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Local Democracy Reporting Service

If people do not stick by the coronavirus rules, the national lockdown could last longer than is currently thought, Lincolnshire's health bosses have warned.

Image source, Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo

Professor Derek Ward, Lincolnshire County Council’s director for public health, says the county is currently performing better than other areas and has not seen a big rise in infection rates recently.

However, he said: “If people don’t stay at home, a legal requirement, and if people don’t stick by the rules and our rates start to go up, we start to see more pressure on the NHS - and it’s already pressured - then it’s going to potentially prolong the lockdown.

“Covid can’t come into your house unless you allow it. Equally, if you are one of those people who might have Covid but you’ve not got any symptoms, if you stay home during the lockdown period, you will clear the virus and that means you can’t pass it on to anybody," he added.

In the seven days to 9 January, Lincolnshire had a rate of 267 infections per 100,000 people and has sat between the 250-300 range for several weeks. The national average is around 629.

On Monday, the first of a series of new rapid testing sites also came online in Lincoln and carried out 60 tests on asymptomatic people in its first day - recording one positive case.

The tests, at the LNER stadium, can deliver results within an hour.

Grimsby accept a suspended fine for breaching English Football League rules after three games were postponed because of Covid-19.

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It will be a cold night in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

Services at Lincoln Cathedral have been suspended and will only be available online for the time being as the latest coronavirus lockdown continues, it's been confirmed.

Under the current rules, places of worship can remain open for communal services.

However Lincoln Cathedral staff say public worship at the historic site has now been suspended "until further notice" due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Services will be available online on the Cathedral’s Facebook page and the building will remain open daily between 10:00-13:00 (11:30-13:00 on Sundays) for individual private prayer.

In a statement, external, the Revd Canon Nick Brown, Precentor of Lincoln, explained the decision was taken with "a very heavy heart", but public safety and preventing the spread of the virus has to be the primary concern.

Several new coronavirus vaccination sites will be up and running in Lincolnshire by the end of the week, it's been confirmed.

Image source, EPA/Jacob King/Pool

The new sites will be at:

• The Storehouse, Skegness
• Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln
• Springfields, Spalding
• John Coupland Hospital, Gainsborough
• Marisco Medical Practice, Mablethorpe

The next step for the county’s NHS to roll out the programme further is expected to be two large vaccination sites and a roving service across the county.

A sonic boom has been heard across the east of England after RAF Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to intercept a plane that had lost communications.

Image source, SAC Scott Lewis/Crown Copyright

It was heard across Cambridgeshire, Essex and London at about 13:05 this afternoon.

The RAF said the aircraft, similar to the one pictured above, took off from RAF Coningsby and "safely escorted" the civilian aircraft to London Stansted Airport in Essex.

"The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons," he said.

Communications with the aircraft were re-established after the Typhoons were launched and it was intercepted before being escorted to Stansted.

A spokesman for the airport said the "private jet" was believed to have been flying from Germany to Birmingham.

He confirmed the plane had been brought into land at about 13:40.

Almost 140 people were arrested during the Christmas crackdown on drink and drug-drivers by Lincolnshire Police, the force says.

During December, 62 people were arrested on suspicion of driving or being in charge of a vehicle while over the legal alcohol limit, according to Lincolnshire Police.

Meanwhile, 77 people were arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired through controlled drugs.

That’s a total of 139 people who were arrested over the Christmas period and who now face an investigation.

A Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon from RAF Coningsby, similarly to the one pictured below, is currently airborne, it's been confirmed.

Image source, Reuters/Giampiero Sposito

It's after reports that a loud sonic boom was heard over parts of Cambridgeshire and London.

A sonic boom is caused when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier.

A senior Lincolnshire politician has criticised the government for refusing to release information about the county's coronavirus vaccine roll-out.

Lord Gary Porter, Conservative leader of South Holland District Council, says more transparency is needed.

He says health bosses are "probably reluctant to tell us what the plans are because plans change and they might look bad if a deadline slips.

"My argument is that if you don't tell us what the plan is, you look bad all the time because it looks like you don't have a plan.

In a statement, the Department of Health says almost two fifths of people aged over 80 in England have been vaccinated.

It adds that the NHS is doing everything possible to roll out doses as quickly as they can be supplied.

Organisers say they hoped the display would "put a smile on people's faces after a terrible year".

Calls are being made for school and nursery staff in Lincolnshire to be added to the Covid-19 vaccine priority list.

Image source, EPA/Joe Giddens/Pool

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition asking for staff across the country who work with children to get the jabs ahead of other people.

Victoria Banfield, who manages two nurseries in the Stamford area, says she wants her staff to be safe:

Five men have been arrested following a spate of thefts and attempted thefts of catalytic converters in the Holbeach and Spalding areas over the last month.

Image source, PA

Officers were called to an address on Sluice Road, Holbeach, in the early hours of Monday morning, according to Lincolnshire Police.

It was reported that a catalytic converter had been stolen from a vehicle and the offenders had left the address.

During their inquiries, officers arrested five men, aged 25, 27, 27, 30 and 31, all from the Holbeach and Spalding areas.

The men were arrested on suspicion of theft from motor vehicles and one was arrested for going equipped to commit crime.

They remain in custody, officers say.

Two cars, a green BMW estate and a grey Audi estate, have also been seized.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have information, and anyone who has had a catalytic converter stolen in the area and who may not have reported it, to get in touch.

It's a chilly day across the county but you may see some spots of wintry sunshine.

Find your local weather forecast for today and the week ahead here.

Two cannabis factories and over 100 cannabis plants have been uncovered during raids at the weekend in Grimsby, according to Humberside Police.

The first was found at a property in Harold Street in East Marsh, where two rooms of a house were being used to grow cannabis, officers say.

The second was found in a property in Freeman Street, also in East Marsh, following reports of a suspected break-in.

Officers found four rooms had been used to grow cannabis and the growers had also tampered with the electricity supply, causing a potentially serious fire risk, according to police.

Det Insp Tom Kelly says: "I’d like to thank the members of the public who got in touch with us about these grows.

"Thanks to their vigilance we have been able to seize these plants and equipment and put measures in place to prevent further grows from being established in these properties.

"Though the number of plants recovered was relatively small, there was provision in both properties for large scale grows."

Investigations are continuing to find out who was behind the two cannabis operations, Humberside Police adds.

Community-wide mass testing for Covid-19 will be up and running in Lincolnshire later this week, health officials have confirmed.

The government says the focus will be on communities in Lincoln and Boston, using rapid turnaround tests supplied by NHS Test and Trace.

It will be a quick process using lateral flow tests through the usual nose swabbing approach.

If there is a positive response then people will be given a further PCR test, with results known within 24 hours.

BBC Weather

There could be some rain around in Lincolnshire overnight.

Here's the latest forecast:

Laptops donated as part of the BBC's Make A Difference campaign are being put to use in Lincolnshire.

The appeal for donations of laptops and digital devices to help schoolchildren across the county access online classes during the coronavirus lockdown continues this week:

Tip workers in Grimsby have raised more than £10,500 for good causes after creating a Christmas wonderland.

Image source, North East Lincolnshire Council

Visitors donated money after seeing the efforts staff made to transform the site.

Most of the decorations including Santa, a snowman, and a giant Christmas tree, were made using old tyres, traffic cones and other bits and pieces found at the site.

Image source, North East Lincolnshire Council

One visitor gave £500 just before Christmas.

Donations will be divided between charities and local causes, including Young Carers, Not Home Alone, Harbour Place and Nunny's Farm.

Lincoln University has promised to act after students complained about still paying rent despite not being able to live in university-owned accommodation due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Image source, Google

Growing numbers of students in England have pledged to withhold rent on university accommodation they cannot use during the Covid lockdown.

Last week, organisers said this was building up to be a major protest, estimating that about 15,000 students at dozens of universities had signed up so far.

Now, the University of Lincoln says everyone in university-managed accommodation will have their spring term rent cut by 20%.

The government has told students they should stay away from universities and colleges until at least mid-February.