North Yorkshire Police said it had issued more than 70 fines over the weekend.

A total of 300 cannabis plants have been found at a flat in Hull which had been converted into a cannabis factory, police say.

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The power supply at the property in Newstead Street had also been tampered with and has now been made safe, according to Humberside Police.

No arrests have been made so far following the raid, police said.

A spokesperson for the Humberside force said: "Officers remain at the scene of the grow, where two rooms had been given over to the cultivation of the plants.

"We’re working to trace those responsible for the operation."

Anyone with information which could assist the investigation is being asked to call police.

Huddersfield Town sign Boreham Wood winger Sorba Thomas for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

A group of men broke lockdown travel rules and "put others at risk" after their car got stuck in floodwaters.

A woman has been fined fined for breaking the "essential travel" coronavirus lockdown rule and travelling from Lincolnshire to North Yorkshire to eat a burger with her sister, police say.

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Police in North Yorkshire say the woman, in her 30s, who hasn't been named, has been given a fixed penalty notice for the 100-mile journey to Scarborough.

Under current government rules, people are being asked to stay at home and only travel from their local area if it's essential.

Ch Insp Rachel Wood, from North Yorkshire Police, said: "Driving through three counties to get a burger is not classed as essential travel.

"Most people in North Yorkshire are trying really hard to stop the spread of Covid in our communities and protect the vulnerable," she added.

A hospital patient in Hull has become the first person to take part in a large-scale UK trial of a new treatment it's hoped will help stop Covid-19 sufferers from developing severe illness.

Alexandra Constantin (pictured), 34, was the first person to receive the treatment as part of the new trial after she was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary on Monday.

The treatment involves inhaling a protein called interferon beta which the body produces when it gets a viral infection.

The hope is it will stimulate the immune system, priming cells to be ready to fight off viruses.

Early findings suggested the treatment cut the odds of a Covid-19 patient in hospital developing severe disease by almost 80%.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was left seriously injured when she was hit by a car in Leeds.

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It happened at about 09:10 on Tuesday near the junction of the A6120 Ring Road and Whitkirk Lane, Austhorpe.

The collision involved a pedestrian and a black Ford Kuga, according to West Yorkshire Police.

The pedestrian was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and is believed to be in a critical but stable condition, officers say.

Anyone who saw the collision, or who has dash camera footage which will help the investigation, or who saw the movements of the pedestrian or the car immediately before the collision, is being asked to contact police.

Parts of North Yorkshire now have the highest Covid infection rates in Yorkshire, according to the latest figures.

Statistics show rates in York (670.4) and Selby (554) are double those in Barnsley (258.4) and Wakefield (295.1) per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, figures show that 8.6% of Covid-19 tests in the whole of Yorkshire up to 8 January were positive.

That number is below the second wave peak of 15.3% on 6 November.

The Yorkshire and Humber region is the only one in the country where current test positivity levels are below that November peak - and far below the first wave peak of 36% on 10 April.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A North Yorkshire hospital has postponed non-urgent surgery because increasing numbers of patients with Covid-19 are putting "a significant strain on services".

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Harrogate hospital said it was currently treating 46 patients with the virus, up from 19 on 5 January.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said stopping elective surgery would free staff to care for those patients.

Urgent cases and cancer care would not be affected, the trust added.

The number of patients with Covid-19 in the hospital is higher than during the first wave in April 2020, according to government figures.

A trust spokesperson said: "In response to rising numbers, we are increasing the number of beds available for patients with Covid-19 on wards and in critical care.

"In order to do this, we unfortunately have to postpone some planned elective surgery to free-up staff to provide care for Covid-19 patients."

The rate of infection in the Harrogate area has risen sharply since Christmas to 487 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 8 January - from 299 per 100,000 people in the week ending 1 January.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at the trust, urged people to follow the coronavirus restrictions and stay at home, but said people should still seek medical help and attend appointments.

Rising numbers of health professionals face "burnout" during the Covid-19 pandemic, GPs in Yorkshire have warned.

It comes as a Health and Social Care Select Committee is held to look at the pressure medical staff are under.

Doncaster GP Dr Karen Forshaw (pictured), said the workload would increase "exponentially" as more people were vaccinated and GP services began to return to normal.

Dr Katie Houston, a GP in Harrogate, said she had seen a "huge increase" in doctors struggling with anxiety.

The North Yorkshire medic, who appraises fellow GPs and works as a mentor to trainees, said this was a result of the mounting pressures in the NHS.

"Covid has had a huge impact and while it has brought some momentum for helpful change, it has been at pace and hard to process," she said.

Professor Jeremy Dawson, professor of health management at Sheffield University, spoke to MPs at the Select Committee on Tuesday,

He said: "The problem I see at the moment is that we are relying on the goodwill and the going the extra mile-and-a-half of the staff, which is simply unsustainable."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the UK is at the "worst point" of the pandemic, with the new variant of Covid-19 putting the NHS under "significant pressure".

Doncaster Rovers defender Andy Butler extends his contract until the end of the season.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Covid "deniers" are causing further grief and upset to tired front-line NHS staff, the chief executive of three hospitals has said.

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Martin Barkley, who runs the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said he believed the actions of those denying the existence of the virus online were “inexcusable”.

The trust, which runs Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield as well as hospitals in Pontefract and Dewsbury, is currently caring for 190 Covid patients, according to the latest figures available. That’s a rise of 50 from New Year’s Day.

Mr Barkley criticised people who refuse to acknowledge the harm of the virus and the human misery it’s caused, saying it was hurting fatigued and “anxious” staff.

Mr Barkley said: “It’s just inexplicable that there are Covid deniers who believe Covid is fiction and that it’s all just utter rubbush.

“The evidence is there for everyone to see, if they’d open their eyes to what’s going on and the impact it’s had on people’s lives.

“For people to deny its existence, let alone fail to follow the rules – our staff find it disrespectful and upsetting, considering they are putting their lives on the line every day.”

Mr Barkley emphasised that nurses had spent much of their time during the pandemic informing families that their loved ones had died, as well as having to orchestrate phone calls and virtual contact between sick patients and their relatives.

He added: “To be repeatedly having to break bad news has taken a huge toll.

“So for them to read some of the stuff they’ve been reading, I can only imagine what that’s like.”

The £2.5m scheme aims to reduce flooding and improve the habitat for wildlife around Fountains Abbey.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Hundreds of people in Sheffield could suffer from "long Covid", where symptoms last several months, according to city health bosses.

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Fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, cough, loss of smell and taste, sore throat, chest pain, dizziness, joint aches, stomach upset and rashes are among the prolonged symptoms.

It can also cause delirium, memory loss, anxiety and depression.

Public health officials say there could be between 300 and 600 people in Sheffield where Covid symptoms have lasted three months or more – and many people initially had a mild infection.

Eleanor Rutter, public health consultant at Sheffield Council, says in a report three quarters of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 have ongoing symptoms – mostly breathlessness and fatigue – three months after admission.

Stocksbridge councillor Fran Johnson, who has suffered with long Covid since catching the virus last March, says: "I did get better and thought I was coming out the other side, then it hit me again.

“It’s also been really hard on my mental health. I’ve been forced to live a completely different pace which has caused me quite a lot of anxiety.”

Rob England
BBC England Data Unit

Police forces in some parts of Yorkshire have given out up to eight times more pandemic-related fines than others, official figures show.

Officers in North Yorkshire issued nearly 1,484 fixed penalty notices between 27 March and 20 December, according to data from the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC).

West Yorkshire reported 1,061 fines issued, South Yorkshire 673 and Humberside 169.

The police have a legal duty to make sure the lockdown rules are enforced. But the government has faced calls for clarity on what defines a breach of restrictions after two women were incorrectly fined by officers in Derbyshire.

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Most of the fines issued across Yorkshire so far have been for breaking national lockdown restrictions and local restrictions under the tiered system, with North Yorkshire issuing 1,477.

West Yorkshire Police gave out the most fines for holding gatherings of more than 30 people - at 17 - while South Yorkshire gave out the most fines for breaking guidance on face coverings - with seven issued.

NPCC Chair, Martin Hewitt said enforcement of coronavirus regulations "shouldn't always equal police involvement" but those who "blatantly ignore" government guidance should expect a fine.

Pinderfields Hospital, which is treating 190 Covid patients, says freeing up beds is a priority.

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After a cold start and a few sunny spells, cloud and rain will develop with snow and sleet on higher ground.

Rain this evening may mix with sleet overnight as it turns colder:

An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with two incidents in which a gun was fired in Sheffield last week, police say.

In the first incident, shots were fired at a property on Castledale Croft on the Manor at about 20:00 on Wednesday 6 January.

A 42-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man who were inside the property suffered minor injuries, according to South Yorkshire Police.

In the second incident, which happened shortly afterwards, officers received reports of a gunshot on Prince Of Wales Road.

A 27-year-old man who was arrested on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the two incidents remains in custody, police say.

Lilly Aspell got the Wonder Woman 1984 part despite never acting before and does all her own stunts.

Hull City, Sunderland and Peterborough United are among seven sides to reach the quarter-finals of the Papa John's Trophy.