Leeds

Queues on the M62 towards Manchester have subsided slightly.

An earlier accident near Huddersfield has now been cleared.

There are still 10-miles of queues heading westbound however, from the M1 all the way to junction 27 on the M62:

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the EU must treat the UK with "respect" in Brexit negotiations.

In a statement at Downing Street she said for EU leaders to reject her plan with no alternative at this "late stage of negotiations" was "not acceptable".

Yorkshire's MPs have been reacting this afternoon.

Labour Wakefield MP Mary Creagh has likened events to her school days:

The Conservative MP for Pudsey, Stuart Andrew, was a little more supportive of the Prime Minister.

He said: "I think the statement is bang on.

"To just reject without a decent alternative is just not on."

However, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, Angela Smith, used the speech as an opportunity to call for a second referendum:

More now on an incident on the M62 this afternoon.

Police have closed both main roundabouts off junction 27 of the M62 this afternoon, causing a 13-mile queue westbound.

@amber_mem

The police have closed the road beneath the main M62, the A62, after a serious crash.

One twitter user said: "For anyone thinking of travelling to Leeds via Birstall, I strongly recommend you choose an alternative route! I’ve been stuck here for 30+mins."

In a separate incident, three cars have crashed further towards Manchester at junction 25.

That means people coming off the M1 and heading towards Manchester have a 13-mile queue ahead of them.

Highways England have just issued this information:

A taxi driver who was called to collect a driver who'd been involved in a crash got more than he'd bargained for this morning.

It turned out the vehicle wasn't taxed, as West Yorkshire's Road Policing Unit has tweeted:

Apart from anything else, we love that BBC Look North's legendary presenter Harry Gration signs his tweets off with "regards":

Today will see a mixture of wind, bright spells and heavy, scattered showers.

Watch my full forecast here:

The windy conditions have brought quite a few trees down in West Yorkshire overnight which are now causing problems on the roads this morning.

Police say trees are down on Brackenwood Road in Wakefield, Firthcliffe Lane in Liversedge and Pontefract Road in Ackworth.

Officers are advising drivers to be aware and take care:

There's a yellow 'be aware' warning of wind this morning in place until 09:00.

Met Office

The Met Office says some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs or through falling trees and branches, could happen.

Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible, the Met Office adds.

And what about that all-important weather forecast?

After a very windy start any early rain will clear leaving blustery showers and bright spells:

BBC

It'll stay windy this afternoon with a risk of showers, but also some sunny spells.

Blustery winds are expected to persist through tonight.

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire today, there are currently several delays and cancellations on services due to the bad weather.

And if you're planning on travelling to or from Sheffield station, be aware that "severe flooding" is affecting some platforms and the concourse - however most trains still appear to be running pretty much to time.

For all the latest live updates from Yorkshire'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

CCTV images of two men have been released after a boy was robbed on his way to school in Leeds.

Police want to speak to the men in the images about the incident:

West Yorkshire Police

The 15-year-old was assaulted and threatened with a knife as he made his way to school on 17 July.

His phone was stolen in the attack on John Charles Approach in Belle Isle.

A Yorkshire-based charity is carrying out research into bone cancer to try and find new and kinder treatments to prevent patients in the future having to undergo amputations.

Nephron

The Bone Cancer Research Trust in Leeds is carrying out the first ever research project to help patients of all ages with a rare and aggressive condition.

Survival rates for patients diagnosed with osteosarcoma have not improved in 30 years.

Zoe Davison from the Bone Cancer Research Trust in Leeds says better treatment options are desperately needed to save lives:

She said: "Patients come to us faced with brutal treatments, life-altering surgeries, sometimes amputations.

"They're receiving treatments that haven't changed since the 1970s, and we want to change that.

"We want this project to to offer hope to patients, that there will be new, personalised, kinder treatments available to them in the future."

As any weather forecaster will tell you, it's pouring down in Yorkshire this afternoon.

So far, the Environment Agency have issued flood alerts for areas around Ripon, Halifax, Wetherby and Leeming.

There have been reports of localised flooding, like here in Rotherham where Brightside Lane meets the Meadowhall turnoff:

Victoria Roberts

A flood alert is the lowest level of warning the Environment Agency uses and means flooding could be possible.

We'll keep you posted if the situation changes.

It might look like something out of Miami Vice, but this new £220,000 police boat is set to patrol the waterways of Yorkshire.

Humberside Police

The 10-metre long catamaran will be berthed at King George's Dock in Hull.

It will be used to police the rivers and the coast of Yorkshire.

Underwater teams will also be able to dive from the side of the boat, which has been named the Cheetah Marine.

Humberside Police

It has been paid for by all four regional forces and will be operated by the Yorkshire and the Humber Marine and Underwater Search Unit.

It will allow the team to work longer hours in much more challenging environments, keeping them safe while they go about their duties."

Workers on Northern trains will strike on three more days next month it has been announced.

BBC

Members of the RMT union are already walking out on 22 and 29 September in a row over whether guards will continue in their traditional role on the company's services.

The have now announced they will also be staging a further three 24-hour strikes on 6, 13 and 20 October.

Acas talks between Arriva, who operate Northern, and the RMT broke down yesterday with no resolution over the issue of driver-only trains.

Northern have described previous strikes as "disappointing and frustrating".

Leeds could know as early as next month if it will be chosen as the new national headquarters for broadcaster Channel 4, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Getty Images

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), the organisation behind the Leeds City Region's bid, was told a decision is expected to be taken in October.

It was announced earlier this year that Leeds had made a final shortlist of three UK cities, along with Birmingham and Manchester, after the government told the broadcaster it needed to move from London.

Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Judith Blake said: "Obviously we are going for the main prize, but it has been an extraordinary show of strength."

Police have released a new CCTV image of a man missing from Leeds since Tuesday.

West Yorkshire Police

Lee Smith was reported missing at about 16:00, he had left his home in Harehills that morning.

A search of CCTV cameras shows that he was in the William Hill bookmakers in Armley at about 13:30 yesterday.

West Yorkshire Police say they are continuing to try and find him and check he is safe.

Oh dear...

Looks like it's going to be a damp and windy commute home tonight:

Ed Sheeran has announced that he will be playing two gigs at Roundhay Park in Leeds next year.

What a difference seven years makes:

Yellow warnings for wind and rain apply across part of the UK today.

Areas in North, West and South Yorkshire are at risk of heavy downpours until 22:00 tonight.

Calderdale Council say they've been cleaning drains and clearing up leaves:

A boy is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit by a vehicle in Morley, Leeds.

Google

The 13-year-old was hit by a Nissan Navara pick-up truck at about 14:00 yesterday as he attempted to cross Wide Lane.

He is believed to have just got off a bus.

Police have appealed for witnesses.

If you're looking for a fun Instagram account to follow, you could try "Is It Raining In Leeds?"

It's an account dedicated to just that...whether or not it's raining in Leeds.

Here are a few examples to get you going:

And of course the inevitable:

Or you could just stick to the old fashioned way and look out of the window...

West Yorkshire-born Ed Sheeran has announced two large shows in Leeds.

PA

The singer will perform at Roundhay Park on 16 and 17 August 2019.

The gigs are set to have a homecoming feel as Sheeran was born in Halifax before moving to Suffolk.

Sheeran's 2017 album Divide was last year's biggest-selling album, shifting 2.7 million copies in the UK alone.

Dry with clear periods at first but cloudy later, with rain in places.

Watch my full forecast here:

This morning will be mostly dry with spells of sunshine for some.

However, rain will move in this afternoon, becoming heavy and persistent.

Staying very wet overnight with further heavy and persistent rain.

BBC

Two police officers in West Yorkshire are to face gross misconduct proceedings after a man's jaw was broken during an arrest in 2016.

Getty Images

The man made a complaint after he was arrested following a domestic incident in Chapel Allerton more than two years ago.

The man was left with a fractured jaw and a cracked tooth which required hospital treatment and surgery, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Their investigation found there was a case to answer for gross misconduct for PC Gregory Dickie for his use of force and PC Benjamin Straker for failing to report the excessive force.

A gross misconduct hearing is due to be held from 24 September.

A report on rail chaos which caused delays and cancellations on services across Yorkshire earlier this year has identified who was to blame.

BBC

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) blamed a lack of "responsibility and accountability" for the problems and said passengers were "badly treated".

Network Rail, the Department for Transport and rail operator Northern are all accused in the report of making mistakes which contributed to the collapse of services.

The ORR says hundreds of trains were cancelled following the introduction of a new timetable in May, made worse by over-running maintenance work.

Its report concludes that engineering and planning concerns were put ahead of passengers, while Northern failed to provide accurate information when disruption occurred.

Andrew Haines, boss of Network Rail, said: "A whole system approach to timetable planning must be the way ahead and we have already started on that path."

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire today, most services appear to be running to time at the moment.

However there are also several delays and cancellations to be aware of:

• The 06:54 Doncaster to Kings Cross service is running about 10 minutes late
• The 07:01 York to Kings Cross is running about 30 minutes late
• The 07:10 Leeds to Reading service has been cancelled
• The 07:18 York to Manchester Airport service is delayed
• The 07:23 Wakefield Westgate to Reading service has been cancelled
• The 07:37 York to Kings Cross service is delayed
• The 08:17 Bradford Interchange to Leeds service is running about 15 minutes late

For all the latest live updates from Yorkshire'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

Two women have been assaulted by a man after a train journey between Leeds and Sheffield - Police say they want to speak to this man in connection with the incident.

British Transport Police

It happened on 25 August when the women, who are in their 20s, got on the train in Leeds.

During the journey they were walking between carriages when a man stood in their way, an argument followed and the man became aggressive and barged into the women several times.

When the women got off at Sheffield they were followed by the man, who then punched one of them in the chest and pushed the other.

Windy weather has caused disruption across Yorkshire's roads and damage to homes - in South Yorkshire a roof has been blown off and into the street below:

BBC

In North Yorkshire police have dealt with more than 80 incidents in four hours.

Those included a very large For Sale sign blowing into the road.

North Yorkshire Police say they have been called to 81 incidents of highway disruption between 12:00 and 16:00 today, with fallen trees and signs.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service/Martyn Hughes

The force says if people come across fallen trees they should contact their local council, not the police, unless there is a significant risk to others, or there has been a collision involving injuries.

The weather has also caused a number of power cuts and caused rail disruption:

Talks to try to resolve strikes on Northern rail have broken down without reaching agreement.

PA

The company and representatives of the RMT union have been at ACAS for discussions about the dispute over whether guards should be used on services in the future.

No further talks are planned and another 24-hour strike is due to take place on Saturday.

An Acas spokesperson said: “Following a second day of Acas talks, Arriva Northern Rail and RMT were unable to make any progress in resolving their dispute."

A yellow "be aware" weather warning for strong winds has been issued for across Yorkshire by the Met Office.

Met Office

Large parts of the country will be affected this evening by "potentially very strong winds" reaching up to 50mph.

There is a chance buildings could be damaged by the weather and people should be aware of the potential dangers the wind might cause, the Met Office says.

Train nerds and commuters prepare to rejoice, Northern's new trains are on their way:

West Yorkshire Police motorway officer PC Martin Willis was moved to tweet this picture after receiving a very special card - and, perhaps surprisingly, a rock - through the post:

Leeds United sit three points clear at the top of the Championship after crushing Preston North End 3-0 at Elland Road.

PA

Captain Liam Cooper opened the scoring before Tyler Roberts (pictured) scored his first goals for the club to exact revenge on the Lilywhites.

Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa says it was a performance with little to criticise:

"Individual performances were important and our offensive game and defensive game were good. There are few things to criticise in this game," said Bielsa.

"Our team was very dynamic and what we tried to do made us make links between the movement of players.

"We have to underline the good performances of the individuals. Each one was high."

Have you seen Lee Michael Smith? The 39-year-old has gone missing from his home in Leeds and police say there are "genuine concerns" for his welfare.

West Yorkshire Police

He was reported missing shortly before 16:00 on Tuesday after he left his home in Harehills in the morning.

He was then seen in the Armley area of the city later last night.

He's described as 5ft 10ins tall, clean shaven with mousy brown hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved navy top and grey tracksuit bottoms.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is being asked to contact police.

A dry and bright start to the day with some sunshine.

Cloud will increase with patchy rain before it brightens again.

Very windy with gale force southwest winds:

BBC

Talks are expected to take place later to try and resolve the row which has led to a series of strikes on trains run by operator Northern.

PA

The disagreement over the role of guards has lasted for more than a year and has led to strike action on services across Yorkshire.

The union says passenger safety will be put at risk by getting rid of guards and extending driver-only services.

The rail safety regulator says driver-only trains is safe - a position that has been supported by the government.

But rail unions disagree, saying the on-board conductor or guard has a much better view of the doors and can stop people getting trapped.

If you're making a journey on the rails in Yorkshire today, most services appear to be running to time at the moment.

However:

• The 07:28 Wakefield Westgate to London Kings Cross service has been cancelled
• The 07: 47 Doncaster to London Kings Cross service has been cancelled

For all the latest live updates from Yorkshire'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 standard of care homes in Leeds has been steadily improving, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

BBC

A Leeds City Council meeting heard 11 care homes in the city were given an improved rating by the Care Quality Commission this year.

This is compared to five which saw their ratings get poorer.

In total, 25 care homes are now rated "good", 15 "require improvement" and one is "inadequate".

The Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe is believed to have been taken to hospital.

Yorkshire Post