More than 100 people are taking part in weekly sea swims at dawn after seeing a social media post.

Wigan Warriors keep up pressure on leaders Warrington Wolves with victory over a depleted, yet spirited Wakefield.

Huddersfield get their first win of 2020-21 and condemn Nottingham Forest to their worst league start for 66 years.

Increased restrictions on people mixing have been announced for Leeds.

People in Morley have been giving their reactions to the news that Leeds faces stricter coronavirus restrictions from midnight - with households banned from mixing in private homes or gardens alongside other restrictions which are now in place nationwide.

Michael Barker (pictured above) says he thinks the rules, like closing pubs and bars at 22:00, are "being made up as we go along".

"I think closing bars earlier will just incentivise people to come out earlier and potentially then go back home where it's less controlled. I don't think people drink for less hours," he says.

Meanwhile, Shirley (pictured above) says she feels like Leeds is back to "square one" and she says she's "anxious about going out".

"When lockdown came in, it took me a while to even go to the supermarket. Hopefully it's not going to be the same as that, but it's not really a lockdown is it?" she says.

"People are mixing more, so that does concern me because when they go home, the schoolkids, they're passing on germs they've picked up."

And Elaine Brookes (pictured above) says the rules "change all the time and they're hypocritical".

She says: "I think it's absolutely shocking. So, if I want to see my mum I've got to go to a pub to meet her, have I?

"So I'm going to be with lots of different households mixing shoulder-to-shoulder. That waitress goes from one table for my table, to the next table and another table. But I can't go and see my mum [in her home]?

"I think the rules are very confusing and contradictory," she adds.

A West Yorkshire council is urging people to follow the latest coronavirus restrictions this weekend.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Media

Wakefield Council says enforcement, licensing and environmental health officers will be working alongside the police this weekend, checking businesses are following the new rules.

The authority has also urged people heading out to understand and follow the rules in order to help keep other people safe.

The new rules, which came into force yesterday, include:

• Pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, except for takeaways
• Hospitality venues must close at 22:00
• The requirement to wear face coverings will be extended to include retail staff and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink

The council adds that the new restrictions are in addition to the "rule of six", which bans social gatherings of more than six people inside and outside venues.

Councillor Maureen Cummings said: "It is absolutely critical we reduce the spread of infection and we must act now to prevent more cases. We want people to still enjoy a night out, but you must take responsibility to keep yourself and others safe.

“Please support our local economy and local businesses who have worked really hard to implement the necessary measures by sticking to the rules," she added.

Tighter coronavirus restrictions which stop households in Leeds mixing could be in force all winter, the council says.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Stricter rules on meeting other people will be in place in the city from midnight tonight as attempts are made to slow the spread of Covid-19, the government has confirmed.

Leeds' director of public health, Victoria Eaton, said the city's virus rate was currently 98.5 per 100,000 people, with a positive testing rate of 8.4%.

She said: "It's clear to see we have very widespread community transmissions right across the city.

"We have high rates in some of our student areas which we have increased more recently. It's clearly not just an issue for student areas."

Ms Eaton added that cases were rising in all age groups, not just young adults, and compliance with self-isolation rules was still low in Leeds.

"We want to find ways to support local people to isolate. The expectation is the restrictions will be in place for a longer period of time, potentially right through the winter," she said.

People in Leeds need to show "community spirit" as new restrictions are announced on households mixing due to a rise in coronavirus cases in the city, the leader of the council has said.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The restrictions were confirmed by the government earlier and will come into force in the city at midnight.

Council leader Judith Blake says: "We are acutely aware nobody wants to see further restrictions placed on life in Leeds and alongside our partners we have been doing absolutely everything within our power to avoid that.

“But the safety of the city and the public simply has to come first and we have now reached a point where we all need to take additional steps to contain the spread of this terrible virus within our communities."

Ms Blake adds that how long these new measures last and how much further they may need to go "will depend on everyone playing their part".

"We know there has already been some excellent partnership work taking place across the city and this will continue to manage outbreaks and help everyone stay safe," she says.

“Building on that sense of community spirit, I’d appeal to everyone to follow these rules, consider the impact your actions could have on others and take your share of the responsibility for protecting our city."

Kevin Larkin
Political reporter, BBC Radio Leeds

You won’t be able to go inside someone else’s home or garden in Leeds from midnight, following confirmation from the government of new Covid-19 restrictions for the city.

Image source, Reuters/Phil Noble

The health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the new restrictions on "inter-household" mixing in private homes and gardens a short time ago.

Many people were surprised when Leeds dodged coronavirus restrictions last week, especially those in Calderdale and Kirklees.

Those areas have lower rates of the virus yet, along with Bradford, have already got a ban on households mixing.

Council officials say these rules for Leeds are set to last through the Winter, and it’s an “ongoing question” whether families will be able to get together for Christmas this year.

Legally, people can still meet family or friends in pubs, restaurants or parks, but it’s not something the council wants local residents to do.

Chief Executive Tom Riordan summed it up saying: “You shouldn’t really mix with other households, that’s the bottom line.”

Leeds is to face further restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed this afternoon.

Image source, PA Media

The council has said the restrictions affect anyone who gets their bins emptied by Leeds City Council.

They mean that from midnight tonight, people living in the city are not allowed to mix with other households in private homes or gardens.

So, what are the new restrictions in full? They are:

• People cannot meet others they do not live with in private homes or gardens, unless they are in their support bubble
• People cannot visit someone else's home or garden, even if they live outside Leeds
• People can still come inside homes or gardens for specific purposes, including where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble; to attend a birth at the mother’s request; or to visit a person who is dying; to fulfil a legal obligation; for the provision of voluntary or charitable services; for the purposes of education or training; to provide emergency assistance; to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm; to facilitate a house move
• Other exemptions include providing childcare for children under 14, caring for a vulnerable person, or for work purposes

Existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents will also remain exempt, the authority adds.

People in Leeds are also being advised by the council not to socialise with people outside of their own household in restaurants or pubs.

These restrictions go alongside the need for social distancing, wearing a face covering where possible and to keep washing hands, the council adds.

The decision to stop people who live in Leeds from mixing with each other in homes or gardens is one "not taken lightly", the health secretary has said.

Image source, House of Commons/PA Media

Confirming the restrictions, Matt Hancock said it would be "difficult news" for people living in the city.

From midnight, people living in Leeds can't mix with other households in homes or gardens.

The council is also advising people don't meet up in pubs and restaurants in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Mr Hancock said: "The government will act swiftly and decisively to limit further spread, reduce disruption and contain local outbreaks.

"This will be difficult news for the people living in these areas, profoundly affecting their daily lives.

"These decisions are not taken lightly, and such measures will be kept under review and in place no longer than they are necessary," he added.

People living in Leeds will face further restrictions from tomorrow after the government confirmed a "sharp" rise in coronavirus cases.

Image source, Reuters/Phil Noble

Matt Hancock, secretary of state for health and social care, confirmed that people living in Leeds will now have a ban on "inter-household mixing" in private homes and gardens.

The Covid-19 rate in the city is currently 98.5 cases per 100,000 people.

Leeds City Council had made a request to the government for a 22:00 curfew on pubs and bars earlier in September.

This was rejected on the grounds it did not want another different regional variation in lockdown rules, but a similar national measure was introduced on Thursday.

In the last few minutes, Mr Hancock has said: "The latest data shows a sharp increase in incidence rates per 100,000 population in Leeds, Blackpool, Wigan and Stockport, which are significantly above the national average.

"As a result, we are making regulations which take effect from Saturday 26 September and will impose restrictions on inter-household mixing in private dwellings and gardens in Leeds.

"People from anywhere else will also not be allowed to gather with another household in a private dwelling or garden in these areas."

A ban on social gatherings in private homes and gardens started on Tuesday in nearby Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

People from different households in Leeds will be banned from mixing in private homes or gardens from midnight in a bid to cut the growth of coronavirus infections in the city, the health secretary confirms.

More to follow...

An MP has called for the creation of a national database of child sexual exploitation (CSE) perpetrators to help protect children from abuse.

Image source, House of Commons/PA Media

Giving evidence to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Rotherham Labour MP Sarah Champion said data profiling, collation and sharing on a national level was "inadequate" and that such a database would be an "important tool in the fight to protect children from CSE".

She told the inquiry that under the existing system police officers have to manually search the Police National Computer for a suspect's name and the term CSE, therefore "officers cannot identify links between offenders and CSE without already knowing first that a link exists".

She said as a result identifying patterns of criminal behaviour of perpetrators and members of grooming gangs which operate across the country was "partly down to luck".

"I am of the view that, if this data were used more cohesively, the police and social services would be better able to disrupt CSE," she told the inquiry.

"I would urge the inquiry to consider whether there are existing schemes relating to other crimes such as terrorism or organised crime, which could be used as precedents," she added.

David Rhodes
BBC Yorkshire Data Journalist

Despite repeated warnings from Leeds City Council, the number of new Covid-19 cases in the city has risen throughout September.

In the seven days to 21 September, there was a record 829 new coronavirus cases identified. That surpasses the peak of new cases in the first wave of pandemic back in late April.

While mass testing has only been available since May, the sharp increase in cases in the last month has alarmed officials – as the number of new cases has quadrupled in the space of three weeks.

Leeds is not alone in West Yorkshire – Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees have all seen record numbers of new cases in the latest week's data.

Suspected criminals in Yorkshire who operate so-called "county lines" gangs have been arrested as part of a week-long national crackdown.

Image source, National Police Chiefs' Council

"County lines" operations involve young and vulnerable people being used as couriers to move drugs and cash between cities and smaller towns.

Raids in the past week, involving all 43 regional forces in England and Wales, had been the most successful of their kind, according to police.

Humberside Police said 20 people had been arrested with thousands of pounds' worth of suspected drugs being seized.

In total, 29 vulnerable people had been protected, the force said.

In North Yorkshire, 15 people were arrested as part of the crackdown, with 16 people being arrested in West Yorkshire.

Raids were also carried out in South Yorkshire with 16 people being arrested, police say.

Leeds is expected to become an "area of intervention" later with coronavirus cases on the rise, Leeds City Council says.

Image source, PA Media

The move follows "detailed discussions" between the council, the government, Public Health England and partners, the council said.

It means households in the city are expected to face further restrictions from midnight tonight in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus.

According to the council, the restrictions will include:

• People cannot meet people they not live with in private homes or gardens, unless they are in their support bubble
• People cannot visit someone else's home or garden, even if they live outside of Leeds
• People can still come inside homes or gardens for specific purposes, including where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble; to attend a birth at the mother’s request; or to visit a person who is dying

However, exemptions include providing childcare for children under 14, caring for a vulnerable person, or for work purposes, the council added.

Existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents will remain exempt, the authority adds.

People in Leeds are also being advised not to socialise with people outside of their own household in restaurants or pubs.

A motorcyclist has died following a collision with a car in Castleford, police have confirmed.

Image source, Google

It happened at about 18:30 yesterday on Borrowdale Drive, when an off-road motorcycle was involved in a collision with a blue Fiat 500.

The biker, a 22-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver of the car was uninjured, police say.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has dash camera footage of the collision, is being asked to get in touch with West Yorkshire Police.

People living in Leeds shouldn't be mixing households - that's the message from the city council as says it expects further restrictions being imposed on the city.

Image source, Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo

Council leader Judith Blake says she believes Leeds will be made an "area of intervention" as coronavirus cases rise.

This means that it will have restrctions similar to that already in place in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, said: "What we are trying to do is give a simple message - you shouldn't really mix with other households."

Mr Riordan said about 780,000 people will come under the new measures, which could be in place through the winter.

He added: "I think we know from the experience of Leicester, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire that when these restrictions are brought in they do not tend to be lifted after a week or two."

The storms battered much of the region on Thursday with hailstones up to 2.5cm in diameter.