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Thousands of university students will be leaving Lincoln from today as the government's coronavirus travel "window" begins.

Image source, Google

Their studies will continue online until the official end of term later this month following the travel window which runs until 9 December.

Lincoln University undergraduate student Nathan Peacock says making arrangements for the travel window has been really stressful.

The person taking over as Lincolnshire's new top police officer should finally be named next week, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Google

Derbyshire's Assistant Chief Constable Paul Gibson was originally named by Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner as the preferred candidate to be the new Chief Constable.

However, the process was halted because of "procedural problems" and the £143,000-a-year job was advertised again.

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Train services have been suspended on LNER, Hull Trains and Grand Central services between Peterborough and Doncaster.

It's because of overhead line problems near Grantham:

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All Lincolnshire's taxi drivers are being trained to watch out for signs of child exploitation.

Lincolnshire County Council says it is “committed to protecting” children from exploitation despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Chris Cook, chairman of Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, said: “Exploitation is developing nationwide and we need to be ahead of the game”.

Mr Cook added: "Children can be moved from place to place by taxi, so it is important that drivers have this type of training.

"All taxi drivers across Lincolnshire are provided with training to spot signs of child exploitation."

Between March 2019 and March 2020, Lincolnshire Police recorded 1,150 offences of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Within those offences, there were 1,014 victims and 716 offenders. The most reported offences were in Lincoln and West Lindsey.

Boston now has the second highest rate of coronavirus infections in the country, according to the latest statistics.

Cases of Covid-19 in the town have been rising despite the recent england-wide lockdown which came to an end yesterday.

Figures show there are now 553 infections per 100,000 people in the Boston area.

Lincoln has also seen week-on-week rises in infections and is now fifth in the national table, the latest statistics show.

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Tolls for the Humber Bridge will only accept electronic payments from New Year's Day.

A Lincolnshire department store has been saved from closure after a local rival stepped in to buy it.

Image source, Google

Hills, which has been a fixture in Spalding town centre for 60 years, was due to close, blaming the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

But now Boston-based Coneys, which also has shops in Lincoln, says it's taking over - saving 25 jobs.

A statement said: "The owners of Hills Department Store are pleased to announce they have reached an agreement with Scott Crowson, of the Coneys Clothing Stores in Lincoln and Boston, for Scott to buy the business in the new year, as soon as the legal process has been completed.

"Hills can confirm this will save the jobs of all their remaining 25 employees and notices of redundancy have already been withdrawn.

"While there remains a long way to go to complete the deal, we are optimistic about the future and thankful that the buyer wishes to retain all our staff and has indicated that post-Covid he would anticipate looking to rebuild the workforce towards former levels."

It's hoped that both parties can complete the sale by sometime during February at the latest, the statement adds.

The owners of Honda and Toyota cars are being urged to be vigilant after a spate of thefts in Gainsborough and Grantham.

Image source, Google

Lincolnshire Police said catalytic converters were stolen from four Honda Jazz cars in Gainsborough recently.

The vehicles were at properties in Park Springs Road (pictured), Stanley Street, Sandsfield Lane and Richardson Rise.

The same part was also stolen from two Toyota Auris cars and one Toyota Yaris in Grantham. These thefts occurred in London Road and Bradley Drive, police say.

Officers investigating say they're aware these types of cars, as well as Honda Civics, have recently been targeted by thieves across the East Midlands.

Catalytic converters are part of the exhaust system of vehicles. They are a target for thieves as they are coated in a precious metal with a high value.

A fourth person has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man found dead in a drainage channel in Lincolnshire.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

The body of Polish national Marcin Stolarek (pictured), 46, was found in South Forty-Foot Drain in Boston by a member of the public in January.

Artur Klosowski, 30, of Witham Place, Boston, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court earlier and was remanded in custody.

He is also charged with assisting an offender and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body.

According to police, Mr Klosowski was arrested in the Republic of Ireland in October and brought back to the UK as part of an investigation into Mr Stolarek's death.

Three other people, Adam Kaminski and Justyna Swaitek, both of Union Court, Boston, and Lukasz Ferenc, of Windsor Bank in the town, have also been charged with murder.

Adam Maksajda, of Blacksmiths Grove, Fishtoft, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

All five defendants are due to appear at Lincoln Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing on 8 February.

A trial date has been set for 5 July at Leicester Crown Court.

A Lincolnshire MP has explained why he voted to support the government's coronavirus tier restrictions after having earlier said he would oppose them.

Image source, Reuters/Phil Noble

Sir John Hayes, Conservative MP for South Holland and the Deepings, said last week he wouldn't support the plans and would rebel against his own party.

But today he told the BBC he had backed the tough post-lockdown restrictions in last night's vote after he was given assurances by the Prime Minister and Health Secretary.

Sir John said: "What they have said to me in writing is they will look within counties, including south Lincolnshire, on their own merits.

"That means, because we've got lower case numbers in South Holland and South Kesteven, that if those cases remain low, we will be considered for tier two status as a separate part of the county.

"That seemed to me to be a fundamental shift in what I demanded as a price for my support and I got it," he added.

The only Lincolnshire MP to vote against the plans was Lincoln Conservative MP Karl McCartney, who has also challenged the government to give more power to local authorities to make future decisions.

Humber Bridge tolls will go permanently cashless from New Year's Day, it's been confirmed.

Drivers wanting to cross the landmark bridge over the Humber Estuary from 1 January 2021 will have to use card or mobile payments or by using what's known as a HumberTAG account.

The move follows a decision earlier this year to temporarily dispense with cash payments for bridge crossings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Andrew Arundel, chief operating officer at the Humber Bridge, said the move would protect customers and staff and would also ensure the bridge remained as efficient as possible.

Mr Arundel said: "Our users have adapted during the pandemic, which we thank them for,.

"The feedback we have received is that with the virus still around, contactless methods of payment are the preferred option."

The move could also make crossings quicker and bridge operations more efficient, he added.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of drug offences as part of a police raid in Grimsby following reports from the local community about drug dealing activity.

The 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs after police raided a property in Rutland Street on Tuesday.

Officers seized a quantity of wraps believed to be Class A drugs, drug paraphernalia, a number of mobile phones and tablets, plus a number of weapons such as knives and a sword.

Four high value bikes suspected of being stolen were also discovered inside the address, police say.

Inquiries are ongoing to determine where the bikes have come from and who their rightful owners are, according to Humberside Police.

The arrested man remains in custody, the force adds.

Lincolnshire Paralympic gold medalist Hollie Arnold has shared her experience of being a contestant on this year's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.

Image source, ITV

Hollie, from Holton le Clay, near Grimsby, is now back in her home county after becoming the first contestant to be voted out.

She told the BBC: "I had no idea or expectations of what it was going to be like. I said to myself, ‘this is an amazing opportunity and you’ll get to meet some incredible people and just go there and enjoy it and face some fears'.

"Instantly, I fell in love with everybody and had the best time ever. And I did face a lot of fears – I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and I still wish I was there because I miss the guys.

"It’s such an intense moment and you’re like, ‘please don’t be me’ - but unfortunately it was.

“It was very strange waking up the next day and not being there. It’s very odd how quickly you get used to it and to the people."

Despite being the first out, she says she hopes her family and friends are proud of her.

Rubbish discarded at a recycling centre in Grimsby has become a visitor attraction after being transformed by workers into a Christmas winter wonderland.

Image source, NORTH EAST LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

Staff at the Community Recycling Centre on Estuary Way created a festive scene at the site using old tyres, traffic cones and other waste.

Employee Matty Harlow said people were visiting to "look at what we've done, they say it's like a day out".

Among the festive scenes are Minions, characters from the Despicable Me films, made out of old tyres stacked together and painted in a Christmas theme wearing Santa hats.

There are also snowmen, elves, Christmas trees and Father Christmas pulling a sledge.

Will Wooliss, one of the workers who helped create the scene, said: "It's all just recycling stuff that's been brought onto the site by members of the public.

"We've wrapped them in lights and baubles and also painted them up."

A Lincolnshire council leader has written to health secretary Matt Hancock seeking assurances that his district can exit tier three coronavirus restrictions at the first review.

Image source, HM Government/NHS

Lord Gary Porter, leader of South Holland District Council, has expressed his "deep disappointment" at placing South Holland in tier three - very high alert - restrictions.

The area currently has one of the lowest infections rates in the county and is well below the national average.

In his letter, Councillor Porter said the restrictions in place for South Holland were unwarranted based on the government's own criteria.

He writes: "We can clearly evidence using the criteria that has been set out by the UK government South Holland District does not fit the criteria to be in tier three restriction and in fact it could be argued has low score against the five key measures than compared to some of its neighbouring tier two authorities.

"I look forward to discussing in detail the removal of such unnecessary restrictions before they have an irrevocable impact on the district and residents that I serve. If that is not possible, I would like your reassurance that every assistance will be given to our community to ensure that our businesses are able to survive tier three and that we are able to exit tier three at the first review in December."

Tiers will be reviewed every two weeks, and areas can move down the tiers from 16 December, the government has said.

Construction work has begun on an electricity converter station in Lincolnshire which will be part of a record-breaking power link with Denmark once completed.

Image source, Siemens Energy

The Viking Link interconnector at Bicker Fen near Boston will be the equivalent of around 12 football pitches in size when it's built.

It will enable the export and import of energy through a 475-mile subsea and underground cable connecting Denmark and Britain.

The Viking Link project is a joint scheme between National Grid and Danish electricity system owner and operator Energinet.

When complete, it's thought the 1.4 gigawatt high voltage electricity interconnector will be the longest in the world.

Scunthorpe beat Harrogate Town 5-2 to match their best run of consecutive away league wins since 1997.

A council says it "fully expects" to recoup the £100,000 cost of the unveiling ceremony.