Local Democracy Reporting Service

Scarborough seafront's observation wheel will return to the site of the former Futurist Theatre for the next two summers, it's been confirmed.

Image source, LDRS

Observation Wheel UK, which ran the 32m-high wheel operated on the site throughout the summer season in 2019, should have been operating the attraction from April this year before the coronavirus lockdown came into force.

The wheel is now up and running on the former theatre site and Scarborough Council's planning committee has approved an application allowing it to remain on the site until 31 October, extending the season to make up for the time missed.

The operator was also given permission to run the wheel from 1 April until 31 October in both 2021 and 2022.

The wheel is the same one as used last year, capable of carrying a maximum of 144 passengers with six people seated in each of its 24 enclosed gondolas.

Observation Wheel UK director Michael Wallis said it was able to operate on the site within social distancing guidelines.

He said: "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."

A man has been arrested following two shootings in Sheffield on Thursday morning.

Police were called to Machon Bank and Glen road at about 01:00 yesterday to reports of shots being fired.

Today, a 32-year-old man from Sheffield has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent. He remains in police custody, South Yorkshire Police said.

Nobody was injured in the shooting, but a car and a window were damaged.

The two "targeted" incidents are being treated as linked, police say.

Two warrants were carried out at addresses this morning, the South Yorkshire force added.

The dog was found in Sheffield with shotgun injuries just after 01:00 BST on Friday, police say.

Leeds United will start their Premier League campaign in September, after a new date was announced for the 2020-2021 season.

Image source, PA Media

Sheffield United will welcome the newly-promoted Whites with the season kicking off on 12 September with it finishing on 23 May 2021, the Premier League says.

The English Football League, which will feature Huddersfield Town, Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday and newly-promoted Rotherham United, will also return on 12 September.

Hull City will join Doncaster Rovers in League One, with Bradford City in League Two.

The leagues are expected to finish on 8 and 9 May.

A police cordon is still in place on a busy Sheffield road this afternoon as officers scour CCTV images following the shooting of a dog which then had to be put down.

Image source, John Quays/Twitter

Police were called to a house on Abbeydale Road at about 01:10 this morning to reports of shots being fired.

The dog was found injured and later had to be put down because of its injuries, police say.

Nobody else reported any injuries.

Supt Delphine Waring said: “A cordon remains in place on Abbeydale Road while our officers work hard to find who is responsible.

“We are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry, including CCTV analysis and thorough searches.

“You may notice an increased police presence in the area throughout the day to provide reassurance to the local community. If you think you may have information which may help our officers, please do get in touch."

Photographs of Leeds taken during the 1970s and 80s will be displayed on the city's streets after the coronavirus lockdown put an end to plans for a gallery exhibition.

Image source, Justin Slee

A series of different images of Leeds from photographer Peter Mitchell's book Early Sunday Morning are to be displayed around the city.

Mr Mitchell, who lives in Leeds, said: "People like the pre-80s stuff. I am quite intrigued by the response to the pictures, they are Leeds.

"Leeds is a brick-built city and when it was demolished it came down in an 'artistic' way. The ordinariness is what I like."

Image source, Justin Slee

The exhibition had been due to be held at the Colours May Vary gallery, but, due to coronavirus, they will instead be displayed around the city.

"I've been describes as the 'Alan Bennett of photography' and I think there's nothing better than that", added Mr Mitchell.

Huddersfield release four players - including striker Elias Kachunga - but give new deals to Demeaco Duhaney and Ryan Schofield.

Concerns are raised about people spotted collecting shellfish on Filey beach.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A mobile coronavirus testing site will return to Harrogate this weekend for anyone showing symptoms to get tested.

Image source, Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

The drive-through facility will be set up at Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road on Sunday.

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 are being asked to register for a test on the government website, external, with tests available for booking from 20:00 the night before.

The 18-year-old crashed into a roundabout and then ploughed into 25 parked vehicles in a car park.

A member of a marine charity which tried to rescue a shark stranded in shallow waters at Filey has been speaking about the operation.

Image source, James Woods

The plankton-eating basking shark was spotted in the water trying to beach itself on Thursday.

The beach was closed while a lifeboat crew tried to prevent it from beaching and to get it back out to sea.

Marine charity Sea Watch said it was believed the creature was ill and the decision was made to euthanise it.

Dan Jarvis from British Divers Marine Life Rescue has been telling BBC Radio York's Georgey Spanswick about the six-hour rescue attempt

You can click this link to hear the interview.

A shopkeeper in Leeds has come up with an innovative way of diplomatically making sure people adhere to the new rules on wearing masks in shops before stepping inside.

Image source, Rachael Brereton

Rachael Brereton, who owns Rebel & Rose in Chapel Allerton, has slightly adjusted the words to the Queen song We Will Rock You to remind people to cover up before shopping.

She says her 20-year-old daughter, Molly, drew the picture of lead singer Freddy Mercury (or should it be Mask-ury?) "freehand backwards on the inside of the glass".

Ms Brereton says: "It's been done with the best of intentions to cheer people up in the current climate.

"I fully understand some people will be exempt from wearing masks and they'll obviously be welcomed," she adds.

A dog was found fatally injured after being shot on a Sheffield street this morning, police say.

Image source, John Quays

The animal was found on Abbeydale Road at about 01:10 this morning with injuries "consistent with a shotgun discharge".

It was later put down due to its injuries, officers say.

No other injuries have been reported, according to South Yorkshire Police.

A veteran with a neurological condition who slept in an armchair in his living room in Hull because he couldn't get to his bedroom has moved into a new home.

Chris Smart, 54, who has ataxia which affects his mobility, had been living alone in a two-storey house when concerns were raised.

He was found after his former wife became concerned for his welfare and contacted a veterans' breakfast club, which in turn highlighted his plight to the charity.

Dereck Hardman, founder of the Armed Forces & Veterans Breakfast Clubs, said: "When I saw the conditions Chris was living in, it was shocking and upsetting."

Since the death of his second wife a few years ago, Mr Smart had been alone in the two-bedroom house, which the charity said was "damp, with black mould floor-to-ceiling" in places.

Paul Matson, founder and chairman of Hull 4 Heroes, said: "When we went in we just burst into tears. It's just an awful situation."

Mr Matson said his charity renovated and adapted the bungalow to make it accessible with a ramp, hand rails and "a proper hospital bed that raises up and down electronically".

Mr Smart said: "It's a new beginning. Totally different to my old place."

Police say the inquiry at the Cherry Trees home in Barnsley ended because of insufficient evidence.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Scarborough’s seafront has been fully re-opened to traffic following a quick u-turn from the county council.

Image source, Google

Restrictions on vehicles using the landward side of Foreshore Road in the town’s South Bay were removed yesterday by North Yorkshire County Council due to the knock-on effect it was having on other roads.

The road had been closed on weekends in order to allow for more social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but from this week it was decided to keep it shut to traffic in one direction from 11:00 to 17:00 seven days a week.

Janet Jefferson, Independent councillor for Scarborough's Castle Ward, said concerns had been raised that the road closure was causing congestion throughout the town.

She said: "One trader was telling me they couldn’t get their ice cream delivery down and it was just causing a lot of problems."

Richard Marr, highway area manager, said: "We will continue to monitor the situation so if there is a requirement for further social distancing measures, we will close the landward side as needed."

A man has been left with "life-threatening" injuries after a crash involving 25 vehicles in Barnsley, police say.

Image source, Getty Images

It happened in Grimethorpe at about 20:50 yesterday when a black Vauxhall Corsa collided "at speed" with a roundabout on Park Springs Road, according to police.

The car subsequently crashed into the car park of a nearby warehouse and damaged 25 parked vehicles.

The driver of the Corsa, an 18-year-old man, was taken to hospital where he remains in a "critical but stable" condition, officers say.

Anyone who saw what happened or who has information about the crash is being asked to contact South Yorkshire Police.

Two further arrests have been made in connection with an armed robbery in Bradford earlier this week, police say.

Image source, Google

The robbery happened at about 19:30 on Wednesday at Ladbrokes on Otley Road and saw two men with machetes steal money from the cashier and then flee the scene.

Two men, aged 20 and 32, were arrested last night, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Meanwhile, an 18-year-old Bradford man has been charged with robbery and is due to appear at the city's magistrates' court later.

Anyone with information about the robbery, or who saw what happened, is being asked to contact West Yorkshire Police.

A criminal investigation into suspected neglect at a Barnsley care home has ended due to insufficient evidence, police say.

In June, seven carers from Cherry Trees were arrested after photos showing apparent neglect were shared online.

One image showed an 83-year-old upside down in a chair.

Police have said while the photos are "inappropriate" and "unprofessional", officers haven't found sufficient evidence to support a criminal trial.

The photographs were believed to have been shared in a group chat used by some staff at the home on Cherry's Road in Barnsley.

The carers remain suspended from work, South Yorkshire Police added.

In a statement, the force said: "As the criminal investigation will now be closed, no further police action will be taken against the seven carers arrested.

"However, the carers remain suspended from work, and the matter will continue to be investigated by the care provider, Barnsley Council and the independent care home inspectors [the Care Quality Commission]."

Work to install waste-powered heat and hot water supplies to some of Leeds' best known buildings has been completed ahead of schedule because of quieter roads in the city centre during lockdown.

The district heating network will see household waste burned at the city’s £140m Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility used to heat buildings such as the Civic Hall, Town Hall and Leeds Art Gallery

A 12-mile network of pipes has been installed under the city's streets faster than first thought thanks to the coronavirus lockdown, the council has said.

It's hoped when completed, the district heating network will save 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, helping the council achieve its carbon-neutral aim.

Councillor Lisa Mulherin, from Leeds City Council, said: “Our district heating network is a great example of why heating homes and buildings sustainably is a key focus of our work to tackle the climate emergency."