The annual Tour de Yorkshire, which it's been announced has been cancelled for the second year running, is usually of huge economic benefit to the county, race organisers have said.

Next year's event has been postponed until 2022 because of uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

This year's Tour de Yorkshire was also cancelled due to the nationwide lockdown during the first wave of the virus.

The event, which was launched in 2015 as a legacy of the 2014 Grand Depart in Yorkshire, sees millions of people lining the road to cheer on the world-renowned riders.

Organisers Welcome to Yorkshire have said the race is usually "of huge economic benefit to the county", with the 2018 event boosting the Yorkshire economy by almost £100m.

Welcome to Yorkshire said the 2019 edition of the race was watched by a record 28 million TV viewers in 190 countries.

Next year's planned Tour de Yorkshire cycle race won't now go ahead, organisers have just confirmed.

Image source, PA Media

This year's Tour, the sixth edition of the race which was scheduled to take place across the county from 30 April to 3 May, was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Welcome to Yorkshire, which organises the prestigious event, says the uncertainty surrounding the next few months has prompted the postponement of the 2021 event as well.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s chief executive James Mason said: “During these uncertain times, Welcome to Yorkshire needs to focus on the immediate needs of the industry without committing both financial and human resources towards any activity or event we cannot be certain of.

"While it is very disappointing that we will be bereft of this wonderful race for another year, the decision we have made is the right one and perhaps the only one we could make.

"The uncertainty in front of us meant it was impossible to plan or commit the resource that the race needs," he added.

The Tour de Yorkshire has been staged as a legacy event after the county hosted the Grand Depart for the Tour de France in 2014 and features a four-day men's race and two-day women's race.

Yorkshire fell silent this morning to remember those lost in conflict.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, many events did not take place or were scaled back.

However, people did gather to join in the two-minute silence at 11:00 to mark the moment World War One ended in 1918:

Work's continuing to deal with a freight train which came off the rails in Sheffield in the early hours of this morning.

The cement-carrying train derailed at low speed on track at the north side of Sheffield railway station after it passed through at about 02:45.

Several wagons of the 34-car train are off the rails and one has tipped on its side.

Many services have been cancelled or delayed as a result of the incident., external

Nobody was hurt in the derailment, Network Rail said, but there has been "significant" damage to signalling and points equipment.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has been made aware, it added.

A little earlier British Transport Police tweeted this dramatic picture, external clearly showing the problem:

Image source, British Transport Police

Leeds Minster has been given a "lifeline" grant of hundreds of thousands of pounds in a bid to help the landmark church through the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, Google

The Minster, in the heart of Leeds city centre, has been awarded a total of £326,237 from the government's Culture Recovery Fund.

The cash will be used to re-lay some roofing on the Grade I listed building, as well as addressing other long-term repair issues, staff say.

The Reverend Canon Sam Corley, Rector of Leeds, said the cash will "help solve a problem we have been burdened by for years".

He added: "The essential works to various roofs around the Minster will help make the building watertight and so ensure the city's heritage is preserved for generations to come."

The current building dates back to 1841, but the site has been used for Christian worship for more than 1,000 years.

Tom Ingall
Journalist, BBC Look North

What a mess. This derailment happened at very low speed but still the train of cement wagons has caused significant damage to the tracks at the north end of Sheffield station.

Several wagons of the train are off the rails, one has tipped on its side.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch are at the site now.

Two of Sheffield’s eight platforms are open so some passengers services running south can still operate - but there will be significant delays for some time.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Trials to close some streets in Leeds to private cars are due to begin this week, in an effort to deter "rat-running" on residential roads.

Image source, LDRS

Leeds City Council has dubbed the scheme “active travel neighbourhoods”, and says it hopes the low-traffic roads in Hyde Park and Chapeltown will make the areas more child, pedestrian and cycle-friendly.

The work, which will soon see another scheme starting in Beeston, will last for a minimum of six months, during which the council says it will “closely consult, monitor and evaluate their impact”.

Leeds City Council says the measures will still allow residents, businesses, deliveries and emergency vehicles, but would be enclosed to restrict through traffic.

Car traffic will instead be directed to the surrounding distributor roads along the shortest possible route.

Road layouts are changed using planters and signs – the council’s parks and countryside team will install up to 120 planters across 60 locations.

Lisa Mulherin, the council’s executive member for transport, said: "These are trial schemes and we will be listening closely to local residents and their experiences, the positives and the negatives, while they are in place.

"We will be monitoring the effects carefully and listening to residents' feedback to determine the next steps for these schemes."

Underwater searches have resumed in York this morning to find a woman who fell from Lendal Bridge into the River Ouse, just after noon on Friday, 30 October.

Image source, Google

The missing woman is thought to be from the city and aged in her early 20s, say police.

Officers are trying to confirm the woman’s movement prior to the incident and to confirm her identity.

The woman is described as white with purple or red hair.

She was wearing a black coat with a buckle across the middle, black skinny jeans, black boots with red or purple socks pulled over the top of the ankle boots, according to North Yorkshire Police.

She is also thought to have been carrying white A4-sized papers.

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the police.

An East Riding of Yorkshire GP says dealing with the expected roll out of a Covid-19 vaccine will put huge pressures on their surgeries.

Image source, David Cheskin/PA Media

A mass rollout of a vaccine could happen as early as next month if approved, with the NHS being told to prepare.

Beverley GP Dr Zoe Norris says they'll be expected to administer about a dozen vaccines every hour.

She said: "This is a major, major vaccination campaign, and this is something that we are going to be trying to do on top of the work we're normally doing anyway

"So potentially this will affect how we are able to be there for our patients.

"So at the minute there's a lot of unknowns, a lot of anxiety about the logistics and the practical side, but obliviously we want to see our patients looked after."

People are working "around the clock" to reopen Sheffield railway station after a train derailed there this morning.

The cement-carrying train derailed at low speed on track at the north side of the station after it passed through at about 02:45.

The "complex" job is expected to take hours, with many services being cancelled or delayed with the train blocking the line.

Matt Rice, route director for Network Rail’s North and East Route, said: “We’re really sorry about the huge amount of disruption that will be caused to passengers today.

“Thankfully, train derailments are very rare, but when they do happen we have to act with utmost caution to protect the safety of everyone using the railway.

“We will have our people working around the clock to get the station fully reopened as quickly as possible, but it’s going to be a complex problem that won’t be resolved immediately.”

A small amount of rail services are running at Sheffield station after a train carrying cement derailed this morning, Network Rail says.

Image source, Network Rail

The 34-car train was travelling from Hope, Derbyshire to West Yorkshire when it derailed at low speed on the north side of Sheffield station at about 02:45 today.

Passengers are being warned to expect major disruption to services today with much of the station being closed.

Three platforms have been reopened with some services being able to run, but most are subject to delays or cancellations.

Nobody was hurt in the derailment, Network Rail said, but there has been "significant" damage to signalling and points equipment.

The Rail Accident Investigation Bureau has been made aware, it added.

An inquest is continuing today into the death of a North Yorkshire schoolgirl who collapsed after taking illegal drugs.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Leah Heyes, 15, died in hospital after collapsing in the Applegarth car park in Northallerton in May 2019.

The opening of the inquest heard she died after taking the class A drug MDMA.

Two men have pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court to supplying the class A drug and are awaiting sentence.

The inquest into Leah's death is expected to conclude today.

Parts of Hull are set to benefit from a new array of solar panels after work on the "UK's largest" rooftop scheme was completed.

Image source, Associated British Ports

The 21,000 panels are on rooftops at the Port of Hull and can produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of almost 1,500 homes.

They'll be used to help bolster Associated British Ports' (ABP) renewable energy commitment, providing clean power and cutting CO2 emissions for the port.

The port said the panels make it the UK’s largest, commercial rooftop array.

Simon Bird, director at ABP Humber, said: “Our ambition is to keep reducing the emissions that port operations generate, by implementing a mix of clean energy production, and investing further in hybridised port equipment."

A giant poppy is being projected onto one of the cooling towers at the landmark Drax power station near Selby as Armistice Day is marked across the country.

Image source, Drax

Armistice Day marks the day World War One ended in 1918.

It's hoped the projection on one of the power plant's 114m-high towers will be visible for miles around, according to Drax Group which runs the site.

Bruce Heppenstall, plant director at Drax, said: “By projecting the symbol of remembrance onto one of our cooling towers, we show armed forces personnel throughout the generations the gratitude we feel for sacrifices they’ve made."

An outdoor projection unit will be used to display the image according to Drax Group.

At 11:00 a two-minute silence will be held across the UK to commemorate those who died in conflict.

A man seen committing a "lewd act" behind a tree near Doncaster is being hunted by police.

Image source, Google

Officers say two women jogging along the Trans Pennine Trail, between Warmsworth and Hexthorpe, spotted a man behind a tree committing the act at about 14:50 on Thursday, 5 November."

When the man saw the women he fled in the direction of Hexthorpe.

The man is described as stocky and about about 5ft 10in.

He was wearing jeans and a colourful hoodie which was blue, yellow, red and green.

Police say they are are especially keen to speak to a cyclist who warned the women of a man acting suspiciously.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact South Yorkshire Police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Drivers are being warned to take care during journeys in winter after a Scarborough bridge was badly damaged in a recent hit-and-run crash.

Image source, LDRS

Essential repairs will now have to be carried out on Scalby Bridge in Hackness Road in Scarborough after what has been called a "devastating bridge strike".

North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team will now repair the 9m (30ft) gap in the parapet wall caused by the crash.

The driver who caused the damage has not been traced, the council says.

The bridge is currently closed to drivers and pedestrians, with work expected to be completed by Christmas.

Image source, LDRS

Councillor Don Mackenzie said: "Unfortunately, vehicle strikes on our bridges, many of which are listed structures, are becoming more frequent.

"During winter, the dark nights and icy roads require drivers to be extra vigilant. Please reduce your speed when approaching and be courteous to oncoming drivers also wanting to pass.

"If those who caused the damage don’t come forward or we are unable to trace them, the cost of repairs comes from the taxpayer and could impact on the county council’s ability to deliver other essential services."

BBC Weather

A dry, cloudy day, with a fresh southerly wind. Staying mild for November.

Heavy rain this evening should clear by morning to leave dry conditions and moderate winds:

There's "major disruption" on the trains across the north of England after a freight train came off the rails near Sheffield in the early hours of this morning.

Image source, @gavasmith69

No one was injured in the incident north of Sheffield railway station, according to British Transport Police (BTP).

National Rail say trains are unable to run through Sheffield. Trains will be cancelled or diverted via an alternative route.

Image source, @gavasmith69

The incident is expected to disrupt services on:

• East Midlands Trains between London St Pancras International and Sheffield / Leeds
• Northern, between Scarborough / Hull / Manchester Piccadilly / Huddersfield / Lincoln Central / Barnsley and Sheffield
• TransPennine Express, between Cleethorpes and Sheffield

You can find full details of services affected by clicking this link., external

Disruption is expected until at least the end of today, say National Rail.

BTP says it, external is "investigating the circumstances of the incident."

A cat was killed in Rotherham after it had a firework strapped to it and lit, says the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

They received the Rotherham report on 2 November but on Bonfire Night were made aware of an incident in Bradford where fireworks were attached to kittens, then lit.

The animal welfare charity said it received 82 calls related to animals and fireworks between 26 October and 9 November.

RSPCA animal welfare expert Dr Mark Kennedy said: “Shockingly, we seem to be seeing more incidents reported to our inspectors of animals being deliberately targeted and injured using fireworks.

"Enough is enough; we need tighter controls over the sale and use of these potentially lethal explosives.”

Jabulane Abraham Ngcobo had a "long-standing bitterness" towards Kabelo Sam Mokoena, a court hears.