About £7,000 worth of jewellery has been stolen from a shop in Lincoln, it's been revealed.

Image source, Lincs Police

The theft included several distinctive gold Scandinavian rings among other items.

It happened between 26 and 27 January on Steep Hill in the city.

Police believe the offenders left the building via the Danes Terrace entrance.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

The Church of England in Lincolnshire says it's facing a £3m deficit in part because its parishes have the "lowest amount of giving in the country".

The Diocese of Lincoln, which is currently embroiled in controversy of its handling of safeguarding issues, says its money problems are "unsustainable".

The amount of money parish churches give from donations by the public to the Diocese has been steadily decreasing.

In the past few years, the Church of England has sold off assets to plug the gap, which it says puts further pressure on its finances in loss of interest.

One of the biggest shopping outlets in Lincolnshire has finalised plans for a huge expansion.

Image source, Watson Batty Architects

A total of 15 new shops, as well as three restaurant units, are planned for Springfields in Spalding.

It's hoped 350 more jobs will be created as a result.

A decision on the planning application is expected in the summer.

A woman in her 40s has been sexually assaulted while walking her dog on Lincoln's West Common.

Image source, Google

The attack happened at about 22:00 yesterday near the Long Leys Road entrance to the West Common (pictured).

The victim told police she was approached by two men and attacked.

One of the men is described as being about 5ft 11ins tall, with scruffy facial hair and wearing a dark hoody, trousers and white trainers.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

The cost of dementia care in Lincolnshire is expected to rise by 73% in the next decade, according to a study.

Image source, Getty Images

The London School of Economic and Political Science combined the costs to the NHS, Social Care and the value of unpaid work by family to come to the total.

Between now and 2030, it's expected the number of people with dementia will rise from 850,000 to 1.2m.

The Alzheimer's Society says the system is "unfair and unfit for people living with dementia".

It's calling on the government to invest more in this kind of care.

The government's partnership with Alzheimer's charities has led to the establishment of a UK Dementia Research Institute and with a £230m investment hopes to have treatments for dementia by 2025.

A 10-month-old Springer Spaniel is being trained to sniff out digital storage devices to help combat cyber crime in Lincolnshire.

Image source, Lincs Police

Police Dog Flurry is the first to undergo the 10-week training course.

When qualified, he will be able to sniff out hidden phones, hard drives, memory cards and computers.

Lincolnshire Police say he'll be able to help with child exploitation, child sex offences, economic crime and so-called "county lines" investigations.

The force is only the fourth to use the idea, which has proved successful in other counties.

A Polish bakery in Boston is expecting to sell thousands of doughnuts today as part of a Polish tradition.

In a tradition similar to Pancake Day, people in many Eastern European countries overindulge in sweets and fatty foods for good luck ahead of Lent next week.

Nabaz Mustafa (pictured), from the Olawa Bakery in Boston, says sometimes people eat as many as 15 doughnuts for luck on Tłusty Czwartek - or "Fat Thursday".

It's predicted that 100m doughnuts will be eaten by Poles around the world today.

Terminating the contract of an under-performing ambulance contractor in Lincolnshire would leave patients in a worse position, health bosses have warned.

Thames Ambulance Service provides non-emergency transport for patients to get to and from hospital, but it has failed in all but one of its key success criteria.

Health bosses in charge of providing the service said it was "unfortunate" it was under-performing but that it would be risky to cancel the contract during winter.

Councillors in charge of scrutinising the local health service said the service was "not acceptable".

In November, Thames Ambulance Service was stripped of its contract in Hull, after North Lincolnshire stripped it of its contract in 2018.

A centenarian and a disabled woman in her 90s were both confronted by an intruder in their home.

A Lincolnshire theme park has reassured fans it's not closing after photos of the site were incorrectly used in connection with the closure of another park several thousand miles away.

Image source, Steve Daniels/Geograph

Fantasy Island, near Niagara Falls in America, announced its closure at the weekend.

However, some websites, including US site IHeartRadio's news pages, have incorrectly used pictures of Fantasy Island at Ingoldmells, near Skegness.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire's home-grown Fantasy Island said it was "saddened to hear our 'name twin' theme park has closed".

But it reminded fans the Ingoldmells park will be open as normal on 21 March, complete with new rides and attractions.

Drivers in East Yorkshire are being warned the speed limit on the Humber Bridge has been reduced from its usual 50mph to 30mph.

At the moment, the bridge is open to all vehicles following periods during Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis when high-sided and "wind vulnerable" vehicles were banned:

A man has been arrested in connection with several burglaries in Lincolnshire, including one which left a 102-year-old man with arm injuries.

The 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of four counts of burglary and two thefts from shops.

The arrest comes after two burglaries in the Ermine area of Lincoln, including one on Tuesday night which saw a 102-year-old man (pictured above with his wife) fighting off an intruder who tried to force his way into his home.

Another incident, again on Tuesday, saw a man steal cash and cards after pushing past a 90-year-old disabled woman.

The arrested man has been released on bail, police say.

Officers have appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

A cousin of murdered British backpacker and former Lincoln University student Grace Millane has said the sentencing of her killer this week will not bring closure to the family.

Image source, Lucie Blackman Trust

"We've lost Grace. The sentence will not change the fact that Grace is gone," said Hannah O'Callaghan."

Ms Millane, a Lincoln University graduate who was originally from Wickford in Essex, was strangled by a man she met on a dating app in New Zealand in December 2018.

Ms Millane's killer, a 27-year-old man who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty last year and will be sentenced in Auckland on Friday morning - Thursday evening, UK time.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Ms O'Callaghan was asked whether the family felt as if this week was a big week, or marked a chapter ending.

Ms Callaghan said: "No. Every week is going to be a big week. It's not closure."