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

Salford City lose ground on the League Two promotion places as they are held to a draw at home by a determined Scunthorpe.

Ebou Adams scores the winner as Forest Green return to winning ways with a narrow victory at League Two bottom side Grimsby.

League One promotion hopefuls Lincoln return to winning ways with a comfortable victory over Crewe.

A teacher who was honoured for dropping off free school meals to pupils during the coronavirus lockdowns has been making his final deliveries before schools reopen on Monday.

Image source, Zane Powles

Zane Powles, deputy head at Grimsby Western Primary School, says he's made 15,000 deliveries and walked more than 900 miles since 23 March 2020 when he first began helping families.

Mr Powles was awarded an MBE in August for his efforts.

The 48-year-old has recently been handing out nearly 120 meals a day, compared to an average of 85 meals in the last lockdown.

He said the latest deliveries had taken a toll on a knee injury he sustained from running 18 months ago, for which he was awaiting surgical treatment.

Image source, Zane Powles

BBC Weather

Temperatures in Lincolnshire overnight aren't likely to go above 3C (37F).

A cold start is forecast for the weekend.

Saturday will start dry with brighter spells.

It will turn cloudy in the afternoon, though, with highs of 6C (43F):

The 1% pay rise offered to NHS workers in England is a "pitiful amount to be offered after such a long haul" fighting the coronavirus pandemic, a Lincolnshire nurse has said.

Melanie Kerr (pictured), a staff nurse and chair of the North Lincolnshire regional branch of the Royal College of Nursing, called the pay offer "infuriating".

She said: "We're going to haemorrhage staff and announcements like this make it all the worse.

"As we enter the recovery phase, there's still a lot of hard work that staff face. So in terms of trying to boost morale that is not the route to go down."

Nationally, unions are calling for strike action over the pay rise offer.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommended the 1% pay rise, external to the independent panel that advises the government on NHS salaries.

It would cover nearly all hospital staff, but not GPs and dentists. The panel is due make its own pay recommendations in early May, when ministers will make their final decision.

A government spokesperson said 1% was a "real-terms increase", as the latest official inflation figure was 0.9%, external.

Parents shouldn't see the return of children to school next week as a chance to mix with other people, Lincolnshire's director of public health has warned.

Professor Derek Ward said it was "vital" parents don't interact with others when dropping children off on Monday morning.

Although schools are returning, rules on social mixing remain in place.

The warning comes after new data revealed that Lincolnshire's Covid-19 infection rate dropped below the England average for the first time in weeks.

A convicted paedophile who tried to destroy evidence when police arrived at his home has been jailed for 20 months.

Image source, Lincs Police

Ian Picksley (pictured), of Hawthorne Chase, Lincoln, refused to answer the door so he could destroy his internet history.

However, more than 2,000 indecent images of children were found on his devices.

Picksley, 62, has 27 previous sexual convictions and had recently been released from jail after serving a nine year sentence for sexual offences against a girl aged under 13.

He was jailed at Lincoln Crown Court for 20 months after admitting three offences of making an indecent image of a child.

He also admitted possession of prohibited images of a child and possession of extreme pornography.

The tourism industry in Lincolnshire is being encouraged to cater for cyclists after a rise in people getting on their bikes.

Image source, Focus Rides

A new tourism group, Cycle Lincolnshire, says the county could be a prime destination for enthusiasts.

Previously, the Cycle England organisation has worked with tourism bosses in the county to help develop cycling holidays over the last two years.

Now, Cycle Lincolnshire wants to expand those holidays and create more routes for cyclists to travel while visiting.

Kevin Smith, who has helped establish those routes and is owner of a cycle park in the Lincolnshire Wolds (pictured), says the cycling industry is "serious money".

"The people investing in cycling have got the money to spend in cafes and shops", he says.

Lincolnshire's coronavirus infection rate has dropped below the national average for the first time in weeks, according to Public Health Lincolnshire.

Image source, Getty Images

Professor Derek Ward, director of Public Health Lincolnshire, says the county's rate is now 78 cases per 100,000 people.

The average infection rate in England is 81.3 cases per 100,000 people.

It comes after weeks of the South Holland and Boston areas having some of the highest infection rates in the country.

Data compiled by the BBC, which takes in figures up to the 28 February, showed South Holland as having the fifth highest infection rate in England.

Public Health Lincolnshire's figures are subject to changes as more of the data is assessed.

BBC Weather

There will be more breaks in the cloud later, allowing for more prolonged spells of sunshine in places.

A few clear spells this evening, but it will be dry with variable amounts of cloud tonight:

Thousands of counterfeit cigarettes have been seized in Lincoln.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

Police said a joint operation with Trading Standards was carried out on Lincoln's High Street on Wednesday.

Attempts had been made to conceal the cigarettes product behind a brick wall.

Image source, Lincolnshire Police

The 10,000 cigarettes were found by a sniffer dog.

Counterfeit cigarettes do not meet safety regulations and duty has not been paid on them.

They also don't carry the legally required warning notices.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Nearly a fifth of all Lincolnshire residents have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, it's been confirmed.

Over 271,000 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Lincolnshire so far - of which 5,281 were second doses, according to new figures from NHS England.

A total of 266,323 people have received their first dose - that equates to 19.14% of the county's population based on the most recent population estimates.

The weekly data released today shows a total of 271,604 jabs have taken place between 8 December and 28 February - up by 34,577 on the previous week and higher week-on-week (34,228).

However, that figure was still lower than the previous weeks (36,828 and 38,365 respectively).

BBC Weather

It will be a mainly dry night in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

Firefighters are now damping down after a blaze at a food factory at Heckington.

Smoke from the fire at The Roasting Company, on Station Road, could be seen for miles around.

Local residents were advised to keep doors and windows closed.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue says everyone is safe.

Firefighters are still at the scene of a fire at a commercial building in Heckington.

Crews including a water carrier and an aerial ladder have been dealing with a large blaze at a food factory on Station Road.

People living in the area have been urged to keep their doors and windows closed.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue says there are no reports of any injuries and everyone who was in the building is accounted for.

People in Lincolnshire will benefit from two freeports - one will cover the Humber region and the other will be based at East Midlands Airport.

Image source, Getty Images

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the eight freeports he announced in the Budget on Wednesday could help economic recovery by making it easier and cheaper to do business in regions, as well as creating jobs.

The freeport model works by allowing companies to import goods tariff-free and only paying once it is sold into the domestic market, or exporting the final goods without paying UK tariffs.

East Midlands Airport's managing director Claire James said the news would "shine a spotlight on a part of the country which has so much to offer investors, existing businesses that wish to grow, and the supply chains that are linked to them".

Maria Machancoses, director of Midlands Connect, called it "fantastic news" and said they would work with local authorities to make sure the site is well connected to trade locally, nationally and internationally.

Ten fire crews and an aerial ladder platform crew are currently dealing with a fire on Station Road in Heckington.

Emergency services were called to the scene just before midday.

People living nearby are being urged to keep their doors and windows closed.

The Lincolnshire coast will use £50m in government funding to help the area recover from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the man behind the bid.

Image source, Google

The money from the Towns Fund, confirmed in the Budget on Wednesday, will be used to improve transport hubs, build training centres and create jobs.

Chris Baron, who used to run Butlins in Skegness, is part of the Skegness and Mablethorpe Town Deal team which submitted the funding bid.

He said the projects they have planned will make a huge difference to the lives of people in the area.