The Lincolnshire coast needs to be "more competitive" to take advantage of a post-pandemic holiday boom, according to a county councillor.

The man responsible for improving Lincolnshire's economy at the county council says the public will want "a lot more for their pound" at resorts like Skegness and Mablethorpe after the pandemic.

Councillor Colin Davie said: "We're going to have to upgrade our offer and be much more competitive".

But he is confident that the "Great British seaside will do really well" once resorts are allowed to reopen.

It comes after Skegness's Pier was bought for an undisclosed sum yesterday, by Mellors Ltd, which runs Fantasy Island theme park.

A Lincolnshire Travel agent said it was "astonishing" to hear a government minister tell people not to book a summer holiday this year.

Grant Schapps, the transport secretary, yesterday said "please don't go ahead and book holidays" because "we don't know where we'll be" by the summer.

He also suggested booking a holiday in England was unwise, putting a dampener on Skegness beach holidays this year.

Mark Brewer, the Managing Director of Imp Travel in Lincoln said the comments are "so damaging for the industry".

He said most holidays booked at the moment are flexible bookings to take into account the uncertainty around Covid-19.

Boris Johnson said more clarity for travel and new lockdown rules will come in a coronavirus exit plan to be published on 22 February .

A Lincolnshire school has introduced a weekly day away from screens to improve pupils' mental health.

Image source, Getty Images

Christ's Hospital School in Lincoln started the idea after head teacher Claire Owens noticed students struggling.

She said they were worried about the "different demand that is remote learning" and about concerns over the amount of time students spend in front of screens, even when exercising.

Over recent years parents and teachers have been encouraged to reduce the time children spend in front of screens, but, Claire Owens said: "suddenly, all those screen time limits, all those good practices we've got in place go out the window."

Claire said pupils got up to "all sorts of things" including baking, football skills, code cracking.

Year 9 pupil Scarlet says she relished the day because you get to "do stuff you don't normally do" and that you have to think about how to spend your time, "rather than just being told what to do".

Scarlet added it was "really nice" being away from devices for the day.

BBC Weather

Today will be another cold day with easterly winds persisting.It will be a dry day with sunshine for many, with just a few patches of cloud in places.

It will be another cold night with easterly winds persisting, leading to a risk of frost and ice.

A man who downloaded more than 8,000 images of child sex abuse has been jailed.

Corey-Lea Dixon, 26, of Tamar Court, Grantham, was jailed for 12 months after admitting possessing images of girls "well under the age of seven years old".

Lincoln Crown Court heard police found 8,263 images and 350 videos on two mobile phones owned by Dixon.

Dixon, who admitted three offences of making indecent images of a child and further charges of possession of a prohibited image and possession of extreme pornography, was told his name would be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Thousands of people from around the world watched a parrot hatch from an egg at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park last night.

The Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, formerly The Parrot Zoo, had been filming the eclectus parrot egg live on social media since Monday evening.

Across the whole time it was live the stream was seen by millions of people.

At one point TV presenter Gok Wan was watching.

Park owner and self proclaimed parrot fanatic Steve Nicholls says the bird is doing well.

"It's brilliant this morning he's got his head down. He'll be quite useless for about 10 or 12 days so there'll not be much to see, other than the fact we have to start feeding him."

The latest data shows Covid infection rates across Lincolnshire are falling, and most areas are below the England average.

The number of cases in each of our districts has dropped in the past seven days.

Only South Holland and South Kesteven have rates of Covid infection above the England average.

The average rate of infection in England is 202.1 per 100,000 people.

As flurries of snow come down across Lincolnshire you've been submitting your photos to BBC Weather Watchers.

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Gritting teams say they're worried as lows of -9C are predicted in rural parts of Lincolnshire overnight.

Image source, Ian W - BBC Weather Watchers

Darrell Redford, who's in charge of gritting teams for Lincolnshire County Council, says some of their forecasts are predicting "-7 or even up to -9 degrees celsius".

The effectiveness of salting the roads reduces once temperatures drop below a certain temperature.

Their efforts are further hampered by flurries of snow which wash salt off the road as they melt.

Lincolnshire County Council say they are repeatedly gritting the main roads of Lincolnshire and will continue until the cold snap ends.

A Lincolnshire brewer is having to throw away 8,800 pints (5,000 litres) of real ale every two weeks because of lockdown restrictions on pubs.

Image source, Batemans

Beer at Batemans Brewery in Wainfleet is cask conditioned so they have to keep making it, otherwise the active yeast used would die.

Stuart Bateman, owner of the brewery, says it's "heartbreaking" to see the beer wasted.

Current coronavirus lockdown rules mean pubs and restaurants are closed except for takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks.

Batemans owns and supplies nearly 50 pubs across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire.

Stuart Bateman says "people can't wait for pubs to reopen" and that "they'll be ready" when they are allowed.

The new owners of Skegness Pier say they want it returned to its "former glory" and possibly extended.

Image source, Christie and Co

The pier was put up for sale last year for £3m.

James Mellor who owns Fantasy Island theme park in nearby Ingoldmells, will be handed the keys this morning.

The 139-year-old pier extends over most of Skegness beach, but often doesn't reach the sea depending on the tide.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to build an animal rendering plant in Lincolnshire have been resubmitted.

Lincoln Proteins wants to build the plant close at Villa Farm, in Folly Lane, Norton Disney.

A previous application was rejected by the county council last year over location, heritage and wildlife concerns.

But, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service Lincoln Proteins have resubmitted the plans after redesigns to accommodate previous planning issues.

Meanwhile plans for a similar plant in Skellingthorpe are expected to be approved next week.

The proposal is to demolish an existing animal by-products processing plant and build a new processing plant in its place at the farm on Jerusalem Road, also owned by Lincoln Proteins Ltd.

BBC Weather

Cloudy at times and continuing very cold, although winds should be weaker.

There will be further snow showers, sometimes heavy and prolonged.

Snow showers will weaken later in the day.

Snow showers ending in the evening and then skies will clear.

Winds will be light and it will be very cold.

Heavy snow brings an early end to Scunthorpe's League Two game with Bradford, with the fixture abandoned at 0-0 just before the half-hour mark.

About 100,000 pigs are stuck on UK farms as a result of the pandemic and new rules, officials say.

It will be a cold night in Lincolnshire with the chance of a snow shower.

Here's the latest forecast:

Boston United's match this evening is off.

The game at home to Kidderminster Harriers has been postponed because of snow.

Snow and ice has caused more than 50 crashes in Lincolnshire in the last 24 hours.

Roads are still hazardous in many parts of the county, despite them being gritted.

Darrell Redford is in charge of Lincolnshire's team of gritters and says there is some good news though.

Police are appealing for witnesses after an assault which left a man with fractured ribs and cuts to his hands.

Image source, PA

Officers say the victim reported that the incident took place at around 23:00 on Sunday 7 February around Salacon Way off Cleethorpe Road in Grimsby.

He said that he and two friends were walking on Cleethorpe Road when they were approached by three men who chased the trio.

The victim's two friends managed to get away but the victim was caught and was subjected to an attack with what he describes as knives and metal bars.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

A custom car stolen from a Lincolnshire race track has been found.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

The medical car was taken from Cadwell Park in Louth at the end of January.

Three men aged 30, 34 and 50 have been arrested in connection with its disappearance.

They have all been released under investigation.

Another car, a BMW M240i, is still missing.