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Lincolnshire growers have been showing off their wares at a vegetable show in Harrogate.

It's fair to say that you'd have no trouble with getting your five a day if you were handed one of these:

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Lincolnshire groups supporting women and girls with issues like period poverty, domestic and sexual abuse and mental health are being given the chance to apply for funding paid for by the so-called "tampon tax".

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The Tampon Tax Fund allocates money generated by the VAT on sanitary products to projects which support women.

The Lincolnshire Community Foundation says groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 from a national pot of £3.5m.

We will use this vital funding to support the groups on the ground making such a big difference to women’s lives.

Farmers in south Lincolnshire are encouraging the police to turn up unannounced onto their farms to help deter criminals.

NFU

Over recent weeks there's been a rise in the amount of farm machinery stolen in the area.

Chris Carter from the National Farmers Union said local members were in favour of giving the police free access to farms.

The bottom line I suppose is do we want criminals around our farm or the police? We'd much rather see them here, and if it gives them intelligence, which is what they say they want anyway, then we're entirely happy with that."

Health bosses in the county say Lincolnshire's hospitals have suffered from "two decades worth of under-investment" and now need £236m to bring them up to standards.

GOV

It comes after the Prime Minister promised £21.3m to improve the A&E at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston this summer.

But officials from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, part of Lincolnshire's health service, told a County Council scrutiny panel that even if the trust found £236m that "will not give us buildings that are fit for the future, they will only be fit for today."

Councillors also heard that an extra £81m is also needed for planned changes to health services in Lincolnshire.

In total, that means that Lincolnshire's Health Services say they need £317m to bring our health services up to scratch.

It is a massive amount of money and that is only to get it to a reasonable standard. It’s quite hard to see how they are going to achieve this."

A man who was found guilty of rape for lying about having had a vasectomy is appealing against the convictions.

Derbyshire Police

Jason Lawrence originally from Leicestershire,was given a life sentence in 2016 for raping five women, attempting to rape one woman, and sexually assaulting another.

The assaults took place between June 2011 and November 2014 in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.

One of the women had consented to having sex with Lawrance, but a jury found the consent she gave was negated because of his vasectomy lie.

Now his legal team is challenging that decision.

Shaun Draycott, his solicitor, said: "If these convictions are upheld on appeal, the concern is that members of the public, both male and female, who have never been considered criminals in the eyes of the law will be at risk of prosecution for serious sexual offences."

His legal team will only be appealing against the convictions in relation to Lawrance's vasectomy deceit, and not his other offences.

It's another dry day with some decent spells of sunshine for most and temperatures up to 21C in places.

Overnight it will remain clear and dry, meaning we're in for a chilly night with temperatures getting down to about 7C.

An independent watchdog has found that there was no police misconduct in a missing person investigation which ended in the death of a teenager.

Trinity Mirror

Liam Toner, 19, went missing after a night out in Cleethorpes on December 16 in 2017.

He was dropped off by a taxi driver in Holton-Le-Clay in Lincolnshire, but was found dead the next evening in a ditch between Holton-Le-Clay and his home in Ulceby, around 20 miles away.

The Independent Ofice for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation found that although Liam was reported missing at 08:50 of that day, police didn't begin investigating until after 17:00.

The IOPC has made recommendations for Lincolnshire and Humberside police forces to improve future cross-border missing persons investigations with improved communication.

It will be a fine and dry day though there may be a little bit of patchy cloud in places. Temperatures will get up to about 18C.

Overnight it will be clear and cool with temperatures around 7C.

Court cases are taking far longer to complete in Lincolnshire than the national average.

Google

A report for Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Panel reveals cases in the county's magistrates' courts are taking more than 50% longer to complete now than they did in 2010.

This works out at around 207 days in Lincolnshire compared to the national average of 169.

The report says the closure of the courts in Grantham and Skegness created a significant reduction in the number of defendants being seen.

Only Lincoln and Boston magistrates' courts remain in the county.

A number of other factors have also contributed to the slow down, including a change in bail procedures and fewer available crown court dates.

It should be a dry sunny end to the day in Lincolnshire. Here's the latest forecast......

BBC

Police say a rise in reports of sexual assaults and rapes in Lincolnshire is down to the way they are recorded, not because there have been more attacks.

PA Media

New figures show there has been a 33% increase in 12 months, with reports going up from 1,500 in 2017 to just over 2,000 in 2018.

The force has launched a campaign to make sure people understand they must have consent before engaging in sexual activity.

They also want victims to feel confident in coming forward.

The number of rapes and sexual assaults reported in Lincolnshire has gone up by 33%, according to Lincolnshire Police.

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The force said more than 2,000 incidents were reported last year, compared with just over 1,500 in 2017.

It has launched a campaign promoting the importance of getting consent to coincide with Freshers' Week in Lincoln.

We take every opportunity to encourage victims to come forward. It’s important that new students coming into the City see our Force as one to be trusted, one that is proactive in the highlighting of the importance of consent and one that will investigate a case meticulously and with compassion.

There'll be some sunshine around in Lincolnshire this afternoon. Here's the latest forecast:

BBC

After a chilly start the rest of the day will be fine and dry with temperatures up to 16C in places.

Overnight it will stay dry and settled.

It will be a dry but cool night in Lincolnshire. Here's the latest forecast:

BBC

Lincolnshire is expected to miss ambitious plans set out by the government to be smoke free by 2030, according to a new report.

BBC

At the moment, figures show just over 17% of the county's population regularly light up.

The report by Frontier Economics predicts Lincolnshire won't reach the target to stop everyone smoking in 11 years.

There could be some sunshine around this afternoon. Here's the latest forecast:

BBC

The number of people caught carrying knives in Lincolnshire has risen by 44% in the last year.

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Lincolnshire Police say offences rose from 183 per 100,000 people in 2017/18 to 263 in 2018/19 .

The force released the figures at the start of a national week of action named Operation Sceptre, which aims to increase awareness about the dangers of carrying knives

Det Ch Insp Amy Whiffen, force lead for knife crime, said: "People carry knives either for their own protection, to try and gain respect, out of pure anger or because they are intent on committing crime.

“Whatever the reason, carrying a knife means even the smallest situation can escalate into something much more serious or life-changing."

It will be a dry and fine day today with temperatures up to 18C in places.

This evening there will be clear skies and lots of sunshine and it should stay dry overnight.

There's going to plenty of sunshine around today with temperatures up to 19C in places.

Overnight it should stay dry with temperatures getting down to about 7C.

The MOD has signed a £100m contract to test an unpiloted aircraft which will be based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

Tim Ireland/PA Media

The remotely controlled "Protector" aircraft, which is capable of flying in civilian airspace, is expected to be delivered to Waddington in 2021 and in service by 2024.

A total of £93m is being spent on constructing a new purpose-built hangar at RAF Waddington for the Protector, as well new facilities and accommodation.

Defence Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: "This contract represents a welcome step towards our world-beating Protector aircraft reaching the frontline, giving us the upper-hand against our adversaries.

"Protector will be able to fly consistently for up to 40 hours and will be deployed across the full spectrum of operations, including search and rescue, flood prevention or disaster response missions."

Firefighters in Lincolnshire are getting their first taste of the county's fleet of new fire engines this morning.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is spending £8m on 33 new appliances over the next three years.

The vehicles include new equipment including portable winches to recover damaged cars and LED lighting to help at the scene of road collisions when there are no street lights.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue spokesman, Dave Hopkinson, said: "We're not just a fire service, we're Fire and Rescue. It's right for us to have the right equipment."

Crews are being introduced to the new engines at a training centre in Waddington, near Lincoln.

There should be some decent sunny spells today for most of us though there may be a few showers on higher ground.

Temperatures could get up to about 23C in places:

Skegness town centre is set to get a £400,000 facelift, with new colour-changing street lights, seating, footpaths and bins.

Streetview

East Lindsey District Council says it wants to improve the look of the area, which it describes as "the gateway to the foreshore".

Councillor Steve Kirk, said: “The whole project is very exciting for Skegness and will revolutionise the look of our foreshore.

"We are committed to ensuring that Skegness remains one of the country’s leading seaside resorts.”

It seems the heat and humidity are proving a challenge for the world famous Lincolnshire-based Red Arrows as they continue their North American tour.

Cpl Adam Fletcher/RAF/PA Wire

Members of the team are halfway through their 11-week deployment and have performed displays and fly-pasts over several iconic landmarks, including Niagara Falls (pictured) and the Statue of Liberty.

Red 3, Sqn Ldr Mike Bowden, says: "The heat has a massive effect on the performance of the aeroplane...Taking off to the way the aircraft feels when we're doing manoeuvres.

"Even on the ground, when you're pulling over the canopy, it's like a greenhouse," he said.

The team is currently in Texas, with displays also due to take place in Seattle, Vancouver and Los Angeles to follow in the coming weeks.

Have you seen Leigh-Anne Hanson? Police in Lincolnshire are appealing for help finding the 25-year-old who went missing about three weeks ago.

Lincolnshire Police

She was last seen near the Witch and Wardrobe pub in Lincoln, near the River Witham, according to police.

Leigh-Anne was wearing navy jogging bottoms, a short-sleeved green top and black trainers.

Anyone who has seen her, or knows her whereabouts, is being asked to contact Lincolnshire Police.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in Lincolnshire has welcomed news that Fireman Sam is being axed as the county's fire service mascot.

PA Media

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service has decided to ditch the popular BBC television character saying it's outdated and could put people off joining the service.

The FBU's Lincolnshire representative, Ben Selby, says: "Our concerns are about the subconscious messages that the term 'fireman' only refers to males in that workforce.

"That's simply not the case. We've got brave women firefighters right up and down the country."

Earlier in the year, the creator of Fireman Sam said he couldn't understand how the programme put women off joining the service.

Plans for a £50m bypass in Horncastle have been shelved, with Lincolnshire County Council saying it's struggling to get funding for the project.

Google

The authority says the benefits of the project aren't significant enough to attract financial backing and is "currently not being progressed".

However, it is "included in the council's pipeline of projects to consider in the future", it adds.

Executive member for highways, Councillor Richard Davies, says: "This doesn’t mean Horncastle will never have a bypass, but it does mean we’ll need to look at other funding options."

The project was aimed at solving delays on the A158 through the town centre during peak times.

Campaigners fighting to cut the speed limit outside a Gainsborough Primary School say they've received the backing of their local MP.

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Parents want a 20mph speed limit introduced outside Castle Wood Academy to keep children safe.

Mum Kelly Geeson says: "Sir Edward is really nice. He says he's fully committed to helping and supporting us."

Parents also want extra pedestrian crossings and a school crossing patrol.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue has decided to axe Fireman Sam as its mascot as he "does not reflect what we do" and could put people off joining the service.

PA Media

Lincolnshire's Fire Chief Officer, Les Britzman, says: "There’s been a lot of research that says that images that young people have about what careers they want to do are formed when they are about four or five.

“If you are promoting that image we might be stopping people wanting to apply for the fire service 20 years down the line.

"We've got other images that better reflect what we do; no one is called fireman these days, they're firefighters."

The firefighter from Pontypandy will be replaced with fire extinguisher mascots Freddy, Filbert and Penelope.

Earlier this year, the creator of Fireman Sam said he couldn't see how the children's show puts women off joining the service.

The Fire Brigades Union is supporting the decision.

It's a very mild start to the day with a few outbreaks of rain in places.

This afternoon there could be one or two isolated showers but for most of us it'll be dry with temperatures up to 21C.

A dry end to the day in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

BBC

A new company's set to take over road repairs in Lincolnshire under an estimated £638m contract.

Google

Balfour Beatty will take over from April next year, under a 12-year deal drawn up by Lincolnshire County Council.

About 250 staff employed by current contractor Kier will transfer to Balfour Beatty under the agreement.

Councillors are expected to approve the plan next month.

It should be a cloudy but dry afternoon in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

BBC

It will be a fairly pleasant day today with highs of about 19C.

However, overnight the cloud will thicken and rain will move in from the west.

Lincolnshire Police are taking part in a fortnight-long campaign aimed at protecting motorcyclists on the county's roads.

Lincolnshire Police

From today you'll notice more officers on the roads offering safety advice to riders, as well as looking out for people driving under the influence, using mobile phones or speeding.

Of the 39 people killed on the county's roads this year ten were motorcyclists.

Lincolnshire attracts motorcyclists from near and far as they come to experience our rural roads, attend organised 'bike night' events, the racing at Cadwell Park or visit the coast, particularly during the evenings or weekends. We welcome them but want to make sure they and others around them ride safely.”

Councils in Lincolnshire have resettled just 34 Syrian refugees in the past five years, according to data analysed by the BBC.

BBC

Nationally more than 17,000 refugees who fled the Syrian war have settled in Britain since March 2014, with the largest proportion - 2,937 - finding homes in Scotland.

The East Midlands has taken in the fewest number - 774 - in the whole of the country.

BBC

There could be some rain around this afternoon in Lincolnshire.

Here's the latest forecast:

BBC