headquarters, about three miles away, to replace the station.

The move will be discussed by West Yorkshire Fire Authority at a meeting next Friday, when members will be asked to give the go-ahead to an eight-week consultation into the plans.

A report into the proposals says the current fire station, one of the oldest in West Yorkshire, is outdated, but it would cost £2.9m to rebuild it on the existing site.

Moving it to Birkenshaw would only cost £1.3m - with the Cleckheaton site possibly being worth around £375,000 if sold, the report says.

It adds that there will be no job losses and "it is likely there will be improved working conditions for those working at the fire station due to the improved quality of the facilities".

The daughter of a man who's been been missing from South Yorkshire since last November has made a new appeal for help finding him.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Richard Dyson, 57, was last seen by daughter Bethany on the evening of Friday 15 November 2019, when he dropped her off in the Aston area of Rotherham.

Police believe he was then seen two days later, at about 23:00 on Sunday 17 November, walking towards the A6135 Sheffield Road in Hoyland.

Bethany says: "It's almost Father's Day and I've never spent a Father's Day without my dad.

"It's going to be so hard for me to get through this day without my dad. I just miss him so much."

Det Insp Neil Coop, leading the investigation into Mr Dyson's disappearance, says: "The last six months have been incredibly hard for Bethany and we're desperate to give her the answers she needs and deserves."

Appealing for anyone with information to come forward, Det Insp Coop adds: "I would again urge anyone who holds information to think long and hard about the impact of your silence on Bethany and Richard’s family. Please, for their sake, tell us what you know."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A mobile coronavirus testing site opens in Whitby today for anyone showing symptoms to get tested.

Image source, Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

The drive-through facility is located at the park-and-ride site on the A171 Guisborough Road.

It's been organised by the Department of Health and Social Care, which has warned people to not just turn up but make an appointment first.

Anyone who is showing coronavirus symptoms should register for a test on the NHS website, external.

People who don’t have access to the internet can ring the new 119 service to book.

Key workers and members of their household should register for a test on the government website, external.

Usmaan Arshad says he has bottled up the hurt of racism but now feels compelled to speak out.

A woman out walking alone is sexually assaulted by a man wearing a blue surgical mask.

Bosses at a factory in Kirklees say they acted swiftly when they found out that some staff were showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Kober Foods in Cleckheaton, which supplies supermarket giant Asda, has been closed temporarily and workers have been told to self-isolate.

In a statement, Asda said: “As soon as we became aware that some colleagues at our Kober site may have Covid-19, we responded swiftly and worked collaboratively with the local authority and Public Health England to test all colleagues.

"We have also voluntarily closed the site to protect colleagues and prevent any further transmission.

"Colleagues who need to self-isolate will receive full pay and we aim to reopen the facility early next week. We’re grateful to the Kirklees Council and Public Health England for their support through this process.”

A woman in her 60s was dragged to the ground and sexually assaulted before manging to fight her masked attacker off.

Image source, Google

North Yorkshire Police say the woman was walking beside Great North Road in Fairburn on Thursday, 18 June when the man approached her from behind.

She was pulled to the ground and assaulted but fought off her attacker, who fled.

The victim, who is receiving specialist support from police, said the suspect was of a stocky build and wore a blue surgical face mask, black woolly hat and black bottoms.

Police have asked drivers with dashcams who may have been in the area around the 07:00 time of the attack to check if they have any footage of the man.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Anyone who recalls seeing somebody matching that description early on Thursday morning – possibly running along the main road or acting suspiciously – is urged to get in touch with the police without delay."

Police want to speak to this man after shopworkers were racially abused Doncaster.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

They believe the man may have information about the incident which happened at a convenience store on High Street in the town centre on 2 June.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: "Enquiries are ongoing, however officers would like to speak to the man in the CCTV image, as they believe he may be able to help with their investigation."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Visitors to North Yorkshire's national parks are being urged not to light barbecues at beauty spots because they could spark major wildfires.

Image source, PA Media

The National Trust, which owns numerous sites in the county such as Roseberry Topping and Rievaulx Terrace, said there had been a "significant" rise in barbecue use as the lockdown eases.

A blaze in 2003 which was started by a barbecue or discarded cigarette in a rubbish bin destroyed over four square miles of Fylingdales Moor.

The increase in people barbecuing at beauty spots in the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales comes despite appeals stating a dry spring had heightened fire risks.

Recent rainfall has not stopped the landscapes from being at fire risk following the record-breaking sunny spring, the National Trust said.

It added that rangers were seeing an increase in litter, which can increase the risk of fires.

Ben McCarthy, from the National Trust, said: “We know people have missed the outdoors and open spaces these past few months – and we’re really pleased to be welcoming them back.

"But we’re urging people not to bring barbecues to the countryside or the coast. Many areas of land are still very dry and all it takes is a single spark to cause a serious fire."

Researchers want to establish if "post-Covid syndrome" should itself be recognised as an illness.

Leicester sees hundreds of confirmed cases in two weeks, while an outbreak in Yorkshire is reported.

The baby's death is announced as Sheffield Children's Hospital confirms a child died there on Monday.

Three people have been released by police after earlier being arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a man in Bradford.

Image source, Getty Images

The man, in his 40s, was found injured on Grattan Road at about 16:50 on Tuesday and died shortly afterwards.

Police believe he had been involved in an "altercation" earlier in the day outside Grattan Road Studios.

A 45-year-old man and a 51-year-old man have been released under investigation, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released with no further action taken, the force adds.

Diesel buses could be removed from York's roads in just three years under plans to introduce a fully electric fleet in the city.

City of York Council has applied to the government for funding to change the city's entire fleet in what it says is an "ambitious" project.

The fleet would be changed over to vehicles which are fully electric, or capable of operating in a zero-emission electric mode, the council said.

It comes nearly six months after the city council launched a voluntary Clean Air Zone aimed at cutting bus exhaust emissions - the first of its kind in the country.

Council leader Keith Aspden said: "We have an ambitious electric vehicle programme for the city as part of our efforts to improve air quality and address the climate emergency, and will continue to work with our partners to make progress in this area."

Yorkshire Water is asking people not to flush wet wipes or clothing down the toilet after two large blockages were removed from sewers in Hull.

Image source, Yorkshire Water

Two "large masses" blocked a 55m section of the sewer in Orchard Park before they were removed, the firm said.

Mark Hammond, from Yorkshire Water, said: “Sewer blockages can increase the likelihood of flooding in homes, neighbourhoods and the local environment.

"It’s important people throw away items that are not intended to be flushed."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A mobile coronavirus testing site will be in Whitby tomorrow for anyone showing symptoms to get tested.

Image source, Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

The drive-through facility will be set up at the park-and-ride site on the A171 Guisborough Road.

It is being organised by the Department of Health and Social Care, which has warned people to not just turn up but make an appointment first.

Anyone who is showing coronavirus symptoms should register for a test on the NHS website, external.

People who don’t have access to the internet can ring the new 119 service to book.

Key workers and members of their household should register for a test on the government website, external.

Tests can be booked from 20:00 tonight.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans for a new development in Rotherham, including an eight-screen cinema, cafes and homes, have been approved by the council.

Image source, Rotherham Council

At a meeting of the board this morning, plans were approved for Forge Island on the River Don to be transformed into a new leisure quarter for Rotherham town centre with a cinema, restaurants, hotel, car parking, and residential uses.

A report to the board recommended members approve the plans on the agreement that the developer will put money towards sustainable travel measures and improving green infrastructure.

The development will also require the demolition of some buildings within the Riverside Precinct.

The plans include an eight-screen cinema, four restaurants, a 69-bed hotel, a cafe and associated car parking and a new pedestrian bridge over the Don.

It is hoped that the project will act as a landmark scheme for the wider regeneration of Rotherham town centre and other development sites.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A 24m-high sign celebrating Captain Tom Moore and his fundraising efforts is to be installed in Keighley town centre.

Image source, PA Media

Capt Tom, who's originally from Keighley, raised over £30m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden and will receive a knighthood following a special nomination from prime minister Boris Johnson.

A planning application to temporarily erect the sign on the former Keighley College site (pictured below) at the junction of Cavendish Street and North Street was approved by Bradford Council this week, with officers saying it would "benefit community morale".

Image source, LDRS

The sign, which can stay in place for up to seven months, will read "Captain Tom – Keighley Lad" or a similar phrase.

The arrests were made as part of an investigation into abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.