Summary

  • Marina Erte death: Jury consider verdict

  • Lincoln A&E appeals for staff help from hospitals outside county

  • Golden Wonder jobs boost at Scunthorpe crisp factory

  • Woman, 61, dies after A15 crash near Sleaford last month

  • Boston residents call for end to streetlight switch-off

  • Bengal tigers unveiled at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

  • Live updates on Friday 7 April 2017

Live Reporting

Alex Rhodes

  1. Hospital trusts merger 'to save £9m'

    Martin Slack
    BBC Lincolnshire Live

    Patients in southern Lincolnshire will benefit from the merger of two hospital trusts, according to the managers behind the move.

    stamford hospital

    The Peterborough and Stamford NHS Trust is now part of the new North West Anglia NHS Trust - a move which NHS bosses say will save £9m.  

    Steven Graves, chief executive of the new trust, says 30% of his patients come from Lincolnshire.

    He's denied claims by campaigners against the move that services will be cut.

  2. Appeal over Scunthorpe's 'most-wanted'

    Martin Slack
    BBC Lincolnshire Live

    Police have appealed for help to find a 19-year-old Scunthorpe man described as the town's "most wanted".

    Thomas EdgarHumberside Police

    Local residents are being advised not to approach Thomas Edgar - and to call 999 if he's spotted.  

    Det Ch Insp Nicki Miller, from Scunthorpe Police, says: "Thomas Edgar is currently Scunthorpe’s most wanted person and we are determined to ensure he is arrested. 

    "He is a violent offender linked with serious assaults, criminal damage and driving offences and there is no doubt he is causing harm to the community. 

    "Due to the serious nature of his offending we are continuing to search for him and will do so until he has been located and is in police custody," adds Det Ch Insp Miller.

  3. The 1970s: When 7p bought you a Red Arrow...

    Martin Slack
    BBC Lincolnshire Live

    ...and I'm not talking about one of the famous jet planes, obviously, but a Wall's ice lolly named after the Lincolnshire-based aerobatic heroes.

    Maybe the organisers of the new Scampton Airshow - which starts this year - should get Wall's to bring these back:

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
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    Thanks to Claire Hartley for the tweet!

  4. Heritage cuts 'could affect up to 100 staff' in Lincolnshire

    Sharon Edwards
    Political Reporter, BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Staff working in Lincolnshire's museums and heritage sites are facing cuts in their salaries and working hours, a union has warned.

    Gainsborough Old Hall

    Lincolnshire County Council says it needs to save £1.8m in the service which runs sites including Gainsborough Old Hall (above), Lincoln's Usher Gallery and The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at Coningsby.  

    While the council says it expects "very few" job losses, the union Unison says up to 100 staff could be affected.

    The final plans are due to be be published later this month.

  5. Investment plan to rejuvenate seaside resorts

    BBC Look North
    East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

    Some of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire's seaside resorts could be transformed with millions of pounds of government money .

    Hornsea BeachGeograph/Peter Church

    Cleethorpes, Hornsea and the North York Moors coast are getting money to help revive local economies. 

    One idea is to create a new tourism area in Hornsea.  

    It is hoped the investment will create jobs and help seaside towns become year-round.

  6. Bouncers put on the books at libraries

    Martin Slack
    BBC Lincolnshire Live

    Libraries in Grimsby and Immingham have had to hire "professional security staff" after young people started meeting there.

    Grimsby Library

    In a report being discussed by the council next week , it says "increased numbers are using libraries as a venue for causing nuisance and disturbance to regular users". 

    The security staff are in position as a temporary measure and the library service is "closely monitoring the situation", the report adds.

  7. Weather: A dull afternoon but sunshine later

    BBC Weather

    Here's your afternoon outlook:

    weather

  8. Your headlines this lunchtime

    Barbara Stimpson
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Here are the top stories from our Lincolnshire newsroom so far today

  9. Police in new searches for missing mum and sons

    Police have been searching properties around Newark as the hunt for a mum with Lincolnshire connections who's suspected of abducting her two sons continues into a second week.  

    missingNottinghamshire Police

    Samantha Baldwin was last seen just over a week ago and it's thought she's with nine-year-old Louis and six-year-old Dylan Madge.  

    Officers say the further searches have been carried out as they follow through every line of enquiry in efforts to find the family. 

    Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Ms Baldwin or her two sons is being asked to contact police. 

  10. Business link-up sees four new firefighters ready for action

    Scott Dalton
    Presenter, BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service has teamed-up with a local business in a bid to boost the number of retained firefighters.

    new firefightersLincolnshire Fire and Rescue

    In what's being described as a "county first", workers from Bardney-based RASE Distribution have taken part in a bespoke training course alongside senior fire officers.

    Three employees from the firm signed up to the course and will now be able to join the crew at Bardney Fire Station - along with a fourth recruit who's a local taxi driver.

  11. BBC Weather Watchers: Blue in Belton

    BBC Weather Watchers

    We always love to feature the best pictures you've taken of Lincolnshire and our BBC Weather Watchers never let us down.

    Look at the idyllic scene below caught on camera at the weekend by Amy Coutin in Belton - it could be a postcard!

    Why not email or tweet your photographs to us? 

    Belton

  12. Lack of paint halts 'Just Jane' restoration

    Trevor Gibbons
    BBC News Online, Yorkshire

    A shortage of paint is being blamed for a delay in the £250,000 renovation of a World War Two Lancaster aircraft in Lincolnshire.

    Just Jane on the tarmac

    The Avro Lancaster NX611, known as Just Jane, is being restored at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre in East Kirkby. 

    Andrew Panton, from the centre, says "quite a lot more paint" is still needed.

    It will take at least three weeks to produce more specialist paint for the plane which was last painted 40 years ago.

    Eventually, it's hoped the Lancaster bomber will fly again but that is "several years" away, according to Mr Panton. 

  13. Head teacher defends 'duvet day' for staff

    A Lincolnshire head teacher's defended his decision to offer so-called "duvet days" as an incentive to recruit more staff.

    Person stretching in bed

    Long Sutton Primary has set aside more than £3,000 of the school's annual budget to pay for the perk. 

    Critics argue it sends out the wrong message about teaching, but head teacher Bill Lord says every year the school struggles with recruitment:

    Each year we get to July panicking about whether we are going to be able to provide the fantastic staff that our fantastic kids deserve. We are in a time of austerity and wages don't go up, and it leads to people looking at other alternatives."

    Bill Lord, Head teacher, Long Sutton Primary

  14. Batemans Brewery named one of the best in the UK

    Lincolnshire Business

    Wainfleet-based Batemans Brewery has been named as one of the best breweries in the UK and Ireland in a new report.  

    BreweryLincolnshire Business

  15. Out-of-town centre 'will still be restricted'

    Katie O'Halloran
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    There's a row between Spalding's town centre traders and the local council over out-of-town shopping.

    Chairman of the Spalding Town Centre Traders association Darren Sutton says South Holland District Council is not being fair by supporting the expansion of the out-of-town Springfields Centre (below)

    SpringfieldsSteve Daniels/Geograph

    But the council says Springfields plays a complimentary role - and attracts more than 2.5m visitors per year. 

    The authority also says it'll continue to operate under the existing restrictions designed to avoid competition with the town centre. 

  16. New effort to protect marine life from beach waste

    Environment campaigners in our region are calling for greater awareness of the harm plastic is doing to our seas. 

    A plastic bottle

    It comes as scientists plan to harvest waste material from UK beaches to make bottles instead of using new plastic. 

    It's part of an effort to reduce the impact plastics have on marine life.   

  17. Town centre traders' anger over shopping village expansion

    Katie O'Halloran
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    A row's broken out in Spalding over the planned expansion of the shopping outlet - Springfields.

    It's set to grow by 20% by 2021 - and by the same amount again in the following five years. 

    SpringfieldsGoogle

    The town's Retailers Association says the council's ignoring a rule designed to protect traders in the town centre.  

  18. Watch: A chance of showers early but drier later

    BBC Look North
    East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

    Here's Lisa Gallagher with the forecast:

  19. Immingham port in line for major investment

    BBC Look North
    East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

    The operators of the port of Immingham, Associated British Ports (ABP), have announced a £50m investment which it says will "double capacity".

    immingham

    The money will also be spent in Hull. 

    The firm says there has been a 41% growth in use of the ports since 2013, with the trend expected to continue.

    It will put in new cranes and double the capacity of both container terminals.   

  20. Your headlines this morning

    Corazon Garcia
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Here are the top stories from our Lincolnshire newsroom:

    • There are concerns that Spalding's out of town retail centre is harming town centre trade
    • £850,000 plans are unveiled for Grantham's Wyndham Park
    • Lincoln City move closer to promotion with a 2-0 win over Dangenham & Redbridge