BBC Sport

Former Hull City youth player Thomas Beattie, who announced he was gay last year after retirement, says he would not come out if he was still playing.

Beattie, who spent his career in Canada and Singapore, was the first UK-born male professional footballer to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990.

He was forced to retire aged 29 after a life-threatening head injury in 2015.

Now 34, Beattie told BBC Sport: "I wouldn't have come out if I was still playing now."

A total of 80 staff and prisoners at a South Yorkshire jail have tested positive for Covid-19, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Danny Lawson/PA Archive/PA Images

Mass testing is currently taking place at HMP Moorland in Doncaster, which also has a young offenders institute.

Writing on social media, external, prison authorities said: "Mass testing has continued and we now have 80 confirmed cases among our men."

A notice has been issued to prisoners including guidance on visits, showers and exercise.

In the statement, a prison spokesman said: "Any men who display Covid symptoms will be required to fully isolate in their cell pending the result of a Covid test and will not have access to showers and exercise during this period.

"Visiting anyone who has a confirmed or suspected case of Covid, or anyone who is located in an "outbreak area", is currently suspended, as are court hearings from the prison over video link."

The prison is currently providing updates on its Twitter page.

In a post last week, it said: "We know the current situation is worrying for everyone living/working at Moorland & families, but we're working hard to limit the spread of Covid and keep everyone safe.

"We appreciate all the patience and understanding everyone is showing."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Tributes have been paid to Mayor of Goole Josie Head who died on Saturday following a battle with cancer.

Image source, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

Council clerk Brian Robertson said Ms Head was a “passionate campaigner” for the town, including for the Victoria Pleasure Ground, which she founded.

Councillor Kevin Flynn, of Goole East Ward, said he was “devastated” to hear of her death.

He said: “I’ve lost a very well respected colleague. She worked really hard for the town.

“It’s unfortunate she won’t be able to see the end results of so many of the projects she worked on.

“She’d been unwell for quite a while but she worked very hard right up until the end."

Councillor Flynn added: “She was a character and she wasn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers to get things done. “That’s because she was so passionate about everything she did.”

Goole Town Council is set to announce details of a memorial service which will take place after the coronavirus pandemic is over.

After years of waiting York City are due to play their first game at the city's new multi-million pound 8,000 seat community stadium later.

Image source, York City Knights

The match against AFC Fylde will be the first to take place at the ground since it opened last December, but due to lockdown restrictions will be played behind-closed-doors.

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.

The Knights are due to play their first match at the stadium against Toulouse on Good Friday.

The Monks Cross site has been used as mass coronavirus test centre since opening.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Efforts to help tackle fly-tipping in Doncaster are to receive a cash injection of nearly half a million pounds, it's been confirmed.

A total of £466,000 is included in next year's council budget to target fly-tippers in both domestic and rural settings in the area.

The investment will include the creation of 15 new jobs to help with clear-up and enforcement.

The council has seen another yearly rise in offences and the situation has been made worse due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on the response by staff due to Covid-19 regulations.

The resources will go towards hot-spot areas and increased CCTV covert operations to help catch those who dump rubbish.

Doncaster Council has prosecuted eight people for fly-tipping offences during 2020, with a further 21 cases still waiting to be heard as a result of court delays caused by the pandemic.

A total of 73 Fixed Penalty Notices were also issued.

Doncaster mayor Ros Jones said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal act and we are determined to hold these criminals to account and stop them ruining Doncaster’s landscape by dumping their disgusting rubbish in our green and urban areas.

“Increased resources will not only mean we can respond to clearing fly-tipping incidents quicker, but will also focus on catching those responsible and taking legal action as well as educating local residents, landlords and businesses about how to dispose of their waste correctly."

BBC Weather

Early rain will clear with the morning becoming dry and mild.

Heavy showers will return in the afternoon.

Showers will clear this evening, becoming dry for much of the night, with patchy cloud and clear spells:

A former boxer is opening two of his gyms as hubs to hand out free meals to children this half- term.

Image source, PA Media

Former Commonwealth lightweight champion Tommy Coyle, from Hull, says he was inspired by England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford's campaign on child food poverty

His team is preparing to give out about 2,000 meals this week.

He said: "Not only are we going to be offering these kids food, we're going to offer nutritional support advice because me and my team are a big believers in food being fuel.

"You can have the best sports car in the world, but if you put the wrong fuel in it won't perform."

Coyle compiled a record of 25 wins and five defeats in a professional career which started in 2009 and saw him challenge for the British super-lightweight title.

His last fight was in June when he was beaten by Chris Algieri at Madison Square Garden

South Yorkshire Police says it wants to establish the need for "further criminal investigations".

Further cracks have been found in masonry on the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, Network Rail says.

The TUC says the government's £500 support scheme is not reaching some workers who need it.

Dog owners are being warned to keep proper control of their animals following an attack by a dog which seriously injured sheep near York.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

A husky type dog ran through a hedge and electric fence before getting into a field in Dunnington and attacking two sheep, police said.

One suffered a severe leg injury and the other fled until it collapsed with exhaustion in the attack which happened on Monday 8 February, according to North Yorkshire Police.

The dog owner has agreed to pay the vet’s bill in full, officers added.

PCSO Caroline Saville said: “With lambing season approaching, it’s more important than ever that all dog owners take responsibility for their animals.

“I can’t emphasis enough how vital it is for dogs to be on leads and under control when walking near livestock, and kept securely when at home.

"The last thing farmers need right now is to have to deal with their sheep being attacked and seriously injured or worse – not to mention the economic impact on their livelihoods.”

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Tributes have been paid to former Lord Mayor and leader of Bradford Council Tony Cairns, following his death at the age of 89.

Image source, LDRS

Mr Cairns was leader of Bradford Council from 1994 to 1997 and was Lord Mayor from 1997 to 1998.

The Labour councillor represented Tong from 1984 until his retirement in 2010 and has been described as "one of Bradford’s greats".

He also served as deputy chair of Leeds Bradford Airport and was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2007 for services to aviation.

Flags at City Hall are flying at half mast today in tribute to Mr Cairns.

Current council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: "Tony Cairns was one of Bradford’s greats. He served the district in many different roles - his significant contribution will not be forgotten.

Bradford Lord Mayor, Councillor Doreen Lee, said: “I am deeply saddened. I have lost a very dear friend, a good mentor and a valued Vice-Chair of my Appeal Committee. I will miss Tony greatly and my sympathies go out to his son and family.”

Council chief executive Kersten England described him as "a lovely man and true servant of the district".

She added: “He championed workforce development when I was head of employee development in the 90s. He believed everyone should have the chance to achieve their potential.”

A man who ran a stately home featured in major TV dramas Bridgerton and Brideshead Revisited has appeared in court charged with child sex offences.

Image source, Mike Searle/Geograph

Simon Howard, 65, who now lives near Malton, North Yorkshire, appeared at York Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The court heard that he is charged with one count of indecent assault against a girl under the age of 14 and another of inciting the same girl to commit an act of gross indecency.

Both offences are alleged to have taken place between 1 January and 31 March 1984.

Mr Howard, who ran the Castle Howard estate in North Yorkshire from 1983 until 2015, indicated he would enter not guilty pleas to both counts and his case was sent to York Crown Court.

District Judge Adrian Lower said: "The matters you face are too serious to be dealt with at this court and so they will be allocated to the crown court at York and your first appearance there will be on 15 March."

A family statement released last week said Mr Howard strongly denies the charges.

Further restoration work needs to be carried out on one of Yorkshire's most famous landmarks after more cracks than expected were discovered in its stonework, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Network Rail

Surveys using a drone (shown in film below) conducted during current restoration work on the Ribblehead Viaduct have accurately mapped the structure for the first time, and huge scaffolding towers have been built for repairs to take place.

This has given rare access for a much closer inspection of the 144-year-old railway link's condition, according to Network Rail.

Marc Vipham, from Network Rail, said: “Being up close restoring Ribblehead for several months now, we've found deeper issues need attention to protect this feat of Victorian engineering.

“Carrying out these extra repairs now, when the experts are in place and the scaffolding is already up, will save a huge amount of taxpayers’ money and stop us needing to come back all over again."

The railway infrastructure company says plans have been submitted to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to carry out the extra repairs to newly found cracks "as soon as possible".

Image source, Network Rail

The Grade II-listed viaduct opened in 1875 and carries the Settle-Carlisle railway line 104ft over the valley below.

The structure, which has 24 arches and is 1,318ft long, took about five years to build.

Fraudsters are posing as Scotland Yard detectives in an effort to scam potential victims out of their savings, according to South Yorkshire Police

The warning comes after one person in Sheffield almost handed over £11,000 to criminals.

The suspects led the victim to believe they were from New Scotland Yard and attended three banks to withdraw separate amounts of money, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The suspects used a false story to get past the security checks, police added.

As part of the scam, victims receive a phone call from a criminal pretending to be from the police or another official organisation such as a bank, officers explained.

The fraudster claims there's an issue with the victim's bank account, or requests the victim's help in an ongoing bank or police investigation.

Victims are then asked to withdraw a large sum of money which will be collected by a "courier for evidence".

Det Supt Sam Erabadda, from South Yorkshire Police, said: "Following the incident, I'd ask everybody to be extremely suspicious of unsolicited phone calls from your bank or the police.

"Don't think it is authentic simply because the person on the other end of the phone knows basic personal details about you such as your name or address."

Over 20 people have been fined a total of £16,800 after police had to force their way into a party in Bradford which was being held in breach of coronavirus regulations.

Image source, PA Media

The occupants of an address in Shipley refused to let officers in after they were called to reports of an ongoing party at about 04:30 on Sunday morning, according to West Yorkshire Police.

A total of 21 partygoers were found inside the one-bedroomed flat and were all served with fixed penalty notices of £800 each before being told to leave the scene, police said.

It's thought the apartment had been booked online and inquiries are continuing to identify who made the booking and who is the owner of the site, the force added.

Ch Supt Daniel Greenwood said: "The possible consequences of this virus should be clear to everyone by now, so it is disappointing to see some people are choosing to ignore this and carrying on as if it does not matter.

“We continue to work hard to keep the public safe during this ongoing pandemic and to make sure that people are following the guidelines, which are there for everyone’s safety."

Police are appealing for witnesses after a woman was injured in a flat fire in Leeds.

Image source, Google

Emergency services were called to the blaze at a first floor flat in Branch Road, Armley, just after 19:30 on Friday night, officers said.

The woman was taken to hospital where her condition is described as serious but stable.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze has been launched.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and remains in police custody.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact police.

Three flood warnings, external - meaning immediate action should be taken as flooding is expected - remain in place in Yorkshire.

Image source, Environment Agency

The warnings are for:

• Low-lying properties in the Upper Hull catchment, external
• River Hull at Hull Bridge and Beverley, external
• Roam Drain and River Hull at Hempholme, external

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

The Environment Agency says it is "closely monitoring the situation".

A victim support group has been set up, external by police in East Yorkshire for people targeted by "online romance fraud".

Image source, PA Images

Romance fraud is when people meet someone online but their "date" is only forming a relationship to get their money or personal details.

Humberside Police said in 2020 people were scammed out of more than £1m and it received 73 reports of this crime. The support group for victims is the second of its kind in the country.

Det Sgt Ben Robinson of Humberside Police, said: "Loneliness has been a widely-reported side effect of the pandemic and many people have taken to online dating for companionship.

"Unfortunately, we've seen this has led to an increase in reports of romance scams and people losing money.

"Romance fraud is one of the most devastating for our victims to deal with because they have suffered losses both financially and emotionally."

A YouGov survey taken during April 2020 found eight per cent more people in the region spent more time on dating apps since the start of the pandemic.

The survey also found dating apps saw a surge in downloads in Yorkshire and the Humber in that period and police said criminals were taking advantage of people's loneliness.

A man was discovered hiding at an illegal house party in Scarborough when his legs were spotted dangling from a loft hatch, say police.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

The reveller was caught when police attended a report of the gathering in Scarborough.

The force said it is still having to "break up several large house parties like these every single week".

In another incident, officers said they "alarmingly" found 19 people at one gathering in Scarborough. All have been fined for breaching Covid regulations.

In January, the force said they were still breaking up house parties in the town "every night" despite lockdown.

More than 100 people have now been fined for being at illegal indoor gatherings in the town.