A driver has been seriously injured in a collision between a car and an ambulance near York, police say.

Image source, Google

The ambulance was responding to another incident when the collision between it and a Ford Fiesta happened in Sheriff Hutton, according to North Yorkshire Police.

The driver of the car, a man in his 40s, sustained "very serious injuries" and currently remains in hospital, officers said.

A police spokesperson said: "The incident happened just before 18:00 on Moor Lane, near Lilling Lane and Rice Lane.

"Anyone who saw either vehicle in the moments leading up to the collision, or who has any other information about the collision is urged to contact us."

BBC Weather

This morning, it will be cloudy and damp with some patchy rain.

In the afternoon Yorkshire is expected to enjoy some sunny spells mixed with some heavy and thundery showers. Meanwhile Lincolnshire should remain overcast with further patchy rain.

Overnight any showers should ease and it will be dry with mostly cloudy skies and only a few clear spells:

Council and NHS staff are to go door to door in parts of Dewsbury today asking people to take coronavirus tests after the so-called Indian variant was found.

Image source, PA Media

Kirklees Council said it would ask people in Savile Town and Thornhill Lees aged over 11 to take PCR tests and invite all adults to be vaccinated.

Additional testing centres are also being opened in Honley and Batley.

In the week to 21 May there were 107 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in Kirklees - a rise of 51% on the week before.

The increased testing for people living or working in the area is being done in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus, the council said.

People living in areas where the new variant is spreading are being asked by the government to minimise their travel. The government said it was not imposing local restrictions.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, strategic director for public health at Kirklees Council, said: "We're focusing extra support in areas with the highest rates of infection, including the offer of vaccine appointments.

"Thankfully, we're not seeing a major impact on the number of hospital admissions related to Covid-19 in Kirklees and in the last week we had no deaths linked to the virus."

Gary Allen is accused of murdering two women, Samantha Class and Alena Grlakova, 21 years apart.

A police officer who completed a 200km run to raise money for a road safety charity is calling for more to be done to reduce death and injury on the roads.

Image source, Police handout

Det Ch Supt Andy Cox, head of crime at Lincolnshire Police, was joined en route between London and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire by local runners and relatives of the victims of road crashes.

He started on 15 May at the site of the first ever fatal road collision in the UK near Crystal Palace and finished his run on Sunday afternoon.

Image source, Police handout

Following the run he posted a call to action. He has called for:

• The names of those who have been killed in road crashes in the last year to be read in parliament
• The length of mandatory driving bans for drivers convicted of causing death by dangerous or careless driving to be increased
• A review of the exceptional hardship defence, which enables defendants to continue driving after having more than 12 points on their license
• Introduction of mandatory dashcam, alco-locks, event-data recorders and speed limiters on vehicles

Det Chief Supt Cox said: "Five people being killed and over 60 people seriously injured on the roads every day is not inevitable. Much more needs to be done to prevent the needless suffering caused by road danger."

A restaurant which had just re-opened with the easing of Covid restrictions has been forced to close again after a car ploughed into the building.

Image source, Zucco

The crash, involving a BMW, happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning at Zucco Italian restaurant in Leeds.

The restaurant had just enjoyed one of its busiest periods with the easing of lockdown last week, its manager said.

"It looks like we're going to be closed for a while again" due to the damage from the crash, Matteo Leggiero (pictured below), added.

Image source, Zucco

Mr Leggiero said no-one was hurt, but the crash resulted in substantial damage to the building which was now being assessed by structural engineers.

Restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants were only allowed to serve customers indoors again from 17 May as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said the driver of the BMW was taken to hospital as a precaution but was not injured in the crash.

The force had launched an investigation and is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

A man charged with the 2019 kidnap and murder of a Bradford bus driver appears in court.

A woman from Kirklees says she feels "vindicated" after holding off arranging her son's first birthday party due to the uncertainty over Covid.

Image source, Elizabeth Pannell

It follows the news the area is among eight areas where the government is advising people to avoid indoor gatherings and not to travel into and out of due to cases of the Indian coronavirus variant.

Elizabeth Pannell, 30, said: "I held off organising anything for his first birthday on Saturday because of Covid, and now I'm so glad I did.

"It's sad that yet again, Covid has ruined any chance for this little boy to have a normal day with his family.

“The government needs to get their act together, and communicate with the public better. We all knew how bad the India variant was, but they held off putting restrictions on travel in and out of the country. It's a joke."

Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the advice was "just about sensible extra caution and [trying] to get a grip locally with tackling the spread".

Championship side Millwall agree deals to sign Hull goalkeeper George Long and Derby defender Scott Malone on free transfers.

A Gomersal man suffering from terminal cancer says new Covid restrictions in Kirklees means time is running out for him to see members of his family.

Jonathan Hughes, 58, says he had had planned to go Edinburgh on 1 June for a couple of days to see his son but now this is "unlikely".

Mr Hughes says his oncologist told him a year ago to focus on "quality of life, not quantity" and postponing trips indefinitely is not an option; "For me time is going to run out," he says.

Mr Hughes adds: "It’s the lack of clarity that makes things difficult because you never know with this government when advice will be enforceable by law.

"There's a large part of me that would like to go to hell with what the rules are,but I’ve spent my life caring what the rules are, so it's difficult for me to be cavalier about it now."

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman who died after being found injured at a house in Barnsley, police say.

Officers were called to Brierfield Close just after 00:30 on Tuesday and found the woman, thought to be in her 50s, with serious injuries.

She was taken to hospital where she died a short time later, according to South Yorkshire Police. A post-mortem examination is due to take place.

A 31-year-old man was arrested and remains in custody, police said.

Officers will remain in the area while investigations continue, the force added.

Anyone with information about what happened has been urged to contact police or Crimestoppers.

The RSPCA says it is the third time cockerels have been abandoned at the same site.

A man in his 40s has been arrested following the death of woman in Harrogate, police say.

Image source, Google

Officers were called to King's Road by the ambulance service to a report of a sudden death shortly after 09:00 on Monday, according to North Yorkshire Police.

A police spokesperson said: "A man at the property was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug.

"He has been released under investigation while inquiries continue."

Rob England
BBC England Data Unit

Cases in Kirklees have increased by 45% in the last seven days, compared with the previous week.

In the most recent data, the area had the fourth highest rate of infection in England, standing at just below 100 weekly cases per 100,000.

This isn’t as extreme as some other parts of the country, such as Bolton, but the number of new cases being recorded do not show signs of slowing.

The majority of these cases seem to be in the younger age groups and to the north, such as Dewsbury Savile Town and Thornhill Lees, but not exclusively and there are hotspots appearing in the south in places like Honley and Brockholes.

Thought by the government to be one of the areas where the variant B.1.617.2 is “spreading fastest”, according to the most recent data released, three of the 12 cases examined in Kirklees were identified as being from this variant, first identified in India.

However, this only covers up to the 15 May, so it is possible more cases have been identified since.

Members of an amateur choir in North Yorkshire are among a number of choirs across the country calling for a change in Covid restrictions to allow them to perform.

Current Covid guidelines state choirs can only perform or rehearse indoors in groups of no more than six.

Craig Ratcliffe, musical director of Tadcaster Community Choir, says: "There's not been consideration for the differences choirs can have".

In response, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has said: "We understand it's disappointing, but are taking decisions based on the advice of our public health experts."

People in parts of West Yorkshire say they're confused after hearing of changes to coronavirus guidance.

Kirklees is among eight areas where the government is advising people to avoid indoor gatherings and not to travel into and out of due to cases of the Indian coronavirus variant.

Saman Mahmood, 20, from Heckmondwike said: "It's confusing because we don't know what to do now.

"Are we not allowed to go to our families or do we just stay at home again?

"The government hasn't informed us. You don't know what's going on in our local area."

Ms Mahmood said she thought informing people about the changes would work better if the government used "social media," or put up "posters round our local area."

Georgia Mortimer, from Dewsbury, said she wasn’t aware of the changes to coronavirus guidance in Kirklees.

The 24-year-old said she believes changes have been made in a “major rush” and fears heading back into lockdown.

Ms Mortimer said: “It’s quite scary because obviously we want to leave the house but it feels like we can’t do certain things and go to certain places.”

She added: “ I think we should have maybe stayed in lockdown a little bit longer until it was all over and done with.”

Ms Mortimer said the new rules may be followed by some people but thought a lot of people would just ignore them.

She added: “I don’t think I’ll really be affected by the new rules. It’s all about getting back to normal, businesses and things but hopefully if everyone sticks to the guidelines, we will all be safe and sound.”

Two cockerels, thought to have been kept as pets, have been rescued after being found dumped in a layby.

Image source, RSPCA

The birds were found by a member of the public at Bracey Bridge in Driffield, East Yorkshire, the RSPCA said.

Officers from the animal charity managed to safely capture the birds which were "huddled in a tree".

A cockerel was found at the same location in January this year and two were rescued from there in March the RSPCA said.

Image source, RSPCA

RSPCA inspector Laura Barber, said she believes people are copying others in dumping unwanted birds at the location.

She said: “I am now following up leads to see if I can trace the person responsible for dumping these latest birds.

“It is disgusting that people buy them as pets and then decide to discard them like rubbish."

The birds were of normal body weight but "riddled with lice" so they have been treated by the RSPCA and will then be handed to a specialist keeper.

An MP for a Kirklees consituency says he knew "nothing at all" about new guidance to prevent the spread of the Indian variant.

Barry Sheerman, who is Labour MP for Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, told BBC News: "We were totally surprised because it was leaked out over the weekend, it was on the goverment website but many people didn't pick it up.

"It was very clear very early this morning the advice had changed."

Mr Sheerman says he spoke to the chief executive of Kirklees Council, Jacqui Gedman, who told him "these are not regulations, these are recommendations" but he says he felt the guidance was "all wishy washy".

Plans have been unveiled to build a solar farm to power an East Yorkshire hospital.

Image source, Reuters

Hospital bosses want to create a solar panel field south of Castle Road in Cottingham to generate electricity for Castle Hill Hospital.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which owns the land, said the proposal was part of its plan to cut carbon emissions with any savings being reinvested in hospital services.

Chief Executive Chris Long said: “Using trust land to generate power for our hospitals is a major achievement that represents a huge leap forward in securing our future energy needs in a responsible and sustainable way.

“We know, better than most, how climate change has an adverse effect on people’s health and future generations will pay the price if we fail to act now.

“Doing nothing is no longer an option. We must lead by example and take action now to tackle the climate emergency we all face.”

The trust, which runs Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary, wants to balance the amount of greenhouse gas it produces and the amount it removes from the atmosphere, known as carbon net zero, before 2040, ahead of the target set by the wider NHS.

A planning application is due to be submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council shortly.