BBC Local Live: York and North Yorkshire

A free scheme to allow children to borrow bikes set up in the aftermath of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, opens eight new venues - including two in North Yorkshire.

PACopyright: PA

The new bike libraries are to open around Yorkshire bringing the total in the county to 31.

The project collects unwanted bikes, repairs them and makes them available for free but they must be returned.

Looks like police officers had a lucky escape in the Tang Hall area of York last night when they were involved in a collision with a silver Astra.

It was later found abandoned in a car park at Foss Islands Road and three people were arrested shortly after. 

More now on a new plan to help some of North Yorkshire's market towns as they compete against online shopping and out-of-town centres. 

Hambleton District Council may take on two extra staff to work on ideas to improve the economic success of places like Thirsk, Northallerton and Easingwold.

Here are a few ideas from people I spoke to in Thirsk, on how market towns can draw shoppers to them:

This afternoon will be very warm with plenty of sunshine, although one or two thundery downpours are possible later.

The maximum temperature inland will be about 26C (79F) with aight and variable wind.  

BBCCopyright: BBC

The latest headlines from our York newsroom include:

• The chairman of North Yorkshire County Council's Scrutiny of Health Committee says bed-blocking is a problem in North Yorkshire
• The father of missing Claudia Lawrence has sung with a choir on live TV today, to help raise awareness of other missing people

• Ideas on how to draw shoppers to market towns are being discussed by Hambleton District Council

Vernon Road in Scarborough is currently closed in both directions between The Crescent junction and the Ramshill Road junction due to bridge damage.

Reporter Phil Bodmer's out and about in York today. 

Find out more about what he's been up to at King's Manor on BBC Look North this evening from 18:30 on BBC One:

Claudia Lawrence's father has sung in a choir on the BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow this morning to help raise awareness of missing people. 

Claudia vanished in York in 2009 and hasn't been seen since. Police believe she was murdered. 

Peter Lawrence (pictured bottom left) is part of the Missing People's Choir.

People are being asked to "chronicle the nation's missing history" by sharing details of key sites, including Ingleborough hill fort in the Yorkshire Dales. 

Historic England want us to help them "unlock its secrets" by getting your theories on its origins.

Here is an image of how it may have appeared in the Iron Age.

Historic EnglandCopyright: Historic England

Quote Message: We want people and community groups across England to share their knowledge and pictures, so we can record important facts about places." from Historic England

We want people and community groups across England to share their knowledge and pictures, so we can record important facts about places."

If you're interested in learning more about this project, you can get more details by clicking here.

There are a big few days coming up for Northallerton's Nicola Wilson as she has one final chance to impress the Team GB selectors before they decide who should make the trip to Rio for the Olympics.

Nicola's taking part in the Bramham International Horse Trials which start on Thursday. 

I've been out this morning to the yard of top trainers Heidi and Ian Woodhead near Sheriff Hutton to find out what it takes to get ready for an event like Bramham:    

I never realised they were those sort of trials - but just because this horse is behind bars, doesn't necessarily mean this horse is guilty, does it?

Today marks the start of York's Festival of Ideas, with more than 190 events going on for the next 10 days. 

You can go to a talk on anything from why we worry, to what the mountains would sound like ...if you could hear them.

Joan Concannon is the festival director, and I gave her 40 seconds to tell me everything there is to know about it. What a good idea!

Drugs experts from all over the country are meeting in York today (pictured) to discuss a big rise in cannabis users needing treatment for mental health issues.

BBCCopyright: BBC

They say the number of users being treated for things like anger and depression has gone up by 67% over the last decade.  

Quote Message: Things like agitation, poor impulse control, problems with relationships -those aren't the things you would normally associate with a drug people think of as relaxing you." from Ian Hamilton Mental Health lecturer, University of York

Things like agitation, poor impulse control, problems with relationships -those aren't the things you would normally associate with a drug people think of as relaxing you."

Today's your last chance to register to vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the EU which takes place on 23 June - with midnight tonight as the deadline for registering.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

If you're interested in finding out more about the issues involved in the referendum, BBC Radio York's holding a special EU debate on the evening of Monday 20 June at the Yorkshire Farming Museum at Murton and we'd like you to be part of the audience. 

The live debate will be hosted by Len Tingle, BBC Yorkshire's Political Editor, and starts at 19:00. We will record and film the event for broadcast on BBC Radio York and social media.

You can click here to fill in a form to submit your interest in attending, and if you're successful you'll be notified via email at least 24 hours before the debate. 

The closing date for applying for tickets is Sunday 19 June.

The top stories from our York newsroom so far this morning include:

• There's a new plan to help some of North Yorkshire's market towns as they compete against online shopping and out-of-town centres
• Drugs experts meeting in North Yorkshire say there's been a dramatic increase in the number of cannabis users needing help for things like anger and depression
• Claudia Lawrence's father will sing in a choir on live TV this morning to help raise awareness of missing people

Look at this great picture tweeted last night by British International Space Station astronaut Tim Peake.

Is it me, or have the clouds parted to show the North Yorkshire coastline?

Yorkshire Air Ambulance are due to unveil the first of two new state-of-the-art helicopters later today.

It's claimed the latest generation Airbus H145s will give paramedics a more modern medical environment to treat and transport often critically-injured patients. 

Here's Paul Gowland, Yorkshire Air Ambulance's head of fundraising:

It is set to be a "very poor" year for hen harriers, with only a handful of nest attempts so far, the RSPB has said.

The "persecuted" birds are the focus of a government plan to increase their numbers across moorlands in England.

RSPBCopyright: RSPB

The charity said "human interference" could be a factor for the lack of nests and cited a recent incident involving an armed man in the Peak District.

Meanwhile, in May, a man was caught on camera setting illegal pole traps on the Mossdale estate, near Hawes, North Yorkshire.  

Raptor Persecution UK, a conservation group, said the plan was not working and the RSPB should withdraw support.