There's been an increase in crime in Lincolnshire, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

The number of offences reported to police in 2017 was almost 10% more than in 2016, according the new data, external.

There were 40,597 crimes recorded last year.

Police records show that 36,844 were reported in 2016.

There have been rises in every type of crime except burglary, which is down 8%.

The biggest rises were in sexual violence and shoplifting which rose 27% and 28% respectively.

Lincolnshire Police says that despite the rises, the county is still one of the safest places to live.

The Chief Constable, Bill Skelly, says any rise can be a worry and the force will "do its best to understand why it's happened".

It was a PR dream come true - an Old English Sheepdog had been brought in to officially open the new Dulux Academy training facility at Lincoln College.

A specially-crafted ribbon made of sausages was dangled over the door ready for a chomping by Willow the dog.

As they say, " the best laid plans..."

Grimsby's six high-rise tower blocks are being demolished.

Huge cranes have been brought in to take apart the towers - block by block.

The work is expected to take until the end of the year.

A draft report into the effects of switching off street lights overnight in Lincolnshire concludes that it has led to an "increased fear of crime".

Image source, Lincs CC

The report, compiled by Lincolnshire county councillors, says the cost-saving measure has made people feel less safe, particularly on the coast.

It's led to a "perceived reduction in safety and a perceived increase in crime or the fear of crime", the report adds.

However it doesn't recommend reversing the policy because there's no evidence darker streets mean more crime.

It's taken a specially-appointed panel six months to produce the findings.

A Lincolnshire man who kept workers in squalid conditions with little or no pay has been found guilty of slavery offences.

Image source, Raw Cut PI Ltd for Channel 5

Joseph Rooney, 45, from Washingborough Road, Lincoln, was convicted at Leicester Crown Court of conspiracy to require persons to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Nine other members of his family were jailed last year for similar offences.

One of his victims, whose ordeal spanned four years, was fed on scraps from takeway dinners and paid £10 per day for working 15 hour days.

Rooney, who was extradited from the USA after being caught by the police there, is expected to be sentenced later today.

Work to demolish six tower blocks in Grimsby has begun.

Image source, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership

Huge cranes arrived on site yesterday and have begun taking apart the high-rise blocks from the top down to try and minimise the disruption to nearby houses.

Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, which owns the buildings, says it will mark a new era for the East Marsh area of the town.

Image source, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership

It says no decision has been made on what the cleared site will be used for once the work is completed at the end of the year.

A £1.5m plan for a major new development in Sleaford, which includes a new cinema, are expected to be approved this evening.

Image source, Google

The Heart of Sleaford project hopes to regenerate parts of the town centre by building a cinema, a new footbridge over the River Slea and making room for more "open space".

The plans are aimed at connecting Money's Yard (pictured) with the market place.

Previous votes on the matter at North Kesteven District Council were unanimously approved.

Plans for a block of 10 new apartments near to Scunthorpe town centre have been lodged, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Image source, Mark Simmonds Planning Services

The three-storey building would be built on empty land on Cliff Gardens, where plans for 10 assisted living apartments have already been approved.

The site was previously owned by the council and was used for offices for local education staff.

The land has since been divided up and sold for development by North Lincolnshire Council.

The developers said it would bring much0needed housing to the town centre area.

It's pretty windy out there today, so the Humber Bridge has been closed to high-sided vehicles.

An air ambulance is at the scene of a road accident where a car rolled off the road and into a ditch by the A15.

Image source, Brian Green

The crash happened at around 09:30 this morning at the junction with Sleaford Rd near the village of Cranwell.

Only one car was involved in the incident and police say that injuries aren't believed to be serious or life threatening.

The road had been closed while the car was recovered, but police say it should open soon.

Humberside Fire and Rescue has issued a warning to people to be aware of the risks of going into the water on the East Yorkshire coast and the Humber Estuary.

It says its teams were called 22 incidents where people had got in to difficulty in mud or water last year.

The fire service says drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the UK and it is backing a national campaign to make people aware of the risks.

It says anglers and dog walkers can often be caught out in the unpredictable tides and mud banks of the East Yorkshire coastline and the banks of the Humber Estuary.

Poor weather, construction problems and even unexploded World War Two bombs have delayed plans to open the UK's first purpose-built marine observatory on the Lincolnshire coast.

Image source, Mouchel

But Lincolnshire County Council says progress is being made on the the North Sea Observatory in Chapel St Leonards.

It was originally due to open in Autumn 2017 but it's now expected to open this June.

It's been confirmed that Florence + The Machine will play in Scunthorpe next month, marking her live comeback in the UK.

The singer, who is expected to release new music in the next few weeks, will perform at the Baths Hall on Sunday 6 May.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

She will headline the BBC's Biggest Weekend Festival in Swansea on Sunday 28 May.

Calling all peacock owners, have you got a spare one? Perhaps one looking a bit lonely...

Image source, Getty Images

A community centre in Lincolnshire says they're searching for one to keep their peahens (female peacocks) company.

Staff at Hill Holt Wood, near Norton Disney, say they're hoping to find a mate for one of their three clucky ladies.

Do have one going spare? Get in touch with us.

People living in part of Grantham have taken matters into their own hands over on-street parking.

Signs which show a 30-minute limit for parking have all been covered by spray paint and makeshift "Resident Parking Only" signs (pictured) have been put up instead.

Residents on East Street say it's a relief because they've been unable to park in front of their own home without getting parking tickets.

The only cinema in Grantham is due to show its last film this evening.

The Reel Cinema on St Catherine's Road is shutting its doors after being open since 1982.

The two-screen theatre was bought-up by the chain in 2005 after being sold by the people who originally built the cinema.

But movie fans shouldn't worry: a new multi-screen cinema complex is being built next to it and is due to open early next year.

Here are the top stories from across the county so far today:

• Lincolnshire PCSO's will work longer hours at weekends to support regular officers
• New strikes announced on rail route through the county
• Winter weather blamed for delays on £2m coastal observatory project

Updates on breaking news will continue throughout the night.

Police are asking you to keep your eyes open for a stolen mobility scooter.

It went missing overnight between Monday and yesterday.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

Police say thieves took the TGA Breeze S (like the one above) - which has a top speed of eight miles an hour - from a communal garage on Witham Green in Boston.

A terrapin which was found abandoned in Skegness has been adopted by an animal shelter - which is already home to three others found in the resort in 2016.

The reptile was first taken to Skegness Aquarium on the seafront by the concerned member of the public who found it - but was then passed on to the ARK Wildlife Park at nearby Stickney.

Image source, ARK Animal Rescue

The female terrapin has now been named Charlie.

Appropriately, she is a Yellow-bellied Slider and is living with three others of her kind who were found in the Skegness boating lake two years ago.

The latest Complete University Guide , externalis out today and it gives an idea of how the county's two higher education institutions are doing.

Image source, Complete University Guide

The graph above shows how the University of Lincoln moves up seven places to 43rd in the country out of 131, while Bishop Grosseteste is down five places to be ranked 120th.

The figures start from 2014 because that's when Bishop Grosseteste became a stand-alone institution.

The University of Lincoln also gets the third-highest student satisfaction score in the East Midlands out of nine establishments, while Bishop Grosseteste comes 8th.