Some of the cocaine was so pure it was said to have come "straight off the boat" from South America, court hears.

Lincoln City sign defender Akeem Hinds until the end of the season following his release from Rotherham United two days earlier.

People in Market Rasen have reacted angrily to the news the town's last bank is to close.

Image source, Google

Lloyds, in Market Place, is one of 56 the company plans to close across the UK.

It will close in June after bosses said it was not being used enough.

Local resident Sally Graham said: "It's absolutely shocking for the town, shocking for the businesses. I know we've got the Post Office, but is it going to be able to cope with the demand? It does a lot of parcel services now and it's not the same as going to your bank."

Paul Lewis, a self employed electrician, added: "My major concern is what is going to happen to the buildings? The two existing buildings which are next to the Lloyds Bank, look at the state of them. There's a tree growing out of one of them."

Local residents are being advised to use the nearest branch in Louth, the Post Office or a replacement mobile service.

Members of a drugs gang who brought massive amounts of cocaine into Lincolnshire have been given jail sentences totalling more than 130 years.

Lincoln Crown Court was told the gang members trafficked over £1m worth of the drug into Boston, Spalding and Skegness.

The court was told Martin Murphy, who's 51, and 41-year-old Daniel Beeken were the ringleaders.

Murphy, of Windsor Bank, Boston, was given 18 years and eight months behind bars, while Beeken, of Campains Lane, Deeping St Nicholas, was jailed for 16 years and six months.

Six other men and five women were also sentenced for their roles in the operation.

Police say they are "extremely concerned" about Christopher Wood, who is missing from Sturton by Stow.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

Mr Wood is 60-years-old and thought to be wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and jacket.

Anyone who has seen him is being asked to contact Lincolnshire Police.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The fire service is being used as as a “night watchman” by business owners, according to fire chiefs in Lincolnshire.

Les Britzman, Chief Fire Officer at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, called on business owners to take more responsibility when reporting fires in a bid to tackle false alarms.

About 10% of call-outs are false alarms and just over half of equipment-based false alarms in the past five years have been in non-domestic properties.

Mr Britzman told county councillors the service was now asking owners of premises to investigate alarms further before calling 999, providing there was no risk to life or hazardous materials.

The fire service hopes this will reduce the number of false alarm attendances by up to 5%.

Teachers in Lincolnshire have voiced concerns over the number of families they say are struggling to buy a warm coat and sturdy shoes for their children.

The Louth-based East Coast Outreach charity say it's heard from several schools in the area about the issue and as a result is now running a winter clothing drive, particularly for children.

Julie Speed, from the charity said: "For people on benefits and zero hours contracts, it's an expense they just cannot reach."

"We often have people in tears and we've had this more than once with the coats. I think it's sheer relief as much as anything.

"It's awful to witness that people have had to get to that emotional stage."

A man has been jailed for two years after he defrauded an elderly relative out of thousands of pounds.

Image source, Humebrside Police

Harrison Davies used his 79-year-old relative's bank cards to order items from a variety of different companies online without their knowledge or permission, Humberside Police said.

In a bid to cover his tracks he filled out an online police complaint form in the name of his relative then texted the investigating officer to say he no longer wanted to pursue the matter.

The 23-year-old, of Stanley Street, Grimsby, was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to charges of fraud, attempted fraud and perverting the course of justice.

Four men have been arrested by police investigating a spate of lead thefts from churches across Lincolnshire.

Since the start of last year, over 40 rural churches have been targeted in the county, according to Lincolnshire Police, who are linking at least 16 of the raids.

The force said four men, aged 24, 28, 30 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal and they have been released on bail.

The force said it currently has a team of officers dedicated to investigating the offences.

Ch Insp Phil Vickers said: "The impact of these offences goes well beyond the significant financial cost. Communities have felt a great sense of loss at the damage caused to their heritage, and increased vulnerability due to the rural nature of many of the premises .

"We know that in addition to the loss of lead, extensive damage has been caused to the fabric of the buildings by water ingress during bad weather."

Work on the third phase of the Grantham Southern Relief Road is due to start next week.

Image source, Lincolnshire County Council

Vegetation clearance, archaeology and other preliminary works will start on Monday ahead of breaking ground in the spring.The preliminary works are expected to last for up to three weeks.

Most of the work will be carried out away from main roads but there may be some minor disruption on Whalebone Lane.

When built, the Grantham Southern Relief Road will stretch for 3.5km, linking the A52 at Somerby Hill to the A1.

A motorist has been taken to hospital after the car he was driving was struck by a bale of hay which fell from a tractor.

Lincolnshire Police said the incident happened after a tractor "lost some bales of hay" at about 07:00 on the A46 Lincoln bypass.

The force said the driver of a Mitsubishi car had suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.

One lane of the bypass was closed between the A15 and A46 roundabouts but has since been re-opened.

The new boss of Northern Trains says it could take up to two years to solve the problems that led to major disruption for passengers across the region.

Transport Minster Grant Shapps announced yesterday that Arriva, which ran train operator Northern, is to have its franchise taken away from them by the government.

As a result, from 1 March Northern services will transfer from Arriva Rail North to Northern Trains Limited, a newly formed subsidiary of the Department for Transport's operator of last resort.

Robin Gisby, the chairman of Northern Trains, said: "It's going to be tough.There's an awful lot to sort out here. It's going to take a year or two to really restore it.

"[But] we will hit this very hard from 1 March, and first and foremost we will do all we can to improve performance for passengers."

Katerina Christodoulou
Look North weather presenter

It's going to be a cloudy day today with the odd spot of drizzle here and there.

It'll be mild though, with temperatures up to 11C or 12C.

This evening will start off dry but as we move into the early hours of Friday we will see some outbursts of rain:

The City of Lincoln Council has been awarded £1m from the government to help tackle rough sleeping.

Image source, Getty Images

The funding will allow the rough sleeping team to carry on its work helping people off the streets and to find safe and suitable accommodation.

Since they started work 15 months ago, the council says the team has been able to house 105 people, help 171 with mental health problems and prevent 42 people from sleeping rough.

The money will fund three Rough Sleeping Officers to help work more closely with the prison and hospital to identify potential rough sleepers, and four housing support workers to ensure a successful stay in temporary accommodation through into a permanent tenancy.