City of Lincoln Council approves £1m service cuts

Lincolnshire “will be one of the last, if not the last” place in the Midlands to go into higher tier lockdown, health bosses said based on current guidance.

North and North East Lincolnshire (Northern Lincolnshire) will go into the “high” tier 2 lockdown from 0.01am on Saturday as part of tougher measures across the Yorkshire and Humber region from Saturday.

It follows a steep rise in cases, including areas of Grimsby with some of the highest infection rates in Greater Lincolnshire.

The tougher restrictions cover the areas surrounding Brigg, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Bosses at Lincolnshire County Council earlier this week advised public and health officials that there was no need to go into higher tier at this time.

Lincolnshire County Council’s director of public health Professor Derek Ward on Friday confirmed that advice had not yet changed.

He said there was a “significant difference” between the two areas, with North East Lincolnshire at 368 cases per 100,000 of the population, 196 in North Lincolnshire, and Lincolnshire as a county at 160.

Lincolnshire’s cases up to October 29.

A chart showing how case numbers in North Lincolnshire have changed up to October 29.

A chart showing how case numbers in North East Lincolnshire have changed up to October 29.

Professor Ward said looking at the broader view, the county was continuing to watch the data and the rest of the region, and whether the benchmarks change.

“We’re in the positive because of the way people in Lincolnshire have behaved.

“We’re starting from a lower base than other places and everywhere seems to be increasing at the same rate.

“If you’re starting from further back, you’re always going to stay the same distance behind everybody else.

“If the government continues to change the benchmarks, I don’t know whether we’ll ever go up a tier, or, if the government keeps the benchmarks where they are, everywhere will end up in in a higher tea for the next couple of months.

“But, I think Lincolnshire will be one of, if not the, last places to go into a higher tier in the Midlands, and then we’ll see places in the south east start to go.”

Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health Professor Derek Ward. | Photo: Lincolnshire County Council

However, there is nothing to stop the government coming to Lincolnshire to start discussions if they felt it was necessary.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under increasing pressure to put a national “circuit breaker” lockdown in place.

Professor Ward said there was always a balance because that would have a “significant impact” on business and would only delay the increase.

Though he added: “That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s good because obviously we’ve got to keep an eye on our NHS.

“In Lincolnshire at the moment we’re okay but if you look at Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire they are struggling.”

Lincolnshire is tier 1 – medium – lockdown.

He said there was “no golden bullet” for dealing with COVID-19 right now and moved to reassure the public that his team were constantly discussing the latest data.

“I certainly won’t hesitate to speak truth to power and give our politicians my view,” he said.

He urged people on border areas such as Gainsborough, Market Rasen, Louth and Mablethorpe, to learn the restrictions and not to travel across borders if unnecessary.

See more advice about travel and restrictions between tier 1, 2 and 3 areas.

A newly qualified driver has been cleared of causing the deaths of three of her passengers after her overloaded car left the road and collided with a tree.

Kasey Boulton, 19, who had passed her driving test less than a month before the collision, had five passengers in her Vauxhall Astra including one in the rear footwell.

Ricky Sharp, 17, Aiden Sawyer,17, and Joby John Scrimshaw,14, all died. Boulton and the other two passengers were also seriously injured.

Ms Boulton, 19, of Heath Close, Welton, near Lincoln, denied three charges of causing death by dangerous driving as a result of the incident on March 25, 2019.

A jury at Lincoln Crown Court returned not guilty verdicts on all three charges after deliberating for just under six hours.

The three victims of the fatal crash: Ricky (left) Joby (centre) and Aiden (right).

During the trial the jury was told that Boulton passed her driving test on February 27 – just 26 days before the fatal collision.

The court heard tests taken after the collision showed Boulton had not been drinking alochol or taken any drugs.

She also denied being distracted by any of her passengers and had not been using her mobile phone.

Ian Way, prosecuting, alleged that the overloading of the car caused the vehicle to be unbalanced which contributed to Boulton losing control.

The jury was told that passing motorists stopped to give assistance and the emergency services were called.

Ricky Sharp, who was sitting in the rear footwell, and Joby John Scrimshaw, were both pronounced dead at the scene and Aiden Sawyer died two days later in hospital.

The incident happened in Heath Lane, Welton, as Boulton was driving towards Lincoln having picked up a house key from her home at Welton just minutes earlier.

Mr Way said PC Mark Brown, the police collision investigator, was of the opinion that the overloading of the vehicle was likely to have caused an imbalance in the car’s handling and stability.

The prosecution alleged Ms Boulton’s driving was dangerous because she took the conscious decision to drive an overloaded car in which one of her passengers could not be afforded the use of a seat belt.

But giving evidence Ms Boulton admitted she he was an inexperienced but careful driver.

She said she did not know what caused the car to veer across the road but denied she was driving dangerously.

Boulton, who was an apprentice hairdresser at the time, admitted she was wrong to drive with a passenger sitting in the footwell but said she did not consider the consequences and did not think he was in danger.

She told the jury: “Obviously it was wrong. I shouldn’t do it. I didn’t think about the consequences. I was conscious that he was there and he shouldn’t be.

“I didn’t say to him to get out. I wish I had. I don’t know why I didn’t.

“At the time I didn’t think Ricky was in danger.”

She told the jury she has no memory of driving along a straight stretch of road immediately before her car lost control and hit a tree.

“I don’t remember the impact or anything else before the accident.”

After the verdicts Judge Stephen Coupland told Ms Boulton she was now free to leave court.

The judge told her: “The jury have acquitted you of all three charges. I discharge you from the dock. This is the end of the proceedings.”

A ‘lost walker’ in the Peak District was spotted driving home to Lincolnshire while rescue teams were still looking for her during a five-hour search operation.

The search mission involved five mountain rescue teams, search dogs and five police forces.

Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team posted on social media that it was called out shortly after 2pm on Thursday, October 29 to reports of a walker in difficulties somewhere between Crowden and Black Hill.

The rescue team was called out on October 29. | Photo: Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team

Further communication between the lost walker and police suggested she was at Black Hill trig point, prompting a hasty party to be deployed to the summit. Mountain Rescue Teams from Glossop, Oldham, Bolton and Holme Valley were put on standby to assist should the situation escalate.

It was clear that she was not at this location and further communication between the woman and police suggested she may be in the Red Ratcher area close to Pennine Way. Mountain Rescue Teams from Glossop and Oldham searched the surrounding areas.

Police tried to maintain contact with the missing walker, but problems locating her phone signal made it difficult and the search extended to using all five rescue teams.

The search operation included five mountain rescue teams. | Photo: Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team

The walker was later spotted driving home while rescue teams were still looking for her. | Photo: Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team

The search was then extended to include the search dog scout from Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England until the police confirmed the missing walker’s car was picked up by ANPR travelling back home to Lincolnshire safe and well.

Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team said: “The vast number of emergency services involved in this particular callout was partly due to misleading phone triangulation which put the missing walker in areas that she shouldn’t have been in. All’s well that ends well.”

An elderly cyclist was seriously injured after a crash with a lorry on Friday morning.

Police believe the crash happened near Riseholme Roundabout in Lincoln or in that area at around 10.26am on October 30.

The man in his 70s suffered injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.

He was taken home by a passer-by and the emergency services were called, so police are trying to pinpoint the exact location of the incident.

Any witnesses or anyone with information or dashcam footage should contact Lincolnshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 134 of October 30.