The UK's first digital signalling system on a long-distance rail route will be installed on the East Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport has announced.

Image source, Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

It is hoped the upgrade on the route, which runs from London Kings Cross through Yorkshire to Edinburgh, will cut thousands of hours of delays each year, with problems on the south of the route often having a knock-on effect further north.

The government has approved £350m of funding to start rolling out the technology on a 100-mile stretch of the line between London King's Cross and Lincolnshire.

Much of Britain's rail signalling uses Victorian technology, with line-side traffic lights controlling trains.

Digital technology enables trains to run closer together, boosting frequency, speed and reliability.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "This is just the beginning. In time, we will digitise signalling right across the country to make good on our promise of better reliability and punctuality for passengers."

The £350m funding is on top of the government's investment of £1.2bn between 2014 and 2024 in a bid to improve journeys on the East Coast Main Line.

No date has been given for when digital signalling will be operational on the route.

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It'll be dry and warm today, though it will be fairly cloudy initially this morning.

The cloud will gradually clear, with increasingly sunny skies this afternoon.

The evening will be dry and mostly sunny.

It'll continue dry, calm and warm overnight with mainly clear skies.

There'll be some mist, fog and low cloud along coastal parts:

A man who died after being stabbed in Batley at the weekend has been named by police as 20-year-old Bradley Gledhill, from Heckmondwike.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Officers were called to Park Croft in Batley at about 22:30 on Sunday following reports of an "altercation", police said.

Mr Gledhill was taken to hospital for treatment but died later.

A 19-year-old Batley man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a 31-year-old man from Heckmondwike has been arrested on suspicion of affray, according to police.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has information about the circumstances surrounding Mr Gledhill's death, is being asked to contact police.

"Enhanced patrols" are continuing in the area and officers will be available to speak to, police add.

Ella Sparrow, who is blind, says overhanging trees on pavements leave her disoriented.

The new digital signals will increase capacity, frequency and reliability, the government says.

Hamzah Khan, 21, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Robert Provis by dangerous driving.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work on a big wheel ride on Scarborough's seafront is getting under way after it was delayed earlier this year due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Image source, Carl Gavaghan/LDRS

The 32m-high wheel, which ran on the former site of the Futurist Theatre last summer (pictured), should have been up and running again in April, but that didn't happen due to the pandemic.

Work to build the big wheel and an adventure golf course on the site is expected to take about two weeks.

Michael Wallace, from Observation Wheel UK, says the wheel will be run within social distancing guidelines.

"The restrictions are easing and it looks like more things will be opening up in July. In fact, this morning it sounds like the 2m rule could be reduced to 1m before then," says Mr Wallace.

"We can operate the wheel within the guidelines as it is just one family to a pod, so there is no risk there.

"There will be distancing and we can rotate the pods in and out of use as we need them throughout the day," he added.

The wheel may continue to operate beyond September due to the reduced season, according to Mr Wallace.

An East Yorkshire church has commissioned 14 stone carvings featuring characters from The Chronicles of Narnia booksby CS Lewis.

Image source, J.Hannan-Briggs/Geograph

For years, carvings have been in the stones of St Mary's Church, Beverley, but over time they've weathered away.

Instead of trying to reconstruct them, it was hoped that new carvings could be created to "reflect more recent times".

Students from East Riding College were invited to the church to create their own designs "inspired by stories and legends that would resonate with people today".

From there, the idea of taking inspiration from The Chronicles of Narnia emerged.

Dr Jennie England, heritage learning officer at the church, said: "The precedent of animal and character carvings in churches stretches right back to medieval times.

"Amongst our roof bosses we already have countless wooden carvings of animals, real and mythical, and the misericord carvings under the seats in the Chancel feature an elephant and a pelican. And of course there’s our famous Pilgrim Hare."

Mr Tumnus will now join the White Witch, Reepicheep the mouse, Fledge the winged horse, Glenstorm the centaur and Aslan the lion in stone.

Image source, St Mary's Church

Steel manufacturers in South Yorkshire have said they’re aiming to double production capacity at a plant in Rotherham.

Liberty Steel Group UK is to begin producing steel reinforcing bars for major infrastructure projects - including the HS2 rail line - from September.

It now hopes to boost production to one million tonnes a year, plugging a gap in demand in the UK market, it said.

It had previously warned that almost 300 jobs would go at plants in South Yorkshire because of "challenging" market conditions, but most of these were at their Stocksbridge plant, with 17 in Rotherham.

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman at Livery Steel Group, said: "As we make plans for a post-pandemic economy, we have challenged ourselves to think differently across our product mix, assets and cost base to improve competitiveness and prepare for a new future."

Reacting to the news, Labour’s Rotherham MP Sarah Champion said it was "good to hear the firm is committed to the town".

Image source, Peter Byrne/PA Media

A music initiative which helps children and young people in Hull has been given a helping hand thanks to a donation from one of the world's top music producers.

Mark Ronson has produced global hits like Uptown Funk with Bruno Mars and has worked with the likes of Miley Cyrus, Adele, Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga.

Ronson gave the money to Hull's Beats Bus, which runs free workshops in hip hop and music production for young people.

It also looks to offer mentorships to young, aspiring artists.

Writing on Twitter, Ronson said he "loved the cause".

Hull comedy writer and actor Lucy Beaumont, one half of TV's Meet the Richardsons, has also previously donated to the charity.

The founding pastors of Hope City Church, which is based in Sheffield, are being investigated.

Campaigners have called for years for the tunnel to be re-opened for cyclists and pedestrians.

A community in East Yorkshire has been cut off for much of the weekend after the only road in and out of the area collapsed.

Image source, Rachel Allen

A large hole was first reported on Saturday in Gembling, near Driffield, leaving residents stranded.

A culvert over a small stream dropped, leaving behind a hole in the road.

As work to fix the hole starts, the road is closed, with HGVs and larger vehicles unable to squeeze though.

A Bradford man who's fully recovered after being in a coma for two days due to coronavirus has been clapped out of hospital by staff members who cared for him.

Mohammed Azeem, 35, was treated at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Now recovered, he says he has nothing but praise for the NHS staff who cared for him.

He says: "They look after your family. They're there for you day and night."

Leaving the hospital, Mr Azeem says people need to continue taking care as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

He says: "Take it seriously, keep your distance, keep your masks on, keep washing your hands.":

Witnesses are being asked to come forward after a fatal collision in South Yorkshire at the weekend in which two people died.

Image source, Google

The crash happened in the Wilthorpe area of Barnsley at about 01:30 on Sunday morning.

A white Audi A5, which was travelling along the A635 Huddersfield Road towards Barnsley, is thought to have struck the kerb and collided with a tree.

The 24-year-old man who was driving the car and a 22-year-old woman who was a passenger – both from Barnsley - were pronounced dead at the scene.

Their families are being supported by specially trained officers, according to South Yorkshire Police.

No other vehicles are thought by police to have been involved.

Anyone who saw the collision, or who saw the car before the collision, or who may have dash camera footage from the area at around the time of the crash, is being asked to contact police.

Tickets for a drive-in music gig at the site of a North Yorkshire airport have gone on sale.

Image source, Geograph/JThomas

The gig, at East Leeds Airport in Church Fenton, will see Russell Watson take to the stage next month.

Similar to a drive-in theatre, the concert will see people drive in to the arena, park up, and then watch the show from a reserved area next to their vehicle.

Organisers Live Nation say the gigs will be limited to about 300 cars and is being done to deliver live music to people while being able to keep to social distancing restrictions.

A 14-year-old boy from Sheffield has won a top national prize with his concept for a video game.

Image source, Bafta Young Game Designers Competition 2020

Cameron Crosland's idea was for a game called Strung Up (pictured below), which sees players go on quests to collect rope which can then be used to tie souls down to the world, keeping them alive after death.

Judges at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) felt the "charming and gripping" game should take top spot in the Game Concept Award for Cameron's age category in the Young Game Designers Competition.

Image source, Bafta Young Game Designers Competition 2020

Amanda Berry, Bafta's chief executive, said: "We are so impressed with the amount of skill and creativity showcased by our 53 finalists from all over the UK and wish to extend a huge congratulations to our four brilliant winners."

South Yorkshire's mayor called austerity an "act of neglect and an act of national self-harm".

Tidal defence work moves to Hessle Foreshore near the Humber Bridge today as part of an £11m project to protect homes and businesses.

Image source, East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Cliff Road will be closed for the next three months to allow for a 465m glass and concrete wall to be built to help protect thousands of people from flooding.

The project, which started earlier this year, will also see roads near the Humber Bridge raised up, along with improvements to existing flood defences in the area.

Work is already under way on the A63 to install a flood barrier.

The owners of Go Outdoors, which has several stores across Yorkshire, say they are preparing to call in administrators as the coronavirus pandemic pushes High Street retailers to breaking point.

Image source, Go Outdoors

JD Sports, which owns Go Outdoors, said in a statement it had looked at the options for Go and had decided to start the administration process.

The chain, which employs about 2,400 staff across 67 stores, specialises in camping equipment, bikes and clothes.

It has stores in Leeds, York, Doncaster, Hull, Sheffield and Wakefield.

The coronavirus pandemic has ramped up pressure on the firm.

The Manchester-based JD Sports group bought Go Outdoors in 2016 for £112m.

But the chain has been struggling in recent years, and forced store closures under the coronavirus lockdown have further exacerbated the firm's problems.

The company said, external it had filed a notice of its intention in court, a move that protects the company from legal action and its creditors for ten days while an administrator is found.