Drivers in Skegness will face four weeks of alternating one-way road closures from next week as part of major improvements to Roman Bank.

Work began in September last year to replace the worn out carriageway and footpaths, improve drainage and refurbish a pedestrian crossing.

A 20 metre section of Roman Bank between Algitha Road and the A52 gyratory will be reconstructed starting on Monday, March 8. This is in addition to continuing to rebuild Roman Bank up to its junction with North Shore Road.

As part of the works, alternating one-way closures will be in place for four weeks, starting with the northbound A52 then changing to the southbound, subject to weather conditions.

The diversion route for these will be via Lincoln Road/A158 Burgh Road, and vice versa.

It is hoped that Roman Bank will be fully reopen again by around Easter, subject to weather conditions.

Karen Cassar, Assistant Director of Highways, said: “This additional set of work will see a more southern section of Roman Bank, near the A52 gyratory, fully reconstructed.

“Meanwhile, works to rebuild Roman Bank between Burgh Road and its junction with North Shore Road will continue on throughout March as planned.”

City of Lincoln Council’s leader said there are “no quick or easy fixes” to the authority’s financial woes as councillors approved a 1.9% rise in council tax on Tuesday evening.

The meeting of the full council voted in favour of the increase, which will see Band D properties pay an extra £5.31 a year – a total precept share of £285.39 as part of the budget for 2021-22.

Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million by 2023/24 due to reduced central government funding.

They said that although the budget looked to “rebuild the foundations” there were “still financial challenges ahead”.

Labour leader Councillor Ric Metcalfe said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions had “led to significant additional costs and a dramatic drop in many traditional sources of income”.

Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.

“For an authority like ours that historically has been extremely well managed financially, we have had to work hard to be able to stabilise our position,” said councillor Metcalfe.

“There are no quick or easy fixes, we will not be able to do all of the things that people have come to expect the council to provide as a matter of course,” he said.

“Our financial problems did not begin with COVID-19, nor will they end with it,” he added.

“We did an outstanding job in very difficult circumstances and it was a reminder of how important this council, and others like it are to their local communities.”

He said council leaders had “ambitious” plans for the future, including their Vision 2025 programme, the Western Growth Corridor and tackling climate change.

Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.

As part of the plans, allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51p per week.

Opposition leader Conservative Councillor Thomas Dyer called for the council to consider a more “diversified investment plan” with a variety of local revenue streams, noting a decline in car parking income during the pandemic.

He also called for further conversations around local government reorganisation.

He said his party “reluctantly” supported the council tax rise, but said it should only be done as a last resort.

Councillor Dyer warned the council to “proceed with caution”, however, over potential plans to close public toilets.

“We must ensure that our high street is accessible and support businesses and residents alike,” he said.

Councillor Dyer called for more to be done over housing, electric vehicles and public transport.

Opposition amendments including: increased enforcement fines for litter and dog fouling; car parking charge freezes; one hour free parking at Lincoln Central; freezing office rents and staff pay above £30,000; establishing a City of Lincoln Big Clean; increasing discounts for Christmas Market stalls to be plastic free and a new play park in the Brant Road area were all rejected.

A YouTuber filming near Boston police station was arrested and issued with a coronavirus fine.

Ryan Dales, known on YouTube as Ryan Rampage, uploaded a video entitled ‘Arrested and COVID fined at Boston Police Station (Corruption at its finest)’ on February 16.

It has since attracted over 8,300 views and over 300 comments. He even included a link to his PayPal in the video description for anyone who wants to help him pay his COVID fine.

Ryan, whose life was saved by a police officer when he was two-years-old, starts the video with an introduction where he points at that it is “legal to film in a public place” and how police made him “really angry, it’s so corrupt, this is what you call brutality”.

*Be advised – there is some strong language in this video*

He walks around outside the police station and into the car park before two female members of staff come and ask what he is filming and where he has travelled from.

Ryan simply says he is in Boston on “official business” and is allowed to film in a public place. After a conversation the staff go back inside.

He continues filming outside the police station before Chief Inspector Trafford quizzes the YouTuber about why he is filming officers in their private cars.

The chief inspector said he is concerned for the security of police officers, but when asked why he is filming, Ryan said “because I can, for my own benefit”. He said “I am here and about for a reason” and when asked what that reason is, he simply replied with “it doesn’t apply to you”.

He believed he has a reasonable reason to be out, but the chief inspector didn’t agree, saying: “I’m going to give you one opportunity now, your final opportunity, to leave this area otherwise I’m going to consider you in breach of the COVID restrictions, and consequently you’ll be fined and you’ll be issued a ticket.”

Ryan claims he’s waiting for someone to pick him up, but is told to wait elsewhere or he will be fined. He becomes increasingly angry at police and as they come towards him he says “don’t surround me, you’re alarming me”.

He refuses to provide his details when asked and told that he has not “given a reasonable excuse for being there”. He is then arrested and taken into the station.

He is issued with a COVID fine and told not to return near the police station or he will get re-arrested. He then goes to the local train station and also films one of the officers getting into her car, who asks if he’s “fishing for another COVID ticket”.

Lincolnshire Police were contacted for a response.

This is Ryan’s second YouTube account and has over 370 subscribers, including another brush with the law and a video claiming the “COVID testing site choose to be bullys [sic]”.

His other YouTube account with nearly 700 subscribers includes several urban explorer videos.

He’s not the first YouTuber to get in trouble with Lincolnshire Police and get fined over filming outside a station. Here is another recent example from Lincoln.