Welcome to the Huddersfield Examiner's breaking news service.
Stay with us throughout the day to be the first to know everything that's happening across Huddersfield and the rest of West Yorkshire.
We'll also be bringing you updates on crime, health, sport, politics, education and more live from the Examiner team.
And remember to check back before you travel as during peak times we'll provide you with all of the latest traffic updates on the M62 and roads around the region.
You can also download our app to get news on the go and push notifications for the latest breaking stories here .
If there's something you've noticed and want us to check out then please feel free to get in touch - you can call us on 01484 437712, email editorial@examiner.co.uk or tweet @Examiner. You can also find us on social media here .
Key Events
Delays on M62 after crash
Two lanes are closed and there is slow traffic due to accident on M62 westbound between junction 23, Huddersfield, and junction 22 at Rishworth Moor.
M62 traffic slow at Gildersome
Traffic is slow on the M62 eastbound between Gildersome and Tingley at the moment.
The hard shoulder and one lane are closed because of a broken down vehicle.
Morrisons cancel Tampon Tax by vowing to pay VAT on sanitary products
West Yorkshire-based supermarket Morrisons have made this fantastic announcement this afternoon.
The Tampon Tax, an added VAT on tampons and sanitary towels, will be paid for by the supermarket from Monday onwards. Morrisons join Tesco and Waitrose in the move.
It follows campaigning led by Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, who has urged the Government to scrap the levy.
More than £100k raised for charity from Tour de Yorkshire partnership
One of the Tour de Yorkshire’s charity partners say they have smashed their fundraising target thanks to the race’s success.
Welcome to Yorkshire unveiled Alzheimer’s Society as its official charity partner for the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire last December. The cause has since smashed all targets in 2017, raising over £100,000 for the charity.
Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Achieving this landmark figure is tremendous news and I am immensely proud that the Tour de Yorkshire has helped raise such a huge amount for a very deserving cause.”
Shock rise in figures for online hate crime arrests
Figures for arrests made over online hate speech in West Yorkshire have nearly doubled in just years, it’s been revealed.
WYP made 236 arrests under section 127 of the Communications Act over the past 12 months, a Freedom of Information request has shown. The number was a slight fall from the previous year’s peak figure of 257, but shows a 45% increase since the same figure for 2012/2013 of 162 arrests.
The charge relates to people making hateful and discriminatory comments online, particularly social media, that are based on race, disability, sexuality or gender identity.
Police say they take the offence very seriously and are working with Kirklees Council and victim support services to combat the crime.
Terry the Terrier boards the train ahead of the Crystal Palace game
This train has scored an unusual passenger on its route from Mirfield to London...
Terry the Terrier, Huddersfield Town’s mascot, has been spotted boarding the Grand Central train as he took the journey to London for the Club’s first match of the season in the Premier League.
Town is ready to kick off its first game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park tomorrow. Grand Central, who have been announced as official partners with the club, will be transporting fans across the region to the capital this weekend via its direct service from Mirfield and Brighouse to London.
Sean Jarvis, Commercial Director at Huddersfield Town FC at Huddersfield Town said: “The support the team has had from Town fans is incredible and everyone at the Club is excited to see them travel down with us with Grand Central to make our Premier League debut.”
Visually impaired Paralympian announces plans for epic charity bike ride
A double gold-winning Paralympian from Calderdale has announced plans to ride across Britain on a ‘fat bike’/
Steve Bates, who with only 6% eyesight is almost fully blind, will be participating in September’s ‘Deloitte Ride Across Britain’ event, in support of the national disability charity Sense. Steve, 39, from Hebden Bridge, will lead a team of ten cyclists who are cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats on the special bikes which have thick wheels more suited to off-road terrain. If successful, it is thought Steve will be the first person to complete the journey on such a bike.
For more details on the epic ride, see their web page here.
Crash victim speaks out after terrifying ordeal
A woman has described her terrifying experience after plunging into a 50ft ravine in her car.
Rochelle Garner escaped with just cuts and bruises after her car left the road and tumbled down the steep banking on Rishworth Moor. She has praised Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team and staff at HRI for their ‘fantastic job’.
Rochelle, from Ripponden, said: “I recall the vehicle flipping three times and then it stopped and was resting on the passenger side and I noticed smoke coming from under the dashboard on the left. I climbed up to the driver’s side door and pushed the door up which was very heavy.
“From the moment the emergency services arrived on the scene and to leaving the trauma unit at Huddersfield hospital the care I received was amazing.”
National news
Here’s a rundown of the main headlines this lunchtime...
DEATH OF 17-MONTH-OLD BOY IN HOTEL CAR PARK ‘A HEARTBREAKING INCIDENT’
Police are treating the death of a 17-month-old boy in a hotel car park as a “truly tragic accident”. Emergency services were called to reports of a collision involving the youngster and a Toyota Rav4 vehicle outside the Ibis Hotel in Trafford Road, Salford, at about 9.15pm on Thursday. The boy was later pronounced dead at the scene.
WOMAN ‘CONSCIOUS AND BREATHING’ AFTER HOUSE FLATTENED BY MASSIVE BLAST
A mother has been rescued after a huge explosion destroyed her house, a relative has said. The woman was at home at the time of the blast in the Ryhope area of Sunderland on Friday morning. The explosion flattened the semi-detached property in Rosslyn Avenue, while the other half of the building was badly damaged, with part of its roof and wall ripped off.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS MUST NEVER IMPEDE CHILD SEX PROBES - HOME SECRETARY
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said “political and cultural sensitivities” must not get in the way of uncovering child sex abuse amid calls to review offences that are racially aggravated. She was speaking following the convictions of 17 men and one woman over the sexual abuse of under-age girls in the north east city, which Ms Rudd labelled “an abhorrent case of sexual predators preying on young women and girls”.
GRENFELL TOWER DONATIONS NOT REACHING SURVIVORS FAST ENOUGH, CAMPAIGNERS SAY
Grenfell campaigners say donations are not reaching survivors fast enough as it was revealed less than 15% of the £18.9 million raised in the wake of the disaster has been distributed. Data released by the Charity Commission shows £7.25 million has been handed to distributing organisations on the ground.
But only £2.8 million has reached survivors, almost two months after the blaze ripped through the 24-storey tower block in west London.
Appeal for relatives of man with Huddersfield connections
Coroners have issued an appeal for relatives of a Calderdale man with links to Huddersfield.
Glen Barmby, 55, died on Tuesday 8 August in Hebden Bridge. There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. It’s thought Mr Barmby, who had links to Halifax, Huddersfield, Brighouse and Sheffield, had a brother.
Any relatives are asked to contact Coroners Officer Jayne Dawson on 01274 373754.
Carolynne Poole expecting her first child
Huddersfield singer Carolynne Poole (now Carolynne Willey) has revealed she is expecting a baby boy.
The X Factor finalist, formerly from Birkby, is expecting her first child with husband and England cricketer David Willey in October. The singer, who was a contestant on the show in 2011, was pictured proudly showing off her bump at Friends Fest at Heaton Park in Greater Manchester.
Congratulations, Carolynne!
Gender gap in exam results could close this summer, experts suggest
Boys could close the A-level gender gap with girls at top grades this summer, an expert has suggested.
Major reforms to the qualifications could benefit male sixth-formers, according to Professor Alan Smithers. Official figures show that there was just a 0.3 percentage point gap last year between the proportion of boys and girls’ A-level entries awarded an A* or A grade.
Company make statement after employee trapped arm in machinery
Country Park Foods have made a statement following an industrial accident earlier this week when a man trapped his arm in machinery.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there was an incident at Country Park Foods facility on the morning of Wednesday, August 9. Emergency services responded to the location and an employee was hospitalised.
“Full support is being provided to the employee and his family. An internal investigation has been commenced to determine the cause of the incident.”
Police search connected to recent shootings
Police have confirmed that searches carried out in Deighton last night were connected to recent shooting incidents, but add there is no update and no incident occurred yesterday.
Officers cordoned off a footpath between Riddings Road and Chestnut Street and they gathered information on recent firearms incidents. A total of ten people have been arrested following the recent spate of incidents, two of whom have been charged.
A spokesperson said: “Officers were conducting a search near to Riddings Road in relation to a recent firearms discharge.”
Car crashes most common on a Friday, study finds
Friday is the most common day of the week for car crashes, new figures show today.
Analysis of more than 700,000 traffic accidents in Britain by Direct Line Car Insurance found that drivers have a 14% higher chance of being involved in a collision on Fridays than the average day. The riskiest hour on the roads is 5-6pm, with 9% of all incidents occurring in that period, according to the study. Motorists are least likely to be involved in an accident on Sundays when there are 24% fewer crashes than average as there are fewer vehicles on the road.
More reasons to take care on the roads today!
Picture appeal in shop theft
Do you recognise this man? Kirklees police want to speak to him and have released this picture following a theft from a shop.
The offence occurred on Tuesday, May 2. Anyone with information is asked to contact them via 101 quoting crime reference 13170196945.
Unusual property up for sale - complete with its own graveyard
It’s a conversation starter at a house party, at least.
This Grade II listed chapel in Slaithwaite is up for auction and could be yours - provided you don’t disturb the residents in the garden. Oh, it’s also built on stilts, too.
The chapel on Hollins Row goes under the hammer next month at a starting price guide of £25,000 to £50,000. It’s still to be converted into a home but could make a delightful abode. Fancy it?
Today's weather
The forecast is looking pretty uneventful for today...
Cloudy, overcast and dry throughout the day with peak temperatures of 17 degrees.
Ducks stage a geese-ful protest at Calderdale bus stop
These ducks have on the picket line this morning...looks like something has been ruffling their feathers.
The flock were spotted at a bus stop in Sowerby Bridge. Going somewhere, ladies?
Traffic update
No major problems on the motorways to warn you about this morning.
Here’s what’s happening on the local roads...
- Slow traffic on Halifax Road heading into Huddersfield town centre from Ainley Top
- Busy but moving on the Huddersfield ring road by the old Tech college
- Heavy traffic on Wakefield Road through Mirfield
- Also very busy heading towards Cooper Bridge on Wakefield Road from Brighouse/the M62
- Slow on Ovenden Road in Halifax
- Busy on Whitehall Road, Wyke, heading towards the M62
Man charged in connection with fatal house fire
Some breaking news this morning - a man from Huddersfield has been charged after a house fire in Fartown last year which killed two young children.
Kamal Bains, 50, from Birkby, will appear before Kirklees Magistrates Court next Friday after being charged with two counts of gross negligence manslaughter.
Three-year-old Logan Taylor and his brother Jake Casey (two) died in the fire on Alder Street, Huddersfield on Saturday February 20, 2016.
Enquiries into the fire have been ongoing by Huddersfield CID and the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.
Good morning, Huddersfield
Welcome to the Huddersfield Examiner’s breaking news service.
Stay with us throughout the day to be the first to know everything that’s happening across Huddersfield and the rest of West Yorkshire.
We’ll also be bringing you updates on crime, health, sport, politics, education and more live from the Examiner team.
And remember to check back before you travel as during peak times we’ll provide you with all of the latest traffic updates on the M62 and roads around the region.
You can also download our app to get news on the go and push notifications for the latest breaking stories here .
If there’s something you’ve noticed and want us to check out then please feel free to get in touch - you can call us on 01484 437712, email editorial@examiner.co.uk or tweet @Examiner. You can also find us on social media here .
