People are being urged to get in touch with police immediately if they know the location of a convicted sex offender with links to South Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Wayne Thackray, 31, is wanted for failing to notify police of his address as part of his sex offender notification requirements, according to South Yorkshire Police.

In 2005, Thackray, originally from Derbyshire, was jailed for rape.

When released he was placed on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

As part of the terms of his release, Thackray is required to regularly register his address with police.

He is described as being about 6ft tall, of slim build, with blonde hair.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: "He has links to Sheffield and Derbyshire.

"Do you know where Thackray is staying? If you see Thackray, please do not approach him but instead call 999."

BBC Sport

Friday's Super League fixture between Huddersfield and Castleford has been cancelled after the Tigers revealed 12 positive Covid-19 tests.

Image source, Neil Theasby/Geograph

The Rugby Football League and Super League will liaise with Public Health England, Castleford and the Tigers' last opponents Leeds before the Multiple Case Group discusses the next steps.

Castleford's tests took place on Tuesday 27 October.

Super League and RFL will make another announcement "as soon as practicable".

The postponement follows the cancellation of Monday's match between Catalans and Warrington, which was called off because of a spike in Covid-19 cases at the French club.

Leeds, who beat Castleford on Monday night before Tigers were tested on Tuesday, are scheduled to play Wakefield Trinity on Thursday.

Further results of this week's testing programme at all clubs will be provided as soon as complete information is available.

Castleford have 12 points from 16 league games and are ninth in Super League, two points and two places below Huddersfield.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Doncaster has more people in hospital with Covid-19 than ever before - but nurses and doctors are better prepared to tackle it, the council’s health boss has said.

Image source, Google

Dr Rupert Suckling, director of public health at Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, said the rates were "doubling every 10 to 12 days" but the increase was "not getting any faster".

Transmission is said to be across the borough, with household visits still the main way the virus is spreading.

Across the Doncaster hospital trust, as of Tuesday 28 October, 199 people are in hospital with coronavirus and of those, 165 are being treated at Doncaster Royal Infirmary (DRI).

Dr Suckling said: “DRI has more people in hospital with Covid-19 than they did at their peak in April.

"It’s fair to say we now have widespread community transmission and it’s prevalent in all age groups.”

But Dr Suckling added: “What’s different this time is the doctors, nurses and other staff know what to expect and are much better at risk assessment and are starting people on oxygen treatment sooner than before.”

Four men have been arrested after a car later found to contain drugs and a knife passed a police safety camera van in North Yorkshire being driven at 110mph, police say.

Image source, PA Media

The Mercedes was stopped on the A64 near Tadcaster on Sunday afternoon and a search of the vehicle revealed a quantity of what is believed to be cannabis and a knife, officers say.

Four men, aged 19 to 39, from County Durham, were arrested in connection with drug dealing offences, including the driver who was also arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

One of the men was also arrested on suspicion of having a bladed weapon.

The men were released under investigation pending further inquiries, according to North Yorkshire Police.

Non-urgent surgery has been suspended at Airedale Hospital for two weeks, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

The hospital, near Keighley, is seeing "increased demand" which means its in-patient beds are at capacity, according to Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the site.

In a statement, the trust says, external: "We have taken the decision to postpone any elective surgery that needs an overnight stay.

"This comes into effect immediately, for the next two weeks. Urgent and emergency cases and cancer surgery will be carrying on as normal."

The trust adds: "Our day case activity will also continue for now, with our teams ensuring we're working on the basis of clinical priority.

"We know many people waiting for treatment will be disappointed or worried, and each speciality will be contacting anyone who is affected."

The decision to suspend non-urgent surgery was "not taken lightly", the trust says.

Three people have been arrested after a teenager was seriously injured in a stabbing in Sheffield last week.

Image source, Google

The 17-year-old victim was injured during an altercation in Winn Gardens at about 13:40 on Friday, police say.

He remains in hospital in a "critical but stable" condition, South Yorkshire Police added.

An 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old male have both been questioned on suspicion of attempted murder, while another 17-year-old male was detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

All three have been released on police bail.

Any witnesses to the incident are asked to get in touch with police.

Police are appealing for help in finding a man missing from Hull since Monday.

Image source, Humberside Police

Lee Battams, 32, was last seen in the east of the city at 14:00 on Monday and concerns are growing for his safety.

He is described as being about 5ft 11in tall, of medium build with light brown hair and was last seen wearing black shorts and a red football top.

Anyone who knows where Mr Battams is or who sees him is asked to contact police.

BBC Weather

It will be a cool and blustery day today with bright spells and occasional showers becoming more frequent this afternoon.

Tonight will continue blustery with showers, turning chilly under partly clear skies during the second half of the night:

Politicians in Kirklees are urging the government not to impose tier three - very high alert coronavirus restrictions - on the district.

Image source, PA Media

Areas on very high alert face extra curbs, with different households banned from mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens.

Pubs and bars are closed unless serving substantial meals and there is also guidance against travelling in and out of the area.

Kirklees Council's Outbreak Control Group - made up of council leaders and MPs - says the closure of pubs and bars would have "a devastating impact on our economy and people's livelihoods".

In a statement the group said: "We instead need to continue the work we are doing at a local level.

"We're already seeing positive results from this work, with Kirklees now having the lowest rates in West Yorkshire. We’re urging the government to give us more resources to build on this."

The group says it doesn't feel comfortable agreeing to Kirklees entering tier three "without any indication of how we get out of these restrictions and how long they will last."

High-flying Hull come from a goal behind to record a comfortable League One win at Bristol Rovers.

Health bosses say they are in talks with the government for the city to move to tier two.

The Yorkshire and England batsman's lots also include a scorebook from his cricketing debut aged 13.

A South Yorkshire nature reserve is the star attraction this evening as it plays host to the BBC's Autumnwatch crew.

Image source, Google

The Old Moor Nature Reserve between Barnsley and Rotherham will be home to the team who'll be looking for unusual species including Bitterns and Spoonbills, which thrive at the former mining site.

Emma Tuckey, senior site manager at RSPB Old Moor, says: "It’s so exciting for us to be hosting part of BBC Autumnwatch this year.

"We won’t just be showcasing Old Moor, but also on display will be our incredible network of nature reserves throughout the Dearne Valley.

"The valley is such a fantastic example of how wildlife can thrive in an area which has been heavily industrialised.”

As well as Gillian Burke broadcasting from the heart of South Yorkshire, the stories of this autumn will be told by a raft of presenters based across the whole country.

Viewers will join Chris Packham live from his New Forest patch, Michaela Strachan in the Tentsmuir Forest in Fife and Iolo Williams at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales.

The new series begins on BBC 2 at 20:00 this evening.

PA Media

Only essential operations are going ahead at hospitals in Leeds after the number of Covid-19 patients being treated rose to levels higher than in the first wave of the virus.

Image source, Google

In a statement, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust - which runs Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital - said: "Today we have 263 patients in our beds who have tested positive for Covid-19, including 22 in intensive care.

"This means we have more Covid-19 patients in our hospitals now than at the peak of the pandemic in mid-April.

"Over the next 48 hours, we expect the number of people in critical care to increase."

Some planned operations will be stood down which means some patients will have their treatment postponed, the trust added.

Chris Chilton, who has dementia and Alzheimer's, scored 222 goals for Hull City.

People in Sheffield are being told not to put their green bins out after collections were suspended because of Covid-19.

Image source, Sheffield City Council/Veolia

The coronavirus pandemic has meant staffing levels are lower than usual for refuse staff, according to Sheffield City Council.

This means garden waste collections have been stopped to allow contractor Veolia to continue collecting black, blue and brown bins, the authority adds.

Collections of garden waste were also suspended earlier this year at the height of the pandemic.

Gillian Charters, head of waste management, said: “The ongoing collection of waste is critical and we are doing everything we can to keep the service operating as fully as possible.

"However, due to the threat of coronavirus and impact on public health, the black bin and clinical waste collections will be prioritised to ensure essential services remain in operation, allowing us to keep Sheffield as clean and safe as possible."

Part of Hull Royal Infirmary has been temporarily closed after legionella bacteria was found in the hot water system, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

The 13th floor of the hospital is currently closed and hospital maintenance staff are working to resolve the issue.

No-one is ill but as a precaution paediatric patients have been temporarily moved to the Acorn Ward in the Women and Children’s Hospital.

In rare cases, the bacteria can cause lung infections if inhaled in large amounts.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

People in the borough of Scarborough are being asked for their views on how visitors can be attracted to the area as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Scarborough Council says it's updating its visitor economy strategy and destination plan, external in light of the coronavirus pandemic, which has had a devastating effect on this year’s holiday season.

The council says it is keen to build on existing traditional markets and at the same time look to attract additional aspirational and affluent visitors to the Yorkshire coast.

One of the key objectives of the strategy is to encourage tourists to stay longer and explore more of what the borough has to offer, it adds.

Other ideas include year-round festivals and events in order to mitigate drops in numbers out of season.

The new destination plan will cover the period from now until 2030, which will incorporate Scarborough’s 400th anniversary in 2026.

Councillor Liz Colling said: "The importance of the visitor economy to our borough can’t be overstated.

"Many of our residents have jobs connected to the tourist industry, so it’s vital our plans for growing this part of the economy are as good as they can be."

Former Sheffield Labour MP David Blunkett has said he doesn't understand why the government is refusing to extend free school meals for children in England over the half-term holiday.

The government extended free school meals to eligible children during the Easter holidays earlier this year and, after Marcus Rashford's campaigning, did the same for the summer holiday. But it has refused to do so again.

A petition created by the England striker calling for provision to continue in the holidays had gained more than 900,000 signatures by Monday evening.

You can hear more from this interview in the new Yorkshire politics podcast, Yorkshirecast, here.

Images of three men wanted over objects being thrown at cars in Castleford have been released by police.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Men threw missiles at passing traffic in The Square at about 21:30 on Monday 19 September, police say.

No damage was caused but many people reported it to police who are investigating it as a matter of public nuisance.