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A zombie knife and machete amnesty scheme has been launched, ahead of their ban next month. Police stations across the country, including three in northern Lincolnshire, will accept such knives handed into them, and compensation will be possible in some cases. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson has said it is absolutely crucial that members of the public come forward and safely hand in such weapons. The amnesty scheme began on August 26 and ends on September 23. From September 24, the law will change to mean anyone caught with a zombie-style knife or a machete faces potential imprisonment. Read More: The zombie knife scheme is separate to the annual Operation Sceptre scheme run by police forces for a week each year, where people can safely dispose of weapons with the police. This year’s Operation Sceptre ran in the spring. “Too many people have access to weapons that can lead to devastating, life-changing consequences,” Diana Johnson said ahead of the amnesty scheme’s launch. Ms Johnson continued: “There is no legitimate need for a weapon of this kind to be in our homes or on our streets. “That is why we will continue to make sure the tightest restrictions are in place to limit the availability of these lethal weapons. Implementing a ban on zombie-style knives is just the first step in our ambitious, dedicated plan to halve knife crime within a decade, and will closely be followed by making ninja swords illegal. “It is absolutely crucial that members of the public come forward and safely hand in these weapons. We are offering people the chance to do the right thing – to help make our streets safer, prevent further loss of life and save so many futures. “We cannot do this alone, political, policing and community leaders must work together to bring the knife crime epidemic to an end and offer a better future for our young people.” Zombie knives and machetes are defined as weapons with blades over eight inches (20cm) in length that normally have a serrated cutting edge. Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Possession of the weapons in public is already illegal. However, the law change will close a loophole that allows them to be kept and sold if they do not have images depicting violence on their handles. A full list of Humberside Police stations in northern Lincolnshire participating in the zombie knives and machetes amnesty is below: Barton Police Station, Holydyke, Barton upon Humber, North Lincs, DN18 5PR Grimsby Police Station, Victoria Street, Grimsby, DN31 1PE Scunthorpe Police Station, 26 Corporation Road, Scunthorpe, DN15 6QB Compensation will be available for handing the knives in during the amnesty period, where the value exceeds £30 or more. The standard compensation per knife is £10, meaning a minimum of three knives handed in will trigger compensation. Possible greater compensation per knife may be awarded if sufficient evidence of its value is provided on surrendering the item to police. The number of knife possession offences in Humberside has been stable over the last three years, according to Home Office figures. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

Parents are being urged to speak to their children about the dangers of entering abandoned buildings after a number of break-ins at Scunthorpe’s former Crosby Hotel. Humberside Police say there have been an “increasing number of calls” to children going into the empty hotel and pub in Normanby Road despite it being “extremely unsafe” to enter. The force says some young people who have entered the building have been identified by officers and will be visited over the coming days. The historic hotel and pub, which has been unused since 2008, has been repeatedly subjected to vandalism and was affected by a major fire in February this year. READ MORE: On social media, a force spokesperson said: “Do you know where your children are? In recent weeks we have had an increasing number of calls to children entering the former Crosby Hotel on Normanby Road. “The boards across some windows and doors are being regularly ripped off and the building entered. Due to ongoing vandalism and a recent fire, this building is extremely unsafe to enter. There are loose roof tiles, missing floorboards and holes in the ceiling throughout. The first floor is particularly dangerous due to risk of collapse from the fire damage. “Please speak with your children about the dangers of entering buildings such as this. Those identified by officers as having entered will be receiving visits in the coming days. “Officers will continue to monitor the location. Legal proceedings are currently ongoing in relation to the building ownership.” Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

North Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Rob Waltham is to head to China to discuss British Steel‘s future in Scunthorpe with its Chinese owners. It comes as British Steel has not ruled out moving forward its coke blast furnaces closure plans to this year. British Steel’s owners, Jingye, have previously announced a £1.25bn development plan, including to create an electric arc furnace (EAF) in Scunthorpe. Unions estimate around 2,500 jobs would go when the coke blast facilities close. When British Steel got planning permission for the EAF, it said the existing furnaces would continue until the new one was running, expected from late 2025 onwards. Read More: Cllr Waltham will be part of a trio heading to the Shijiazhuang province in September. There, they will hold meetings with senior officers, civic leaders and directors of the company. Grimsby Live has had it confirmed that the two other members of the delegation to China will be senior council officers. North Lincolnshire Council has pledged before to develop 300 acres at the site to create new, green engineering and energy jobs, with the creation of an advanced manufacturing park. A council document published last month confirmed an April 2026 target date to establish such a park on unused British Steel land. Cllr Waltham said: “We have been working with British Steel and the previous government across a number of years to protect steelmaking and livelihoods here in North Lincolnshire. We continue to work the new government too and we are asking them to back our plan for the site and protect steelmaking and jobs locally. “Whatever the plans are going forward, we have to protect the sovereign capability for blast furnace steel and create a new future for steelmaking,” he said, before adding: “At the same time, using taxpayers’ money to lose jobs is not acceptable. “We are determined to protect and enhance this vital industry, which is the backbone of our local economy and essential to our national security.” The council’s cabinet approved the local authority’s aims on steel last month. These comprised maintaining UK quality steel production in Scunthorpe, “realistic decarbonisation”, and unlocking derelict steel land for other uses. The council intends to create its own development corporation to enable development of the derelict steelworks land. Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

It’s time for heat three week of the BBC hit cooking show Celebrity MasterChef and tonight (Tuesday, August 27) is the night for five brand new, but very familiar, faces to enter the arena. Among the celebs taking on this momentous culinary challenge are Scunthorpe TV personality Jake Quickenden; model and TV personality Christine McGuinness; actor Tamer Hassan; comedian Jamie MacDonald and model Emma Thynn. The cameras are turned on their cooking stations for the first time tonight as they don their aprons and bid to create dishes that will impress judges Greg Wallace and John Torode enough to keep them in the contest. Of taking part in the competition, Jake said: “I really wanted a new challenge – cooking for me wasn’t something that came super natural and my skills were pretty basic, so for me it was about setting myself a new challenge while also learning on the show. READ MORE: “I’ve always loved watching MasterChef so I was dying to do it myself. I was so excited to get straight in there and get stuck in, I was a little nervous but soon felt pretty comfortable as we started, it was actually a lot of fun!” Jake admitted his wife, Sophie, is a better cook than he is. He said: “I mostly rely on an air fryer, often throwing meals together that I’ve always known so I’m not very adventurous. I love that the show pushes you out of your comfort zone with cooking things you wouldn’t normally.” Celebrity MasterChef heat three week competitors, from left, Jake Quickenden, Emma Thynn, Jamie MacDonald, Christine McGuinness, Tamer Hassan (Image: BBC/Shine TV) There will be little time for chit-chat between the stars as they dive straight into their first task of the show – Under The Cloche. Each celebrity will pick a silver dome, under which lies a secret ingredient. They then have just 60 minutes to create a dish that celebrates their chosen treasure. Among the ingredients tonight are duck, pear and chicken livers. Next, all five will then have one more chance to keep their place in the competition, as they cook up their Dinner Party Dishes. This time, the pressure is on to deliver two divine plates of food that would satisfy the most demanding guests. Jake said: “I love a beef fillet when I go out for dinner; however, I’m not the best at making it. At home I love making a burger or homemade pizzas, a bit like a fakeaway.” Celebrity MasterChef airs on BBC1 tonight at 8pm and continues on Thursday and Friday as the stars battle for a place in this week’s quarter final. Grimsby actor Rochenda Sandall has already earned a place in the semi-final of the competition. Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

British Steel has confirmed that “no final decision has been made” regarding suggestions that the company has brought forward plans to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, making around 2,500 workers redundant. Earlier this year, planning permission was granted by North Lincolnshire Council for the building of an electric arc furnace (EAF) as part of its decarbonisation plans. This would replace the two coke blast furnaces at the steelworks. Initially, it was thought that the new EAF could be running by December 2025. But according to The Independent, a source has claimed that the plant will stop the importing of coke and coal in October, meaning the blast furnaces would be switched off for good shortly before Christmas. READ MORE: When approached by Scunthorpe Live regarding the article, a spokesperson for British Steel said the imports of raw material have reduced due to “ongoing production issues” and that “no final decision has been made”. The full statement reads: “Our imports of raw material are continuing but have reduced in light of ongoing production issues. We’re working to restore production levels from our ageing blast furnaces. British Steel, Scunthorpe (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) “We’re discussing our decarbonisation plans with the government and no final decision has been made.” The Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Rob Waltham told Scunthorpe Live that if the suggestions that the blast furnaces will be turned off later this year are true, then Labour will “never be forgiven” by the local community. He said: “If these suggestions are true, then this is alarming news for the Scunthorpe economy. If the Government give British Steel money to make steelworkers redundant and to close down our blast furnaces they will have failed to keep their promises to local residents. The Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, Cllr Rob Waltham (Image: Copyright Unknown) “Labour promised £3billion for the steel industry now it’s time for them to deliver. They have already chosen to let down thousands of pensioners locally, if they put an end to steel making in Scunthorpe they will never be forgiven by our community.” Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, GMB National Officer, said: “Early closure of the Blast Furnaces at Scunthorpe would be devastating for the community and workforce. “Unions have been assured throughout the process that the blast furnace operations would continue throughout the construction of an Electric Arc Furnace. There has been no consultation over an early closure. British Steel and the Government must engage with workers immediately to safeguard jobs and livelihoods.” Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

After a huge debut year in 2023, Scunthorpe Pride returned on August 25. With Church Square decorated in colours, entertainment and music, the event went down a hit with locals. The event got underway with a foot parade at 11am, leading into the heart of town. It saw a huge turn out for the event throughout the day, with many flocking to show their love, as well as get involved at some of the live music, including Kelly Llorenna, Buzz Kill Joy and queen Dame Ida. Take a look at the photos from the event down below. All photos by Donna Clifford. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

A local teen in care has gotten his dream started in his flying career with a special tour of a flight academy. Mo and his foster family were greeted at Humberside Airport by a pilot from Eastern Airways – who invited the teen for the experience. They were given an insightful tour, shown a variety of planes and given lessons on how they operated. Mo was then given the chance to sit in the cockpit of a plane, and learn more about flying – and it was his first time ever stepping onto a plane. Read more: In the afternoon, Mo had the change to give flying a go for real. He did a fantastic job listening to the briefing and made sure to ask lots of questions to the pilot. Mo was in total awe of the planes, pilots and surroundings during a truly inspirational day experienced by all involved and hasn’t stopped talking about it. He is extremely keen to get back in the air and develop his career aspirations with work experience alongside his studies. The experience was held for Mo by Eastern Airways, Aeroschool at Humberside Airport and Cllr Richard Hannigan, who is a teacher at the academy. The cabinet member for adults and health said: “As soon as I heard about Mo, his story and passion for aviation, I wanted to work together to give him a chance to experience the air from a plane at Aeroschool. “Having taught there for a number of years, I was excited to see how he would fair in the plane – being aware of his surroundings, his first lesson went brilliantly. “It was an honour and privilege to take him on his very first flight. He was a pleasure to work with and I hope he is further inspired to follow a career in aviation.” Throughout his exciting tour, Mo was awestruck by the facilities that he saw throughout the day – with the tour giving him further aspirations to work in the industry. Mo said: “The day was amazing. Thank you so much, I loved it and want to go back up in the air straight away.” To find out more about fostering in North Lincolnshire and how your organisation could become fostering friendly, championing fostering in the community, contact the Fostering team today by emailing fosteringfriendlyscheme@northlincs.gov.uk, calling 01724 297024 or visit the fostering webpage to find out more. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

A man who made indecent photographs of a child was sentenced at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court in recent days. While some cases were adjourned to a later date and others sent to Grimsby Crown Court, people from across northern Lincolnshire have still been handed prison sentences, community orders and hefty fines for their crimes – including violent offenders, a stalker and a shop thief. Here are several people who were sentenced at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court last week. READ MORE: Timothy Graves, 57, of Juniper Close, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent photographs of a child. He was given a community order, ordered to register as a sex offender for five years and ordered to pay a £114 victim services surcharge and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Robert Johns, 51, of Rowland Road, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to stalking in which he pursued a course of conduct which amounted to the harassment of the victim, in the form of repeated unwanted contact by sending messages and attending the victim’s address. He was given a ten-year restraining order and a two-year community order and ordered to pay a £114 victim services surcharge and £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Grimsby Magistrates Court (Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive) Liam James, 31, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to three counts of assault by beating in which he assaulted two police constables and one police sergeant. He was jailed for 20 weeks and ordered to pay £50 in compensation. Scott Smith, 36, of Baldwin Avenue, Bottesford pleaded guilty to using racially aggravated threatening or abusive words or behaviour to cause alarm or distress and indicated a plea of guilty to the common assault of an emergency worker, namely a police constable. He was given a community order with the requirement to undergo alcohol treatment and ordered to pay a fine of £100. Nigel Sims, 37, of Warrendale, Barton-upon-Humber indicated pleas of guilty to three counts of theft from a shop in which he stole makeup worth £60 from Boots, headphones worth £45 from Tesco and sweets and coffee worth £32 from Co-op, whilst on a suspended sentence order for another offence. He was jailed for six weeks and ordered to pay £92 in compensation. Lloyd Wilkie, 33, of St Edmunds Court, Grimsby pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating. He was given a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £50 in compensation. Mohammed Himmat, 41, of Heneage Road, Grimsby changed a previous plea of not guilty to guilty for one count of driving whilst under the influence of cannabis. He was banned from driving for one year and ordered to pay £200 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service, a £150 fine and a £60 victim services surcharge. Pawel Banaciak, 48, of Penrose Court, Scunthorpe changed a previous plea of not guilty to guilty for one count of common assault. He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service and a £26 victim services surcharge. Leilani Abraham, 40, of Bradley Road, Waltham pleaded guilty to driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance. He was given a one-year conditional discharge and six points on his licence and ordered to pay £85 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

A Scunthorpe fudge business has had to ramp up production in the wake of a raid on the shop. Want That Fudge UK’s Peter and Claire Brennan discovered the break-in when they turned up for work on Monday morning. Burglars had forced doors, smashed a window and left a trail of destruction in the shop that they only opened four months ago, in Birkdale Road. The kitchen where they cook the hand-made, fudge-based treats was largely unaffected, however. As soon as police crime scene investigators had finished their work, the Want That Fudge team was back in and cooking up a storm. READ MORE: A post on the business’s Facebook page said: “We are working so fast and long hours to try and get caught up, we want to get your delicious treats to you asap! Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, we have been astounded by it.” Orders that had been put in just before the break-in are now mostly fulfilled and in the post, with the orders placed on Monday due to leave tomorrow (Friday, August 23), when Want That Fudge is also reopening the shop. Latest batch of fudge pies made by Want That Fudge UK (Image: wtfudgeuk/facebook) Peter told Grimsby Live: “When it happened, everyone was asking how they could support us. We put a message out to say that the best way was to put an order in – and it’s exactly what happened. “It’s been a mad few days. The orders have come from all over the country. Our shop is open again so locals can pop in again.” Peter said the first he knew of the burglary was when he arrived for work and saw a police car in the car park of the business estate. “Our doors had been forced open and the window was smashed – I realised the other units were the same. “The premises across from ours is a window manufacturer and they have sorted out new windows for everybody. Everyone has come together to support each other.” The burglars had emptied a drinks fridge and thrown sweets onto the floor and taken some more of the stock, and “crowbarred” a till out of the shop counter. “We managed to get back in at about 4pm on Monday and had a tidy-up; we were back at work the next day. “Really we’d like to thank all our customers for their support and nice words, and our neighbours.” Humberside Police said officers discovered 12 business units had been broken into, with damage caused and items of value taken, after reports of a burglary in the early hours of Monday morning. They have appealed for anybody who may have seen anything suspicious, has CCTV or dashcam footage that may assist lines of enquiry, to contact the non-emergency number 101 quoting log 69 of 19 August. Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe

Endoscopy services provided by staff at both Grimsby and Scunthorpe have been recognised for their high standard. It is a double celebration for the endoscopy unit staff as they both achieve their JAG accreditation – an award that is widely recognised as a mark of best practice and high quality. The JAG accreditation involves a five-yearly full assessment, followed by annual checks to ensure standards are maintained. Lisa Gadd, endoscopy manager, said: “Our dedicated teams continually show they have the highest commitment to their patients and the standards of care they provide. Being able to maintain the JAG accreditation year-in-year-out is no mean feat and I’m immensely proud of the feedback received on this visit.” READ MORE: The Scunthorpe team have just been awarded their five-year accreditation, subject to successful annual reviews, while the Grimsby team have had the seal of approval via their annual check-up. Staff on both sites showed they are meeting the high standards set by assessors. Both units were assessed against a key set of standards before being awarded accreditation and had to demonstrate they: Continually improve the quality and safety of the care provided Maintain a strong focus on ensuring patients have a positive experience Provide excellent training and development opportunities for all staff Uphold a safe and comfortable environment for patients and staff Assessors noted it had been an “excellent visit”, that there was a “very strong multidisciplinary leadership team” covering both sites, with a “robust governance infrastructure” in place. They commented on how happy staff were, how they spoke highly of working in the units and how hard they worked to maintain and manage waiting lists. The JAG accreditation programme works with endoscopy services across the UK to improve the quality of patient care. Accreditation is awarded to services which have demonstrated they meet best practice quality standards covering all aspects of an endoscopy service, including quality and safety, patient experience and the workforce. Celebration for staff of Scunthorpe endoscopy unit (Image: Humber Health Partnership) The teams are part of the NHS Humber Health Partnership, a group made up of the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. The Partnership’s five main hospital sites are Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital; Scunthorpe General Hospital; Castle Hill Hospital; Goole and District Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary. Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe