A dog which only understood German commands has spent three months retuning its ears to the sounds of English after being abandoned in West Yorkshire.

Image source, RSPCA

One-year-old Hector, an American bulldog, was abandoned at the gates of Wakefield's RSPCA centre on 1 August.

CCTV showed a car with foreign number plates pull up, before a driver got out with Hector and tied him up, according to the animal welfare charity.

Lucynda Hodgson, animal care manager at the centre, said: “Staff assessed him and found he had burns, thought to have been caused by a cigarette, all over his body.

“He wasn’t responding to English commands so, given the foreign plates on the car, we decided to try some different languages and found he was well-trained and knew several commands - in German.

“We started to introduce him to English words and he picked them up really quickly," she added.

Staff at the centre say Hector now needs a "calm, quiet, non-smoking home" in which to practise his new language skills.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Mental health services in Leeds will target social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram in an attempt to reach younger people suffering from mental health problems over Christmas and the New Year, it's been revealed.

Image source, PA Media

The move follows a decrease in the number of child and adolescent mental health referrals since the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown earlier this year.

Jess Evans, from the NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group, told Leeds City Council’s child scrutiny board the decrease was partly due to individuals’ unwillingness to visit doctors’ surgeries during the first national lockdown.

She said: “The impact of Covid on children and young people’s mental heath has been significant.

“We know the barriers faced by certain young people in certain communities and how we need to tailor and address the support.

“We are planning a big campaign over social media to take place over the Christmas holidays and over the new year.

"We'll be branching out into the use of things like TikTok and Instagram, because that is where the young people have told us is a good place to reach lots of young people.”

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Staff at NHS sites in East Yorkshire are sometimes facing abuse when they ask people to comply with coronavirus rules, a hospitals trust has said.

Image source, Getty Images

Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust says its staff are being verbally abused by some members of the public over adhering to coronavirus regulations.

The most recent incident was at the Queen's Centre in Hull, where NHS staff care for those with cancer, the trust says.

It adds it will not tolerate staff being abused, adding that it's "sad" to see key workers being targeted.

A man wanted by police "hid under floorboards" to avoid arrest in Sheffield.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

The officers, from Sheffield South East Neighbourhood Policing team, went to arrest the man this morning on suspicion of a number of burglaries.

However, after not being able to find him inside the property, the enterprising officers used a camera to find him "hiding" under the floorboards.

The floorboards were then removed to release the wanted man.

One person was arrested, police added.

Image source, South Yorkshire Police

Bradford has the joint-worst NHS Test and Trace contact rate, but a local scheme claims success.

Hull's famous Three Ships mural has been vandalised.

The mosaic, which is on the side of the former BHS building in the city, now has purple graffiti at the top of it.

The mural depicts Hull's fishing heritage and was granted Grade II-listed status last year.

The council says it's working to remove the paint from the mural.

The authority says it's also making sure the building is secure to stop further vandalism.

The family of a 15-year-old girl missing from her home in York for five days are growing "increasingly concerned" for her welfare, say police.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Chloe Anne Johnson was last seen by her family on Monday 23 November when she travelled with a friend to London by train.

It's believed the pair returned back to York on Tuesday at about 14:00. Chloe was last seen by her friend at Nether Poppleton on the outskirts of York at 15:00 the same day.

But officers say Chloe didn't return to her home in York's Dringhouses area and hasn't been seen by her family since.

Chloe is described as white, 5ft 1in tall with a slim build.

When last seen she was wearing black sports leggings, a waist-length black bomber jacket, and black Dolly/ballet-style flat shoes.

Anyone who sees her is asked to call police.

The body of a Doncaster man who was reported missing earlier this month has been found, police say:

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People in South Yorkshire are being warned to watch out for scams and fraudsters as online retailers cut their prices today for "Black Friday".

Image source, PA Media

Not every website selling items is legitimate and potential buyers are being urged to be cautious when shopping online to avoid getting scammed, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Dannielle Lee, the force's cyber-protection officer, said: "The latest figures from Action Fraud show UK shoppers were conned out of almost £13.5m last year, an increase of more than 20% on the year before.

"Action Fraud has also revealed they've seen a 30% surge in online shopping fraud over the pandemic as many of us have switched to online shopping in light of Covid-19 restrictions."

Checking reviews of websites to ensure they're legitimate, using a credit card and being wary of suspicious emails and texts can help you avoid losing money to scammers, Ms Lee added.

Black Friday originated in America and is the day after Thanksgiving when US retailers start their Christmas sales.

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Two North Yorkshire Police constables who designed a hijab to be part of the force's uniform have celebrated making it a reality.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

The force called the move an "important change" and highlighted the need to represent the communities its officers serve.

PC Uzma Amireddy, who designed the headscarf with PC Arfan Rahouf, became the first officer in the force to wear a hijab while on duty in 2019.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Writing on social media, external, she said: "Finally it is part of a uniform".

Other forces such as the Metropolitan Police in London and Police Scotland offer the option of a uniform hijab.

Earlier in November, New Zealand Police introduced a hijab into their official uniform to encourage more Muslim women to join.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The case will be made for Leeds to move down from the very highest tier of coronavirus restrictions in the middle of December, according to the leader of the city council.

Image source, Google

The government announced yesterday that Leeds and the rest of West Yorkshire will be under tier three "very high alert" restrictions from Wednesday 2 December.

Tier three restrictions will mean people living in Leeds will not be allowed to meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody they do not live with, or who is not in their support "bubble".

But council leader Judith Blake says in mid-December the government will look again at which tiers individual local authorities should be placed in.

Image source, Reuters/Molly Darlington

Councillor Blake says there are a “basket of indicators” which needed to be met for the government to agree to move Leeds to lower tier two restrictions.

She adds: "We want to work with all of our communities, all of our partners, getting across the different messages and using every tool available, making sure we attack the infection levels at every single level."

An online market place has been launched in South Yorkshire which its founders say will rival Amazon and help support Sheffield's independent businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Shop by This Is Sheffield has been set up to encourage people to buy from local sellers, with many of them being forced to close temporarily by the coronavirus lockdown.

The site allows people to browse independent and small retailers, from clothing and toys to handmade jewellery and prints.

Amelia Selby, co-founder of This Is Sheffield, said they decided to launch the site to help shops trade online.

She said: “We’re so lucky to have such a plethora of local independent businesses here in Sheffield. It was really sad to see most of them forced to close right before Christmas.

“Not only will The Shop provide a boost to businesses in the run-up to the festive season, it will also give people a convenient and easy way to shop locally, ensuring their pounds stay in the city."

Refuse workers in Doncaster have voted to hold a series of one-day strikes over Christmas and New Year.

Image source, Aaron Chown/PA

The Unite union claims it is as a result of "constant bullying and harassment of the workforce" by the council's contractor, Suez.

Members are due to strike on 15 December, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and 4 January if the dispute is not resolved, according to Unite.

The union said the dispute had worsened after lead representative Damien Nota was dismissed "on trumped up charges" relating to bosses at the firm "furtively trawling historic CCTV footage to build disciplinary cases against members".

Regional officer Shane Sweeting said: "Unite believes with the intervention of the council, the reinstatement of Mr Nota and cast-iron commitments the bullying culture will immediately end, this dispute could still be resolved."

A spokesperson for Suez said: "We have been in constant discussions with employees and union representatives to avoid strike action and are disappointed with the result of the ballot."

Doncaster Council declined to comment.

People in Hull have been giving their reaction to the news the city will be going into tier three coronavirus restrictions from next week

The number of Covid-19 infections in Hull has been falling of late, but with a rate of 460 infections per 100,000 in the week to 22 November, it's still one of the highest in the country.

Following yesterday's government announcement, Hull will join much of Yorkshire in "very high alert" restrictions from next Wednesday.

Hull nightclub manager Tom Thorpe (pictured below) says he and his staff will have to look at how they can adapt again.

Mr Thorpe says they've already changed how the club operates twice after rules in March stated nightclubs were not allowed to open.

He says being in tier two rather than tier three is "the difference between it being very bad and being catastrophic".

He adds: "We'd overcome quite a lot to come to this point. We were operating as a nightclub in March, we operated as a bar from July, and we were ready to take a bit of a plunge and operate as a restaurant from December...Devastating really."

Window cleaner Paul Storey (above) says he has also seen his business take a hit, as well as being hit by coronavirus himself.

He says: "I've had three weeks in bed with the virus. It affects everyone different. I got the Full Monty. I got a good backside-kicking.

"I've lost about 25% to 30% of my business. It is what it is, and we've got to deal with it."

Meanwhile, Hull head teacher Jo Leighton (above) says it's not a surprise the city has been placed into tier three.

She says: "That's probably necessary to keep our rates coming down because the most important thing is that the rates fall away and everybody is safe."

Police officers are appealing for information after a woman was raped in a park in Sheffield.

Image source, Google

The 21-year-old victim was attacked by a group of four males in High Hazels Park at about 18:00 on Monday, South Yorkshire Police say.

Two of the men police are searching for in connection with the attack are described as eastern European, aged between 18 and 20.

The other two men are described by police as Asian, one aged about 18 and another young man whose age is not known.

Extra officers are patrolling the area, South Yorkshire Police added.

More coronavirus local testing sites are to open in North Yorkshire from tomorrow, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Reuters

New sites will open in Northallerton and Selby this weekend, to be followed "shortly" by another in Skipton, according to North Yorkshire's Local Resilience Forum.

The additional sites join existing ones in Harrogate and Scarborough.

The Northallerton testing site will open on Sunday outside The Forum on Bullamoor Road. The Selby site will open tomorrow in Portholme Crescent car park.

Officials say the extra test centres are indoors and allow walk-in appointments. People don't need to arrive in a vehicle, unlike drive-through mobile testing units where testing is inside a vehicle.

Richard Flinton, chair of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, said: “The new local testing sites allow those without a vehicle to be tested quickly, giving them more choice and being more accessible to all residents.

“With the onset of winter, the indoor sites also offer staff a warm, dry place in which to carry out tests.”

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