A restoration project begins today to restore six huge bells at a Lincolnshire church.

It's been hundreds of years since the bells last needed re-tuning at All Saints in Ruskington.

Debra Wadsley, part of the bells fundraising project, says it's time for them to have some much-needed TLC:

BBC News Travel

North Street in Bourne has now reopened following a collision earlier.

A man in his 70s had to be taken to hospital after being hit by a car at about 11:15 this morning.

Lincolnshire will get the resources it needs if coronavirus cases were to rapidly rise in the county, Health Minister Edward Argar has said.

Image source, Reuters/Carl Recine

Previously, the county's health bosses have said that testing capacity had been diverted to areas in the UK which were seeing spikes in transmission.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire has spoken to one key worker in the prison system who says he had to drive to Manchester to get a test because he couldn't arrange to get one locally.

But Mr Argar says Lincolnshire won't be left out if the picture in the county gets worse:

A man in his 70s has been taken to hospital after he was hit by a car in Bourne.

Image source, Google

Police say it happened in North Street at about 11:15 this morning.

The road has been closed and a diversion is in place.

Work on a major Lincoln housing development could start next year, the city council has confirmed.

Image source, City of Lincoln Council

The 3,200-home plan for the west of the city has been in development since 2007, but has had to leap a number of hurdles over that time.

The project, in the Swanpool area, has met with concerns about the risk of flooding and about the pressures additional traffic may cause in the area.

But project leaders say they think they've solved most of the issues raised by members of the public, highways bosses and others.

Kate Ellis, in charge of large developments at City of Lincoln Council, says: "The road improvements more than make up for the additional homes we're putting in", adding that congestion in the area should be "much much better" after the project than before.

She also says the new homes will be built on raised areas of land and that the risk of flooding in the Swanpool area will be reduced by additional drainage work which is planned.

A Freedom of Information Request in December last year found over £2m had been spent on the project so far - without any homes actually being built.

Work on the project is expected to start next year and should include over 600 affordable homes, enhanced bus and pedestrian routes as well as commercial space.

Plans to include a new football ground for Lincoln City FC appear to have been dropped from the plans.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Lincolnshire health bosses have been accused of not listening to residents as they confirmed they were taking plans to downgrade Grantham Hospital forward to consultation.

John Turner, chief executive of NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, has confirmed that four out of eight proposals were being moved forward:

Those proposals include:

• A 24/7 Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at Grantham Hospital
• For Grantham to become a “Centre of Excellence” for elective surgery
• For Grantham to become a “Centre of Excellence” for orthopaedic surgery
• For Lincoln Hospital to become a “Centre of Excellence” for acute stroke care

The hospital's A&E was first closed overnight in 2016 and then further downgraded to a UTC earlier this year as part of the coronavirus response.

Health bosses have always insisted that both were temporary moves.

The UTC would still see the majority of patients needing emergency care, but more specialist and life-threatening cases would be transferred to to Lincoln, Boston or outside the county.

Councillor Linda Wootten responded by querying whether public engagement carried out over the past year had actually been listened to.

She said: “Were you actually listening? Because we did not say we wanted a UTC unit, we wanted our A&E back."

Mr Turner said healthcare bosses were “keen” to get to public consultation on the changes, accepting that the issue, which has lasted four years, had “gone on too long” and that “people need certainty”.

A raft of Christmas events in Boston's town centre are to go ahead despite Covid-19 restrictions, it's been confirmed

Image source, Boston Borough Council

The borough council says although the usual lights switch-on and surrounding events may not happen as usual, a number of attractions for the town in the festive season will still happen.

An Alpine-style Christmas market with around 20 stalls is due to be held from 26 November, as well as a small fairground and Christmas lights organised by community group Christmas in Boston.

BBC Weather

High pressure nearby will keep conditions largely dry and settled with patchy cloud and lengthy sunny spells for most areas.

A slightly cooler night with patchy cloud developing in places, but it should stay largely clear for most:

The silver penny depicting King Stephen was unearthed in a field by a metal detectorist.

An international circus with socially distant acrobats and clowns who keep themselves to themselves opens in Cleethorpes today.

Image source, Russell's Circus

Russells International Circus has had to adapt to meet the government’s coronavirus measures and says it's been given the go-ahead for its performances from today.

The measures adopted by the circus include perspex shields between staff and customers, full PPE for staff and spaced-out seating and it describes itself as "Lincolnshire's safest circus".

Alex, from the Circus's Covid team, says it's been "incredibly challenging" making it safe but says they're were willing to do "whatever it takes" to make sure the Big Top opens for business.

Image source, Russells International Circus

The parents of a missing teenage girl have appeared in court charged with her murder.

Image source, CAMBRIDGESHIRE POLICE

Bernadette Walker (pictured), 17, of Peterborough, was reported missing by her mother in July, the town's crown court heard.

She has not been found but her parents were arrested on Monday on suspicion of her murder by joint enterprise.

Police searches for Bernadette are continuing, with officers scouring open farmland near the village of Cowbit in Lincolnshire on Tuesday.

Sarah Walker, 37, and Scott Walker, 50, both of Century Square in Millfield, Peterborough, appeared in court on separate videolinks.

They will next attend court on 30 November for a plea hearing, with a trial set for 9 March.

Three Lincolnshire schools have had students or staff with positive coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Yesterday, a total of 11 schools in the county were dealing with positive cases, but today that figure has risen to 14.

Andy Fox, consultant in public health, said: "As of this morning, Lincolnshire's Health Protection Team is working with 14 schools that have had confirmed cases of coronavirus."

The affected schools are:

• The Holt Primary School, Skellingthorpe (open)
• The King's School, Grantham (open)
• Scampton Church of England Primary School (open)
• Spalding High School (open)
• Stamford Endowed Schools (open)
• The Pilgrim School, Lincoln (closed)
• Ancaster Primary School (open)
• Bourne Westfield Primary (open)
• St John the Baptist Primary School, Spalding (open)
• Barkston and Syston Primary School (open)
• Lincoln College (open)
• Bardney Primary School (open)
• Sir Robert Pattinson Academy, North Hykeham (open)
• Cranwell Primary School (open)

Earlier, Mr Fox said: "All schools are taking the appropriate action, with some pupils and staff self-isolating as a precaution."

Lincoln City will face Premier League champions Liverpool in the third round of the EFL Cup next week:

Lincoln thrashed Bradford City 5-0 last night.

The Imps scored four goals in the first half, cementing their place against The Reds early on in the game.

It's not the first time the Imps have faced up against the big boys in recent years.

In the 2016-17 season, Lincoln City beat Premier League side Burnley FC and Championship leaders Brighton and Hove Albion before being beaten by Arsenal in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup.

Manager Michael Appleton says the game is an attractive one for the club, which will benefit from a "big financial package, which is important".

But he says it's also an opportunity for the team to "test themselves against the best in the country".

An "extremely rare" penny found on the borders of Lincolnshire has sold for £8,500 at auction.

Image source, Dix Noonan Webb

The silver coin features pictures of King Stephen and his wife Matilda, who reigned between 1135 and 1154.

His reign was marred by "The Anarchy", a civil war between Stephen and his cousin the Empress Matilda.

The coin is thought to be one of only 25 of this type.

It was found by metal detectorist Graeme Rushton in October 2018 near the site of the Battle of Lincoln, which happened in February 1141.

A headteacher in Lincolnshire says he "feels awful" that schools are having to make decisions about whether to send children home after they display some symptoms of the coronavirus.

Image source, Reuters/Eddie Keogh

There has been criticism of some Lincolnshire schools for sending children home with mild coughs or sniffles.

Emma, a mother from Grantham, told BBC Lincolnshire she's concerned that decisions over whether children are sent home aren't being made by health professionals.

She said it was a "worry" and that there were "so many implications from one person's instinctive decision, compared to someone that's trained properly".

But Charlie Hebbon, headteacher at Scampton's Church of England Primary School - where one class has had to self-isolate after a pupil tested positive for the virus - says the decisions are always taken with a "heavy heart".

Mr Hebbon says he "feels awful" for "putting parents in a frustrating situation, especially when they can't get a test".

Although the "vast majority of tests come back negative", the school has a "huge responsibility to children, their families and staff", Mr Hebbon adds.

However, he admits it's a "huge dilemma because we aren't doctors".

Today marks 400 years since the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower to establish a colony in America - a journey whose origins lie in Lincolnshire.

Image source, West Lindsey District Council

The story of the Mayflower starts in Lincolnshire where some Christians wanted their religion to be free of connections and traditions related to the Catholic church.

John Cotton, who preached at the Boston Stump, influenced plans to establish a colony where people could worship more freely.

The Pilgrims' attempts to establish a colony were scuppered twice (including once being jailed in Boston's Guildhall) but on this day in 1620, they set sail to colonise parts of what is now Massachusetts.

Events had been planned this year to mark the occasion, but many have been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead, a number of digital projects have been made, external, including a documentary (pictured) which was partly filmed in Lincolnshire and is presented by TV historian Dan Snow.

People in Lincolnshire are being urged not to seek a coronavirus test unless they have symptoms or have been asked to by a healthcare professional.

Image source, Reuters/Carl Recine

Despite an increase in capacity, Lincolnshire County Council says the coronavirus testing service is currently experiencing unprecedented high demand, with reports of many people seeking tests despite not having symptoms of the disease.

BBC Weather

It will be much less hot than recent days with plenty of cloud around, along with the odd shower or spot of drizzle.

A cooler night with cloud dissipating through the evening.

It will remain dry throughout with some clear spells developing after midnight:

Lincoln City will host Premier League champions Liverpool in the third round of the Carabao Cup after thumping League Two Bradford.

It is the first time the unusual pier, based mostly on land, has been on the market in 40 years.