Council tax in Doncaster is set to rise by 2.9% after senior councillors approved an increase.

Image source, Google

The rise, comprising a 1.4% council tax increase and a further 1.5% increase to the adult social care precept, will come into effect from April.

Cabinet members met on Tuesday to approve the rise, which according to council papers, external will raise an additional £3.4m.

Mayor Ros Jones said the proposed budget would "support residents and the local economy while maintaining a strong focus on supporting vulnerable people and improving the environment".

Police are appealing for witnesses after three people, including a young child, were injured in a crash in North Yorkshire last week.

It happened at about 17:00 on Friday 12 February on the A63 near Osgodby, Selby, and involved a black Mazda 6 and a white Jaguar XE, police say.

The male driver of the Mazda and the female driver of the Jaguar both suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital along with a child passenger from the Jaguar.

Anyone who saw what happened or who saw either vehicle driving along the A63 before the collision is being asked to contact North Yorkshire Police.

Police say the journey was "not essential" and put people at "real risk".

A member of a bank's anti-fraud team has been jailed for selling customers' details in a £90,000 scam.

Image source, Northumbria Police

Bilal Abbas, who worked for Santander, helped conmen buy luxury goods using stolen account details.

The transactions would be flagged as fraudulent and cancelled several days later leaving businesses "out of pocket", Northumbria Police said.

Abbas, from Keighley, and two other men (pictured above) were jailed for at least two years at Newcastle Crown Court for their part in the scam.

The court heard the bank employee used his position to secure the card details of customers while verifying their accounts.

He then sold that information to Umair Memon, 28, from Shipley, who used it to purchase high value goods by telephone under a fake name.

Jordan Hamilton-Thomas, 32, from Leeds, would then attend the stores in person, posing as Memon's son to collect the goods.

The court heard the men used the details of 21 customers to target 13 different businesses across England between October 2017 and December 2018.

BBC reporter Cathy Killick lost both of her parents to Covid-19 within six weeks.

Her father died on 2 December and her mother on 12 January.

Here is her story:

A woman was sexually assaulted by two men in Sheffield in the early hours of this morning, police say.

Image source, Google

Officers were called to the Jordanthorpe area at 02:30 after reports a woman in her 20s had been sexually assaulted.

It's believed the victim was walking along Lingfoot Crescent when two men got out of a vehicle and approached her, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Following the incident the suspects are thought to have run back to their vehicle and left the scene, police said.

An investigation into the attack has begun and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Two people were fined twice in a matter of hours for breaking lockdown rules after being caught at two separate parties in Scarborough, police say.

Image source, Pritti Mistry

The duo were first caught at about 22:00 on Saturday before police later found them just before 01:00. at another gathering four miles away.

Supt Mike Walker said it showed some people “did not care” they were breaking the rules.

He also said that despite 11 people being fined for travelling from Manchester to Whitby last week to visit the abbey four more people had made the same 240-mile round trip to “look at the sea”.

He added: “For the reckless minority who think the regulations don't apply to them we'll continue to target those blatant breaches.”

In total 186 penalty notices have been issued in the last seven days, 64 in the Scarborough borough and 55 in York.

An MP whose father was killed by a single punch is seeking "fairer justice" for victims and families.

Image source, Conservative Party

Dehenna Davison, MP for Bishop Auckland, said she had felt a "burning sense of injustice" at the "lenient" sentence given to her father's killer.

She was 13 when her 35-year-old father Dominic was killed outside a Sheffield pub in 2007.

Ms Davison has launched an all party parliamentary group to look at sentencing of single-punch assaults.

Kevin Blackburn, 71, is jailed for 13 years after admitting raping a girl under the age of 13.

York City's first game at their new 8,000 seat stadium ended in defeat as the Minstermen lost 3-1 to AFC Fylde.

Image source, BBC/David Ward

The match, played behind closed doors, was the first to take place at the ground since it opened last December.

Alex Whitmore opened the scoring for Fylde just before half-time before Nick Haughton added a second on 57 minutes. Sean Newton pulled one back for York from the penalty spot before Haughton grabbed his second to kill the game off.

York City manager Steve Watson said: "Being in the new stadium is fantastic, being on the new pitch is fantastic, but we'll only enjoy the night if we come away with three points.

"This is going to be a great place for us, we've got a great feeling about the place. The first game didn't go to plan, but not a lot has gone to plan this year for millions of people, so we'll dust ourselves down and go again."

The new stadium, first proposed in 2009, is also home to York City Knights rugby league team as well as community offices, a library, NHS services, a gym and sports hall.

Smart motorways should be abandoned so "more serious injuries or fatalities" can be avoided, a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has said.

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire's PCC, made his comments after two coroners raised concerns about deaths on a stretch of the M1 in the county.

On a stretch of M1 smart motorway in South Yorkshire, the hard shoulder has been replaced by an active lane and drivers who break down are encouraged to pull in to emergency stopping places.

In a statement, external, Dr Billings said: "I do not believe there is anyone who uses this stretch of the motorway, as I do, who does not feel anxious when driving along it."

He also highlighted a crash on Friday on the northbound M1 between junction 30 and 31 which he said involved a lorry hitting "a stationary car in a live running lane".

The accident is currently subject to a police investigation, Highways England said.

Dr Billings said: "I call upon the minister and Highways England to abandon this type of smart motorway before we have more serious injuries or fatalities."

Responding to Dr Billings, a Highways England spokesperson said: "We want to do everything we can to make our motorways as safe as possible.

In March, the government published a report which found that "in most ways smart motorways are as safe as, or safer than, conventional ones", the agency added.

Two men who made a 130-mile round trip from Leeds to Lincoln have been fined for breaking lockdown rules.

Image source, Google

The pair, who claimed to be vloggers, were spotted filming outside South Park Police Station and Lincoln Prison on Monday.

Lincolnshire Police said the men, from Leeds, aged 28 and 44, were both been fined £200.

Chf Insp Andy Morrice said: “The majority of the public have worked with us and I thank them for that.

“With a virus spreading so rapidly through contact with others we should all be asking ourselves whether our reason to leave home is truly essential. In this case travelling was not deemed essential.

“There is a real risk that our health service could be overwhelmed and people - our friends and family - could die needlessly from this virus.

“Those personal decisions are critical."

BBC Weather

Today, morning rain will clear, leaving most places dry with sunny spells.

Later in the day, cloud will begin to build in from the west. It'll be breezy, but quite mild.

This evening, showery rain will push clearing for most later in the night:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Work could start next month on a £7m project to restore Scarborough’s historic South Cliff Gardens.

Image source, Christopher Hall / Geograph

Scarborough Council’s cabinet has approved a main contractor for the scheme which aims to return the 200-year-old Grade II listed garden to its former glory.

The project has secured £4.6m from the National Lottery, with the remaining funding coming from the council and a community group.

The renovation work is expected to take 12 months.

Council leader Cllr Steve Siddons said: “It is a fantastic piece of work that is now hopefully moving ahead.

“It really does set the standard for community involvement I think and something we should reflect on as we move forward.”

Image source, Alan Walker / Geograph

The gardens will be made more accessible, dementia friendly and inclusive, heritage features will be restored, a new and innovative play area will be built and original heritage horticultural displays installed.

The site includes 14 timber and concrete shelters, 19th Century Egyptian gates, Italian steps and gardens designed by Joseph Paxton, a clock tower, the world’s first beach chalets, rose garden and the much-loved Clock Café.

As part of the project a boarded-up tunnel built in 1874 beneath the railway tracks of the cliff lift will be reopened to the public.

Image source, Terry Robinson / Geograph

A tree planting programme will be adopted and a new Operational Centre building will be constructed for shared use by council staff and the community.

There will also be an annual schedule of events put on for the local community and Scarborough’s visitors to enjoy.

BBC reporter Cathy Killick shares her experience after both of her parents died within weeks.

A man with a passion for palms and bamboo has transformed his suburban garden in Sheffield into a plot of land which wouldn't look out of place in the Amazon.

Image source, Simon Olpin

Simon Olpin moved from Cambridge to Sheffield 33 years ago and at that time his new home's garden was no more than a grass lawn surrounded by a hedge.

But the 200ft length fitted in nicely with Simon's love of the more exotic - so he began getting a little creative...

Image source, Simon Olpin

Simon says: "I started planting up things like palms and bamboos, magnolias and eucalyptus.

"It's slowly evolved over time through trial and error to what is now a jungle with mature palm trees and 30ft bamboos which you walk through and under."

Image source, Simon Olpin

He adds: "It's not everybody's cup of tea, maybe even a nightmare for some people - but its many different forms and textures make it interesting and unusual."

Today, Simon's sharing his love of jungle plants and the story of his garden's transformation with other exotic plant lovers in an online talk to Sheffield's Friends of Botanic Gardens.

Paul Murphy
Journalist, BBC Look North

Huge quantities of seaweed, dead wildlife and plastic waste have been washed ashore on an East Yorkshire beach.

Strong easterly winds have churned up the sea, dumping litter and killing marine life on North Beach in Bridlington.

In places, some of the piles of seaweed washed ashore are said to be nearly 5ft high.

I took a short walk along the beach and saw among the seaweed, dead marine life - including five seals - as well as lots of litter.

One local resident I spoke to said: "It's heartbreaking to see - the numbers of dead crabs, lobsters, birds and fish that've been thrown. It's awful."

A clean-up operation involving local people is now taking place on the beach.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said its Coastal Services team and Streetscene Services staff have been helping to remove larger items, including crab pots, tyres and even a shopping trolley.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A statue commemorating Doncaster’s mining heritage has been erected in the town centre.

Image source, Doncaster Council

The statue, in Printing Office Street, features a 6ft (1.8m) bronze of a miner standing between two pieces of rock studded with bronze portraits of members of the mining community.

The work, created by artist and sculptor Laurence Edwards, will now be wrapped up while other work in the street continues.

It is hoped an event to formally unveil the statue can be held once lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Image source, Doncaster Council

Doncaster mayor Ros Jones, said: “We are delighted to welcome this piece to the town.

"It will tap into our unique character and further enhance the centre as a welcoming, vibrant place to visit and enjoy."

The jailing for more than six years of a "dangerous" Halifax burglar has been welcomed by police.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Waheed Khan, 49 of Queen’s Road, was arrested on 18 November after a report a man had entered a property in the Pellon area armed with a knife, police say.

In the incident the victim was threatened and pushed to the floor and a mobile phone, laptop, cash and bankcard was stolen, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Khan was sentenced on Tuesday to six years and six months for aggravated burglary at Bradford Crown Court.

Commenting on the jail sentence, Det Insp Gary Stephenson said: "Khan is a dangerous man who has had a profound detrimental impact on vulnerable people in the last few years across Calderdale.

"These actions provided the most positive of outcomes for a victim who initially didn’t believe we would ever bring anyone to justice.

"I welcome this lengthy sentence as it ensures the public are protected from this individual for some time."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Dental health experts in Sheffield say they're concerned about the effect the coronavirus lockdowns have had on the state of children's teeth in the city.

Image source, David Cheskin/PA

Parents of young children are given toothbrushes, toothpaste and advice through a number of programmes in Sheffield, but they have all been paused because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prof Zoe Marshman, a consultant in dental public health, told a Sheffield City Council scrutiny meeting: “The oral health promotion activities have been severely impacted in terms of the work we’re doing in schools and nurseries.

“We used to have thousands of children at hundreds of tooth brushing clubs across Sheffield but we’re no longer able to do that.

“We’re looking at restarting those as soon as it’s safe to do so. We’ve been working with food banks and the healthy hamper programme to get toothpaste and toothbrush packs out to families but it has all been really restricted."

Sarah Robertson, also a consultant in dental public health, said there had been a lot of focus on patients not being able to access dental treatment - but prevention was also critical.

She said: “I’m keen to reinforce that dental services aren’t the answer to sorting out the whole issue of tooth decay and poor oral health. There is a prevention element as well."