Fishlake

The company which looks after railway infrastructure is being investigated over its poor performance on routes used by train operators Northern and TransPennine Express.

Network Rail

The two operators are being closely scrutinised by the government over the service they provide after they came in for heavy criticism last year.

Now, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) says it has put Network Rail "on a warning" in relation to its work in the North West and Central regions of England.

The regulator said Network Rail's performance deteriorated in 2018 and "failed to substantially recover during 2019".

ORR chief executive John Larkinson said: "The top priority for passengers is that their train arrives on time and that isn't happening consistently enough across the country.

"ORR is responsible for looking at how Network Rail contributes to train delays, and while there are areas of very good performance such as in Wales and Western region, Network Rail's performance in North West and Central region is not good enough.

"That is why we are putting the company on a warning to make sure its improvement plans deliver for passengers."

Two thirds of local authorities across Yorkshire and the Humber region face a shortage of foster carers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Getty Images

The BBC has analysed figures from Ofsted, which has data from 146 of the 153 local authorities which provide fostering services in England.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, there are 4,545 children in foster care. Of these children, 18% are BAME.

But of the foster parents in the region, just 7% are BAME.

Fostering charity Coram BAAF says more needs to be done to ensure foster carers are representative of the children they look after.

Children's Minister Michelle Donelan says she's extremely concerned about the situation and every child should have a stable family background and opportunities regardless of their ethnicity and religion.

A cold and frosty start to the day but it will remain dry across Yorkshire.

Low cloud will gradually clear but it won't get much warmer than 8C (46F).

Tonight, there's a chance some places might get light drizzle, but it will remain mild into Wednesday morning:

BBC

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Tuesday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 08:44 York to Plymouth service has been cancelled
• The 09:10 Wakefield Westgate to Leeds service has been cancelled
• The 09:30 Bradford Forster Square to Leeds service has been cancelled

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

The director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership has called for a commitment to HS2, following on from the Financial Times' publication of a government-commissioned review into the rail link.

BBC

Henri Murison said: "The North’s civic and business leaders have argued tirelessly that major infrastructure investment is so badly needed to provide the capacity so urgently needed on our rail network as well as delivering the transformational economic growth the Northern Powerhouse needs to compete on the global stage.

"By better integrating the last phase with Northern Powerhouse Rail we will ensure that we get the maximum possible benefits, with the so called Y network to Leeds, Manchester and beyond on an upgraded conventional network the key economic driver because of increased capacity, not principally speed.

"This is a seminal moment in the modern history of the UK. Any failure to seize this opportunity would be a betrayal of the North, and the promise of a Northern Powerhouse. Time to level up the country and close the North-South divide."

Cars without insurance have been seized and a person has been arrested as part of a police crackdown in South Yorkshire.

BBC

The car pictured above was stopped on Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham, and found to have no insurance.

Elsewhere, a person was stopped and found to have suspected Class A drugs and was arrested, police said.

It's been part of Operation Duxford - a force-wide crackdown on speeding drivers.

Supt Paul McCurry from South Yorkshire Police told me: "South Yorkshire Roads Policing Unit are out there every day - targeting roads, denying criminals the use of our roads and promoting road safety.

"All we've done today is work alongside our neighbourhood policing teams to increase our presence and, quite frankly, I'm really pleased with the results so far."

BBC

A 62-year-old man from Sheffield has died after being hit by a vehicle on the M1 southbound early this morning.

Highways England/Crown Copyright

The collision happened at about 05:30 between Junction 36 Tankersley and J35A Stocksbridge.

The man, a pedestrian, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family has been informed and is being supported by specialist officers, police say.

The M1 was closed for about eight hours following the collision, sparking major delays.

Anyone who saw the collision, or who has dash-cam footage from around the time of the collision, is being asked to contact police.

The M1 southbound in South Yorkshire has partially reopened following an earlier crash.

One lane is now running again following a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle at about 05:30 this morning:

I’m with South Yorkshire Police officers today as they patrol the motorway network as part of Operation Duxford which, among other things, is targeting speeding drivers.

BBC

As part of the crackdown, a driver has been given a fine after police clocked her driving at 65mph through roadworks.

The stop was on the M180 through a section of 50mph roadworks.

The driver was the first speeding stop carried out by PC Sophie Drinkall and PC Rob Parker this morning.

PC Parker said: “I work on the motorway with traffic whizzing past us. It’s a dangerous place to be. This person was seen doing 65mph.

“She’s whizzing past them [the workers] and it’s dangerous for them - and dangerous for her, too.

“She’s been given a traffic offence report for speeding," he added.

I’m out with South Yorkshire Police officers this morning during what's known as Operation Duxford.

BBC

It’s not just speeding drivers which officers are stopping as part of the initiative - though that's a major focus.

One van driver was stopped on the M18 after he was found to have no insurance.

Both marked and undercover cars are being used as part of the operation

PC Sophie Drinkall, from South Yorkshire Police, tells me: "We missed this morning’s briefing because we’ve already stopped two vehicles for speeding.

"It turns out this van here [pictured] did have insurance," she added.

Delays continue on the M1 southbound in South Yorkshire between J36 Tankersley and J35A near Stocksbridge following an earlier accident.

Highways England/Crown Copyright

Traffic remains very heavy on all approaches to J36 (pictured), with vehicles being diverted via the A61 and A616.

Police have confirmed that the crash happened at about 05:30 and involved a vehicle and a pedestrian.

Delays are expected to continue "for some time" and drivers are being asked by police to avoid the area if at all possible.

Building the high-speed rail link HS2 could cost up to £106bn, a government-commissioned review has said.

Siemens/PA

The unpublished report, seen by the Financial Times, says there is "considerable risk" that estimated costs could rise by another 20%.

In 2015, HS2 - a branch of which would run from London through South Yorkshire to Leeds, with a branch running into North Yorkshire - was set to cost £56bn.

The review also recommends pausing the second phase of the project while experts look at whether conventional lines could help link Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds instead.

Some £8bn has already been spent on the project, which will connect London, the Midlands and northern England using trains capable of travelling at 250mph.

BBC transport correspondent Tom Burridge said that "on balance", the review recommends the government should proceed with the project, but he added this "is hardly a ringing endorsement".

I'm with police officers in South Yorkshire this morning who have begun an operation targeting speeding drivers in the county.

BBC

Operation Duxford is an initiative focusing on one specific issue.

Speeding was chosen as the issue to tackle following a public poll, the force said.

Supt Paul McCurry tells me: “Our primary focus today is around education, but we are out on our road network and we are visible.

"We want to demonstrate to the community that we take their complaints seriously.”

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Monday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

This is the scene near Junction 36 on the M1 southbound near Tankersley in South Yorkshire at the moment:

Highways England/Crown Copyright

The motorway is currently closed due to a serious crash earlier this morning, disrupting traffic between J36 and J35A near Stocksbridge.

Traffic stuck between the junctions is being turned around, as you can see in this picture below:

Highways England/Crown Copyright

Vehicles are being diverted off the motorway via the A61 and A616, with disruption expected in the area for some time to come.

The M1 motorway has been closed in South Yorkshire due to a serious crash.

BBC

The southbound carriageway has been disrupted between J36 at Tankersley and J35A at Stocksbridge since about 05:40.

Traffic stuck between the junctions is being turned around and there is about 0.6 miles of traffic to be turned round, said Highways England.

Traffic is being diverted off the motorway via the A61 and A616, drivers are expected to face disruption and longer journey times.

Traffic is currently queuing about five miles back to J38 Haigh, said Highways England.

It's a chilly start to the day with a few scattered showers here and there.

That rain should clear out this afternoon leaving us with a mostly dry, fine and bright end to the day with temperatures of about 9C.

Overnight it will stay mostly dry and Saturday looks like it will bring plenty of sunshine our way:

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Friday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 08:20 service from Bradford Interchange to Leeds is running about 20 minutes late
• The 09:07 service from Bradford Interchange to York is running about 15 minutes late
• The 09:16 service from Bradford Interchange to Blackpool north has been cancelled

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

There's been an increase in the number of hate crimes and hate incidents reported to South Yorkshire Police.

BBC

In total there were 3,126 reports to the police in 2019, almost 200 more than the year before.

A council report citing figures from South Yorkshire Police suggests the biggest proportion of recorded hate crimes and incidents are recorded as having been racially-motivated.

It went on to say that where hate was flagged as motivated by religious hatred, "the most commonly perceived religion recorded was Muslim".

After a dry start it's going to turn wet and windy with gusts of up to 55mph.

Temperatures will reach about 11C or 12C.

Things will clear a little ovenight but there may still be some showers in places:

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Thursday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 08:20 from Bradford Interchange to Leeds has been cancelled
• The 08:23 service from York to Blackpool North has been cancelled
• The 08:30 service from Leeds to York has been cancelled
• The 08:31 service from York to London Kings Cross is running about 32 minutes late
• The 08:44 service from York to Plymouth is running about 24 minutes late
• The 08:56 service from Doncaster to London Kings Cross is running about 29 minutes late
• The 08:57 service from Leeds to Blackpool North has been cancelled

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

Political leaders have agreed to move forward with a South Yorkshire devolution deal more than four years after the deal was initially announced.

GEOGRAPH/JTHOMAS/DAVID PICKERSGILL/PA

In a statement the leaders of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield councils together with Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis, announced the deal had been agreed and would be put to public consultation later this year.

Under the original deal struck in October 2015 the Sheffield City Region deal would grant a directly elected mayor power over transport, strategic planning and skills, as well as £900m over 30 years.

Efforts to secure an agreement have been dogged by a rival plan for a pan-Yorkshire agreement, but, today's announcement suggests the South Yorkshire deal will now come to fruition, almost two years after Mr Jarvis was elected mayor.

Mr Jarvis and the four council leaders said: "This represents a significant step forward in securing additional powers and resources for our region.”

It will be a dry and bright day for most with temperatures up to about 9C or 10C.

Overnight there may be one or two showers in western parts but it will stay dry for most:

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Wednesday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 08:14 service from Doncaster to London Kings Cross is running about 13 minutes late
• The 08:20 service from Bradford Interchange to Leeds is running about nine minutes late

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

South Yorkshire firefighters are heading to Westminster today to call for tackling flooding to be made an official responsibility of fire services in England - meaning they can then receive more funding for equipment and training.

BBC

Currently, the fire service's "statutory duties" are to extinguish fires, to protect life and property in the event of fire, to rescue and protect people in the event of a road traffic collision and to rescue and protect people in the event of "other emergencies".

However, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) says fire services are not being adequately funded to deal with floods and it needs to be added to the list of statutory duties.

It comes after large parts of South Yorkshire were affected by flooding following heavy rainfall in November last year.

The FBU has been campaigning for flooding as a statutory duty since the floods in 2015, it said.

This morning should be dry with some sunshine, but it will become cloudy towards the middle of the day with outbreaks of rain this afternoon.

It will become very windy during the afternoon and into the evening.

The wind will continue tonight with further rain which should clear overnight:

BBC

After a dry start to the day it's going to turn wet and windy, with gales in places.

Temperatures will get up to 9C or 10C in places:

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Monday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 09:07 service from Bradford Interchange to York is running about 27 minutes late

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square

It's going to be a largely dry day today but it will feel pretty chilly with temperatures only getting up to about 7C or 8C.

Overnight it will turn cloudy with one or two patches of drizzle:

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire this Friday morning, most services appear to be generally running on time.

However:

• The 08:31 service from Bradford Forster Sqaure to Leeds has been cancelled
• The 08:36 service from Wakefield Westgate to Leeds has been cancelled
• The 08:42 service from Leeds to Newcastle has been cancelled
• The 08:45 service from Leeds to London Kings Cross has been cancelled
• The 08:59 service from Wakefield Westgate to London Kings Cross has been cancelled
• The 09:07 service from York to Newcastle has been cancelled
• The 09:07 service from Doncaster to Hull via Selby is running about 17 minutes late
• The 09:19 service from Doncaster to London Kings Cross has been cancelled

For all the latest live updates from the county's main railway stations, click on the links below:

• York Station
• Leeds Station
• Sheffield Station
• Hull Station
• Doncaster Station
• Wakefield Westgate
• Bradford Interchange
• Bradford Forster Square