01/03/2017 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Lincolnshire's largest egg producer says the threat of bird-flu hasn't

gone away and restrictions have been lifted too quickly.

We think it's very, very uncertain if the hens will be safe if they're

let out because wild birds at the moment are still everywhere.

Plans for more than 1,000 new student rooms at the University

of Hull are approved, despite concerns over the safety

The former Mayor of Driffield is told to apologise after liking

And after what's been a decent enough day for most of us

across the East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, rain,

Lincolnshire's largest egg producer says the government has been too

quick to remove strict bird flu regulations and that it's not safe

Some restrictions that have been in place for a few

But Fairburn's farm in Alford, which produces millions of eggs each

-- week, says that's wrong and its birds will stay indoors.

Here's our rural affairs correspondent, Linsey Smith.

That's exactly where these hens will be staying for now.

They belong to Fairburns, who produce 50 million eggs

A family business they say is far too important to risk.

The avian influenza that we have seen has been like nothing that

In areas where we feel that the hens are at risk,

that their welfare is at risk, we will be keeping them in.

At the moment, we think it is very, very uncertain if the hens will be

safe if they are let out because wild birds at the moment

At Drewton's farm shop in East Yorkshire, so much

of the home-made produce uses free range eggs.

From today, all eggs and poultry must show this label showing

Categorically, the eggs are absolutely safe to eat.

The feed the chickens have been fed is exactly the same, the water,

temperatures in the building, so those things are no different

so therefore the quality of the product is exactly the same.

30,000 birds have been culled in our area so far

5,000 turkeys near Louth in December.

Two weeks later, 6,000 birds died in Fulstow.

Then near Boston, 19,000 were culled.

In Vietnam, birds are being vaccinated.

There's no such jab available for the strain affecting UK flocks,

but at the University of Lincoln, science is being used

The other primary piece of relevant work we've been doing is to look

at genetic resistance, so we can identify some birds that

are more resistant to getting influenza in the first place,

that will eventually lead to being able to breed

genetically resistant birds, birds that are inherently more

But researchers admit producing immune birds is years away.

So, for now, other farms are following Fairburn's lead

Linsey Smith, BBC Look North, Alford.

What does this mean for people who buy these eggs?

It means that the free range eggs that they normally buy

will have a sticker on the box explaining that the hens

are temporaily indoors to keep them safe.

We spoke to shoppers today, who said that it wouldn't put them

off buying eggs as long as its just temporary and they are happy

But for the producers, this is a worry going forward.

They say bird flu appears to be more virulent this year

and birds may need to be housed earlier

A new ?80 million development at the University of Hull will be

built despite concerns over the safety of girls

The development on Cottingham Road includes beds for 1,500 students.

Victoria Holland is outside the University now.

This development would sit right next to Newland School for girls,

which is actually on the University Campus.

At the moment the land's used as a car park, but the university

want to build a sports centre and accommodation

Some of these blocks would be nine storeys high and they'd be

The school's worried about two things -

that the student accommodation overlooks the school,

including the girl's playing field, and there's a risk of grooming.

There are also worries that the pupils would be able to see

We were specifically concerned with the obscuring of the glass

to stop the ability to be able to see in.

They could see things that they shouldn't see, really.

Being minors, that makes it then a concern.

The planning panel themselves reviewed this and said that those

That doesn't stop us continuing to talk to the school,

listen to parents and anything we can do to make sure

they're not concerned, percpetion or otherwise,

we will listen and see as far as we can take it.

Planners from Hull City Council approved this

The university wants to start building in May.

80 jobs are being cut at BP Chemicals at Saltend.

The losses are part of what the company calls

a "global re-structuring" of its petro-chemical business.

400 people work at the site near Hull.

100 jobs are being created in Bardney, near Lincoln

where the company that makes Ryvita is investing ?50 million

It's being built on the site of the former sugar

A second high-profile East Yorkshire councillor has been told

to apologise after controversial posts on social media.

Today a hearing found the former Mayor of Driffield, Heather Venter,

had liked several racist and anti Muslim comments on Twitter.

Earlier this year, a conservative councillor was told to step down

after posting offensive comments about the murdered MP Jo Cox.

Driffield isn't a town with a history of political

controversy, but once again it's comments made on social

media which are coming under the spotlight.

Heather Venter is a former mayor of Driffield who remains

Today, she faced a conduct hearing after complaints were made

about posts which appeared on her Twitter feed.

She was accused of tweeting a link to right-wing website which said

"White South Africans march in London Against White Genocide."

And she was said to have liked a comment which said,

Today, with the help of a friend, she defended her reputation.

I didn't make any racist tweets whatsoever.

If you look at the tweets themselves, you will see

they have been cut and pasted and they were not her tweets.

The only one tweet was mine and that was a headline

from the Evening Standard about all the knifings in London.

Following that article about knife crime, she liked

a comment that said, "It's all the blacks in London".

Heather Venter was found to have broken East Riding

of Yorkshire Council's code of conduct and will now have to make

Now every member of the council will take part in special training

Last year, East Riding councillor Dominic Peacock was expelled

from the Conservative Party after he posted an offensive comment

on Facebook relating to the murdered MP Jo Cox.

There was no further comment from Councillor Ventor

Tonight, I spoke to social media expert Sam Faulkner.

I asked him whether it was very easy to go wrong on Twitter.

I think there's something of a misconception with social media

in general, but I think people tend to think, certainly on Twitter,

perhaps only their few followers are seeing what they are saying,

but this is very much an open public forum and I think people

need to remember that, need to be sort of reminded of that.

What is your reaction to what this town councillor has done?

I think it's one of those classic social media gaffes,

if you can call this a gaffe, because, as I say, it is fairly

I think it just underlines the importance of being aware

of the consequences of what you are saying

I always call it the dinner party rule.

It's easy to forget that this is very much a public statement.

If you wouldn't say it in public, don't say it on social media.

If you like a racist comment, then the rest of us can presumably

make an assumption that that person is racist, even

At the very least, that's the position you put yourself in.

If you like or retweet something, there are subtleties and etiquette,

but it is almost always going to be taken as endorsement.

It's as good as saying, if you like, it's as good as saying it.

It can and will be taken as an endorsement.

It's a difficult one to get out of, certainly.

If you could give one tip on using Twitter, it would be what?

As I say, this is a public forum, if you wouldn't say it to somebody

sitting next to you on the bus, don't say it on Twitter.

Yes, that is a bit of sleet and snow you're seeing behind me

because things are going to turn a bit unsettled overnight.

This band of rain makes its way across from the West,

turning to sleet or snow, some of this falling to lower levels

A blustery night, lows of 2 or 3 Celsius.

Behind this band of rain, we could see some ice tomorrow morning.

Then that clears to the South and, as you can see, things

We're going to some sunshine, or at least some bright spells,

temperatures getting to 8 or 9 Celsius.

Still a bit breezy, though, tomorrow.

So we see some rain, then, on Friday, into Saturday.

Quite unsettled on Saturday, brighter Sunday.

outlook. A whole load of 11 is. What does that mean? Maybe John Hammond

will tell you.