PA Media

A pet ferret has made a "miraculous" recovery after going through a full cycle in his owners' washing machine in Leeds.

Image source, Vets4Pets/PA Wire

Two-year-old Bandit was given a 1% chance of survival after he sneaked into Josh Crosse and Jackie Redfern's machine at their home in Halton and underwent a 100-minute wash.

After his somewhat thorough clean, he was taken by his owners for an examination by a vet and was given emergency treatment.

Vet David Massey, from Vets4Pets in Colton, said Bandit was "in a pretty bad way" when he arrived at the surgery.

"The team here got to work quickly to try and save his life. His owners' quick-thinking upon realising the situation also helped ensure we could prevent a tragedy.

"Amazingly, within four hours of being admitted he took a few gentle steps, which is when we started to become confident that he would make a good, and miraculous, recovery."

Bandit suffered a collapsed lung and bruising in the incident, but has since made a full recovery.

Image source, Vets4Pets/PA Wire

Ms Redfern said: "We had a call to say Bandit was responding positively to treatment, but that he would need to be kept in overnight at the nearest vet hospital.

"His brother, Mikey, had been quiet for two days but, as soon as Bandit was back, he immediately perked up and seemed to want to take care of his sibling and was constantly by his side."

Mr Massey warned: "While this situation is thankfully extremely rare, washing machines and tumble dryers can often be a place our furry friends can seek out, particularly during colder weather when they might be looking for a cosy place to curl up."

This year's Sheffield's Half Marathon, which was due to take place in March, has now been postponed until September due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have confirmed.

The race was also cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

In an email to participants, the Run For All team said the decision "won't come as a surprise to many".

It added: "It's with disappointment we have to confirm the Sheffield Half Marathon, scheduled for 28 March, has been postponed due to Covid-19.

"We hope to host the race later this year on Sunday 26 September, which is due to be the weekend of the Sheffield 10K.

"It isn’t the start to the year anyone had hoped for, but we will be back - and together we will bring the streets of Sheffield alive again with a festival atmosphere."

Organisers say they will monitor the situation and the vaccine rollout to ensure events can take place later this year.

The race team has told participants that entries will automatically be transferred to the new event date in September.

Runners will be contacted by email two months prior to the event to confirm the event will be going ahead as planned, they add.

Police in West Yorkshire have taken to social media to express despair over the reasons some people gave for dialing the emergency 999 number overnight.

Officers said the early hours of this morning saw one man decide a bank machine snaffling his bank card and messing up his chance of a takeaway was an emergency.

An hour later insomnia due to persistent rain was the reason given for a call to emergency services.

Officers perplexed by the calls said "What are police meant to do?"

Thieves have broken into a mosque in West Yorkshire and taken cash from a safe, police say.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Burglars broke into the mosque on Eagle Street in Todmorden between 23:00 on Friday 22 January and 00:30 Saturday 23 January, according to West Yorkshire Police.

A black or dark coloured three-door hatchback was seen in the area at the time of the offence, police said.

The car was then seen travelling along Stansfield Road, White Platts Street and Joshua Street, officers added.

Insp Ben Doughty said: "I'm appealing to anyone who saw anything suspicious on Eagle Street or a dark coloured vehicle on the night of Friday 22 January to get in touch."

A 70-year-old man's had his electric bicycle stolen after being pushed off it by the passenger of a passing car near Rotherham, police say.

Image source, Google

The man was cycling along Laughton Common Road in the direction of Thurcroft just before 09:00 yesterday, when the passenger of a blue Ford Fiesta leaned out of the car and pushed him off his electric bike, according to South Yorkshire Police.

While he lay on the floor unable to move, the passenger got out of the vehicle, and stole the bike, police added.

DI Nina Jackson, said: “This was a particularly nasty assault in which an elderly man was pursued and targeted.

"He was left incredibly shaken and his helmet was cracked, which suggests he was pushed with severe force."

Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who saw a 54 plate Ford Fiesta in the Thurcroft / Laughton area at the time, is asked to contact police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Scarborough Rugby Club is to be used as a new coronavirus vaccination site, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

Amanda Bloor, from NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group said the move would "allow Filey Surgery and other sites in Scarborough at GP surgeries to become more effective and more efficient at getting more people through".

She added: “I appreciate for some people it may not be as accessible as the GP sites might have been, however, in terms of getting through the number of vaccines required, it is a better site."

It's hoped the site will begin administering its first jabs this weekend.

Speaking at a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, Mrs Bloor also revealed that 126,163 Covid-19 vaccines have so far been given in North Yorkshire and York since December.

Police are appealing for information to help find a 14-year-old boy missing from Bingley since Saturday.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Van An Nugyen was last seen in the town at 16:15 on Saturday, according to West Yorkshire Police.

He is described as 5ft 2ins tall and of medium build.

When last seen he was wearing a dark zip-up hooded top and dark tracksuit bottoms.

Anyone who sees him is asked to call police.

BBC Weather

Heavy rain and hill snow this morning should ease this afternoon.

Another spell of rain will return in the evening, often heavy, becoming patchy in the early hours:

Four flood warnings, external - meaning immediate action should be taken as flooding is expected - remain in place in Yorkshire following last week's heavy rain.

Image source, Environment Agency

The warnings include the River Derwent at Old Malton, external and Mill Beck at Welham Road, Norton.

There are also eight flood alerts - meaning flooding is possible, be prepared - in place on Yorkshire's rivers.

These include:

• Earby Beck and Glusburn Beck, external
• Lower River Derwent, external
• River Spen and Batley Beck catchments, external
• Upper River Calder catchment, external
• Upper River Derwent, external
• Upper River Irwell catchment with Oldham, Bolton, Rochdale, Haslingden, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall, external
• Upper River Ure, external
• Wyke Beck, Meanwood Beck and Wortley Beck catchments, external

The Environment Agency said: "Further rainfall is expected from the early hours of Thursday morning and through the day to Friday morning.

"Local river levels may rise again in response in the coming days. We are closely monitoring the situation."

Bradford City sign striker Andy Cook from fellow League Two side Mansfield Town on loan until the end of the season.

Doncaster re-sign winger Josh Sims on loan from Premier League side Southampton until the end of the season.

Pawel Relowicz denies causing the death of Libby Squire and says the pair had consensual sex.

A TV presenter has welcomed the decision to block the expansion of a bottled water plant over a community-planted wood in North Yorkshire.

Image source, Pinewoods Conservation Group

Harrogate Spring Water wanted to extend its factory in the town across Rotary Wood, a site planted by children 15 years ago.

More than 400 objections were received.

Ex-Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury congratulated campaigners, saying "the trees won" after councillors voted to reject the proposal.

The firm, majority-owned by the French company Danone, had outline planning permission to expand but was denied by planning committee councillors on Friday.

Council planners had recommended approval as economic benefits outweighed the loss of an "asset of community value" and new woodland would have been planted.

The firm made "a significant contribution to the local economy" and expansion could have led to 87 new jobs, they added.

Bradbury, a countryside broadcaster and campaigner, said: "Well done guys. I know you've been highlighting this for a long time and I was a bit of a late arrival, but the trees won."

Councillor Pat Marsh, who opposed the proposals, said the authority was putting "profit and plastic before impact on the environment. Not on my watch".

Rob Pickering, representing Harrogate Spring Water, said: "We do everything we can to be part of the community.

"We have always had an approach to our community and the environment we consider is hugely important to us."

The two most senior figures in the Church of England have written an open letter to the nation asking people to "reflect on the enormity" of the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, PA Media

The archbishops' call comes after the number of people in the UK who've died with coronavirus passed 100,000.

The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (pictured above) and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, asked people, regardless of whether they had faith or not, to join in a "prayer for the nation" at 18:00 every day from 1 February.

They said the death statistics were were not "just an abstract figure", saying: "Each number is a person - someone we loved and someone who loved us."

The archbishops acknowledged the challenges of lockdown measures, including isolation and mental health struggles, with many losing their livelihoods.

"The necessary restrictions we live with have also prevented us from being alongside loved ones as they died, or even at their graveside. All grief profoundly affects us, but this pandemic grief is so hard," they said.

However, they urged people to follow government guidelines - and to take the vaccine "as soon as it is offered to you".

People who have recovered from coronavirus are being asked to donate their plasma in South Yorkshire to help save lives.

Image source, Kirsty O'Connor/PA Media

The plasma can then be given to poorly patients who need help fighting the virus.

Plasma contains antibodies which are created by the body after fighting an infection like Covid-19.

Following a record number of infections since Christmas, more people than ever are thought to have the antibodies.

So far, 3,500 people from Barnsley have volunteered to donate their plasma to the NHS.

More people are being asked to come forward to help with new trials to help treat older people who have coronavirus.

This was the moment an amateur photographer was surprised by an otter swimming in the River Ouse in North Yorkshire.

Image source, Christopher Martin

Christopher Martin spotted the animal at Acaster Malbis, near Naburn, on Tuesday.

He said: "This beautiful otter came to visit us [on the] River Ouse - what a great surprise."

Otters have been spotted in rivers near York before, with some being seen in the River Foss, external.

Plans for a "transformational" multi-billion pound mass transit system for West Yorkshire have been announced.

Image source, WYCA

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) said the scheme could see nine routes built in stages across the county over 20 years.

The project will rely on securing central funds, with a business case due to be submitted to government in 2022.

Previously, Leeds was set to get a trolley bus network and a supertram but both plans were subsequently scrapped.

In a report, external, the WYCA said the options being considered are light-rail, tram-train and prioritised routes for electric buses.

An exact price tag for the scheme has not been revealed, but the WYCA said it would be bidding for a share of a £4.2bn devolved transport fund announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last March.

Judith Blake, Leeds City Council leader, said: "The people of West Yorkshire deserve a transport system that fills them with pride, with optimism and above all with the confidence our region has a clear direction of travel towards a future that brings prosperity for all."

Kim Groves, chair of the WYCA transport committee, said the scheme would "represent a bold investment - a transformational transport system that will benefit many generations to come".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

People in Scarborough have been warned to remain vigilant as Covid-19 hospital admissions rise during the vaccine rollout.

The borough has the lowest infection rate in North Yorkshire, but the number of patients in Scarborough Hospital increased by more than 20% in the last seven days.

A total of 52 people are now in the hospital, up nine from last week.

Across the county, 504 people are now in hospital with Covid-19, more than 200 above the peak of the first wave in April.

The increase comes as the Scarborough borough’s seven-day infection rate per 100,000 drops to 113, its lowest level since January and below the national average of 369.

Amanda Bloor, from NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a meeting of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum that people had to continue to play their part to save lives.

She said: "We have now got over 500 patients in North Yorkshire and York hospitals with Covid. That’s the highest number we have ever had.

"The significance of that number should reinforce and push home the message around how important it is to comply with the guidance, to protect people we know and live with in our communities."

The Bishop of Sheffield has defended his decision to get involved with the debate about plastic pollution.

Image source, Diocese of Sheffield

In a letter to Boris Johnson, a group of business figures, environmental campaigners and clerics, including the Right Reverend Dr Pete Wilcox, have joined forces to urge the prime minister to set legally binding targets to cut plastic pollution.

The letter says that while government initiatives - such as the ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds – have had positive impacts, a more over-arching approach is needed to deal with the problem.

Dr Wilcox said: "I've been very committed to the challenge of climate emergency."

He added: "It was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the wonderful Archbishop of Capetown in South Africa, who once said, 'When people say Bishops should stay out of politics, I have to wonder which bible they're reading.'

"Christian faith has clear political content to it and care for the environment is definitely a Christian political agenda I would say."

A man's been found dead in a Hull street, police have said.

Image source, Google

Emergency services were called to Rosemead Street at about 04:50, according to Humberside Police.

The man has not been identified and his death is currently being treated as "unexplained", police said.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Our officers are currently in Rosemead Street, Hull, where a man was sadly found dead in the street in the early hours of this morning.

"Officers will remain in the area today, both as part of the ongoing investigation and to provide reassurance."

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to get in touch with Humberside Police.