A thief smashed his way into a church on Christmas Day to steal cash and books a court hears.

Lincolnshire's Red Arrows have been grounded after a Navy jet crashed in Cornwall.

Following the crash the RAF and Royal Navy have paused flying of all Hawk T1 jets - including the Red Arrows based at RAF Scampton.

Two pilots ejected from the aircraft, which was from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed. Defence Minister Johnny Mercer said engine failure was suspected.

The MoD said the pause in operations was a "precautionary measure while investigations were ongoing".

Image source, PA Media

Police said they received reports of the two-seater training aircraft crashing in the St Martin area on the Lizard Peninsula on Thursday morning.

The pilots, who were airlifted to hospital, are in a stable condition "without significant injury", police said.

Ejection seat manufacturer Martin-Baker said it was the first ejection from a Royal Navy aircraft in 18 years.

An MoD spokesperson said: "Safety is our paramount concern. The RAF has decided to temporarily pause Hawk T1 operations as a precautionary measure, while investigations are ongoing."

Almost 100 calls were made about animals getting entangled in discarded litter in Lincolnshire last year, according to figures released by the RSPCA.

Image source, RSPCA

The animal welfare charity has released these images of a fox caught in a pastry wrapper and a gannet entangled in plastic, to highlight the dangers to wildlife caused by abandoned rubbish.

PPE being used during the coronavirus pandemic then thrown away has made the issue worse, the organisation said.

Across the whole of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region 361 calls about litter-affected animals were made to the RSPCA in the 12-month period, the charity confirmed.

It's now urging people to help protect animals by picking up any litter they see lying around as well as ensuring they "take their litter home with them or disposing of it properly and responsibly."

Image source, RSPCA

Head of the RSPCA’s wildlife department, Adam Grogan, said: "Litter is one of the biggest hazards our wildlife faces today and the pandemic has just added to the problem, with many disposable masks just being discarded on the ground.

"These are a new danger to animals and we’ve been called out to rescue animals like ducks and gulls caught up in the masks’ elastic straps.

"That’s why we’re calling on the public to get involved in the Great British Spring Clean, external to help remove litter that may endanger animals.”

BBC Weather

This morning, a band of persistent rain will push in, turning heavy in places, with some wintry conditions.

A cold afternoon with sunny spells to follow.

This evening will be windy with a few rain showers, wintry over higher ground:

Sgt Pete Andrews, from Lincolnshire Police, says officers often "bottle up" the pressure of the job.

Southend United's Timothee Dieng is banned for two games after being found guilty of misleading a referee.

A vehicle which was set alight after being used in a robbery in Gainsborough caused major damage at a recycling plant, police say.

Bob Sargent, from South Hykeham, got over 500 cards from around the world after a social media plea.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Health officials in North East Lincolnshire say they’re in “control of a number of outbreaks” of Covid-19 across the region and no "significant" outbreaks have been reported there in the last 10 days.

Image source, Reuters/Andrew Coulridge

It comes as the authority says it has seen a decrease in infection rates since 17 March, but still remains in the top 30 highest rates nationally - as well as being ranked fourth in the Greater Lincolnshire region.

The district’s latest epidemiology report says: “The infection rate of Covid-19 in North East Lincolnshire has fallen significantly over the last week.

"This fall is associated with the resolution/control of a number of outbreaks in settings such as factories and the fact that no other significant outbreaks have been reported in the last 10 days.”

The positivity rate from coronavirus testing is now 3.8%, down from 5.7% a week ago, it adds.

Since 17 March, North East Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen by nearly a third – from 149.2 cases to 104 cases per 100,000 people.

Over 65,000 Covid-19 vaccinations have been given to residents in the district – 95% of people over 70 and 94% of older care home residents.

A date for restarting overnight urgent care at two hospitals in Lincolnshire, which was stopped because of the coronavirus pandemic, has been announced.

Image source, Google

The service will resume at Louth and Skegness hospitals from next Thursday, according to NHS officials.

The trust which manages both hospitals says the temporary closures meant staff could be transferred to help other teams who've faced extra pressures because of Covid-19.

Tracey Pilcher, director of nursing for Lincolnshire Community Health Services, said: "It's good news for the local population and should give confidence to them that the NHS is there supporting and making sure it's accessible as near to home as possible."

But she warned: "The numbers going into hospital now with Covid have reduced, but we still do have patients in hospital with Covid, so we would still advise the public to only go to those walk-in services if they absolutely needed to do that."

Scunthorpe end a run of five games without a win with a hard-earned 2-0 success over mid-table Bradford.

Luke Spokes fires Grimsby a relegation lifeline with a 71st-minute goal to earn Paul Hurst's side a win at in-form Barrow.

A minute's silence to reflect on lives lost with coronavirus took place nationwide today.

It was marked across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire with hospitals and vaccination hubs taking part.

"Stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives" was Prime Minister Boris Johnson's message during the national broadcast announcing the country's first coronavirus lockdown a year ago.

His speech on 23 March 2020 meant schools closed their doors, businesses told staff to work from home and people began to shelter and shield to try and slow the spread of Covid-19.

But for many key and essential workers across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, the "stay at home" rule did not apply.

One of those was Natalie Glew, a senior nurse in intensive care at Hull Royal Infirmary.

She said: "We've seen more loss in this last year than in our whole careers."

Ms Glew said it was communication with both patients and their families which proved most difficult.

"We've had to be both family and nurse to these patients. It's been unbelievably hard."

Ms Glew also spoke about how Covid changed things at home.

"You were frightened to death you would take something home to your loved ones," she said.

"You carry on being Mum, but at the back of your mind you are still sanitising everything and making sure everything is clean," she added.

Despite a difficult year, Ms Glew believes she has coped well and has no doubt she wants to continue in nursing

"I will definitely carry on, I absolutely love my job," she said.

On the anniversary of the start of the first coronavirus lockdown, NHS staff in Lincolnshire have been sharing their experiences of the subsequent 12 months at the front line of the pandemic.

Image source, Reuters/Toby Melville

Since the first one was announced 12 months ago, there have been two further national lockdowns, and more than 120,000 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19.

Beverley Underhill, who has worked at Boston Pilgrim Hospital for over 40 years, says the past year spent on the hospital's Covid-19 wards has been "very hard".

"It's been a very extraordinary year. None of us expected this and at some times it has got me down," she says.

Meanwhile, Sarah Wright, a midwife in Lincolnshire, says the last year has been hard on everyone and has proved "a bit frightening".

"You don't know how you're going to be affected if you get it. And for us it's a bit more tricky because having to isolate ladies with Covid, it's not nice to have this birth experience without your loved ones with you."

As the UK marks 12 months since the start of the first national coronavirus lockdown, directors of public health have spoken about their year in the spotlight.

Image source, North East Lincolnshire Council

Stephen Pintus, 59, public health director for North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire handled the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak, but says he's seen nothing on the scale of Covid-19.

He said: "It's been very eventful, very full-on and a really strange experience."

Working from home, he says he's almost missed his 140-mile daily commute, as back-to-back online meetings mean days can seem "relentless".

Alongside the challenges of managing a pandemic, he says coping with the monotony has proved difficult.

"One of the beauties of my job is the variety, but this has been really quite singular. It's all around you, you can't escape it," he says.

Both North and North East Lincolnshire have seen infection rates rise in recent weeks and are now among the worst affected areas in England.

Mr Pintus says Lincolnshire may be in for a "bumpy ride" as a result, but he adds that with the knowledge gained over the past 12 months he and his team are better equipped to meet the challenge.

A deprived housing estate with a "bad reputation" has seen people come together during the coronavirus pandemic, community workers have said.

Image source, Jonathan Thacker/Geograph

During the lockdowns a group of 26 volunteers on the Nunsthorpe estate in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, has helped almost 400 families with odd jobs including shopping, gardening and prescription collecting..

Community worker Tracey Beecham said the experience during the pandemic had given volunteers a "sense of purpose".

Ms Beecham, who works for the Centre 4 project in Grimsby, said it had made connections and "opened up the community".

"I don't think people want it to go back to what it used to be like," she said.

Another volunteer, Adam Moore said: "It's brought all of the communities together, not just the one community.

"Everyone's bundled together and helped out each other. We've stuck together, but stayed apart at the same time."

Events are being held across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to mark an anniversary no-one wants to celebrate.

Image source, PA Media

It's exactly one year since the beginning of the first national coronavirus lockdown.

On 23 March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined measures to stop the spread of the virus. Since then, the UK's official death toll, external has risen from 364 to 126,172.

Since the start of the pandemic more than 10,000 people in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have died with Covid-19.

Today the trust which runs hospitals in Lincolnshire has organised a virtual church service to mark a year since the hospitals' first coronavirus patients were admitted, and will remember patients and staff who've lost their lives.

It's teamed up with St Wulfram’s Church in Grantham to stream the service online tonight.

Lincoln Cathedral will be lit yellow to mark the anniversary, as will some West Yorkshire buildings, including the Civic Hall and Town Hall in Leeds and Bradford City Hall.

Meanwhile, York Minster and Ripon Cathedral are opening their doors. Ripon Cathedral will be open from 10:00 and York Minster from 11:30, to allow visitors to say a prayer and light a candle in memory of loved ones.

At midday today Yorkshire will join the rest of the UK in a minute's silence as part of a national day of reflection.

People are also being encouraged to stand on their doorsteps at 20:00 with phones, candles and torches to signify a "beacon of remembrance".

One year on from the first national lockdown, events are being held to remember more than 10,000 people in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire who have died with Covid-19.

On 23 March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined measures to stop the spread of the virus. Since then, the UK's official death toll, external has risen from 364 to 126,172.

In Huddersfield, a special sculpture has been installed in front of the Lawrence Batley Theatre to mark a year since the first coronavirus lockdown began.

The metal tree, designed by Matthew Kitchen-Dunn, has been decorated with handmade lanterns, which will be lit up every evening until Easter Sunday.

It was commissioned by the Huddersfield Literary Festival as a symbol of "hope and regeneration" for the town.

A minute's silence will be held at midday across the UK as part of a day of reflection.

Pub drinks, visiting elderly parents and watching football are among the images you shared with us.