Following the original closure of the car park in March 2013 for essential maintenance, Lucy Tower will now see overnight closures in order to complete the final repairs necessary.

The Lucy Tower Car Park on the Brayford.

The closures will continue for 1 month since closing on January 20^th. The car park will not be in use from 8pm until 7am. Alternative overnight parking is available for motorists on Orchid Street. 

After being closed completely, the car park partially re-opened on 6^th December 2013 so shoppers would have more places to park with construction continuing. The car park will be fully completed and open to the public around March 2014.

After the planning proposals were approved, National Rail has set the plans to start work on the new bridge to replace the existing level crossing. 

Pedestrians cross the train tracks on the high street after being held at the barriers.

The bridge will provide a safer and faster alternative for waiting at the crossing for pedestrians.

The plan was originally to close the road for the full duration of construction, closing the road to vehicles passing through from 7am on 13^th January 2014 until 7pm on 11^th June 2014.

However, the disruptions have been pushed back until March 2014 to minimise road disruption in the Lincoln area.

The road will remain open to all vehicles until further notice.

A detailed programme of construction is to be released to the public when available.

A ‘tornado’ caused significant damage to one of Lincolnshire’s most ancient churches yesterday.

The winds caused a stain glassed window to break and damaged large sections of the roof at Stow Minster, which is one of the oldest churches in the country.

The Minster as it stood before the damage.

The church, which was formed in the 7^th century and was the main church in the county before the building of Lincoln Cathedral, which has resulted it being  referred to as ‘’the Mother Church of Lincolnshire’’ in some parts of the county.

It was included in the top 100 most endangered sites in the world back by the World Monuments Fund back in 2006, with it reportedly needing hefty refurbishment.

The incident has also hit a number of houses in the area, with several fences and roofs and fences being damaged as well. 

The Met Office are currently investigating whether the incident was a small tornado but they have been unable to comment thus far.

Cultural Solutions Ltd and Blueprint Films, both in Lincolnshire, have teamed up to help the UK find safer alternatives than unpredictable loan sharks. The England Illegal Money Lending Team has also joined forces with Lincolnshire Credit Union to contribute to this film.

Aptly titled, “Stop Loan Sharks” aims to promote the legal and physical dangers of using unconventional methods of money borrowing. The film wants to help people to find safer and legal options than having to resort to loan sharks.

Residents try to put a stop to legal loan shark lending

The film has been funded from the money taken from convicted loan sharks. Using the proceeds of crime to help stop people from borrowing from risky lenders, starting from something negative and turning it into something positive,

Lincolnshire Credit Union will be launching “Stop Loan Sharks” on Saturday 1^st February, then on social network sites. The film can be seen in both English and in Russian. The aim of this is to reach as many people as possible.

Tony Quigley, head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, said: “Illegal money lending is a despicable crime which causes nothing but harm to our communities.

“These lenders may appear to be offering a community service but borrowers are often forced to pay back far and above what they have borrowed and can afford.

“Many are subjected to threats, violence or other callous enforcement methods. We would urge anyone who has been the victim of a loan shark to report them in confidence on 0300 555 2222, as we can help.”

It is estimated that around 310,000 homes in the UK are currently in debt to loan sharks and sixty people are in the witness protection scheme due to aggressive loan sharks. Tony Quigley says that £700m is being paid to loan sharks each year.