A father in a park with his child had a laser pen shone into eyes, West Yorkshire Police say.

Image source, Google

The man had the red laser shone into his eyes in Calder Homes Park in Hebden Bridge at about 17:15 on Monday 15 February, according to police.

He was not seriously injured in the incident, officers said.

The laser came from the direction of the skate park, police added.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is being asked to contact police.

Residents of a Leeds street are being asked to come forward with information after a gun was fired there last week.

Image source, Google

The front door of a property on Servia Drive was shot at just after 22:00 on Wednesday 17 February, according to police.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Officers found damage to the front door of the property, consistent with a firearms discharge.

"The occupants of the property were present at the time of the incident, but no injuries were sustained."

Det Insp Sarah Burton said: “The discharge of any firearm is extremely serious and extensive inquiries are under way to find all of those responsible.

“I would appeal for anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone with information to contact officers.”

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Scarborough Council has revealed its tentative plans for when the borough’s attractions might start to reopen.

Image source, Paul Harrop/Geograph

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce his roadmap out of lockdown today.

The borough council has also put plans in place for when Scarborough Spa and activities at Peasholm park could again be available.

In a report due to go before Friday’s full council meeting, councillor Phil Kershaw set out the early thinking of its officers which centres around Easter.

He wrote: “We're making preparations for Peasholm Park to reopen at Easter - this will include the pedalos, mini golf, Buttercup Kiosk and it is hoped to reopen Peasholm Cafe this Easter also.”

Councillor Kershaw added the council is also reviewing what events could take place later in the year, with Scarborough’s Seafest celebration currently scheduled for late July.

This could be followed by the annual Goldwing parade in September along with Filey Kite Festival, the Surf festival in October and the festive Sparkle events at the Open Air Theatre in November.

Mr Kershaw concluded in his report: “Clearly all of what we do will be dependent on a number of factors around any current government restrictions and requirements and all of the above will be regularly under review."

PA Media

Domestic gardens in cities and towns are the biggest source of food for pollinating insects such as bees and wasps, according to new research.

Image source, Martin Rickett/PA Wire

The study, which included research carried out in Leeds, found that residential gardens accounted for 85% on average of nectar produced in urban areas.

Researchers found that three gardens generated on average each day around a teaspoon of the unique sugar-rich liquid found in flowers that pollinators drink for energy.

This is the equivalent to more than a tonne of food for an adult human and is enough to fuel thousands of flying bees.

The more bees and other pollinators can fly, the greater diversity of flora and fauna that will be maintained.

Nicholas Tew, an ecologist at the University of Bristol, said: "We expected private gardens in towns and cities to be a plentiful source of nectar but didn't anticipate the scale of production would be to such an overwhelming extent.

"Our findings highlight the pivotal role they play in supporting pollinators and promoting biodiversity in urban areas across the country."

Researchers examined bees' nectar production in Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh and Reading.

The RSPCA is urging "well-meaning" animal lovers to stop feeding a group of young swans on Whitby beach in an effort to encourage them to move on to a safer environment.

Image source, RSPCA

The animal charity says: "Close interactions with the public and dogs are putting the wild birds in danger and it’s vital they move on to areas where they can behave naturally and forage for their own food."

RSPCA Inspector Claire Little said: “It's lovely people are taking such an interest in the birds, but they're at real risk of not learning how to cope by themselves and are currently in danger of being killed with kindness.

“We are urging the public not to feed or interact with these wild animals as they are losing their natural wariness of humans."

Former Labour peer Nazir Ahmed faced charges of historical sex abuse dating back to the 1970s.

BBC Sport

Bradford City have appointed interim bosses Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars as joint managers of the club until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

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The pair initially took charge on a temporary basis in December after former boss Stuart McCall was sacked.

"Myself and Conor are delighted, first and foremost, to have been given this opportunity," Trueman said.

"The players have taken to us really well. We have been pleased by how everyone is gelling and are looking forward to keeping that going."

Sellars added: "Me and Mark have worked incredibly hard so far and have been given a brilliant opportunity by the club, which we are very excited about."

Before Trueman and Sellars' initial appointment, Bradford had been in a poor run of form, with the Bantams losing six games in a row in the lead-up to McCall's sacking.

Their 3-1 defeat at Oldham on 12 December left them 22nd in League Two, but Trueman and Sellars have since overseen a huge turnaround.

The club have lost just once since they took temporary charge and have taken 24 points from 11 matches, moving them up to 13th in the table and seven points off the play-off places.

A "small family funeral" for West Yorkshire-born Capt Sir Tom Moore will take place on Saturday, his family has confirmed.

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The 100-year-old Army veteran, who was originally from Keighley, near Bradford, raised almost £33m for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, died in Bedford Hospital on 2 February.

His family said once Covid-19 restrictions permit it, his ashes will be interred in Yorkshire, where he will rest with his parents and grandparents in the Moore family plot.

They've asked the public not to attend the funeral service and to "continue to support the NHS by staying at home".

In line with current restrictions, the funeral will be attended by eight members of Capt Sir Tom's immediate family - his two daughters, Lucy Teixeira and Hannah Ingram-Moore, four grandchildren and his sons-in-laws.

In a statement, his daughters said Sir Tom had spoken "openly about his death and his funeral" over the past year and "wondered out loud if the interest in him over the last 12 months would mean we'd need more Victoria Sponge cakes available for the extra guests".

A West Yorkshire artist's ambitious project to paint every sunrise in 2021 is helping him learn to "live presently and enjoy the moment".

Tom Newhouse, 23, first watches the sunrise in the open air and captures it on film before recreating it in oils in his studio.

The Leeds-based artist said he believed experiencing things like the "incredible" sunrises was "really important" and "what gets me going".

He added that the finished 365 paintings would "work as one grand display of colour":

An appeal for witnesses has been launched after two people were seriously injured in a collision in Bradford at the weekend, police said.

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Emergency services were called to Canal Road shortly after noon on Saturday after a black Audi RS3 collided with a wall, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Both the driver and passenger of the vehicle were taken to Leeds General Infirmary with injuries not thought to be life-threatening, police said.

The vehicle was travelling in the direction of Shipley from Bradford when the collision happened, officers added.

Anyone who saw what happened, has dash camera footage of the incident, or who saw the movements of the car immediately before the crash, is being asked to contact police.

A 21-year-old North Yorkshire swimming teacher has become the youngest woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

Image source, ATLANTIC CAMPAIGNS/PENNY BIRD

Jasmine Harrison, from Thirsk, set off on her 3,000-mile journey from La Gomera in the Canary Islands in December.

She docked in Antigua on Saturday, completing the journey in 70 days, three hours and 48 minutes.

After arriving in the Caribbean she said the experience had been "amazing" and "everything I wanted it to be".

Ms Harrison, a part-time swimming teacher and bartender, decided to sign up for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge three years ago after watching the finale of the 2017 event.

Asked about her epic challenge, she said it had been a mix of "good and bad memories", but said she had relished the chance to escape from day-to-day life.

"There's nothing like it, actually getting away from everything - social media, bad news, from literally everything," she said.

Ms Harrison's crossing was not without difficulty and she capsized just two days before crossing the finishing line, external, injuring her elbow in the process.

As well as rowing into the record books, Ms Harrison has also raised more than £10,000 for charity.

Five men are sentenced to life in jail for murdering Solomon Robinson in Scarborough.

A delivery driver who was left seriously injured after being hit by a car in South Yorkshire last week has died, police have confirmed.

The man, a driver for Amazon, was delivering parcels in Barnby Dun Road, Clay Lane, Doncaster, at about 14:00 on Wednesday 17 February when he was struck by an orange Nissan Note.

The 21-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment but died on Sunday evening, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The driver of the Nissan stopped immediately following the collision and has helped police with their inquiries, the force added.

Officers are now asking for anyone who saw what happened, or who saw either of the two people involved prior to the collision, to get in touch.

Anyone with dash camera footage from the area at about the time of the incident is also being asked to contact the South Yorkshire force.

Surge testing is due to begin in parts of Leeds today after two possible cases of the South African variant of Covid-19 were detected in the city.

People living in parts of the LS8 postcode area will be asked to take a test whether they have symptoms or not.

Leeds City Council said there was "no indication of live cases" in the area, but testing would help the city "prepare for new variants".

Victoria Eaton, director of public health for Leeds, said: "Additional testing will allow us to find any potential asymptomatic cases of new variants and build a more detailed, comprehensive picture of where those cases may come from and how they might spread."

The additional testing will be taking place in parts of Harehills and the area north of Easterly Road, where the suspected cases were found in January.

Leeds City Council said both the individuals in the cases identified last month had made a full recovery and there was no evidence of transmission to the wider community.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "People living within this targeted area are strongly encouraged to take a Covid-19 test when offered, whether they are showing symptoms or not."

BBC Weather

Overcast at first today, with some spells of rain edging east and clearing.

In the afternoon, it will brighten up with spells of sunshine breaking through.

This evening will be dry and mainly clear, turning chilly for a time:

An investigation into the fatal police shooting of a man has found no officer committed a criminal offence.

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Yassar Yaqub, 28, was shot when the Audi car he was travelling in was stopped by West Yorkshire Police on the M62 near Huddersfield in January 2017.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had found no evidence officers behaved in a way that would justify disciplinary proceedings.

Its full report will not be published until after an inquest in January 2022.

Steve Noonan, the IOPC's director of major investigations, said the report had been shared with Mr Yaqub's family, the West Yorkshire force and the coroner.

Mr Noonan said the progress of the investigation had been delayed by the trial of the driver of the Audi, Mohsin Amin, who was jailed in 2018.

He said the trial had "restricted our access to a number of key witnesses", which had had "an inevitable impact" on the IOPC investigation.

He added that it "would not be appropriate for the IOPC to publish a report or provide further information until the inquest is concluded".