A masked man, believed to be armed with a gun, has robbed a bank in Leeds after handing a cashier a note demanding money.

Image source, Google

The suspect, thought to be in his 40s, was wearing a black face mask and a dark hoody when he entered the Nationwide building society on Albion Street at about 10:30 yesterday.

The suspect showed the cashier a note demanding money and a bag he was carrying, through which the cashier thought she could see the outline of a handgun, officers say.

He then ran off through the Trinity shopping centre with a "substantial amount of money," according to West Yorkshire Police.

No one was injured during the incident.

The suspect is described as "stocky" with short hair which had a close shaved "fade effect" around the side.

Det James Entwistle, said: “It happened on a busy street in the centre of Leeds and people will have seen the suspect leaving the premises and his movements afterwards.

“I want to appeal directly to anyone who saw anything or might have been taking photos or videos at the time, to get in touch.

BBC Sport

Harrogate Town will begin their first season in the English Football League sharing a ground with League One side Doncaster Rovers.

Image source, Rex Features

Harrogate, who won the National League promotion final at Wembley on Sunday, must replace the synthetic pitch at their Wetherby Road ground with grass.

EFL rules state all matches must be played on grass surfaces.

"We'll have to relocate for what's looking like the first month or so," manager Simon Weaver said.

Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium is a 42-mile drive from Harrogate's home ground, further away than the likes of Huddersfield Town, Bradford City and Leeds United.

BBC Weather

A cloudy start today with patchy rain and a strong breeze.

As the day progresses, more persistent and heavier rain will sweep in from the west.

Tonight, there'll be large areas of cloud and occasional showers, some heavy at times:

A man has admitted killing student Bethany Fields, who was stabbed in the street in Huddersfield.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Paul Crowther pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 21-year-old Ms Fields, from Leeds, who died in the town's Fitzwilliam Street in September.

At Leeds Crown Court, Crowther entered a not guilty plea to a charge of murder.

The case was adjourned until 21 August and Crowther of Elm Way, Birstall, West Yorkshire, was remanded in custody.

The student's family in a statement after her death that she was "a daughter, who any parent would have been proud of, much loved and respected by all; family, friends, work colleagues and fellow students".

Ms Fields, an environmental geography student at the University of York, was also described as "the brightest star of them all".

The BBC's Stacey Dooley meets mothers, babies and midwives at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Yorkshire close in on victory over Durham in their Bob Willis Trophy match, requiring another 68 runs on the final day.

Rotherham defender Billy Jones and goalkeeper Lewis Price sign new one-year deals with the club.

The 100-year-old veteran said he was "delighted" to move up the Army's ranks so quickly.

The hospitality sector in East Yorkshire hopes the government's 'eat out to help out' scheme will help save a dismal year for trade because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

From today, diners across the UK will be able to enjoy a discount of up to 50%, up to a maximum of £10 per diner, off their bills at businesses which have signed up to the initiative.

Discounts can only be claimed between Mondays and Wednesdays during August and only covers food and soft drinks, not alcohol.

Kathryn Shilito from Hull Business Improvement District said: "This is a real welcome boost, particularly to food and beverage [businesses]. They're struggling desperately and we want to get people into the city centre.

"We know the staycation is becoming more and more popular because holidays abroad are being cancelled left, right and centre, and we just hope that those people really take advantage of this scheme because it will save them money inevitably."

Shrewsbury Town sign striker Rekeil Pyke and central midfielder Scott High from Huddersfield Town, and winger Josh Daniels from Glenavon.

Almost 1,000 cars were destroyed in a large fire at a scrapyard over the weekend - with the cause of the fire still unknown.

Image source, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

The fire, at a car lot in Carcroft, Doncaster, started on Friday with hundreds of vehicles being involved.

Nobody was believed to have been injured in the blaze with firefighters spending more than 24 hours at the scene tackling the flames.

Police say while the investigation into the cause of the fire continues "it isn’t first believed to be suspicious".

The fire service says about 900 vehicles were destroyed.

Image source, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

The firm which bought Thomas Cook shops has said up to 878 employees out of 4,500 may lose their jobs due to new coronavirus travel restrictions.

Image source, Hays Travel

Hays Travel, which has more than 40 branches across Yorkshire, took on more than 2,000 former Thomas Cook employees when it went bust in October last year.

Owners John and Irene Hays said the change in rules for Spain had led to the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of holidays.

They said employees will lose their jobs "through no fault of their own".

A man’s jaw has been broken in two places during an assault in York on Saturday night.

Image source, Google

It happened in Clifford Street, near the junction of King Street just after 23:30.

The victim, a 24 year-old man, was punched in the face by another man who then left the scene along with a second man, say police

The victim was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery.

Police say they believe a number of people were in the area at the time of the assault and are appealing to those people to come forward.

Two men aged 19 and 20, were arrested in connection with the incident and have been released under investigation.

PA Media

Captain Sir Tom Moore has said it is "truly a great honour" to be made honorary colonel of an Army training college in Harrogate.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Media

The 100-year-old Second World War veteran told junior soldiers to take full advantage of the "outstanding" Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, as he was shown around the facility on Monday.

Captain Sir Tom, originally from Keighley, raised almost £33m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire before he turned 100 in April.

He was appointed honorary colonel for the college to mark his milestone birthday. During his visit to the college on Monday, he said he was "absolutely speechless" to be made honorary colonel.

He said: "To go up in so many ranks so quickly, I'm really delighted with that and I know it's only an honorary one but really I'm absolutely thrilled with the fact that the honour has been placed on me.

"It really is truly a great honour."

A gallery of 100 black and white pictures taken in Bradford during the coronavirus pandemic have gone online.

The pictures from the Bradford for Everyone project are anonymous and have no captions or explanations.

Zahra Niazi, who leads the council-funded scheme, said: "We asked people to send in their pictures showing what life is like at the moment.

"It has some more private moments, others show how people have grown closer to their family."

Image source, Bradford for Everyone

Image source, Bradford for Everyone

Image source, Bradford for Everyone

Image source, Bradford for Everyone

Harrogate Town's promotion to the English Football League will boost the local economy, it is hoped.

Vandals have caused damage to parts of York Minster after scaling scaffolding around one of the towers and throwing items at the cathedral.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Two men were seen on CCTV using a ladder to climb onto the scaffolding around the North West Tower some time between 01:30 and 05:00 on Friday.

North Yorkshire Police say the men threw items from the scaffolding area then continued onto the roof, causing damage to property, including removing access doors to the tower.

It's believed they threw a small entrance door off the roof which hit a gargoyle and knocked it to the ground.

CCTV shows that at 04:55 both men climbed down from the scaffolding, and one appeared to be videoing the gargoyle on the ground before leaving the scene.

One of the men is described as white, wearing a black tracksuit with a blue baseball cap, black trainers with a white sole. He is thought to be in his late teens or early 20s.

The other man, also thought to be in his late teens or early 20s, is described as white, wearing a dark hooded top, black tracksuit bottoms, black trainers with white socks.

Anyone who saw the men, or who has any online footage shared by those involved, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

The country's oldest cable-driven railway carriage, the Scarborough Spa Cliff Lift, has reopened today.

Image source, Mark Pitts/Geograph

The lift, which runs from the Esplanade down to the Spa complex, opened on 6 July 1875 and was the first funicular railway in Great Britain.

Operators, Sheffield International Venues (SIV), say: "The cliff lift and café will operate to Covid-19 secure standards, with the safety of customers and staff paramount.

"Measures will include strict social distancing and enhanced cleaning."

Image source, Dr Patty McAlpin/Geograph

SIV say the number of people travelling in the carriage at any one time will be reduced to allow passengers to sit two metres apart., external

Anyone using the service, unless exempt under government guidance, is being asked to wear a face covering.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Sheffield MPs have written an urgent letter to the government asking it to keep buses and trams running when emergency funding ends this week.

Supertram services in Sheffield and Rotherham could be mothballed if the government fails to step in with further resources, Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis has warned.

Sheffield City Region bosses were given £1.3m in May to support the Stagecoach Supertram network following a massive reduction in passenger numbers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Government intervention is set to end today and Mayor Jarvis has described shutting down the service as a "terrible situation" but it would come as a "last resort".

Labour MPs Clive Betts, Olivia Blake, Paul Blomfield, Gill Furniss and Louise Haigh have now intervened and written to Transport Minister Grant Shapps.

Mr Betts, who recently led a review of buses, said: “Keeping buses and trams running is absolutely essential to allow key workers to get to work.

“Having bus operators go out of business or the tram stopping running will cause short term chaos in essential services and in the longer term add to the problems of congestion, pollution and climate change.

“The Government’s financial help so far has been welcome and essential but it must continue.”

PA Media

A university has launched a national online survey to find out if coronavirus has changed how the public views plastic after a surge in consumption during the pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

Environmental experts at the University of Hull say the public had turned to plastic - such as face masks, gloves, gowns and screens - as a way of keeping themselves and their loved ones safe.

And academics warned that the increased use could be a set-back in the battle against single-use plastic, as a new group began working together to explore plastic use.

The university's study aims to find out how the pandemic has changed how people view the use and consumption of plastics across the country and whether people's feelings and opinions towards plastics have been altered because of its visible use in saving lives.