The 1% pay rise offered to NHS workers in England is a "pitiful amount to be offered after such a long haul" fighting the coronavirus pandemic, a Lincolnshire nurse has said.

Melanie Kerr (pictured), a staff nurse and chair of the North Lincolnshire regional branch of the Royal College of Nursing, called the pay offer "infuriating".

She said: "We're going to haemorrhage staff and announcements like this make it all the worse.

"As we enter the recovery phase, there's still a lot of hard work that staff face. So in terms of trying to boost morale that is not the route to go down."

Nationally, unions are calling for strike action over the pay rise offer.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommended the 1% pay rise, external to the independent panel that advises the government on NHS salaries.

It would cover nearly all hospital staff, but not GPs and dentists. The panel is due make its own pay recommendations in early May, when ministers will make their final decision.

A government spokesperson said 1% was a "real-terms increase", as the latest official inflation figure was 0.9%, external.

Parents shouldn't see the return of children to school next week as a chance to mix with other people, Lincolnshire's director of public health has warned.

Professor Derek Ward said it was "vital" parents don't interact with others when dropping children off on Monday morning.

Although schools are returning, rules on social mixing remain in place.

The warning comes after new data revealed that Lincolnshire's Covid-19 infection rate dropped below the England average for the first time in weeks.

The father-of-three says he has delivered 15,000 meals for children since starting a year ago.

A convicted paedophile who tried to destroy evidence when police arrived at his home has been jailed for 20 months.

Image source, Lincs Police

Ian Picksley (pictured), of Hawthorne Chase, Lincoln, refused to answer the door so he could destroy his internet history.

However, more than 2,000 indecent images of children were found on his devices.

Picksley, 62, has 27 previous sexual convictions and had recently been released from jail after serving a nine year sentence for sexual offences against a girl aged under 13.

He was jailed at Lincoln Crown Court for 20 months after admitting three offences of making an indecent image of a child.

He also admitted possession of prohibited images of a child and possession of extreme pornography.

The tourism industry in Lincolnshire is being encouraged to cater for cyclists after a rise in people getting on their bikes.

Image source, Focus Rides

A new tourism group, Cycle Lincolnshire, says the county could be a prime destination for enthusiasts.

Previously, the Cycle England organisation has worked with tourism bosses in the county to help develop cycling holidays over the last two years.

Now, Cycle Lincolnshire wants to expand those holidays and create more routes for cyclists to travel while visiting.

Kevin Smith, who has helped establish those routes and is owner of a cycle park in the Lincolnshire Wolds (pictured), says the cycling industry is "serious money".

"The people investing in cycling have got the money to spend in cafes and shops", he says.

Lincolnshire's coronavirus infection rate has dropped below the national average for the first time in weeks, according to Public Health Lincolnshire.

Image source, Getty Images

Professor Derek Ward, director of Public Health Lincolnshire, says the county's rate is now 78 cases per 100,000 people.

The average infection rate in England is 81.3 cases per 100,000 people.

It comes after weeks of the South Holland and Boston areas having some of the highest infection rates in the country.

Data compiled by the BBC, which takes in figures up to the 28 February, showed South Holland as having the fifth highest infection rate in England.

Public Health Lincolnshire's figures are subject to changes as more of the data is assessed.

BBC Weather

There will be more breaks in the cloud later, allowing for more prolonged spells of sunshine in places.

A few clear spells this evening, but it will be dry with variable amounts of cloud tonight:

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Nearly a fifth of all Lincolnshire residents have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, it's been confirmed.

Over 271,000 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Lincolnshire so far - of which 5,281 were second doses, according to new figures from NHS England.

A total of 266,323 people have received their first dose - that equates to 19.14% of the county's population based on the most recent population estimates.

The weekly data released today shows a total of 271,604 jabs have taken place between 8 December and 28 February - up by 34,577 on the previous week and higher week-on-week (34,228).

However, that figure was still lower than the previous weeks (36,828 and 38,365 respectively).

BBC Weather

It will be a mainly dry night in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

People in Lincolnshire will benefit from two freeports - one will cover the Humber region and the other will be based at East Midlands Airport.

Image source, Getty Images

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the eight freeports he announced in the Budget on Wednesday could help economic recovery by making it easier and cheaper to do business in regions, as well as creating jobs.

The freeport model works by allowing companies to import goods tariff-free and only paying once it is sold into the domestic market, or exporting the final goods without paying UK tariffs.

East Midlands Airport's managing director Claire James said the news would "shine a spotlight on a part of the country which has so much to offer investors, existing businesses that wish to grow, and the supply chains that are linked to them".

Maria Machancoses, director of Midlands Connect, called it "fantastic news" and said they would work with local authorities to make sure the site is well connected to trade locally, nationally and internationally.

BBC Weather

It will be a fairly cloudy and cold day in Lincolnshire today.

Tonight, it will turn dry and the low cloud looks set to persist for much of the night:

The list of places in England receiving funds is dominated by the north west, Yorkshire and Midlands.

PA Media

The Humber region will be one of eight sites in England where a freeport will be located, it has been confirmed.

Image source, Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Pledged in the Conservative Party 2019 manifesto, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in his Budget speech that the Humber region as well as East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich, the Liverpool City Region, Plymouth, Solent and Thames and Teesside are all set to benefit from the post-Brexit status.

Mr Sunak said the "special economic zones with different rules to make it easier and cheaper to do business" would come with simpler planning, cheaper customs - with favourable tariffs, VAT or duties - and lower taxes, with "tax breaks to encourage construction, private investment and job creation".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay, quizzed about freeports by MPs last month, said he had expected the locations to be announced in "the spring", with the first freeports "ideally operational by the end of the year".

The freeport model works by allowing companies to import goods tariff-free and only paying once it is sold into the domestic market, or exporting the final goods without paying UK tariffs.

Further announcements are still expected on freeports within the devolved administrations, with the manifesto committing to creating 10 in total in the UK.

BBC Weather

Tonight will be cloudy with the risk of a few scattered showers.

However, it should stay largely dry.

A cold night with light winds, and some mist or fog patches:

People are being urged to stick with coronavirus restrictions even if they've had their Covid-19 vaccination.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said it remained important that everyone continues to follow the rules:

A seal sanctuary in Skegness says it will only escape financial ruin if visitors are able to return over the summer.

Natureland has been rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned and injured seals since it was founded in 1965.

However, the attraction has been forced to close for the first time in its history due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The centre rescues up to 70 seals every year and each one costs about £2,000 to rehabilitate.

Leyton Orient mark Jobi McAnuff's first game as interim manager with a 1-0 victory against rock-bottom Grimsby Town.

Cambridge lose top spot in League Two after Scunthorpe claim a 1-0 win at the Abbey Stadium.

It will be a cloudy end to the day in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

All Lincolnshire's Covid vaccine sites are continuing to offer people their jabs, officials say.

The reassurance comes after it was reported some people believed the major hubs were slowing down their operations.

The organisation which runs Lincolnshire's vaccination sites said due to demand and supply of the vaccine, not all its sites are open every day.