Rob England
BBC England Data Unit

Hospitals in England are "lurching" from month to month on "emergency" government loans to cover costs, a think tank has said.

The Nuffield Trust said some NHS hospitals had to cut spending on patients to pay the interest.

Trusts owed £10bn to the government in 2018-19 for "interim revenue support" and paid £185m in interest last year.

As of March 2019 borrowing by the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust stood at £274m

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the money went back to the NHS.

The amount of money loaned by the government to NHS trusts in England doubled between 2016-17 to 2018-19, BBC analysis of official figures shows, external.

Breaking news, sport, travel and weather updates from across Lincolnshire.

NHS trusts are paying back millions of pounds to the government each year in interest.

Lincolnshire growers have been showing off their wares at a vegetable show in Harrogate.

It's fair to say that you'd have no trouble with getting your five a day if you were handed one of these:

There's been a drop in the number of Lincoln City fans arrested in the last year.

Data revealed by the government today, external shows that just 11 people were arrested in the 2018/19 season, 17 fewer than in 2017/18.

Policing inside the ground is paid for by football clubs themselves, but any policing outside club property is publicly funded.

The majority of Lincoln fans were arrested for public disorder, though two were arrested for alcohol offences while one fan was arrested for pitch incursion.

Lincolnshire groups supporting women and girls with issues like period poverty, domestic and sexual abuse and mental health are being given the chance to apply for funding paid for by the so-called "tampon tax".

Image source, Getty Images

The Tampon Tax Fund allocates money generated by the VAT on sanitary products to projects which support women.

The Lincolnshire Community Foundation says groups can apply for grants of up to £10,000 from a national pot of £3.5m.

More than £2.6m is to be given to help historical high streets in Lincolnshire flourish.

Image source, Visit Lincoln

Grantham and Lincoln have been given money by a national fund to encourage shoppers into their historic shopping areas.

The City of Lincoln Council says it has received £1.75m to spend on heritage projects and rejuvenate the southern part of Lincoln.

Grantham will gain £991,000 to help improve the town's historic buildings and create better public spaces.

Although there are caveats on whether the funding is given final approval, the fund is hoped to provide a boost for the towns.

The funding is separate from the 'Better Towns Fund' the government has announced which hopes to improve the fortunes of towns post-Brexit.

Fire crews are still dealing with the effects of a suspected arson attack which has been burning since the the first week of September.

Image source, Lesley Sorrell

Image source, Jo Hurford

The fire, which broke out on September 3 on Redstone Industrial estate in Boston, is still being damped down by crews in Boston.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue say they believe the fire was started deliberately.

A Lincolnshire artist has installed a "Brexit Phone Box" in Skegness' twin town in Germany.

Image source, John Byford

John Byford installed the phone box with an EU logo on the side in Bad Gandersheim, near Hanover, which is celebrating the 40th year of its twinned status with the Lincolnshire seaside resort.

The flag on the phone box has a sad face emoji instead of one of the stars on the EU flag.

Skegness voted for Leave in the EU referendum by a bigger margin than any other constituency in the UK.

Michael Hortin
Sports, BBC Radio Lincolnshire

BBC Radio Lincolnshire understands that Lincoln City are in advanced talks with their preferred candidate to take over as the Imps new manager.

Image source, Getty Images

The candidate is believed to be former Oxford United boss Michael Appleton (pictured above).

The manager has had spells in charge of West Bromwich Albion, Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers.

It's expected to be formally announced by the club in the next few days.

Farmers in south Lincolnshire are encouraging the police to turn up unannounced onto their farms to help deter criminals.

Image source, NFU

Over recent weeks there's been a rise in the amount of farm machinery stolen in the area.

Chris Carter from the National Farmers Union said local members were in favour of giving the police free access to farms.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a van driver died in a crash near Grimbsy.

Image source, Google

Humbersdie Police say the orange and blue box van was travelling west along the A180 near to the Great Coates Interchange at about 16:00 on Wednesday when it veered across two lanes, hit a lamp post and crashed into a ditch.

The driver, from West Yorkshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say they think he could have suffered a "medical episode" but have appealed for anyone who saw the collision to come forward.

Grimsby Town had the second highest number of football banning orders in place in 2018/19, according to a new report.

Image source, PA Media

Figures published by the Home Office, external show the club had 61 banning orders in place last season, up from 50 in 2017/18.

Newcastle United had the most banning orders in place, with 71, Birmingham City had 57 and Sheffield United and West Ham United both had 54.

As of 1 August 2019, a total of 1,771 banning orders were in force across England and Wales.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Calvin Robinson

Health bosses in the county say Lincolnshire's hospitals have suffered from "two decades worth of under-investment" and now need £236m to bring them up to standards.

Image source, GOV

It comes after the Prime Minister promised £21.3m to improve the A&E at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston this summer.

But officials from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, part of Lincolnshire's health service, told a County Council scrutiny panel that even if the trust found £236m that "will not give us buildings that are fit for the future, they will only be fit for today."

Councillors also heard that an extra £81m is also needed for planned changes to health services in Lincolnshire.

In total, that means that Lincolnshire's Health Services say they need £317m to bring our health services up to scratch.

A man who was found guilty of rape for lying about having had a vasectomy is appealing against the convictions.

Image source, Derbyshire Police

Jason Lawrence originally from Leicestershire,was given a life sentence in 2016 for raping five women, attempting to rape one woman, and sexually assaulting another.

The assaults took place between June 2011 and November 2014 in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire.

One of the women had consented to having sex with Lawrance, but a jury found the consent she gave was negated because of his vasectomy lie.

Now his legal team is challenging that decision.

Shaun Draycott, his solicitor, said: "If these convictions are upheld on appeal, the concern is that members of the public, both male and female, who have never been considered criminals in the eyes of the law will be at risk of prosecution for serious sexual offences."

His legal team will only be appealing against the convictions in relation to Lawrance's vasectomy deceit, and not his other offences.

Two motorists have been injured in a "serious" crash involving two vehicles near Spalding this morning.

Image source, Google

The collision happened shortly after 06:00 in Gedney Road, Long Sutton.

Lincolnshire Police said: "The drivers from each vehicle, who are both male, were injured. The extent of their injuries is still being assessed."

Gedney Road is currently closed between Limewalk and Charters Lane with police advising motorists to avoid the area.

Nichola Donnelly
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

It's another dry day with some decent spells of sunshine for most and temperatures up to 21C in places.

Overnight it will remain clear and dry, meaning we're in for a chilly night with temperatures getting down to about 7C.

An investigation into the death of a teenager has recommended that police improve cross-border missing persons investigations.

Image source, Trinity Mirror

Liam Toner, 19, from Ulceby, was reported missing in December 2017 after a night out in Cleethorpes, and found dead in a ditch in Lincolnshire 15 hours later.

He was initially reported missing to Humberside Police but the case was not passed to Lincolnshire Police for another six hours.

Humberside and Lincolnshire Police both said they would improve cross-force communication in such cases.

It follows an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.