:00:07. > :00:11.The new Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police says
:00:12. > :00:13.he will assign more officers to tackle hare coursers and the
:00:14. > :00:18.Bill Skelly has promised to "do more" to police
:00:19. > :00:23.the problems after meeting farmers and landowners.
:00:24. > :00:26.People in some parts of the county say they've been threatened
:00:27. > :00:28.and intimidated by criminal gangs who travel to the area
:00:29. > :00:34.This report by our rural affairs correspondent, Linsey Smith,
:00:35. > :00:38.features pictures some may find upsetting.
:00:39. > :00:41.The sheer number who turned up for a meeting at a Boston hotel
:00:42. > :00:48.Many of these people are angry - angry at what they say is a woeful
:00:49. > :00:56.Their problems often come from hare coursers,
:00:57. > :00:59.people who illegally hunt hares with dogs and cause havoc
:01:00. > :01:07.Especially if residents challenge them about the damage they cause.
:01:08. > :01:10.I've been threatened personally to be killed,
:01:11. > :01:12.my family killed, property destroyed, burnt down.
:01:13. > :01:19.The meeting today was a chance to air concerns
:01:20. > :01:21.to Lincolnshire Police's new Chief Constable.
:01:22. > :01:24.I have committed to putting extra people into this arena
:01:25. > :01:31.There's no doubt that in the recent past, the issue has changed.
:01:32. > :01:34.We're seeing more people involved, we're seeing a higher level
:01:35. > :01:38.of organisation and the harm and the threat is increasing.
:01:39. > :01:40.So I feel that definitely Lincolnshire Police will be doing
:01:41. > :01:45.more than it does currently in order to address these issues.
:01:46. > :01:48.That's welcome news, particularly as before today,
:01:49. > :01:50.residents of Spalding felt their only option was to police
:01:51. > :01:57.They use a mobile phone app to warn each other of gangs
:01:58. > :02:03.I think he'll certainly look at the issue and see what can be
:02:04. > :02:06.done to actually improve the standard of living for all of us
:02:07. > :02:09.who suffer from these gangs on a daily basis.
:02:10. > :02:12.We put our point across very strongly.
:02:13. > :02:19.I'm afraid we've heard most of what we've heard before.
:02:20. > :02:21.The police are certainly on notice now.
:02:22. > :02:25.The change from last year, you've now got multiple groups
:02:26. > :02:27.of vehicles, in ten, 15, 20 vehicles, sometimes
:02:28. > :02:35.You've got 20 watching and ten or 20 hare coursing.
:02:36. > :02:39.There's huge amounts of money involved here.
:02:40. > :02:42.The Chief Constable said they'll never eradicate hare
:02:43. > :02:45.coursing from Lincolnshire, but that he'll meet residents again
:02:46. > :02:49.in three months' time to go through a more detailed plan of how
:02:50. > :02:58.they can bring it down to more acceptable levels.
:02:59. > :03:01.Lincolnshire Police say the driver of a car who was in a crash
:03:02. > :03:05.with an ambulance four weeks ago has died.
:03:06. > :03:07.Five people were injured in the incident at Waddington
:03:08. > :03:10.in January, when the ambulance was responding to an emergency call.
:03:11. > :03:12.Police say the driver who died wasn't taken
:03:13. > :03:14.to hospital at the time, but was admitted to
:03:15. > :03:18.A post-mortem examination will to try determine
:03:19. > :03:23.whether the death is linked to the collision.
:03:24. > :03:25.The train company TransPennine Express is to run a later train
:03:26. > :03:29.It's hoped the 10.30pm service to Brough, Selby,
:03:30. > :03:31.Leeds and Manchester will allow people to stay longer
:03:32. > :03:33.in the city at night, especially during City
:03:34. > :03:39.Almost 100 jobs are at risk following the announcement that
:03:40. > :03:44.a Lincolnshire company is to close two of its department stores.
:03:45. > :03:47.The Oldrids and Downton shops in Lincoln and Gainsborough
:03:48. > :03:50.are expected to shut over the next 12 months because of difficult
:03:51. > :03:56.A public vote to do away with several Lincolnshire councils
:03:57. > :03:59.and replace them with a single one has been postponed.
:04:00. > :04:02.The county council leader, Martin Hill, had proposed
:04:03. > :04:06.a referendum on the same day as local elections in May,
:04:07. > :04:08.asking the public if they wanted local government to be
:04:09. > :04:13.But that's been derailed by opposition from some
:04:14. > :04:19.Our political editor, Tim Iredale, reports.
:04:20. > :04:21.Barely a day goes by without councils complaining
:04:22. > :04:26.they don t have enough money to provide local services.
:04:27. > :04:28.So Lincolnshire's county council leader came up
:04:29. > :04:32.with a proposal he claimed would save ?30 million a year.
:04:33. > :04:36.To scrap his council authority and seven districts and replace them
:04:37. > :04:39.with a unitary authority covering the whole of Lincolnshire.
:04:40. > :04:43.I believe we don't need county councils and district councils,
:04:44. > :04:46.just one or two or maybe three so the public can have
:04:47. > :04:52.It's an idea that's divided council tax payers.
:04:53. > :04:56.You need one person to go and see rather than different districts,
:04:57. > :04:58.you don't know where to go for each subject.
:04:59. > :05:06.Having one in Lincoln, we're living in Bourne.
:05:07. > :05:09.They have no idea what's going on in Bourne or any other town
:05:10. > :05:11.that's in Limcolnshire, I wouldn't have thought.
:05:12. > :05:14.The merger proposal was opposed by some of Lincolnshire's
:05:15. > :05:17.District Council leaders, who sought legal advice.
:05:18. > :05:21.The legal opinion is quite unequivocal that you cannot run
:05:22. > :05:27.a referendum integrated with a local council election.
:05:28. > :05:30.I am afraid it is typical of the county to take a rather
:05:31. > :05:35.arrogant and incompetent approach to things, I'm afraid to say.
:05:36. > :05:37.They didn't bother to consult the district councils, they didn't
:05:38. > :05:44.The county council leader denies the accusation,
:05:45. > :05:47.but says a May referendum on his proposals has been scrapped.
:05:48. > :05:55.We are still going to do a consultation in September,
:05:56. > :05:58.October time but not a U-turn, more of a chicane.
:05:59. > :06:01.There have been a few obstacles put in the way -
:06:02. > :06:03.we're just going to go around those and consult the public.
:06:04. > :06:05.So although there won't be a formal referendum,
:06:06. > :06:08.the people of Lincolnshire will be asked their views on whether they
:06:09. > :06:12.want a unitary authority as part of a consultation process.
:06:13. > :06:22.It's clear this matter is not off the political agenda here.
:06:23. > :06:25.Now let's get the weather with Keeley.
:06:26. > :06:30.It won't be cold, but it will at times be quite cloudy
:06:31. > :06:33.and the cloud will come and go overnight tonight, producing a few
:06:34. > :06:38.A frost-free night to come as well with temperatures falling back
:06:39. > :06:44.We might get off on quite a cloudy note, a grey start
:06:45. > :06:47.Even though we'll keep quite a lot of cloud,
:06:48. > :06:51.There could be the odd shower, but I think for most
:06:52. > :06:54.places it will be a dry, bright if not fairly cloudy day
:06:55. > :06:57.to come with temperatures getting up to around ten or 11 Celsius.
:06:58. > :07:00.And then there will be some rain tomorrow evening and we'll start
:07:01. > :07:03.Sunday on a bit of a damp note, but becoming drier and brighter
:07:04. > :07:07.So a lot of dry weather to come through the weekend.
:07:08. > :07:09.Mild - and exceptionally mild - potentially temperatures a few
:07:10. > :07:24.That's about it from me and the late team. We'll have a bulletin tomorrow
:07:25. > :07:31.evening at 5:20pm. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine.
:07:32. > :07:34.part of next week, we could see 16 Celsius in a few spots. Here is knit
:07:35. > :07:50.with the National output. We have turned things around in the
:07:51. > :07:56.space of a week, with a more springlike feel out there. Some
:07:57. > :08:03.places may get as high as 17 Celsius on Monday. That is the exception,
:08:04. > :08:06.and most of us won't see that. Plenty of cloud throughout this
:08:07. > :08:10.weekend. It is already producing some outbreaks of rain in western
:08:11. > :08:16.and northern parts overnight will stop not amounting to too much,
:08:17. > :08:24.affecting western Scotland later in the night. Early rain in Northern
:08:25. > :08:26.Ireland looks to pull away quite quickly in the morning, spreading
:08:27. > :08:27.south through