England's deputy chief medical officer has compared the risks of taking the AstraZeneca vaccine to taking over-the-counter painkillers like paracetamol.

At Wednesday's Covid briefing, Professor Jonathan Van Tam, who's Lincolnshire-based and has administered vaccines himself in the county, took out the instructional booklet found in a box of paracetamol and read out the long list of possible side effects.

He was responding to news that a number of EU countries have suspended their rollout of the Oxford jab while they investigate claims of it causing blood clots.

He also said it was key that Britain pressed on with its vaccination programme.

BBC Weather

This afternoon in Lincolnshire will be dull and cloudy, with patchy rain pushing in from the northeast. A moderate northerly wind.

Rain will become more widespread and prolonged this evening, but it should be light.

Rain will tend to ease later in the night, but it will stay cloudy and a few odd spots of rain may linger. Breezy:

Nine new solar powered litter bins are to be installed in parks and other popular destinations across North East Lincolnshire, it's been confirmed.

Image source, North East Lincolnshire Council

Solar bins are designed to compress rubbish so they do not need to be emptied as often as standard bins. They can hold up to 10 times more rubbish than a normal, non-compacting bin.

The new solar bins are to be installed in a total of nine locations including Grand Thorold Park in Grimsby, Cleethorpes Meridian Point, Weelsby Woods, Bradley Woods nature reserve and at the southern tip of Cleethorpes beach, near the Humberston Fitties entrance.

Originally, North East Lincolnshire Council installed four solar bins in four parks in July 2019.

As well as the new solar bins, North East Lincolnshire Council is also replacing some of its standard litter bins in Cleethorpes with new recycling bins for plastic bottles, paper and cans.

Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment for North East Lincolnshire Council, says: "Our four existing solar bins have proved very useful, and we want to build on their success by installing them in more areas.

“They generate wireless alerts when they need emptying. This saves on time for our staff and ultimately cuts the cost of collection.

“More and more people are recycling in North East Lincolnshire. We are fitting new, street recycling bins to help people recycle even more when they are out and about."

Tranmere move to within three points of the automatic promotion places in League Two with a goalless draw against Grimsby.

BBC Weather

A largely dry night for Lincolnshire with any clear intervals soon giving way to cloudier skies.

A gentle northerly breeze. Light rain or drizzle may be possible towards dawn:

Action has been taken against three drivers who were involved in anti-social behaviour in North East Lincolnshire, police have said.

Image source, PA Media

Officers received reports of vehicles taking part in "drag racing" on Kings Road in Cleethorpes on Sunday, as well as drivers sounding their horns continuously and disrupting other vehicles.

The area is covered by a Public Spaces Protection Order, which aims to protect local residents from those intending to cause nuisance or harm.

One of the drivers involved had his vehicle seized while the other two drivers were issued with Section 59 notices, meaning if they're caught again their vehicles will be seized.

PC Dave Cave, from Humberside Police, said: "We understand the detrimental effect anti-social behaviour and nuisance vehicles can have on the community, which is why we’re dedicated to disrupting those involved and working with our partners on longer term solutions to problems."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Nearly 4,000 people have signed a petition calling for street lights in Lincolnshire to be kept on all night in Lincolnshire following the death of Sarah Everard in London.

In 2016, Lincolnshire County Council turned off more than half of its 68,000 street lights in a bid to save £1.7m.

Now, campaigners are urging the authority to reverse the decision using money from the government's Safer Streets Fund.

Karen Cassar, the county's assistant director for highways, said women’s safety was “about much more than streetlights”.

“I can completely understand why some residents, especially women, might feel concerned for their own safety after Sarah Everard’s tragic disappearance in London," she said.

“I know many women – from Lincolnshire and around the country – who don’t feel safe alone after dark, even where there are streetlights, and also long before midnight which is when some in Lincolnshire are turned off. “

Ms Cassar added that police had said in 2018 they had "found no impact on night-time crime levels as a result of the change".

She said a system that allowed local councils to pay for lights to be kept on all night had only resulted in four lights being changed.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is safe and “saves lives”, Lincolnshire's health bosses have said after several European countries stopped administering it over blood clot concerns.

Image source, EPA/LUONG THAI LINH

Use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been paused in a number of European countries after a small number of blood clots were reported among people who had recently had the jab.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating the reports, but says there is no evidence that the clots were linked to the vaccine.

The UK's medical regulator also says the jab is safe to give to people.

Lincolnshire County Council’s assistant director for public health, Andy Fox, said the temporary European bans were “mind-boggling”.

"We have proof the vaccine saves lives, that is proven beyond all doubt scientifically. It’s safe and effective and is our way out of this," he said.

"I would encourage everybody, everybody, no matter who they are, if they’re offered the vaccine jump at the chance and go and get vaccinated.”

He added there was “absolutely no evidence of any link with blood clots”.

“It doesn’t take more than a cursory look at the number of cases they are reporting...to see we’re talking about a handful of cases.

“I’m so clear that it is an incorrect decision of these other countries have made to stop the vaccination programme with this vaccine that is safe and effective and it could potentially cost lives, to stop vaccinating people."

BBC Weather

Any lingering rain should soon clear this afternoon in Lincolnshire, and it will remain dry, but mostly cloudy.

Moderate northerly winds.

Staying dry overnight, with mostly cloudy skies.

A gentle northerly breeze. Light rain or drizzle may be possible towards dawn:

Two men have been arrested in North Lincolnshire on suspicion of defrauding an elderly man out of thousands of pounds.

Image source, PA

Humberside Police say the men were arrested on the High Street in Scunthorpe on Monday on suspicion of fraud by false representation after a bank reported suspicious withdrawals from an elderly man’s account.

It was reported that two men completed some gutter cleaning work for the man for which they charged £5,000 in cash.

They allegedly later pressurised the man to withdraw a further £3,000 for de-weeding, but this second amount wasn't handed over.

The two arrested men have been placed on conditional bail while the investigation continues, according to Lincolnshire Police.

Police will be able to cross-reference data with crime reports to see if offenders were in the area.

Grantham's A&E department will return to pre-pandemic opening hours by 30 June, health bosses say.

New Oldham Athletic boss Keith Curle is denied a first League Two win by Scunthorpe United's 93rd-minute leveller.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Just 0.1% of asymptomatic Covid tests on school pupils in Lincolnshire - tests which are carried out on children who aren't showing any symptoms of the virus - have come back positive, health bosses have confirmed.

Image source, Reuters/Phil Noble

About 17,000 lateral flow tests were carried out among school children in the county last week – with around 17 of those showing as Covid-positive, according to Andy Fox, Lincolnshire County Council’s assistant director of public health.

The numbers from schools are starting to feed into the national data, meaning case numbers could rise slightly - but infection rates are expected to vary in the weeks ahead as more people get vaccinated.

“Schools are experts at this now due to the system of controls the Department for Education has put in place to reduce transmission,” said Mr Fox.

“We will still see some cases, though I’m sure younger people will hopefully be asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms, and we might see some outbreaks and transmission in schools as we did last year.

“But the aim for symptomatic testing, along with the excellent work all the schools are doing, should give us a chance of minimising it," he added.

More hand-washing to prevent the spread of infection has left children with sore and cracked hands.

William Alvey School in Sleaford wants to raise £800 to buy medals given to ex-pupil Charles Penson and his father.

Coronavirus infection rates in the Greater Lincolnshire area are falling, but progress is slow in some parts, the latest figures show.

North East Lincolnshire is currently in fifth place nationally for its Covid infection rate, while South Holland is in ninth, Boston is in 16th and North Lincolnshire is in 17th place.

The latest stats are a reminder people still need to stick to the rules, public health bosses say.

The latest figures for Greater Lincolnshire are as follows:

• North East Lincolnshire: 149.8 cases per 100,000 people
• South Holland: 132.6 cases per 100,000 people
• Boston: 122.6 cases per 100,000 people
• North Lincolnshire: 122.5 cases per 100,000 people
• West Lindsey: 80.5 cases per 100,000 people
• Lincoln: 79.6 cases per 100,000 people
• East Lindsey: 78.3 cases per 100,000 people
• South Kesteven: 70.9 cases per 100,000 people
• North Kesteven: 50.5 cases per 100,000 people

The current average for England is 58.4 cases per 100,000 people

BBC Weather

There'll be some rain around in Lincolnshire this morning.

Here's the latest forecast:

Shied Riasat walked out of the open prison in 2012 before leaving the UK to make a new life in Malaysia.

BBC Weather

It will be a dry start to the night for Lincolnshire, but rain will move in later.

Here's the latest forecast: