An investigation into the death of a two-year-old girl in a fire at a caravan park in Lincolnshire is continuing this afternoon, police have said.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

Fire investigators and Forensic Science Service specialists remain at the scene of the blaze which broke out at Sealands caravan park in Ingoldmells, near Skegness, on Monday night.

The girl's mother, who is in her 30s, and the child's three siblings, all aged under 11-years-old, managed to escape the fire and have since been released from hospital, police have said.

The death of the two-year-old is currently being treated as unexplained, according to Lincolnshire Police.

Specialist officers are supporting the family who were on holiday at the caravan park when the fire broke out.

Det Insp Jo Fortune, Senior Investigating Officer, says: "Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident and I send our condolences. We will do everything we can to establish what has happened.

"I would like to pass on my personal thanks to everyone who helped on the evening and has supported the family too. It was a very serious and frightening time."

About 50 residents who were asked to leave their caravans at the height of the blaze have now been able to return, police add.

BBC Radio Leeds

A charity in Leeds helping Afghan refugees says people have been so generous with donations, it is now running out of space to store them all.

Image source, Care4Calais

Between 25 and 35 Afghan families are expected to be re-homed in West Yorkshire after fleeing the new Taliban regime in their homeland.

Care4Calais says it has been so "overwhelmed" by donations of clothes, the homes and garages of its volunteers are becoming full.

It is now appealing to businesses with storage space near Leeds city centre to get in touch.

The Refugee Council's head of resettlement in Yorkshire and Humberside, Duncan Well, said the response locally was heartwarming: "It just goes to show there is an awful lot of goodwill out there.

"It's really reassuring to know British people are wanting to do something and really care about this particular crisis."

Mark Thompson is banned from teaching after asking an ex-pupil to call him "sir" in explicit texts.

The mother of missing York woman Claudia Lawrence has said she is in "utter shock" and "very, very churned up" about a new police search for her daughter.

A popular fishing spot near York is currently being searched by police investigating the suspected murder of Ms Lawrence.

The 35-year-old's disappearance has remained a mystery since she failed to turn up for work at the University of York in March 2009.

Joan Lawrence said "every single day is a nightmare" since Claudia disappeared.

"It's so much to take in in a short time and nothing seems to happen for a long, long time then everything came together and I haven't had time to really digest it," she said in an interview with BBC Radio York.

Image source, Family Photo/North Yorkshire Police

Mrs Lawrence said she could "not think of any connection that Claudia would have" with the site.

The search for her daughter was "very personal" as it was "about me and a daughter I haven't seen for 12 years, every single day is a nightmare", she added.

Her staunch faith would give her "the courage and strength to get through", Mrs Lawrence said.

A four-year-old girl who was left seriously injured after falling from a moving car in northern Lincolnshire is no longer considered to have life-threatening injuries, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Grimsby News and Pictures Agency

The child was travelling in a black Kia Sedona car on the A180 in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, when she fell at about 16:45 on Sunday.

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses to the incident, which happened between the Westgate and Pyewipe roundabouts.

An inquest has opened into the death of a five-year-old Afghan refugee who fell from a hotel window in Sheffield.

Image source, PA Media

Mohammed Munib Majeedi fell from a ninth-floor room at the OYO Metropolitan Hotel where he was staying with his mother on 18 August.

The boy was pronounced dead at the city's children's hospital, assistant coroner Tanyka Rawden said.

Mrs Rawden said Mohammed, who was born in Afghanistan, was staying with family in Sheffield before his death.

Emergency services were called to the car park adjacent to the hotel following reports of him falling from a window on to the top storey of the building, Sheffield Coroner's Court heard.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital but was pronounced dead and his body was identified by his father.

The inquest into Mohammed's death was adjourned until 16 November. However, that date will be reviewed to see if the coroner needs more time for the investigation to be completed.

Mrs Rawden said the court's heartfelt condolences went to Mohammed's family at "this truly awful time".

Hull FC lose Josh Reynolds and Joe Cator for their Super League run-in because of knee and Achilles injuries respectively.

Dozens of colourful umbrellas have been draped above an East Yorkshire street as part of plans to to create a vibrant eating area.

Image source, Driffield Town Council

It is hoped Market Place in Driffield will become a popular place for people to meet and enjoy a coffee or a takeaway underneath the umbrellas.

The scheme, financed by Driffield Town Council with additional help from an East Riding of Yorkshire Council grant, has also seen new seating areas installed.

Image source, Driffield Town Council

Maggie Lynch, a town centre steering group member who came up with the idea, says: "To our knowledge, we would be the first small market town in the region to have this eye-catching attraction.”

BBC Radio York

A woman who calls herself the "Human Swan" is due to fly along the Yorkshire coast today using an electric paramotor.

Image source, Conservation-Without-Borders.org

Sacha Dench is attempting a Guiness World Record for the longest distance flown, external in what she describes as being a bit like an electric fan with a large sheet above her.

She has told BBC Radio York her expedition around Britain is designed to inspire and excite the nation to get involved in tackling the climate crisis.

Image source, Conservation-Without-Borders.org

She says she turned her attention to climate change after members of her family lost their home in the Australian bushfires.

The motor of her aircraft is powered by re-chargeable batteries which last 30 to 40 minutes before she has to land to change them and take off again.

Following the cancellation of this year's Humber Street Sesh in Hull, another music and arts festival for the city has now been announced.

The Inner City Sesh will take place in Queens Gardens on Saturday 18 September and will be run by the organisers of the Humber Street Sesh and the city council.

Earlier this month it was announced that the Humber Street event had been cancelled for 2021 due to what organisers said were "insurmountable obstacles and difficulties".

The Sesh, which attracts crowds of more than 32,000 people, was due to take place on 17-19 September.

Festival organisers said the cancellation was made due to on-site flood barrier work, insurance problems and staffing self-isolation concerns.

They also blamed a "lack of government clarity" regarding large-scale events during the Covid pandemic.

Dave Mays, event director, says: "We are over the moon to be able to put on Inner City Sesh in the stunning Queens Gardens site.

"We have regrouped with our extended team and are working flat out to bring the city a fantastic festival and longed-for community celebration."

The Inner City Sesh will provide a platform for emerging musicians, artists, and local creatives, organisers say.

It will run from 12:00 to 23:00 and will include a silent disco, a skate park, festival markets for independent traders, a funfair on Guildhall Road, a photo exhibition showcasing Hull’s burgeoning music scene alongside food and drink outlets.

A woman and two children have died following a collision on the A64 in North Yorkshire.

Image source, Google

The crash, involving a white HGV and a grey motorhome, happened at about 20:00 on Tuesday near the Jinnah restaurant.

Three of the passengers of the motorhome, a 44-year-old woman, a nine-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, were pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth passenger, a six-year-old boy, was taken to hospital with a serious head injury.

The driver of the motorhome, a 48-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening, according to North Yorkshire Police.

The driver of the HGV was uninjured in the collision.

The A64 was closed between Barton le Willows and Flaxton for several hours while emergency services worked at the scene. It re-opened at about 06:45 on Wednesday morning.

Anyone who saw what happened, or who has dash camera footage of the crash, or was travelling in the area at the time, is being asked to contact the North Yorkshire force.

A man who carried out "depraved sexual offending" on a Huddersfield teenage girl has been jailed for 12 years.

Image source, West Yorkshire Police

Rashid Iqbal, 46, abused his victim between 2003 and 2005 when she was aged 13 to 15, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Det Ch Insp Ian Thornes, from West Yorkshire Police, said Iqbal took "advantage of her vulnerability in the worst way".

He is the latest to be convicted as part of Operation Tendersea, a major inquiry into historic child sex exploitation in Huddersfield.

Iqbal, of Dryclough Road, Huddersfield, had previously been found guilty following a four-day trial.

He was jailed for two offences of causing or inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and two offences of indecency with a child under 14.

Det Ch Insp Thornes added: "Iqbal richly deserves the sentences given to him...for what was targeted and depraved sexual offending against a child."

Police in Lincolnshire are warning people to be on the lookout for fraudsters after a woman in her 80s was scammed into handing over thousands of pounds.

The victim was targeted by fraudsters posing as police officers on the phone who explained why she needed to withdraw the cash and give it to a so-called "police courier".

She subsequently withdrew over £5,000 from her bank and gave it to the fraudsters when they visited her home in Skillington, Grantham, on 5 July.

Lincolnshire Police has warned people that they will never be asked by a legitimate organisation or business to hand over money to someone collecting it at their home.

Officers say they are now keen to hear from anyone who may have dash cam footage from Buckminster Lane in Skillington, or nearby streets, between 13:30 and 15:00 on 5 July.

PC Rachel Smith says: "This type of scam is particularly distressing and invasive for the person involved. They have been targeted in their home, a place they should be able to feel, and expect to be, safe.

"Despite the victim asking lots of questions, these scammers had ways to get round her suspicions.

"This was a despicable way to prey on a person who may be vulnerable - and the amount of money in question here is not insignificant."

Police are continuing to search a popular fishing spot in North Yorkshire as they investigate the suspected murder of Claudia Lawrence.

The 35-year-old's disappearance has remained a mystery since she failed to turn up for work at the University of York in March 2009.

North Yorkshire Police said on Tuesday its latest search at Sand Hutton gravel pits, about eight miles outside York, was expected to take a number of days.

The force said it could not disclose what had led officers to the location.

Det Supt Wayne Fox, who took over as senior investigating officer in the case earlier this year, said teams of specialist officers, including underwater search teams, would spend several days at the site.

He said the searches were among "several active lines of inquiry" being pursued amid efforts to establish what happened to Claudia and "identify any person responsible for causing her harm".

Police cordoned off a large section of woodland surrounding the waters on Tuesday as officers searched undergrowth along a public bridleway which runs through the area.

A man has been arrested after a stolen car he was driving reached speeds of up to 135 mph on the A63 in East Yorkshire and he subsequently failed a drugs test.

Image source, Google

The man, 26, from Doncaster was seen driving eastbound along the A63 at North Ferriby on Monday afternoon, said Humberside Police.

After he was stopped the vehicle was found to have been stolen and contained a weapon and large amount of cash.

He was arrested on suspicion of seven offences and remains in custody, the force said.

He was arrested for suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, money laundering, possession of an offensive weapon, driving without proper insurance, driving while disqualified, possession of what are suspected to be Class B drugs and the failure of a roadside drugs test.

Sussex beat Yorkshire by five wickets at the Emirates Riverside in the first T20 Blast quarter-final.

Specialist police officers including a forensic team and divers are part of a new search for missing York chef Claudia Lawrence, it's been confirmed.

Ms Lawrence went missing 12 years ago and police believe she was murdered, although no body has ever been found.

Today, teams have been searching gravel pits at Sand Hutton about eight miles away from her home in York, police say.

Speaking at the scene, Det Supt Wayne Fox, who took over as senior investigating officer in the case earlier this year, said it's not yet known how long the searches will take.

He said: "I do anticipate a number of specialist officers and staff, including underwater search teams, and forensic experts are likely to be at this location for a number of days.

"While I am unable to disclose what brought us to this location, I would like to stress that the searches you will see in coming days are just one of several active lines of inquiry which are currently being investigated and pursued by North Yorkshire Police Major Investigation team in our efforts to establish what happened to Claudia and to identify any person responsible for causing her harm."

Ms Lawrence was last seen in March 2009 with nine people being questioned in relation to her disappearance.

Nobody has been charged in connection with the case.

Police investigating the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence are currently searching gravel pits at Sand Hutton near York, it's just been confirmed.

Image source, North Yorkshire Police

Ms Lawrence went missing on 18 March 2009 when she failed to arrive for work as a chef at York University.

Despite extensive investigations, the case remains unsolved.

The searches at Sand Hutton are just "one of several active lines of inquiry which are currently being investigated", according to North Yorkshire Police.

Detectives have previously said they believe the 35-year-old was murdered, despite her body never being found.

No-one has heard from Ms Lawrence since she called her mother Joan on the evening of 17 March 2009.

Nine people have been arrested or interviewed in connection with the case since the review began in 2013, but no charges have been brought.

These are the latest pictures from the scene of a static caravan fire near Skegness in which a two-year-old girl died:

A mother and three of her children managed to escape the blaze at Sealands Caravan Park in Ingoldmells on Monday night, but her fourth child lost her life.

Police remain at the scene and investigations into the cause of the fire are continuing.

A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson has described the death of the girl as "devastating".

Sealands is a coastal holiday home site with 263 static home plots, many of which can be rented.

It is popular with holidaymakers and is close to the Fantasy Island theme park and a Butlin's holiday camp.

BBC Radio York

People living in a North Yorkshire community have come up with a unique way of trying to get speeding drivers to slow down.

Residents of Burnt Yates, near Harrogate, are campaigning for a cut in the speed limit on the B6165, which runs through the village.

The limit there is currently 50mph but they want it reduced to 30mph.

Now they're using scarecrows, one dressed as a police officer holding a speed gun, as well as a fake speed camera, to try to encourage drivers to slow down in the area.

Geoff Walker, from the Burnt Yates Speed Committee, told BBC Radio York that after seeing many scarecrow competitions in nearby villages they thought they would combine that with their campaign to try to get the speed limit lowered.

North Yorkshire County Council says its local highways team has thoroughly investigated residents’ concerns and everything that can be done regarding speed limit restrictions is already in place.