BBC News Leeds & West Yorkshire

People in Calderdale are being warned to be prepared for the risk of flooding as heavy rain is set to sweep across the area over the next few days.

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The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" warning for rain from today until noon on Thursday.

A combination of heavy rainfall, already saturated ground and melting snow could cause some flooding in Calderdale and other areas.

Organisations across the borough are preparing for potentially significant and widespread impacts, Calderdale Council said.

As a precaution over the weekend, council workers attempted to keep drains and gullies as clear as possible and took other precautionary measures.

Councillor Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for climate change and resilience, said extra staff are on duty to prepare and monitor the situation, and teams are on 24-hour standby.

He added: "Council teams and our partners are doing everything we can to prepare for this week’s expected bad weather.

"We’re urging local residents and businesses to take all the steps they can to protect themselves and their property.

"There are simple things we can all do to get ready to deal with any issues caused by heavy rain or flooding. I know we’d respond with Calderdale’s usual kindness and resilience,” he said.

A former student at the University of Bradford has been given the stellar title of Solar System Ambassador from the American space agency Nasa.

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Kailash Kalidoss, 35, completed his postgraduate Master of Business Administration course in Bradford in 2011-12 and has now been appointed by Nasa to share discoveries and inspire people with space science.

Mr Kalidoss, originally from Chennai in India, now lives in California.

He says: “I have great memories of my time in Bradford, and I’m still in touch with some of my old lecturers.

"The MBA really gave me a strategic mindset and the confidence to face anything in life", he adds.

A total of 26 flood alerts are now in place on rivers across North, South, East and West Yorkshire.

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A flood alert means "flooding is possible, be prepared".

Meanwhile, four flood warnings - meaning immediate action should be taken as flooding is expected - are in place for parts of the rivers Derwent, Seven and Ouse.

The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" weather warning for rain in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, East Midlands and the east of England over the next two days.

A "major incident" has been declared in South Yorkshire in response to the forecast rainfall.

Ros Jones, mayor of Doncaster, said: "I do not want people to panic, but flooding is possible so please be prepared."

More than half of young people in Yorkshire said their mental health had got worse during the Covid-19 pandemic, a report has found.

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A survey by The Prince's Trust said 56% of 16 to 25-year-olds questioned reported a mental decline.

Half said they felt anxious, with 18% saying they were "unable to cope with life", the survey showed.

Meanwhile, two-thirds also reported feeling like they were "missing out on being young" due to lockdown restrictions.

Clare Crabb, from the trust, said the pandemic had taken a "devastating toll on young people's mental health".

"They face a disrupted education, a shrinking jobs market and isolation from their friends and loved ones, and as a result, too many are losing all hope for the future," she said.

The report also found that one in five young people in Yorkshire did not feel confident about their future work prospects.

More than half, 53%, said getting a new job felt impossible because there was so much competition.

A total of 25 flood alerts are currently in place on rivers across West, South, North and East Yorkshire.

Rui Vera/PA WireCopyright: Rui Vera/PA Wire

The flood alert mean "flooding is possible, be prepared".

A full list of the areas currently affected can be found on the government's flood warning website.

Meanwhile, four flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected and immediate action should be taken - are also in place for parts of the River Ouse, Derwent and Seven.

This comes as a Met Office Amber "be prepared" warning for heavy rain remains in place for Yorkshire and the Humber region.

The Environment Agency said the combination of heavy rain and snowmelt creates a "volatile situation".

Mild but unsettled with outbreaks of persistent rain throughout the day and a blustery wind

Rain will continue through this evening and overnight.

An amber "be prepared" rain warning has been issued for Yorkshire as Storm Christoph approaches.

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An amber rain warning has been issued for parts of northern England as Storm Christoph approaches.

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The Met Office told people in Yorkshire to expect heavy rain and potential floods.

Up to 70mm of rain is forecast to fall within 48 hours in the worst-hit areas.

The Met Office said the downpours, set to last throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, were likely to cause flooding when combined with melting snow on higher ground.

A major incident has been declared in South Yorkshire, where Doncaster Council staff have been out delivering sandbags.

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The Environment Agency currently has four flood warnings in place for Yorkshire.

A flood warning means "flooding is expected and immediate action should be taken."

Warnings have been issued at:

• River Derwent at Buttercrambe Mill
• River Ouse at Naburn Lock
• River Ouse at York - riverside properties
• River Seven at Marton

Two people have been treated in hospital for serious injuries and two men have been arrested after a car crashed into a field in Wakefield, say police.

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A black Vauxhall Zafira with four occupants was being driven along Jumbles Lane, near the A61 Lofthouse junction, at about 22:10 yesterday when it came off the road into a field, according to West Yorkshire Police.

Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to Leeds General Infirmary with serious injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening, police said.

A 24-year-old man and a 25-year-old man were been arrested on suspicious of dangerous driving and driving over the prescribed limit, officers confirmed.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or who saw the movements of the car immediately before it left the road, is being asked to contact police.

More than 100,000 rubbish bins weren't collected last week due to disruption caused by heavy snowfall, Leeds City Council has said.

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Collections in Leeds which were disrupted by the snow were carried out over the weekend and are continuing today in an effort to catch up, the authority adds.

A council spokesperson said: "Our refuse team has made positive progress in collecting the high number of bins that could not be emptied last week due to heavy snowfall and subsequent icy conditions on roads, streets and footpaths.

"It is estimated that over 100,000 bins were missed."

Any resident whose bin was missed last Thursday, Friday or Saturday, is being asked to leave it out if not collected already.

The council says it hopes to have collected all bins which were missed by Wednesday and has apologised for any inconvenience caused.

It offered thanks to "the people of Leeds for their patience" and to refuse teams who it says worked "tirelessly over the weekend."

Three people who were travelling from Greater Manchester to West Yorkshire to pick up a takeaway were stopped for speeding and have been fined.

West Yorkshire PoliceCopyright: West Yorkshire Police

The car was flagged down on the M62 on Friday after it was seen travelling at 90mph, despite recent heavy snowfall.

The three occupants were from three households and received fixed penalty notices, West Yorkshire Police said.

The driver was also fined for speeding, while the car - which had no tax - was seized, the force added.

More than 1,000 properties in Bradford are currently without electricity after an "unexpected" power outage.

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Writing on social media, Northern Powergrid estimated 1,293 premises in the BD10 and BD18 areas were hit by loss of power.

It estimates power will be restored by 09:00.

Northern Powergrid added it normally restores power to 90% of customers within 90 minutes.

Bright spells in places today, but largely cloudy with some rain at times.

Tonight it will remain cloudy and it will turn increasingly wet throughout the evening and into the night:

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Three hospital trusts in Yorkshire are among 10 across England which have reported having no spare critical care beds, latest figures show.

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The Airedale, Calderdale and Huddersfield and Harrogate and District trusts were included in a list of NHS Trusts with full critical care wards in the week to 10 January.

It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, despite having nine critical care beds overall, said it did not normally experience full occupancy at this time of the year and the ward had both Covid and non-Covid patients.

"We are experiencing normal winter pressures across the trust, combined with an increasing number of Covid-19 patients, particularly over the last week," a spokeswoman said.

The total number of critical care beds available across all England's acute trusts is 5,503, with 4,632 in use on 10 January.

An NHS England spokeswoman said hospitals had "tried and tested plans in place" to manage pressure from increased Covid-19 and non-Covid patients, including mutual aid practices where hospitals work together to manage admissions.