Summary

  • Grantham A&E to stay closed overnight

  • Hoax bomb pair spared jail

  • Man jailed for 16 years for child sex offences

  • Burst water main in Washingborough

  • Disappointment at cancellation of air show

  • Updates on Friday 15 December 2017

Live Reporting

Hope Bolger

  1. Coming up on Look North

    BBC Look North
    East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

    Watch the full stories on BBC One at 18:30.

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  2. Watch: This evening's weather forecast

    Lisa Gallagher
    Weather presenter, BBC Look North

    Clear spells and scattered showers, possibly wintry in places over the Wolds. Fresh southwest wind and minimum temperatures around 0C (32F) with ice on untreated surfaces.

    Here's my full forecast:

  3. 'South Pole' trip for county gritters

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    Lincolnshire's gritters have covered a distance equal to a trip to the South Pole and back over the last few days, according to figures released this evening by highways chiefs.

    Lincolnshire County Council says between Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning, the team carried out 11 full runs covering a total of 20,630 miles.

    Gritters

    The gritters really have gone above and beyond over the last few days. They've been out in the middle of the night, making back-to-back runs in treacherous conditions to make sure the roads are clear for the morning rush hour."

    Councillor Martin Hill, Leader, Lincolnshire County Council

  4. Heavy vehicles could be banned on Rawcliffe Bridge

    Chris Arundel
    BBC Radio Humberside

    Heavier vehicles are likely to be banned from using Rawcliffe Bridge in future.

    The 1960s bridge which spans the Dutch River near Goole has been closed since October.

    Engineers have found some of the steel cables which give the bridge its strength are loose.

    A decision on which sorts of vehicles will be allowed over it in future will be made in the new year.

  5. Free parking after Christmas Market cancellation

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    Council chiefs who cancelled the last day of Lincoln's Christmas Market last weekend have announced that free parking will be given to shoppers as compensation.

    Thousands of people were expected to visit the fourth and final day of the event on Sunday, but organisers said it should not go ahead because of public safety due to expected cold weather.

    The City of Lincoln Council has written to shopkeepers in the Bailgate area of the city, which is where the majority of the market takes place.

    Lincoln Christmas Market

    The letter, which has been seen by BBC Radio Lincolnshire, tells traders how distressed the council is about having to cancel the market.

    It says 300 spaces in five car parks will be free this weekend and next in the run up to Christmas.

    We love Lincoln and we want to let our wonderful, unique businesses know that we will always try to do what we can to support them. Hopefully this parking offer will encourage those people looking for Christmas gifts to shop local and shop Lincoln.

    Angela Andrews, Chief Executive, City of Lincoln Council

  6. Ambulance bosses respond to no confidence vote

    Rod Whiting
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire

    Managers in charge of Lincolnshire's NHS patient transport service have responded to stinging criticism from the county's health watchdog.

    Thames Ambulance Service took over the non-emergency ambulance service for Lincolnshire around five months ago.

    Patient Transport Service

    Today, Lincolnshire County Council's health scrutiny committee challenged managers about missed appointments, long waits for patients and only 50% of calls being answered.

    Graham Briggs from Thames Ambulance Service Limited told me he accepts they've fallen below required standards and says they're committed to improving.

    We really regret the historical position of the last four months where we've not been able to provide the service patients deserve. We are doing a lot to improve, and we continue to improve."

    Graham Briggs, Thames Ambulance Service

  7. Inspectors voice concern over coastal schools

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    Poorer children in Lincolnshire - especially along the county's coastal strip - are not getting a good enough standard of education, according to inspectors.

    The education watchdog Ofsted has released figures today which show 93% of primary schools and 73% of secondary schools in Lincolnshire are either good or outstanding.

    classroom

    However, they say many children on the coast are continuing to struggle and schools in that area are not improving quickly enough.

    Clearly it's difficult to recruit teachers to that area and children in the east coast don't have the breadth of opportunity and horizons, aspirations perhaps that you might find near the cities."

    Emma Ing, Senior Inspector, Ofsted

  8. Can you help find missing teenager?

    Police are appealing for help to find a missing 16-year-old who hasn't been seen since Saturday.

    Shane Bunker went missing from Skegness at around 16:30.

    Shane BunkerLincolnshire Police

    He's described as being 5ft 8ins and was possibly wearing a grey hoodie and grey tracksuit bottoms.

  9. Weather: Cold and wet this afternoon

    BBC Weather

    Blustery showers are expected to merge to give longer spells of rain at times.

    Becoming largely dry by the end of the day:

    weather

  10. Councillors 'no confidence' in ambulance service

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    Lincolnshire's non-emergency ambulance service has suffered a public humiliation after a health watchdog passed a vote of no confidence in it.

    The Lincolnshire Health Scrutiny Committee has been examining the work of private firm Thames Ambulance Service, which provides patient transport services across the county.

    The BBC's Rod Whiting is at the meeting:

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    Earlier in the meeting a member of the committee, Councillor Sue Woolley told company chiefs they were overseeing what she described as a "truly appalling service".

  11. Your headlines this lunchtime

    Lucy Parry
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    Here are the top stories from our Lincolnshire newsroom:

  12. Ex-Lincoln footballer fined for assault

    Su Whitaker
    BBC Radio Lincolnshire sport

    A former Lincoln City footballer has been fined for an assault at a Lincolnshire sports centre.

    Bradley Wood, aged 26, admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Lincoln earlier today.

    Bradley WoodGetty Images

    The incident happened in August at the North Kesteven Sports centre in North Hykeham.

    Wood left the Imps earlier in the year and now plays for Alfreton Town.

    He was fined £154 and ordered to pay compensation of £100 and a £30 victim surcharge.

  13. PM quizzed on Grantham A&E decision

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    The Prime Minister has appeared to defend a decision to keep Grantham's A&E department closed overnight.

    Earlier this week United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS trust said it wouldn't be reopening the unit overnight anytime soon.

    Theresa May

    The decision followed intervention by NHS Improvement.

    Grantham A&E was closed overnight in August 2016 because of a lack of staff.

    Grantham and Stamford MP Nick Boles, who has called for the unit to reopen fully, asked Theresa May about the situation at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons earlier.

    The first priority must be to ensure patient safety, I understand NHS Improvement are continuing to work very closely with the trust and that my right honourable friend the Health Secretary would be happy to discuss the detail"

    Theresa May, Prime Minister

  14. Commons hears Grimsby view of fishing debate

    Parliament's heard that Brexit will be an "opportunity" for fishing communities on the Humber.

    The chief executive of Grimsby Fish Market has been giving evidence before a Commons environment committee.

    Martyn Boyers says the region's faced tougher challenges than leaving the EU, such as "The Cod Wars" of the 1970s when the UK sparred with Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic.

  15. Ambulance bosses: We're failing the public

    Vicky Johnson
    BBC Look North

    Lincolnshire's non-emergency ambulance service has admitted it is letting patients down.

    Thames Ambulance bosses have been appearing before the county council's health watchdog.

    They've told councillors on the health scrutiny committee they now have 'patient experience officers' to handle complaints.

    The meeting's ongoing at County Offices in Lincoln.

  16. Regional jobless figures up

    The latest unemployment figures are out and it's bad news with the number of people out of a job going up.

    In the East Midlands, which covers the Lincolnshire County Council area, the figure's risen by 7,000 to 98,000.

    In Yorkshire and the Humber, which covers North and North East Lincolnshire, the figure's gone up 4,000 to 131,000.

    Job Centre

    Nationally, unemployment fell by 26,000 to 1.4 million, which is 182,000 lower than a year ago.

  17. Controversial new benefit system begins in county

    Today is the day that Universal Credit is rolled out in North East Lincolnshire.

    Job Centre photoGetty Images

    It's designed to combine 6 benefit payments into one monthly payment but critics say the first payments can take up to six weeks to come through, which is driving people into debt and arrears.

    The government says it has made improvements and the system gets people back into work quicker.

    North East Lincolnshire's Citizen's Advice Bureau has highlighted its own concerns.

    We do have a big concern that people will start to use illegal money lending and certainly it gives loan sharks an opportunity to extend what they see as their market."

    Tony Gaskins, Chief Executive, North East Lincolnshire's Citizens Advice Bureau

  18. Warning over thefts from unlocked vehicles

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    A spate of thefts from vehicles is being investigated in Grantham.

    Police say items including sunglasses, laptops, iPhones and Sat Navs have been stolen from cars in the past few days.

    Car thiefThinkstock

    Thieves are currently finding it too easy to open a car door and take whatever they want. It is frustrating to hear that resident’s hard-earned money which is spent on treats for themselves is going into the hands of opportunistic thieves."

    Insp Gary Stewart, Grantham Police

  19. Police launch scheme on consent during party season

    Harry Parkhill
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    A new campaign to educate people about sexual consent has been launched by police in Lincolnshire.

    Senior officers say it is important during the Christmas party season when problems involving alcohol become more prevalent.

    posterLincolnshire Police

    Posters like the one above are being put up in pub and nightclub toilets around the county to try to raise awareness of the issue.

    Sex is always a difficult subject to talk about so if we can get to a position where people are thinking about it and reading our leaflets and cards then we'll be in a position where people are making better decisions."

    Craig Naylor, Deputy Chief Constable, Lincolnshire Police

  20. Detectives investigate 'dangerous cycling' case

    Martin Slack
    BBC Local Live, Lincolnshire

    A woman has been left with arm and face injuries after she was run over by a cyclist who then rode off.

    Police say a man rode into the back of her near Lincoln's magistrates court, stopped, but then rode off again.

    A police spokesman said the man spoke in broken English and was wearing dark clothing during the incident at 07:10 on Wednesday 29 November.

    "We are appealing to the male cyclist to come forward and speak to officers so we can understand what happened.

    "We are also appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward and speak to us on 101."