Updates on Thursday 10 December 2015
News, sport, travel and weather updates resume at 08:00 Friday
Live updates for Sheffield and South Yorkshire have finished for the day but we'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with the latest news, sport, weather and travel. We hope you can join us then.
Remember, if you've got a picture or a story you'd like to share with us, then please get in touch.
It'll be breezy with heavy showers during this evening, turning to snow over the hills.
Clear spells should develop after midnight with just the odd shower and it'll be quite cold with patchy frost forming in the more sheltered spots.
Liz Roberts
BBC Radio Sheffield, political reporter
The UK's first tram-train has been unveiled by transport minister Andrew Jones in Sheffield this afternoon.
The service, which will operate between Sheffield and Rotherham, won't be fully up and running until 2017. However, the minister said it was a sign of things to come.
Quote MessageIt's not just a first for Sheffield, it's a first for the UK and it's great to see this area leading the way.
Andrew Jones, Transport minister
Jonathan Buchan
BBC Radio Sheffield Sport
Rotherham United defender Stephen Kelly is a doubt for tomorrow's game at Blackburn while recovering from a calf injury.
Joe Mattock could start, whilst Danny Ward is unlikely to return until Tuesday's game at Huddersfield.
Defender Richard Wood has been ruled out of Saturday's game at Bury with an abductor muscle injury.
BBC Travel
An accident is causing delays on the southbound carriageway of the M1 between Junction 34 for the A631 and J33 for the A630.
Kate Linderholm
BBC Local Live
The top stories in Sheffield and South Yorkshire include:
Liz Roberts
BBC Radio Sheffield, political reporter
The UK's first ever tram-train has been unveiled in Sheffield today.
The tram-trains are designed to run on both city tramlines and the main railway network.
Transport Minister Andrew Jones was in Sheffield to cut the ribbon.
This is the moment the man who brought the Tour de France to Yorkshire received his knighthood for services to tourism from Prince Charles a little earlier today.
Image source, British Ceremonial ArtsSir Gary Verity, chief executive of tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire, oversaw the Tour's Grand Depart in July 2014 which attracted two and a half million spectators.
Sir Gary has previously said of the knighthood: "It's the most enormous honour. It's quite bonkers. I'm just an ordinary bloke just trying to do his job."
Sheffield Crown Court has heard that a mother who tried to intervene when she found out her daughter was associating with a group of older Asian men in Rotherham was told her house would be firebombed.
The prosecution has been telling the jury how the girl had sex with two of the defendants - brothers Arshid and Basharat Hussain, known as Ash and Bash - and a third Hussain brother, known as Bono. The accused deny all charges.
Michelle Colborne QC, prosecuting, said the girl, who is now 30, first met Bono when she was 14 years old and her mother struggled to deal with her associating with older Asian males:
Quote MessageHe saw that she wore school uniform and knew how old she was. She saw (her daughter) with either Ash and Bash on the street outside their house one day and tried to get (her daughter) to come with her. Later, she received a phone call. An Asian male voice spoke to her and said 'I'm going to firebomb your house tonight'."
MIchelle Colbourne QC
Another alleged victim in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation trial was sometimes assaulted by defendant Arshid Hussain and one of his brothers, known as Bono, Sheffield Crown Court has heard.
Michelle Colborne QC, prosecuting told the jury:
Quote MessageShe recalls waking up in a room naked, not knowing how she had gotten there and noting that there were used condoms in the room. They would strike her arms, legs, back and stomach but would avoid her face. Bono would take his time and would methodically strike her with a pool cue but Ash would use his fists."
Michelle Colborne QC
All the accused deny the charges.
One of the alleged victims in the Rotherham child sexual exploitation trial claims she that she saw someone she believed was "an MP or councillor" at a house run like a brothel, prosecutors have said.
Michelle Colborne QC, told the jury at Sheffield Crown Court that the girl, who is now 33 years old, was taken to a house in the Masborough area of Rotherham when she was between 17 and 19 years old. Other girls were also in the property and the house was run like a brothel. Ms Colborne told the jury:
Quote MessageThey had sex with lots of men. There was a constant traffic of people coming into the house. No-one was ever introduced by a real name, but she spent her time stoned on drink and drugs, having sex with whoever was next. "
The top stories in Sheffield and South Yorkshire include:
Any showers will clear this evening to make way for a generally dry but cold night - temperatures dropping to 2C (36F) with a ground frost in places.
Two flatmates who supplied Class A drugs to Sheffield clubbers have been jailed for two and a half years each, external.
Gary Verity, or Sir Gary as he should now be known, has been at Buckingham Palace today to receive his knighthood.
He's been given the award for services to tourism after masterminding Yorkshire's successful bid to host the Tour de France Grand Depart in July 2015.
Mick Lunney
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter
More on the news that strike action by teachers at Listerdale School in Rotherham was suspended today.
Three further days of strikes planned next week have been put on hold.
Parents had voiced concerns that pupils would be missing Christian celebrations with a religious significance while teachers took action over the suspension of the school's head.
Ian Stevenson, NUT regional secretary, said:
Quote MessageWe have listened very carefully to parents' concerns that taking strike action next week would mean that children would miss out on their Christmas celebrations. We have today responded to those concerns, in a way in which we believe will ensure that pupils at the school will be able to celebrate Christmas in their usual way.”
Latest figures show primary schools in Doncaster are the worst performing in Yorkshire and among the lowest achieving in the country.
Image source, WavebreakmediaLeague tables show only 74% of pupils in Doncaster achieved Level 4 or above in reading, maths and writing tests.
Only schools in Medway in Kent, Poole in Dorset and the Scilly Isles performed worse.
In Sheffield the figure is 78% and for Barnsley and Rotherham it's 79%.
Kate Linderholm
BBC Local Live
The National Union of Teachers has suspended strike action at Listerdale School in Rotherham.
The development comes on the fifth day of action by the union over the suspension of the school's headteacher.
The union has put strike action on hold in response to concerns from parents about the impact on Christmas celebrations at the school.
The union was due to hold three more days of action next week.
Kate Linderholm
BBC Local Live
We're breaking off from covering the Rotherham abuse trial which has adjourned for lunch to look at some of the other stories around South Yorkshire today.
But first here's a reminder of the top stories so far:
Sallie George
Journalist, BBC News
More from Sheffield Crown Court where five men and two women have gone on trial accused of involvement in the sexual exploitation of teenage girls in Rotherham. The defendants all deny a total of 63 charges against them.
The prosecution are now outlining the case of a fourth alleged victim of child sexual exploitation.
They say she was abused by both Arshid and Basharat Hussain from the age of 14.
She described the brothers as "owning Rotherham" and said she felt compelled to do what they told her.
The court heard she handled guns and drugs for the brothers and was made to work as a prostitute.
