| It's a report eight months in the making - and last night an independent review of the scenes outside last May's chaotic Champions League final in Paris saw Liverpool football fans completely vindicated. The report commissioned by UEFA said the European governing body bears "primary responsibility for failures" which almost led to the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid becoming a "mass fatality catastrophe". UEFA commissioned a team led by Portuguese Dr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues to look into events and, after publication was delayed from the end of November, the report was published last night but only after being leaked earlier in the day. Liverpool had criticised the leaking of the report, on the evening of their 242nd Merseyside derby at home to Everton, as they believe the thousands of supporters affected by incidents on the night deserved the right to view the findings in an official capacity. But the dossier made damning reading for UEFA and the French authorities – while completely exonerating the behaviour of Liverpool fans for whom UEFA's blame for arriving late and delaying kick-off was "manifestly inaccurate" and French officials claimed had thousands of forged tickets. It added: "It is remarkable that no one lost their life." "UEFA's report vindicates what I and other fans have been saying all along: that is, it was the fans who averted a disaster and were clearly not to blame, whilst the organisers – UEFA and the French authorities – were really responsible," said Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram. 
Closer to home on Merseyside, political leaders have been urged to "take a clear stand" and condemn violence against asylum seekers as charities warned of a high risk that disorder seen at the weekend in Knowsley could be repeated across the country. A number of organisations have signed an open letter following "horrifying" scenes outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley housing asylum seekers on Friday, which saw fireworks thrown at police and a police van attacked with hammers and set alight. The letter, co-ordinated by coalition campaign Together With Refugees, criticised "inflammatory language" and policies that "demonise" people seeking refuge, and warned of a "high risk of more premeditated extremist attacks around the country" following the violence.
The Lancashire borough with the country's most over-worked GPs Across the North an ever-worsening GP shortage "is having a terrible human cost, as people face delayed or missed diagnoses and A&Es fill up with desperate patients looking for treatment". That was the warning from Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokeswoman Daisy Cooper as new figures from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the party, showed GPs are having to deal with more patients while their own numbers dwindle.  Graphic by Marianna Longo
And seemingly worst-hit is Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire, which in 2016 had 74 full-time GPs with 173,403 registered patients. In 2022, the number of GPs had fallen to 63, with patient numbers rising to 182,406. This means the area now has 2,915 registered patients per fully qualified GP, more than anywhere else in the country, up from 2,332 per GP in 2016. In Hull the figure was 2,805 patients per doctor and 2,805 per practitioner in Oldham. But at the other end of the scale the figure per GP in Liverpool was 1,777. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said the research "shows yet again how GPs and our teams are working above and beyond to deliver care to an ever-growing patient population, with falling numbers of fully qualified, full-time equivalent GPs". A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the number of doctors in general practice "has risen by almost 500 in 2022 compared to 2021 which is more than 2,000 higher than before the pandemic in December 2019". They added: "There were over 90,000 more GP appointments every day in 2022 compared to 2021."
Offensive phone calls to local politicians about missing mum Nicola Bulley  Police officers walk towards a missing person appeal poster for Nicola Bulley on a bridge over the River Wyre
The search for missing Lancashire mother-of-two Nicola Bulley has had the nation on tenterhooks for days. But as searches continue to find Nicola and emotions run high, one local councillor has revealed they received a late night "offensive" voicemail about the missing 45-year-old. As LancsLive reports, it has been claimed that five of the six members of Inskip with Sowerby Parish Council received nuisance phone calls - though all but one simply rang off as they answered. According to the Mirror, the flurry of "mystery phone calls" came between 12.45am and 3am on Saturday, according to a source close to the council. Referencing the voicemail, the insider said: "The police have got a copy of that call." Describing the content of the message, they added: "Offensive, I wouldn't say it was abusive, I would say it was offensive." The source said that Nicola was mentioned, but would not provide any detail about what was said. "I believe the police have identified the offender," they continued, describing them as "just some nutter". Asked if the councillor who received the call was left shaken, they said: "No, we're not soft." Due to the calls, the council has made the decision to take down all members' phone numbers from the website. Michael Vincent, Leader of Wyre Council said: "We appreciate the emotional gravity of the situation. However we will not tolerate any form of abuse of any of our Elected Members of Wyre Borough Council or any of the town and parish councils within our borders or our staff."
Mayor wants 'rebel alliance' to take on oil and gas giants  North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll
A windfall tax that allows fossil fuel companies to generate record profits while the public suffer from an energy price crisis is clearly "not doing its job", North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll claimed today. Speaking this morning at the Challenge North Tyne – Accelerator launch Mr Driscoll - who hopes to be the first elected North East mayor - said the scheme was not fit for purpose and oil and gas giants were taking advantage of "loopholes large enough to sail an oil tanker through". The Labour mayor called on small and medium sized businesses in attendance to help form a 'Rebel Alliance', to "take on" the mega corporations "sucking the life out of the planet like an all-consuming death star". He warned that "without faster action much of the North East coast will be under attack from rising sea levels". When asked for examples of what this action might look like, he pointed to the North of Tyne Combined Authority's 'Green New Deal' fund, which provides financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises and the public sector to reduce carbon emissions, create green jobs and develop skills in the region.
Councillor cuts padlock off children's play area - and police turn up Someone in the Shieldfield area of Newcastle clearly doesn't like the sound of children playing - as a city councillor says the police were called on him when he removed an "unofficial" padlock barring access to a local play area. Gareth Kane was furious after Shieldfield's Multi-Use Game Area was improperly padlocked on both sides, meaning no-one could enter, for more than a week. The padlock - which did not resemble one of Newcastle council's - had also been glued and the keys were later found inside the park itself. 
The Lib Dem councillor representing Ouseburn ward described how he went down the site and sawed off the chain, as Local Democracy Reporter Austen Shakespeare writes. But in a tweet 'liked' more than 1,000 times, the councillor wrote: "Well, this escalated. I got fed up and went and sawed through the chain (with a bit of help from a passerby) and 'somebody' called the police on us. Police turned up with blue lights flashing as they had been told that someone was breaking into a building." According to Northumbria Police: "Officers attended the area and were satisfied that no criminal activity had taken place." Cllr Kane also stated the police were "very understanding" but he was still furious the play park had been interfered with. "The facility was put in to encourage kids to do something active and to do it safely, and it gets put out of action for eight or nine days," he said. "We did sometimes get complaints about older youths playing there at night but residents say that hasn't happened in a long time, and that is not a reason to close the facility."
Romance scammers leave victims broken-hearted - and £47m worse off  Police are urging people to beware of romance scams ahead of Valentine's Day
Here's a cheery fact for you on Valentine's Day - romance scammers have conned £47 million from people in the North over the last four years. A total of 5,343 people fell victim to romance scams in our area between the start of 2019 and the end of 2022, according to new figures uncovered by the (extremely busy) Liberal Democrats. The figures were revealed through a Freedom of Information request to Action Fraud, covering romance fraud cases reported to local police forces. Romance scams involve people being duped into sending money to criminals who convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. The figures show that romance fraud is on the rise, with the number of cases reported to police forces across the North increasing from 1,052 in 2019 to 1,548 in 2022. The amount lost to the fraud, meanwhile, has gone from £7.9 million in 2019 to £14.5 million last year. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a tougher plan to tackle online fraud. Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: "Cruel romance scammers are leaving far too many people with broken hearts and broken bank balances this Valentine's Day." 
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Northern Stories  Lunds Church in the Upper Dales. Photo: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
- A conservation charity has backed a proposal for a major project to restore a small, crumbling and isolated church in the Yorkshire Dales which featured in an acclaimed 2011 Wuthering Heights movie. The Friends of the Dales has urged the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to support proposals to secure the future of Lunds Church, where a chapel is believed to have served the farming community at the head of Wensleydale since at least the early 17th century. In a letter to the authority, a spokesman for the charity stated those who could recall the church from more than 50 years ago, before its deconsecration, had been "saddened by its deterioration".
- Rochdale council bosses say they could take action over an 'eyesore' recycling site they say is blighting a village. Globaltyre has been operating from a former car dealership, in Castleton since last year, processing old tyres which are sent overseas for use in road surfacing and other purposes. The council's enforcement team is investigating a potential breach of planning control following complaints from residents and ward councillors – and will 'determine the appropriate course of action going forward'. Castleton councillor Billy Sheerin says that the plot's appearance is having a negative impact on the area.
- A second protest against Sheffield's Clean Air Zone has been called by campaigners. Facebook-based group 'Campaign against chargeable clean air zone Sheffield' has announced the protest, which will take place at midday on Saturday, February 25. The group now has 5,900 members. The Clean Air Zone being introduced by Sheffield council will come into force the following Monday. Some heavy and light goods vehicles, vans, buses, coaches and taxis that drive within the inner ring road and city centre will be charged if the vehicle does not meet emissions standards. Charges for bigger vehicles are £50 a day and smaller vans and taxis will be charged £10 a day.
- Cash-only pay and display parking machines across Tameside in Greater Manchester are to be upgraded to allow people to pay by card and contactless. Members of the executive cabinet have agreed to spend £71,450 to upgrade 27 machines at council-owned car parks in the borough in a bid to make them more attractive for visitors and shoppers. Tameside is the only borough in Greater Manchester where parking machines currently only accept cash. A pilot of a parking app which was introduced in Ashton-under-Lyne in 2018 was scrapped less than a year later after businesses claimed it had caused the worst drop in town centre trade 'since the financial crash'.
- Animals including Pygmy Goats and Cameroon Sheep are set to be housed in three new themed paddocks at Sewerby Hall's zoo after East Yorkshire councillors gave plans the green light. East Riding Council's Eastern Area Planning Sub-Committee approved plans to create the African Farm, South American Plains and Shetland Isles themed paddocks in the grounds of the site's zoo. Plans from the council-owned attraction stated the new paddocks would attract more visitors and help improve animal welfare as existing spaces get waterlogged and harbour parasites harming animals' health.
- Council chiefs hope an increased number of trains will soon be coming through Hartlepool railway station as part of a £12m upgrade to reinstate a disused platform. The station is being given an overhaul after the funding was provided by Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen to improve the site. The project will see a recommissioned second platform brought back into use, with a new northern entrance and pedestrian rail bridge provided. At a meeting, Labour councillor Brenda Harrison praised the town's "rail heritage" and asked if the second platform will give "robustness to the rail industry in Hartlepool".
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