People thinking of breaching new Covid-19 restrictions in East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire are being warned by Humberside Police to stay home or risk being fined.

Image source, PA Media

As England goes into its third lockdown, Assistant Ch Con Chris Noble said the rules will be enforced if people ignore them.

In a statement, he said: “While I understand some people are frustrated, I urge people to consider very carefully how they respond to these latest precautions over the next few weeks.

"We will use enforcement when we need to, and we will be issuing fines to anyone who is responsible for a flagrant breach of the rules," he added.

Officers will be patrolling "hot spot" areas and will tackle anyone who is "blatantly breaking the regulations or showing disregard for health and safety", the Humberside force said.

The second stage of the regeneration of Lincoln city centre is due to begin next week.

Image source, Visit Lincoln

Paving and street furniture in the Cornhill Quarter will get an upgrade which should complete its transformation.

Over the festive period it was one of the areas of the city decked out in lights (pictured above).

The area will eventually be used for outdoor events, markets and entertainment.

A restaurant owner in Lincolnshire says she feels "left out in the cold" after being refused a grant by the borough council to help her through the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, V-Ate

Restaurants haven't been able to open in the county since the previous lockdown in November- December.

Victoria Burden, who runs V-Ate in Boston, says she only has enough cash in the bank now to keep going until March.

Ms Burden says she was turned down for a grant because her venue wasn't registered in time and feels her business has been forgotten about.

Responding, Boston Borough Council says a "solution has been offered and it is awaiting a response".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councillors in Grantham have been told to review plans to underwrite a £100,000 unveiling ceremony for a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her home town.

Image source, PA Media

South Kesteven District Council's cabinet previously agreed to set aside funding for the event due to be held in Grantham this year.

The Conservative-led authority said the money would be recouped in donations.

The matter was put before a scrutiny committee on Tuesday after council leaders were criticised over the move.

Independent councillor Ashley Baxter requested the decision be called-in, saying it had been taken without a proper opportunity for discussion.

Labour councillor Louise Clack said there was "a real issue with a handful of people making a decision about such a large sum of money for what is effectively a party".

"Ostensibly, this was done on the basis that it was underwriting £100,000, but we've not had any proof or evidence that we have support from the community for this," she said.

Independent councillor Phil Dilks said the council's priority at this time should be to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, council leader Kelham Cooke said the event was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to boost tourism and to raise the profile of Grantham".

"Already I have had several expressions of interest to donate towards the cost of the event which is a huge vote of confidence for us," he said.

The culture and visitor economy overview and scrutiny committee voted in favour of a proposal to ask the cabinet to provide further information on the event's costs before they would approve the spend.

Rob England
BBC England Data Unit

A few days into England's third national lockdown, the East Midlands as a wider area covering Lincolnshire has one of the lowest regional infection rates in the country - but it is increasing.

The area recorded about 280 positive cases for every 100,000 people as of the latest figures, the sixth highest out of England’s nine regions.

But in context locally, this was an increase of nearly two thirds on the previous week.

Image source, .

Across Lincolnshire, South Kesteven had the highest infection rate of 412 cases per 100,000 people as of 1 January - this increased by a third on the previous week. North East Lincolnshire saw the lowest rate of about 168 cases per 100,000, one of the lowest in England.

South Kesteven saw the most people taking lab-based coronavirus tests as a percentage of the population in the latest week, with about 3% of people tested, although the number of tests seems to have fallen over the holiday period.

South Kesteven also recorded the highest percentage of positive lab-based tests, at about 14.3%. Experts have suggested a high positivity percentage means more testing is needed to detect undiagnosed cases in the community.

Hospital admissions do not seem to have changed dramatically over the last few weeks across Lincolnshire. United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust had 202 beds with coronavirus patients as of 30 December, falling from 246 a month ago. Admissions at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust also fell over the same period.

Overall, there seems to be a mixed picture across Lincolnshire in terms of the impact of coronavirus. Cases are rising in most places, but rates - compared to elsewhere in England - are still relatively low, making it difficult to assess the impact on local NHS capacity.

BBC Weather

This morning there will be spells of rain and showers for a time.

Some sunny spells are likely at times later in the morning, but it will become cloudy with further scattered showers in the afternoon.

Tonight will be a calm and cold night.

Clear spells will bring a touch of frost to a few places, but cloud and some patchy fog will develop over night with little wind. The odd shower is possible.

A council leader in Lincolnshire is calling for more clarity around the administering of the coronavirus vaccine.

Lord Porter of Spalding, leader of South Holland District Council, says a roll-out timetable should be published, including locations.

He says people have a lot of questions:

One hairdresser in Grimsby says she is "devastated" by the latest national lockdown.

There's the chance of some snow showers in Lincolnshire tonight.

Here's the latest forecast:

The first Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines are starting to be rolled out in Lincolnshire.

The jab is being given out at Boston Pilgrim hospital.

Dr Mi Joo Choi, who works in the intensive care unit at the hospital, was the first person in the county to receive it.

The trust which runs Lincoln County Hospital apologised for a delay in admitting patients.

Dr Mi Joo Choi said she was "extremely honoured" to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Officials have now stood down a "critical incident" at Lincoln County Hospital.

Image source, Google

The situation was declared on Monday night because of a large number of patients being admitted to the wards.

The situation was made more difficult by staff shortages, the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said.

A critical incident has been declared at Lincoln County Hospital.

Image source, Google

It's because of a large number of patients being admitted to the wards.

The situation is being made more difficult by staff shortages, say bosses.

Zane Powles dropped off 135 meals for children on the first day of the new lockdown.

Council tax in Lincolnshire looks set to go up, with the county council saying the coronavirus pandemic has put more pressure on its services.

Image source, Google

Lincolnshire County Council is planning to increase its share of the tax by almost 2%, despite saying it understands the pandemic has hit people's finances hard.

The extra cash will also help them the authority make improvements to roads and schools, according to council leaders.

As England goes back into a new coronavirus lockdown, experts say there's no evidence that the new more infectious variant of Covid-19 is in Lincolnshire.

People are being told to stay at home once more after Boris Johnson said the country must "pull together" to curb the new variant of coronavirus which he said had led to 40% more patients than during the first peak in April.

However, Tony McGinty, assistant director of public health in Lincolnshire, says there are no signs the new variant is affecting Covid-19 infection rates in the county.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A Boston borough councillor seen driving while attending a virtual council meeting has been handed a £200 fine and six points on his licence.

Image source, YOUTUBE/BOSTON BOROUGH COUNCIL

Councillor David Brown stepped down from his role on Friday 11 September after admitting he “shouldn’t have joined” a virtual cabinet meeting the Wednesday prior.

The former portfolio holder for tourism, arts and culture at Boston Borough Council had remained under police investigation for several weeks.

However, it has now been confirmed the investigation was handed to Norfolk Police due to it taking place on the A10.

A force spokesperson said: “Norfolk police have investigated an incident where a man was seen to be using a mobile phone while driving on the A10 on Wednesday 9 September 2020.

“Following a review of the evidence, a fixed penalty notice was issued to the driver which resulted in a £200 fine and six points on the driver’s licence.”

The incident sparked several reports to Lincolnshire Police and Boston Borough Council.

A Boston Borough Council spokesperson said the authority would not be making any further comment on the case.

With increasing coronavirus infection rates and hospitals across the country under extreme pressure, it became inevitable a new lockdown would be introduced, the leader of Lincolnshire County Council has said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new lockdown last night, starting with immediate effect, meaning people must now stay at home except for a few permitted reasons.

Councillor Martin Hill said: ""e realise this will be hugely difficult news for us all, for some more than others and I'm thinking particularly of those living on their own, older people and those with health problems."

The authority is now urging people to stick to the new rules:

Lincoln City and Boston United can still play despite the new coronavirus lockdown which was announced last night.

While the latest restrictions mean outdoor tennis courts and golf courses are all closed, elite sport can continue behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, it's just been confirmed that Lincoln's game against Hull City will now be played on 9 February.

The match after Christmas was postponed because of Hull staff receiving positive coronavirus tests: