Work on a new wetland treatment facility near King's Lynn is to begin later this month.

Anglian Water has been granted planning permission for the site in Ingoldisthorpe, which will treat over 1m litres of water a day from the Ingoldisthorpe sewage treatment works.

The company says the £500,000 project will create one hectare of new wetland, made up of four shallow interconnected ponds, and planted with native chalk wetland species such as iris, sedge, marsh marigold and watercress.

Image source, Anglian Water

The wetland plants work to naturally clean the water, removing ammonia and phosphate.

Used but treated water from the sewage works will pass through the wetland to be further filtered and cleaned, before it's returned to the environment in the River Ingol.

The water company says the additional and natural filtering process will further improve the quality of water being returned to the river, which is a spring-fed chalk stream.

The wetland site will be constructed, maintained and operated by Norfolk Rivers Trust (NRT).

NRT spokesman Jonah Tosney says a similar wetland system was created at Northrepps near Cromer in 2014, which has led to much improved water quality in the River Mun, as well as increased biodiversity.

The Ingoldisthorpe wetland is expected to be fully established by early summer.

Police have issued a warning after a man claiming to be a police officer stopped a vehicle in Sheringham on Tuesday night.

The force says the imposter used the light bar on the roof of his silver Ford Fiesta to stop the man.

He was wearing a long hi-vis jacket (similar to the one pictured) with the word police on it and a white police hat.

He carried out a fake breath test on the driver he stopped.

Police haven't said how the incident ended, but are appealing for dashboard camera footage which might help them identify the imposter, who's described as being around 40-years-old, 5ft 8in tall with black hair.

Norfolk Police, external is reminding people that an officer always carries a warrant card, but if you suspect an officer is not genuine you should call 999 and ask the operator to confirm their identity.

Tens of thousands of starlings took to the air in spectacular murmuration caused by a sparrowhawk.

The child is 'seriously disabled' after being starved of oxygen during her birth at the hospital.

A booklet to help in the fight against child sexual abuse has been launched, as Norfolk police reveal a rise in the number of reported cases.

Image source, NSCB

Det Ch Insp Andy Coller said: "Last year we had on average per month 80 crimes recorded where the sexual offence was a child at the time; some of those go back many years.

"In the first nine months of this year we've seen an average of 109 cases reported to the police."

Norfolk's Safeguarding Children Board, external (NSCB) printed the new leaflet with the help of the police, Norwich City Football Club and City's Community Sports Foundation.

David Ashcroft, chair of the NSCB, says the football club's support means they will be able to reach a much larger audience, especially children and parents.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

A charity says there are now nearly 500 homeless people in Norfolk - but the real number could be more.

Charity Shelter says the number of people recorded as homeless has gone up in the region too by some 22%, with 20,400 people either in temporary accommodation or sleeping rough.

The charity combined official rough-sleeping, temporary accommodation and social services figures.

It says 375 people live in temporary accommodation in Norfolk and there's 88 rough sleepers - the majority of those in King's Lynn and Norwich.

Ben Fulcher went out looking for his brother after finding he had disappeared with his car.

Norfolk County Council's digital committee thinks we're lagging behind when it comes to mobile phone reception.

Image source, Getty Images

It has agreed to produce its own map of coverage, partly because the ones created by mobile network providers appear "optimistic".

The study will cover, external Norwich, King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth, the A and B road network, rail routes and significant tourist areas.

Hamish MacLeod, from Mobile UK, which works with the mobile providers, the government, regulators and customers, said companies' coverage maps were representative and "very comparable" to those on Ofcom's website.

Police investigating reports of hare coursing in Winfarthing, near Diss, last night have arrested two men and seized dogs and a van.

Image source, Getty Images

The "season" for the illegal activity, in which dogs chase hares, starts in autumn and runs until April.

Danny Cracknell, of farm security firm Farmwatch, said he had been receiving "multiple reports per day" of hare coursing.

Mr Cracknell said coursers drove on to fields to try to find a sitting hare and that the damage to crops could amount to thousands of pounds.

He is urging the public to dial 999 if they see people walking on fields with lurchers or greyhounds.

Eastern Daily Press

The EDP is reporting that the leader of Norfolk County Council Cliff Jordan wrote to the communities secretary suggesting ways in which Westminster could help reduce the need to make savings.

Read more about the letter, external - details of which the council is not publishing.

British Touring Car driver Luke Davenport says his first test since returning to racing felt "like putting on a pair of old slippers".

James Underhill, 34, of Caister in Norfolk, described the £50m find as "Willy Wonka's golden ticket".

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk sport

Norfolk youngster George Russell will drive for Force India ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old from King's Lynn will take Sergio Perez's usual seat for the first practice session on Friday. He will get another chance in the car of Esteban Ocon ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Russell was picked up by Mercedes and is the current GP3 champion. Force India runs Mercedes engines and he's been placed with the team in a bid to get experience of driving an F1 car.

Lynn News

Not enough work is being done to repair the Saddlebow bridge in King's Lynn while the road is shut off to traffic, residents have claimed.

The report, in the Lynn News today, says since the road was closed by Highways England on 23 October, long delays have occurred on and around the A47 and nearby businesses have said they are being affected.

Image source, Lynn News

PC Richard Green tells an inquest he followed his training during the mile-and-a-half pursuit.

Did you witness an elderly woman being robbed in Great Yarmouth yesterday?

The victim, who's in her 70s, was walking along Nelson Road Central, shortly after 11:00. An unknown man pushed her to the ground and stole her navy handbag containing cash and bank cards, police said.

The suspect was described as black and he wore a baseball cap, a long black coat, grey tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.

Norfolk Police would like to hear from anyone who saw the attack, particularly a man seen wearing a green T-shirt and black trousers, and the occupants of a blue people-carrier.

A Thetford firefighter ended up with glass in his eye after fireworks and stones were thrown at a fire engine on Bonfire Night.

The attack happened when fire crews went to put out unauthorised bonfires on Barnham Common at 21:00 on Sunday.

Station manager Tim Lewis said fortunately the firefighter only received a minor injury.

"The crews had a fairly busy night and it's disappointing when our crews are responding to keep our communities safe to find themselves under attack," he said.

"The police will be investigating this further, the seriousness of the incident itself and the injury to the firefighter."

A week of police action targeting people involved in online child sex abuse and exploitation has led to 13 suspects being interviewed.

Between 30 October and 3 November, nine searches were carried out at properties in Norfolk and 279 electronic devices were seized.

Seven potential victims of child sexual exploitation were seen by officers and given protection, police said.

Acting Det Insp Ian Cox says the force is dealing with an exceptional volume of child sexual abuse reports.

"Grooming and sexual abuse that takes place online is as real to the victim as abuse that happens in the street at home," he said.

"Such offenders try to hide what they do online, but they need to know that the internet is not a safe anonymous space for accessing indecent images or grooming children... they leave a digital footprint and we will find it."

Norwich Evening News

The story on the back page of the Norwich Evening News, external today: Finding the cure to City's goal drought is top of the list of priorities for Farke.

Image source, Archant

Norwich Evening News

An investigation has been launched after an incident at the Big Boom in Norwich, reports the Norwich Evening News, external.

A mother was left bleeding when she was struck by debris during the fireworks display.

Image source, Archant