Local Democracy Reporting Service

Teenagers receiving their A-level results in Leeds today are being reminded to continue socially distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic as they celebrate or commiserate.

Image source, David Jones/PA Wire

Some schools in Leeds are expected to have the traditional opening of A-level results in person, while others are expected to send results by email.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson added: "Congratulations to all students who received their results today in incredibly challenging circumstances.

"If you are planning any celebrations, please ensure they are in line with government guidelines and social distancing is observed."

It follows warnings from Greater Manchester Police, which claimed those in the district holding A-level results parties would be handed fines for house parties and illegal gatherings.

Leeds City Council has also confirmed it would not be releasing expected A-level results as it had in previous years, as the Department for Education is not issuing performance tables and Ofsted is not using them to inform inspections.

Leeds midfielder Jamie Shackleton signs a new four-year contract with the Premier League club.

Faciities are to reopen but the financial impact of the pandemic has put 300 jobs at risk.

Eight officer workers at the online company have been sent home, Kirklees Council says.

Grouse-shooters in the Yorkshire Dales have worn face coverings and taken other anti-Covid precautions as they marked the "Glorious 12th" today - the start of the shooting season.

Image source, PA Media

Among those taking part was retired assistant gamekeeper Vincent Lynch and his spaniel, Bolton.

The 72-year-old beater wore a mask for his day on the moor and had his temperature checked before starting out:

Image source, PA Media

He said: "It's an integral part of life in the Dales. We needed this, it is the life-blood to the economy."

Image source, PA

A safety trial event, including the use of personal protection equipment, social distancing and food hygiene measures, was staged a week ago, during which head moor keeper Gary Taylor (pictured above left) handed over game to game dealer Nick Lister (right) on the Swinton estate near Ripon.

The project to protect Filey from surface water flooding is due to be completed by 2021.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

An "urgent" solution is being sought to stop one of Scarborough town centre’s main roads from being closed for three weeks at the height of the summer holidays.

Image source, Google

Contractors carrying out a £2m repainting of the town's landmark Valley Bridge need to close Valley Road in order to move on to the next stage of the job.

Signs went up over the weekend to say Valley Road would be closed for three weeks from 23 August.

Businesses and local councillors have raised concerns about lost revenue and traffic chaos that could come from the closure, which would include the summer bank holiday on 31 August.

North Yorkshire County Council, which is responsible for the work, says it now hopes to reschedule work to avoid any impact on the tourist season which has already been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councillor Janet Jefferson, who represents Scarborough’s Castle Division, said: “It would be terrible for the businesses, they are doing well and recouping some of their losses following the lockdown and they don’t want to lose that."

Richard Marr, North Yorkshire County Council's highways area manager, said a solution was now being sought to see if the closure could be pushed back.

He said: "We understand this is peak tourist season and are looking urgently into whether this date can be altered. We will keep the public updated of any changes."

Ex-school chaplain Robert Taylor, 52, raped and abused children he fostered at his Bradford home.

New images and plans, external have been released by Leeds City Council showing how the area around the Corn Exchange could look after a £25m makeover.

Image source, Leeds City Council

Plans were consulted on in 2019 and the council says feedback from the public was "generally positive".

It says people were particularly impressed by plans for safer cycle ways, wider pavements, bus and pedestrian priority, more greenery, improved public realm and upgraded bus shelters.

Work will now start on Monday 24 August to remove the central islands on Duncan Street to allow traffic to keep flowing in both directions when the council starts work on the main scheme.

The first phase of work will focus on the immediate streets around the Corn Exchange. Key aspects include the closure of Call Lane to through traffic, a new cycle way on Lower Briggate and wider pavements outside the Corn Exchange.

The entire Corn Exchange scheme is expected to be complete by winter 2021.

The college has been working on its budget and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic it says.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A multimillion-pound scheme to protect more than 700 properties in a North Yorkshire coastal town has been officially launched.

Filey was devastated by flooding in the early 2000s and was severely hit in July 2007 when torrential rainfall cut off homes and schools and left standing water 3ft deep in places.

Today, those involved in bringing the Filey Flood Alleviation Scheme to fruition met on-site to see the progress made so far and to mark the start of the main construction phase.

The scheme involves the building of a series of earth embankments, ditches and temporary flood storage areas designed to catch the flows of water from surrounding land.

Councillor Jacqui Houlden-Banks, Mayor of Filey, said residents had been "living in fear" since 2007 that they could lose everything once more in a flood.

She said: “We had inflatable dinghies out to get the elderly people to places of safety, we couldn’t get to the infant and the junior schools to get children, so people were going with boats and with waders."

The construction work is due to be completed by spring 2021.

Ella Rose had only just started to go out again after shielding when her phone was snatched.

Have you seen Kieran O'Neill? He's gone missing from his home in Bradford and police are trying to find him.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Mr O'Neill, 24, was reported missing from Shipley on Saturday.

He's described by police as mixed race, with afro-style brown hair and he wears glasses.

When last seen, he was wearing blue jeans with suede shoes.

Anyone who has seen him, or knows of his whereabouts, is being asked to contact West Yorkshire Police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A mobile coronavirus testing service will be back in Whitby tomorrow.

Image source, Reuters/Carl Recine

The drive-through facility will be at Whitby’s park and ride facility on Guisborough Road.

The testing site 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 is being asked to register for a test on the NHS website, external.

Meanwhile, 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.

Tests can be booked, external from 20:00 tonight for the Whitby site.

Panto fans looking forward to seeing Billy Pearce in action at Bradford's Alhambra this Christmas will now have to wait until December 2021 to see the show after it was rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, Google

The decision to move the Sleeping Beauty panto, which was due to run in December and January, to Christmas 2021 has been taken with "great sadness", according to Bradford Theatres.

However, the show has been rescheduled "due to government advice on Covid-19 and to protect the health and wellbeing of our audiences, cast and crew", Bradford Theatres adds.

The show was due to run at the Alhambra between 12 December 2020 and 24 January 2021, but will now be performed between 11 December 2021 and 16 January 2022.

Adam Renton, Bradford Theatres general manager, said: "I know the region’s audiences have huge affection for the Alhambra Theatre’s festive production and our decision to postpone Sleeping Beauty will undoubtedly be a great disappointment to everyone, as it is to me.

"The decision has been a very difficult one and was not taken lightly. I have had lengthy conversations with Qdos Entertainment, who produce our annual pantomime, and we have looked at it very carefully from so many different angles."

However, Bradford Theatres was left with "no choice" but to postpone the show, Mr Renton added.

Ticketholders will automatically be issued with a new performance date for the Christmas 2021 pantomime run, according to Bradford Theatres.

James Beattie and Darry Flahavan join Sheffield Wednesday after leaving Birmingham City's coaching staff.

Hull FC and Salford Red Devils will not be involved in Super League fixtures this weekend after six Hull players tested positive for Covid-19.

The fixture schedule for Saturday and Sunday has been rejigged, with all matches still taking place behind closed doors at St Helens.

Hull lost 54-18 to Salford on Sunday.

All tests undertaken by Salford players have come back negative, but 11 Red Devils players have been told to self-isolate by the club.

The Rugby Football League's analysis of Sunday's match showed those 11 came into prolonged contact with infected Hull players - face-to-face contact of several seconds - and are therefore at increased risk of contracting the virus.

Hull FC's Challenge Cup tie against Castleford a week later is also in serious doubt.

A carer from South Yorkshire who was unable to be tested for coronavirus until July said she feared she may have spread the disease into care homes despite showing no symptoms.

Alison Taylor, from Sheffield, recently tested positive for antibodies indicating she once had coronavirus.

She now fears she may have worked while contagious and even visited her mother, who later died with suspected Covid-19.

Miss Taylor, 51, said: "I find it really hard to think I might have passed it to care homes, to residents, to my family - I could be responsible for other people's deaths without knowing."

Last week, the Department of Health and Social Care said a "combination of issues" had limited the number of testing kits available for care homes and as a result it had been unable "do as much asymptomatic testing as we want".

A spokesperson has now added: "Protecting care home residents and staff has been one of our top priorities throughout this unprecedented pandemic."

A horse has been rescued after falling into a large pond in West Yorkshire.

Image source, West Yorkshire Fire Service

The horse called Tilly became stuck after falling from a narrow path into the old mill pond on Old Moll Road in Netherton.

The horse’s owner called a vet who sedated the animal and firefighters from Cleckheaton used a telescopic handler and a 4x4 vehicle to lift her out.

Image source, West Yorkshire Fire Service

West Yorkshire Fire Service crews stayed until the horse was awake and back walking around.

The service says Tilly was not injured in the incident last Friday.

Basit Hussan is jailed for 17 years for stabbing the woman in Bradford after an online argument.