Breaking news, sport, travel and weather updates from across Lincolnshire.

Jacob Bedeau and Kevin Van Veen get the goals as Scunthorpe end a run of five straight League Two defeats by winning at Oldham.

Two hospitals in Lincolnshire are on the highest level of alert after a rise in cases.

A sparrowhawk has had to be put down after being shot and left suffering serious injuries in Scunthorpe.

Image source, RSPCA

The RSPCA says a member of the public contacted the charity on Wednesday after witnessing the bird of prey fly out of woods near Darnholme Crescent before crashing into a car.

The bird was later found lying on its back with its wings spread out.

RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell, who is investigating, said "This poor sparrowhawk was in a very bad way after being shot and, after further assessment, very sadly the decision was made to put the bird to sleep to end its suffering."

A photography competition has been launched in Lincoln to encourage people to enjoy nature during the second coronavirus lockdown.

Image source, Boultham Park Lake Restoration Project

The Boultham Park Lake Restoration Project team wants people to capture images of nature on camera, with the winning entries making up the pages of a 2021 calendar, external.

The competition runs until 6 December.

Lindsay Johnson, from City of Lincoln Council, says it's a great way for people to enjoy being outdoors:

The long-awaited Lincoln Eastern Bypass will be finished by the end of the year, according to Lincolnshire County Council.

Image source, Google

The authority says work is progressing well despite several setbacks including bad weather and workers being off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The new road will link the A158 with the A15.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A “critical incident” has been declared at Boston Pilgrim Hospital and Lincoln County Hospital due to the rise in Covid-19 cases requiring treatment, it's emerged.

Image source, Google

The two United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust facilities are "currently operating at Level 4 (our highest level of escalation)" with 159 Covid-19 patients, according to documents seen by reporters from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

That means the two hospitals are cancelling training, study leave and non-clinical time, as well as annual leave for staff where possible.

All services at Pilgrim are set to be reduced and a rehabilitation ward planned for Grantham Hospital will now be opened sooner than planned.

Bosses said the situation was affecting their ability to provide timely care.

According to the documents: "Many areas of our wards are either closed to new admissions or have restricted access, particularly at Pilgrim.

"This is compounded by critically low staffing levels across a number of the areas due to a lack of availability of colleagues due to a number of factors.

"This is having a major impact on flow through our hospitals and the situation is deteriorating," the documents add.

Claims that a Covid-19 outbreak at a Lincolnshire RAF station is partially behind a spike in Covid cases in East Lindsey have been rejected by the air force.

Image source, Google

The leader of East Lindsey District Council suggested in a interview with BBC Radio Lincolnshire yesterday that an increase in cases at RAF Coningsby was one of the reasons the infection rate locally is well above the national average.

Currently figures show 401 cases per 100,000 people in the area, up from around 250 the week before.

But an RAF spokesman said: "There have been a small number of Covid cases at RAF Coningsby which account for a small percentage of the increase in cases in the region.

"RAF Coningsby continues to work closely with Public Health authorities and has robust measures in place to protect our people and the wider community while they carry out their essential duties defending the nation."

Graham Wynn, 75, who has dementia, was preyed on by scammers who stole £50,000 from him.

Police in Grimsby say they're carrying out "extensive inquiries" in their search for a boy who was seen on CCTV wandering in part of the town after midnight.

Image source, Humberside Police

While there has been no report of a child going missing, the search for the boy is continuing as there is "concern for safety", according to Humberside Police.

The boy, who is thought to be no older than eight years old, was seen wandering around Harvey Walk in New Waltham at about 00:15 this morning, wearing dark pyjamas and slippers.

Det Insp Kerry Bull says water, woodland, gardens and home out buildings are all being checked by officers.

"I would like to reiterate that while our search remains ongoing, and we understand and take seriously the level of concern of this report, we still do not believe or have any evidence to suggest the child has come to any harm," she adds.

"It is possible the child has left a property to go to a friend’s and returned without waking anyone in the house, or has left in their sleep and doesn’t remember this, again being in bed when they’ve woken up."

Anyone with any information is being asked to contact Humberside Police.

A new multiplex cinema is to be built in Gainsborough after planning permission was granted to developers.

Image source, Google

Savoy, which already runs cinemas in Boston and Grantham, is behind the proposals.

It'll be on the old Lindsey Centre site in the town centre.

It will include four screens, three other commercial units and a car park, according to the plans.

There's been another rise in the number of patients in Lincolnshire hospitals with coronavirus, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

Staff are caring for 136 people who've had a positive test for Covid-19 - that's up from just under 100 at the start of this week, according to United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT).

A total of 41 of those are being treated in Lincoln County Hospital, while 95 are at the Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, ULHT adds.

The child was spotted on CCTV walking around a part of Grimsby in the early hours of the morning.

The death of a man whose body has been found in Skegness is being treated as "unexplained", police say.

Image source, Google

Officers were called at about 07:25 this morning to a bowling green in South Parade.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between late last night and this morning to get in touch.

BBC News Travel

The A15 is currently closed at Waddingham, north of Lincoln.

Image source, Google

It's due to emergency repairs from Kirton Road to Cliff Road.

It follows an accident involving a lorry last night.

Police are trying to find a child who was seen wandering the streets of Grimsby alone in the early hours of this morning.

Image source, Humberside Police

Officers were called by a member of the public who saw the boy, who is thought to be no older than eight years old, wearing dark-coloured pyjamas and slippers.

The child was seen wandering around Harvey Walk, New Waltham, at about 00:15 this morning, Humberside Police said.

Det Insp Tom Kelly said: “I want to reassure the public we have teams on the ground in Harvey Walk and surrounding areas conducting a number of inquiries to try and locate this child.

“Currently we have the CCTV image which shows the child we are looking for. I appreciate the quality of this is low, so we would ask locals to check their CCTV footage and contact us if they see anything similar."

Police have asked the public not to speculate, but to contact them "with urgency" if they have information about where the child is.

Claims by councillors that a "second-rate service" is being run at Skegness' urgent treatment centre during the coronavirus pandemic have been rejected by health bosses.

Image source, Google

At a meeting of Lincolnshire County Council's health scrutiny committee, councillors insisted that services at the Skegness centre are fully restored once the pandemic is over.

Councillors said reduced opening times currently in operation at urgent treatment centres in both Skegness and Louth should only be a temporary measure.

Responding, Tracy Pilcher, director of nursing at Lincolnshire Community Health Service NHS Trust, said accusations the Skegness site was being closed by stealth were "absolutely and categorically not true".

Two men have been jailed after a high-speed chase across the Humber Bridge.

BBC Weather

It will be a dry night in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

Lincolnshire's Health Protection Team has confirmed it's currently working with 77 schools which have had confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Image source, Reuters/Eddie Keogh

That figure is up from 73 yesterday.

All schools are taking action to limit the potential spread of the virus, the team says.

Some pupils and staff at the affected schools are self-isolating as a precaution where necessary, it adds.