Scunthorpe

A £1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a convicted rapist who absconded from an open prison.

Lincolnshire Police

Stephen Tierney, 39, has not been seen since 3 July when he walked out of HMP North Sea Camp, near Boston.

Lincolnshire Police say they are investigating possible sightings in Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

The force say Tierney poses a risk to the public and has advised people not to approach him.

A police spokesman said he also poses a "high risk" to anyone who enters in to a relationship with him.

Anyone with any information about Tierney's whereabouts is asked to contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or report online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

There's gong to be some very heavy and persistent today with the chance of a few rumbles of thunder.

Temperatures will reach 21C in places:

The number of commercial burglaries in North East Lincolnshire has fallen by 62% following a number of "key arrests and convictions" in the area, say police.

BBC

Humberside Police said six men have been sentenced in connection with a string of break-ins at premises in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham, including DIY stores, pubs and shops, and three more men have been charged.

Det Sgt Tom Kelly said: “When you run a business you put your heart and soul into it, as well as your time and money, so when someone breaks in and steals from you or causes damage, it can have a real impact.

“We know that and that’s why we’re so pleased to have caught so many of those responsible for these kind of offences and put them before the courts."

There's a risk of some isolated showers today but it will stay dry for most with temperatures of up to 23C.

A total of 146 people have been arrested for attacking emergency service workers in Lincolnshire in the last six months, according to figures obtained by the BBC.

Getty Images

Last November a new law was introduced which doubled the maximum possible sentence for offenders from six months to 12 months.

Across England and Wales police have made more than 6,500 arrests for attacks on emergency service workers.

However, Halifax MP Holly Lynch, who campaigned for the law, believes it is not providing enough of a deterrent.

Sgt Lee Johnson from Lincolnshire Police was attacked while on duty in Grantham.

He said: "[The man] turned back towards myself and my colleague and started wheeling punches at us and we ended up having a fight with him on a busy road in Grantham.

"I was very shaken up by it. I had a cut to my lip. It was quite a frightening experience."

People in Spilsby fear the closure of the last remaining bank in the town will have a big impact on tourism, businesses and the vulnerable people in the community.

Google

Lloyds Bank today confirmed its Spilsby branch - the only bank in the town - will close on 12 November.

It's being blamed on the changing way people bank, which means the branch is being used less often.

Keziah Wood, deputy mayor of Spilsby, said a mobile branch would visit the town every two weeks but the nearest bank is now in Skegness.

She said: "It's very disappointing. There's a lot of older people in Spilsby who don't do internet banking. It's just another thing that we have got less of.

"They want to build more houses here and the infrastructure is just not there to support it. Two times a week for a mobile bank to come - people need to cash their money from businesses every day.

"It has a knock on effect for everyone - not just businesses and banking."

A bakery in Spalding is at risk of closure, putting 405 jobs at risk.

BBC

Addo Food Group, which makes a range of baked goods including sausage rolls and various types of pastry, has revealed plans to close its Spalding site next year.

Following a business review, the firm want to divert production to bakeries in Poole and Palethorpes.

The company said the proposed closure, which would impact 405 employees, is required to ensure it is profitable, maintains its market leading position and meets customer expectations in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

“We fully understand the disappointment of this announcement for all of our employees, and we are committed to doing everything possible to support them over the coming weeks, especially those who would be directly affected. In order to maintain our market leading position and meet customer expectations as efficiently as possible, we need to optimise our manufacturing sites to enable a continued investment in quality, service and product and packaging innovation. This proposal will allow us to achieve this.”

Blushing brides could soon be having a very green wedding in a 19th century Grimsby park, but objectors claim the venue is not fit-for-purpose.

BBC

Health and care service provider Navigo has been given permission to turn the North East Lincolnshire Council-owned Floral Hall and Aviary garden centre in People's Park into an events venue and bridal house, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A spokesman for Navigo, which helps people from disadvantaged backgrounds get back into work, told planning bosses today: “People’s Park is an important community asset and we want to continue to transform this Grimsby gem into an attractive, accessible community centre by regenerating and refurbishing it.”

Navigo believe the regeneration of the centre would help reduce anti-social behaviour, though objectors were concerned that use of alcohol during events would have the opposite effect.

They said the building is essentially a greenhouse – meaning it will be warm at all times – and questioned how noise can be limited if windows had to be opened to cool guests down.

Police are searching for a woman who was last seen in Market Deeping this morning.

Lincolnshire Police

Michelle Prentice, 37, was last seen at 08:45 today in the Market Deeping area.

Police have said they are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone who has seen her or knows where she is should contact Lincolnshire Police.

Lincolnshire Police is appealing for two victims of separate sex attacks which took place in Lincoln to come forward.

Lincolnshire Police

The first incident was reported on 5 July at 19:40 by a dog walker who said she had come across a young distressed girl in South Common who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by a man.

The second incident was of a similar nature and was reported at 19:00 on 16 July. A dog walker reported seeing a man sexually assaulting a woman on South Common.

In both instances the young girl and the woman left the scene.

Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin says introducing the biofuel E10 could cut carbon emissions in the UK by as much as taking 700,000 cars off the roads.

Press Association

A study by the all-party parliamentary group for British bioethanol looked at the impact of introducing E10 - a fuel blended with 10% ethanol.

Chairman Mr Dakin says it's a no brainer.

"We need action on climate change," he said.

"Introducing E10, as many other countries have done, would immediately take 700,000 cars off the road in terms of emissions, improve our air quality, support our farmers, support the high-tech billion-pound bioethanol industry - it's a no brainer. They just need to get on with it."

The final episode of Wild Bill will air tonight, but ITV says no decision has been made and whether there will be a second series of the Boston-based drama.

HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

The series stars the Hollywood actor Rob Lowe as the chief constable for a fictional East Lincolnshire police force. A number of Lincolnshire locations have featured in the six-part series.

Insp Fran Harrod, who works in Boston, said: "You get stopped by people who say 'You're not that Wild Bill are you?' but obviously being a lady you get 'You're not that Wild Jill are you?!' But everybody seems to be talking about it and be enjoying it."

Four Lincolnshire parks have been awarded Green Flag status this year.

South Kesteven District Council

Wyndham Park in Grantham, along with the Arboretum, Boultham and Harstholme country parks in Lincoln, are among this year's winners.

Almost 2,000 UK parks and green spaces have achieved a Green Flag Award which is the recognised benchmark for quality in 14 countries.

We know how much green spaces matter to residents and visitors and this award is a tribute to the hard work and dedication that goes into maintaining the park to such a high standard."

A group of young dancers from Lincolnshire have won the chance to perform at Disneyland in Paris.

BBC

The team of 24 girls, aged between six and 16-years-old, from Passion2Dance have been given a 20 minute slot in the park after entering a competition.

They will perform their 'Wizard of Oz' routine in October and later take part in a workshop with some of the Disney team cast.

The last remaining bank in Spilsby will close in November, it has been announced.

Press Association

Following an "in-depth review" Lloyds has confirmed its branch on The Terrace will close on 12 November.

The company said the way people bank is changing, which means the branch is being used less often.

It says counters at Spilsby are 3% quieter than a year ago, with 325 customers using the branch on a regular monthly basis.

It's going to be another warm and sunny day with temperatures up to 24C, though we may see a scattering of showers in places.

Overnight it will turn cloudy with showery outbreaks.

A previously-troubled ambulance service has made significant improvements, a regulator has found.

BBC

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has been rated "good" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), after being told in 2017 changes were needed.

Inspectors found the service had new ways of call handling, which helped staff better deal with major incidents.

The trust was rated as outstanding for being "caring", one of the CQC's key grading areas.

The ambulance service, which serves about 4.8 million people across six counties, has faced financial problems in recent years - with an £11.9m deficit in 2016 - and had some of the worst response times in England.

The latest inspection, between April and May, found a "significant number of improvements" had been made and "highlighted areas of outstanding practice".

He's previously worked as a car salesman, a band frontman and a Youtuber - and now heads one of Lincolnshire's councils.

Boston Borough Council

At 27, Aaron Spencer - the leader of Boston Borough Council - is the second youngest council leader in the UK.

Mr Spencer has been officially voted in as the new leader and has hit back at those who say he doesn't have the experience.

He replaces Michael Cooper who stepped down to concentrate on his business.

It doesn't matter how experienced you are, if you're open with the decisions that you are making and you say 'This is my position on it, what's yours?' that doesn't come with experience. That is a fundamental attitude towards tackling problems and that doesn't come with experience. In actuality, with experience you get more closed-mindedness and less desire to work with people."

Businesses in Lincolnshire will suffer if the A46 isn't upgraded, it has been warned.

Google

The route connects Grimsby with Lincoln and on to the M1.

Appearing before the Commons Business Committee, Chris Hobson of the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce said transport links are crucial, especially to the freight industry.

He said: "The A46 which runs from Grimsby/Immingham all the way down to Bristol is incredibly important. The A5 which goes the opposite direction from the south east going up to the north west is also incredibly important. There are key sites, key manufacturers and key hubs of freight that are there an are developing there."

Lincolnshire Police are investigating after a stolen cash card was used to withdraw £3,500 from the victim's bank account.

Lincolnshire Police

Officers said the card was stolen from Kirton near Boston on April 15.

The same card was then used at foreign currency exchanges and cash machines in the Skegness area, later on the same day.

Police want to speak to this man, who they believe may have information about the fraud.

Lincoln City FC has sold out of season tickets ahead of their new campaign in League One, with 6,300 fans snapping up seats.

The Imps won the League Two title in May to secure their promotion to the third tier of English football.

Action Images/John Clifton

It means we can plan for the year with some certainty. The thing to stress is that we've still got some match by match tickets available because it's important that we are as accessible to the as many people in the city and beyond. But for us, we set ourselves a target of 6,300 sales and we have achieved that, ultimately setting a modern era record."

New laws to protect survivors of domestic abuse in England and Wales have been introduced in Parliament.

UK Parliament

The Domestic Abuse Bill would place a legal duty on councils to offer secure homes for those fleeing violence and their children, and proposes creating a dedicated domestic abuse commissioner.

Victims Minister Victoria Atkins said it addressed "an injustice that has long needed to be tackled".

But Women's Aid said victims' services were operating "on a shoestring".

It is estimated that almost two million adults in England and Wales are victims of domestic abuse every year.

Ms Atkins, MP for Louth and Horncastle, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire: "Domestic abuse takes many forms, including emotional, economic and sexual abuse, and we're reflecting that in the definition.

"And that's important because that then has repercussion in terms of how services are commissioned locally to support victims and survivors."

An unauthorised travellers' site set up in Saxilby in 1999 has been declared lawful after 20 years.

Google

West Lindsey District Council has approved an application for a certificate of lawful development for the Odder Bridge Yard land on Broxholme Lane.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service permission has now been granted for a maximum of 10 caravans on the land.

For a site to be declared lawful, there must not have been any enforcement action there for 10 years.

Homeless people in Lincoln have welcomed the opening of a new place where they will be able to have a shower and wash their clothes.

Getty Images

The facility has been opened at Mint Lane Cafe by Let Them Eat Cake, an organisation which helps homeless people.

Richard was a heroin user and homeless, but now volunteers at Mint Lane Cafe - a social eating space which uses retail surplus food to create healthy and affordable meals.

He said: "I could go without a shower for two or three weeks at a time. To have no clean clothes and to be a bit smelly, it is degrading and dehumanises people.

In the 12 months from October 2017, more than 250 people accessed the Nomad Shelter in Lincoln and this month it is estimated there are 39 rough sleepers in the city.

New longer-lasting materials will be used to replace worn out sections of St Bernards Avenue in Louth, which should mean fewer potholes.

Lincolnshire County Council

Lincolnshire County Council will trial a range of modified road-building materials during the £200,000 project, which is due to begin on 22 July and is expected to be completed on 2 August.

The materials should be significantly longer-lasting than the existing surfacing over the concrete carriageway, meaning potholes are less likely to form.

The road will need to be closed while the improvements are carried out, with traffic diverted via Eastgate, Church Street, Newmarket, Stewton Lane, Wood Lane and vice versa.

If successful, the process could be used to replace the surfacing on other concrete roads across the county as they come to the end of their lives.

Police investigating an attempted break-in at a shop in Lincoln have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to.

Lincolnshire Police

Between 04:00 and 04:30 on 9 July, a man tried to use a small tool to force the lock at the Game store in St Benedict’s Square. He did not gain entry but did cause damage.

Officers believe the man pictured may have information about the event.

Lincolnshire is one of the worst areas in the country for motorists caught doing more than 100mph, according to figures obtained by road safety charity Brake.

Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

In total 178 motorists were caught travelling at more than 100mph on the county's roads in 2018 - the 11th highest in the UK.

In one case a driver was caught on the A17 at Little Sutton doing 151mph in a 60mph zone.

Brake obtained figures from 40 of the 45 police forces across the UK, following a Freedom of Information request.

Anyone caught travelling at such speed should always face a ban – we have to make sure these dangerous, selfish drivers are taken off our roads. The government must invest in national roads policing as a priority to provide the police with the resources they need to get out on the roads and act as a true deterrent to dangerous driving."

It's going to be a dry and fine day with plenty of sunshine.

Temperatures could reach as high as 25C in places.

Overnight it'll stay dry with temperatures dropping to about 13C.

A student from Alford is using her A-Level art project to encourage people to start talking about mental health in the farming community.

Amy Hancock

Amy Hancock, 18, has grown up in the agricultural community and says she understands the pressures in the industry.

She's spent two years creating the piece which shows a boiler suit in a large frame and compares the profits between farmers and supermarkets.

Amy is hoping to break down the stigma surrounding mental health.

She said it can be quite difficult when things go wrong after dedicating your life to something.

She added: "There are lots of statistics to show there are rising problems within farming and agricultural industries with mental health."

Volunteers and supporters who rebuilt and now operate the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway have marked the 10th anniversary of its re-opening in Skegness.

Dave Enefer/LCLR

To mark the occasion an iced "cake" - which was actually a piece of old railway sleeper - was fed into the steam locomotive 'Jurassic' at the Walls Lane Station by the Mayor of Skegness, Councillor Mark Dannatt.

Dave Enefer/LCLR

When we reopened the railway here 10 years ago, it was a dream come true. A dream – because in 1985 when the original line at Humberston closed, no-one dared believe it would one day run again. No wonder the railway press called us 'The Lazarus Line' and 'The Phoenix Railway' when we did reopen. Truly, it rose from the dead”.

Two men suffered serious facial injuries in an altercation in Cleethorpes.

BBC

Humberside Police said the incident happened in a car park off Osbourne Street at about 04:00 on 7 July when a group of people started fighting.

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of assault and GBH following the incident, he has been released under investigation whilst inquiries continue.

The injuries are not life-threatening.

A Lincolnshire council is investigating after 20 black bin liners of chicken carcasses were discovered in two laybys.

The enforcement team at East Lindsey District Council is appealing for information after the discoveries in Spilsby and Swaby:

A notice to people to boil water before drinking it in parts of Lincolnshire has been lifted.

Anglian Water was advising people in Horncastle and the Lincolnshire Wolds to take precautions after tests revealed a drop in water quality over the weekend.

The company now say the water is safe to drink:

New technology has been installed at Lincoln’s Lucy Tower Street car park in a bid to make parking in the city centre faster and easier

Google

The City of Lincoln Council has upgraded all pay and display machines at Lucy Tower Street to allow for faster payments, along with a more reliable connection to ensure card payments are available at all times.

The new machines have a contactless option for fast payments, and the car park, along with many others, also allows for PayByPhone online payment.

Health visitors have gathered outside the county council offices in Lincoln after walking out in a dispute over pay.

BBC

Members of the union Unite have started 48 hours of strike action.

They say health visitors in Lincolnshire haven't had a pay increase since 2017 when their contracts were transferred over to Lincolnshire County Council from the NHS.

But Heather Sandy, the council's Interim Director of Education, says they've got a competitive pay structure in place.

She said: "What the union is doing is comparing it to the pay increase the NHS has had, and we haven't been able to apply that cost increase to the statutory paying conditions, but we have got a competitive pay structure which actually goes beyond the NHS if they transfer across."

A ceramic mosaic created by a community group in Leasingham over two years is to be unveiled at the village hall later this month.

ArtsNK

Each individual tile of the piece, which will be displayed at Leasingham Village Hall's wildlife patch, was shaped and glazed by members of a local gardening group.

The mosaic will be unveiled on 26 July.

ArtsNK

Leasingham’s ceramic mosaic is another original contribution to the expansive palette of inspiring community and professional artworks that can be found across the North Kesteven District."

People living in the Lincolnshire Wolds are being advised to boil their tap water.

Press Association

Anglian Water issued the warning at the weekend for almost 2,000 homes and businesses in Horncastle and the surrounding area.

The company says water should be boiled and left to cool before being used for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth. It should also be boiled before being given to pets and livestock.

It is still fine to use for washing, bathing and flushing toilets.

The warning comes after tests at their treatment works showed it wasn't up to their 'usual high standard.'

Anglian Water says it's working to get things back to normal but hasn't yet explained the cause.

Staff from the firm will be delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers.

It is a fairly routine thing that we do, albeit not hugely common. But it is precautionary and it's not a reason for people to worry. We're very much on it and just making sure everything is of the great quality that it needs to be."

A police station and surrounding buildings had to be evacuated after a member of the public brought in a hand grenade.

Google

Lincolnshire Police evacuated Spalding Police station and all homes within 100 metres on Sunday after the device was handed in at about 11:20.

Army bomb disposal experts were called to the scene but, upon examination, discovered the grenade was a "dummy".

A cordon put in place around the area was lifted at about 12:40.

The force said: "Apologies for any inconvenience, but better to be safe than sorry."

Good morning, it's going to be a dry and fine day for most of us with temperatures reaching 23C in places:

The MP for Gainsborough is closing his constituency office - because he doesn't think it's a good use of taxpayers money.

Sir Edward Leigh says a lot of work is now done remotely so it doesn't make sense to have staff travel in.

But he insists it won't have any negative effect, and he'll still hold the same number of surgeries.

UK Parliament

Lincolnshire motorcycle racer Ivan Lintin says he has been overwhelmed by support from his fans since his horrifying crash on the Isle of Man.

It's exactly a year ago since he was critically injured in the Southern 100 race and has since undergone speech and language therapy.

But he's still helping the on-call firefighting team in Bardney and has recently returned to work.

Ian said: "It's just been really good. I'm back at Siemens now, I'm a Siemens maintenance fitter, and I'll be back in the fire service soon.

"It's just good to tick the normal boxes in life again as opposed to the negatives of being involved in a crash."

Another 17,000 fish have been reintroduced into the River Witham to help it recover after ammonia was released into it last year.

Environment Agency

It brings the grand total of fish restocked into the river to 91,000 so far, plus around 1.5 million larvae.

The restocking will help restore the river to its natural, healthy state after the ammonia affected the river and its ecosystems from Bardney to the Wash. More than 100,000 fish were killed in what’s thought to be the worst river pollution ever recorded in the county. The Environment Agency (EA) said Omex Agriculture Limited was responsible.

The last round of restocking took place in May, when 34,000 roach and bream were placed back into the river.

All the fish were bred at the EA’s national coarse fish farm in Calverton, Nottinghamshire, before being transported and released into the river by fisheries officers.

A river can take years or even decades to recover from such a serious pollution, but reintroducing these fish will help restore its complex ecosystems and natural balance. It’s just one way we’re working to protect and improve the environment for people and nature."

Lincolnshire Police are keen to trace these two men who may be able to help with inquiries into the defrauding of gaming machines in Skegness.

Lincolnshire Police

Fake currency was used in the gaming machines in Grand Parade to defraud the machines out of £2,200.

It happened on 19 April 2019.

Anyone who recognises the men should contact Lincolnshire Police.

Lincolnshire Police

A passageway in Lincoln which has become a hot spot for antisocial behaviour will be closed off next week with gates costing £4,000.

BBC

St Peters’ Passage has been a well-known spot for drug use and anti-social behaviour for some time, and there have been many recent concerns from residents and businesses and calls for the passageway to be closed.

The gates are being installed by City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln Business Improvement Group (BIG).

Richard Baxter, Lincoln BIG operations manager said: "Over the past four years we have received lots of reports about the state of this 'walkway', which has attracted drug dealers, used as a toilet and an area where people have left rubbish.

"Twenty-six businesses in the High Street signed a petition urging that action be taken and we are pleased to be installing the gates which have been bought at a cost of £4,000."

The ongoing upkeep of the passage will now be shared between City of Lincoln Council and Lincoln BIG.

A 'roar'some exhibition starts in Lincoln this weekend.

BBC

Dinosaur Encounter is packed with spectacular dinosaur models and animatronics, fossil replicas and even a roaring, snorting T-Rex which promises to transports visitors back in time to when dinosaurs ruled the land.

The exhibition starts on Saturday at The Collection Museum in Lincoln.