FOOTBALL fans have been warned that disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated at Saturday's South Yorkshire derby clash.

Barnsley and Sheffield United face off at Oakwell in an important match as both look to secure a play-off place in League One.

With an earlier kick-off time at 12.15pm, fans have been told to expect to see a "significant police presence" in Barnsley town centre.

Any anti-social behaviour, drunk and disorderly conduct or violent disorder will be policed swiftly and robustly, according to match commander Chief Superintendent David Hartley.

More than 18,000 supporters are expected to attend the game on Saturday, with around 5,000 Sheffield United fans predicted to begin arriving in Barnsley from early that morning.

They're advised that the Metrodome complex in Queen’s Road will be the only facility providing alcoholic refreshments for the away fans.

Barriers will also be in place around the ground on the day to ensure the safety of everyone attending the match.

Chief Superintendent Hartley said: “We're well aware that tensions are running high between the two groups of fans and that this is a hotly anticipated local derby.

“We will not let the minority among the fans, who might have thoughts about spoiling the event, ruin what promises to be an exciting match for everyone else.

“Our aim is to provide a high visibility police presence in and around the ground to ensure the wider community are able to go about their daily business with as little disruption as possible.

“Disorder of any kind will not be tolerated at this weekend’s fixture. If you are caught engaging in anti-social behaviour or other criminality, you will be dealt with robustly and are likely to face arrest.”

A MAN who police were trying to identify as part of their investigation into a reported serious sexual assault in Barnsley has made contact with officers.

He attended voluntarily at a police station and is assisting police with the investigation.

Enquiries continue.

MORE than 4,000 visitors are expected at Elsecar Heritage Centre on Monday for an annual car show.

It's the 17th annual Mega Meet show and about 250 show cars are due to attend.

There will be face painting, craft stalls, the Elsecar Heritage Railway and the indoor play centre to keep every family member happier. Traders and suppliers of rare parts will also be available.

The South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership will be attending the event to advise drivers on safety.

It runs from 9am to 4pm.

A STRUGGLING Athersley school deemed to be failing by Ofsted less than a year ago is making 'reasonable progress' towards being taken out of special measures.

Richard Newman Primary, on Laithes Lane, was put into the education watchdog's lowest category last May.

They said it needed to improve its teaching, pupils' behaviour and rapidly improve the impact of leadership and management.

In last week's report, the second 'monitoring inspection' since it was put into special measures, inspector Helen Lane said the school is making 'reasonable progress' towards the removal of special measures.

"The executive headteacher and the headteacher continue to provide exemplary leadership," Ms Lane added.

A HORSE owner has urged people to be vigilant - after her beloved pet was fatally stabbed.

Michelle Steeples, from Hoyland, kept seven-year-old Tilly in fields near Broad Carr Road since she bought the mare in December.

But on Sunday morning a passing dog walker found Tilly in a pool of blood, before news eventually reached a "gutted" Michelle. Sadly, the horse didn't survive the attack and had to be put down.

A Facebook post by Michelle on Yorkshire Horse Watch has gone viral, with over 7,000 people sharing the incident.

Now, a £1,000 reward has been pledged to anyone who can shed any light on the incident.

"As she stood eating her hay someone viciously attacked her and left Tilly there to die," Michelle said. "The RSPCA and vet confirmed that this was not a tragic accident but a deliberate act. Sadly her injury was so severe she had to be put to sleep.

"The person responsible needs to be caught before they harm anyone else. Someone out there knows something and we need them to come forward.

"We're absolutely devastated and we need to find who's responsible."

Contact police on incident number 190 of March 29, 2015 if you have any information.

POLICE in Barnsley are appealing for witnesses to a serious collision.

At 6.15am on Tuesday, police received reports that a motorbike had been involved in a collision with a van on Hough Lane, Wombwell.

Officers believe that the collision occurred at the road's junction with Hemingfield Road.

The motorcycle rider, a 20-year-old Barnsley man, was taken to hospital with suspected serious leg injuries.

The van driver was uninjured during the incident.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 142 of March 31.

A WAR hero from Barnsley has passed away at the age of 91.

Ken Burkinshaw, who lived in Hoyland, served aboard HMS Sheffield when he was only 16 and completed nine trips to Russia in -40ºC conditions to deliver supplies to allies.

More than 3,000 men died during the Arctic visits and Ken was awarded by both British and Russian governments in his later life, receiving the Arctic Star and Ushakov medals.

A BARNSLEY Porsche specialist scored an emphatic result in a historic race at Goodwood last weekend.

Redbrook-based EB Motorsport took second place in the John Aldington Trophy, a race for pre-1967 911s, at the 73rd famed Members' Meeting.

Following an exciting 20-minute race on the 22-strong grid, former BTCC champion Andrew Jordan came home first overall, with EB's Mark Bates just 12 seconds behind.

He said: "With a short practice, short race and so much racing experience on the grid, I wasn’t sure where we’d end up.

"Our 1965 race car has gone well in endurance events for FIA cars, like the Spa Six Hours, but this was a sprint race and our first time at Goodwood.

"Andrew Jordan is a touring car champion and incredibly fast, so we're not disappointed to be best of the rest.

"The car has a fresh Tuthill Porsche 2.0-litre engine and an all-new exhaust we’ve developed in-house, so it was good to test the package in racing conditions, against experienced drivers in similar cars."

FORMER X Factor winner Shayne Ward will be performing in Barnsley on April 25.

The 30-year-old, who rose to fame as the winner of the second series of the popular TV programme, has released four albums.

He will be performing his best-known songs on April 25 at the Walkabout, before taking part in a meet and greet.

A PRE-SCHOOL deemed inadequate just six months ago has made a remarkable turnaround, according to Ofsted.

Barugh Green Pre-School's new 'good' rating signals a huge turnaround following a visit by Ofsted last month after it was found to be inadequate last September.

The latest report said the pre-school, on Barugh Green Road, is good at meeting the needs of its children and contributing to their wellbeing. It also has good leadership and management.

"Children are able to make choices about about their activities," the report states. "In addition, they are encouraged to put on their own coats and shoes, pour their own drinks and help themselves to snack.

"Children are effectively safeguarded because robust systems are in place to ensure all staff have a secure knowledge and understanding of child protection procedures, so they can act appropriately to safeguard children."

BARNSLEY children will be hit by a rise in their bus fares as the council continues its plan to phase out the Mi Card scheme.

Users' bus fares increase from 40p to 50p from May 24. It follows a 10p increase last year, and likely similar increases in the coming years.

Council leader Sir Steve Houghton said: "It's not something we want to do, but given the financial position the council is facing it's unavoidable."

The latest increase will save the council £200,000 a year as part of its ongoing budget cuts. 

A SUNDAY league footballer who claimed he was 'severely disabled' is set to be sentenced - after he wrongly claimed £15,000 in benefits.

Raymond Billham racked up almost 100 appearances during a five-year period for his local pub's football team.

He was a box-to-box midfielder who, during the 90 minutes of a match, would run several miles, winning many crunching tackles, even scoring the odd goal.

But according to his claim for incapacity benefits, the 38-year-old was severely disabled, virtually unable to walk more than a few metres unaided.

He claimed he needed crutches and other aids to get about because of problems with his knees and back.

Unknown to him though, fraud investigators covertly filmed his football performances following an anonymous tip-off.

Billam, of Primrose Close, Bolton-on-Dearne, appeared in court where it was claimed he had pocketed £15,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled as a result of his fraudulent behaviour.

District Judge John Foster warned Billam he could be facing extra time - in prison.

He said: "The nature of the deception and the amount of money falsely claimed means I do not rule out jail or sending you to Sheffield Crown Court for a stiffer sentence than can be imposed here."

He will be sentenced on April 9 and was granted unconditional bail.

A WEATHER warning for strong gales has been issued for Barnsley.

Gusts of between 40 and 50mph are expected to batter South Yorkshire, prompting the Met Office to issue a yellow warning.

A spokesperson said: "The wind will become northwesterly by Tuesday morning. Although it will ease for a time, it will become very gusty through the day.

"The public should be aware of the risk of localised damage from these winds and for minor disruption to travel."

A GOLDTHORPE road was closed after a man threatened to injure himself.

Police were called to the Jobcentre building on High Street at 4.15pm on March 27.

Officers attended and spoke to the man, with negotiators also in attendance.

A police spokesperson said: "There were other members of staff in the shop but no threats were made to them.

"The road was closed to traffic and pedestrians between the junctions of Lesley Road and Barnburgh Lane.

"The incident was resolved and the man was arrested for a public order offence. He was not injured."

HUNDREDS of people turned out to pay their respects to a Barnsley soldier who died fighting the Islamic State in Syria.

Kosta Erik Scurfield, 25, became the first British national to lose his life fighting extremists in the war-torn country on March 2.

His funeral was held on March 26 at a Greek Orthadox church in Nottingham, where it's believed he has extended family.

Prior to his death, he recorded video footage of himself - dressed in army fatigues - in which he said: "My name is Konstandinos Erik Scurfield. I came here on my own free will and I came here to help."

His coffin was draped with a Kurdish flag and mourners clutched posters bearing his face and the word 'hero'.

THE Reds' unbeaten run extended to nine games after a 2-2 draw at table-topping Bristol City.

Despite the draw being their third in as many matches, Lee Johnson's side remain in seventh place, level on points with both Rochdale and Peterborough.

The runaway league leaders got off to a great start when Marlon Pack's penalty put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot with 13 minutes on the clock.

But Jabo Ibehre ensured Barnsley were level at half time with a well-taken finish, before the Reds took the lead eight minutes after the restart through Josh Scowen.

That goal looked to have earned the Reds a significant three points, but Joe Bryan equalised for City six minutes from time.

Johnson said: "It's always disappointing to lose a lead so I wouldn't say I'm fully content, but to come to the league leaders and come out with a point…

"We might be seventh but we're still unbeaten in nine and don't forget where we were a few weeks ago."

Next up for Barnsley is a South Yorkshire derby against fifth-placed Sheffield United, who sit five points above the Reds in the play-off race.

PARENTS were warned not to keep their children at home after travellers moved near a Barnsley school's entrance.

A group of travellers moved onto a council car park, near the entrance to Netherwood ALC on Dove Valley Way, at the end of last week but departed at the weekend.

A letter from principal Toby Eastaugh read: "The presence of travellers near to any school is not a reason to keep your child at home and we will mark such absences as unauthorised."

The letter also stated that additional staff had been allocated to supervise students on their way out of the drive at the beginning and end of the day.

TONNES of rubbish and a truckload of tyres were collected as part of a clampdown on litter in Barnsley.

The Forestry Commission, Barnsley Council and BBC Radio Sheffield ran a litter pick based from the Woodhead Lane car park in Wombwell last weekend.

Presenter Toby Foster, alongside his Radio Sheffield breakfast team, recruited volunteers and broadcasted live from the event.

He said: "We've been talking about fly-tipping on the show and the phones have just been melting from the response of listeners. There is a lot of anger about the people who litter our countryside.

"The Forestry Commission and Barnsley Council were very supportive in providing equipment and vans to to take the litter away, but the biggest thanks goes to our amazing listeners who turned up and got their hands dirty."

EASTGATE is the first street to be completed in a scheme which will see a number of Barnsley town centre streets refurbished.

The works - taking place thanks to a significant funding contribution from the European Regional Development Fund - began at the end of June last year, with North Midland Construction PLC carrying out the improvements.

It includes paving in natural Yorkstone with granite kerbs, new street lighting and street furniture. Roads will also be resurfaced with improved crossing facilities provided.

Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for place, said: "This completion of the first street in the scheme marks months of hard work which will see great improvements to the way the town centre looks."

THE elderly woman who died following a collision in Barnsley has been named.

Ruth Elizabeth Cocker, 85, from Birdwell, was travelling in a grey Ford Mondeo when it was in collision with a wall on Sheffield Road, Hoyland Common, at 11pm on Wednesday.

She was taken to hospital where she sadly passed away.

An 82-year-old woman, a 77-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Officers would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 1057 of March 25.

A BARNSLEY woman took almost £30,000 from her dementia-suffering brother-in-law.

Susan Jayne Heppenstall, 55, was a carer for the victim, Jack Heppenstall, and spent the money on things like paying off doorstep loans, said Chantel Lowery-Green, prosecuting.

Heppenstall, of Grove Street, was responsible for managing her brother-in-law's finances.

Jack Danaher, defending at Barnsley Magistrates' Court, said it was hard to find out how much of the £29,775 Heppenstall took for herself.

He said some of the money had been spent on her brother-in-law.

District Judge John Foster added: "I think you should understand the seriousness of the offence you have committed. A prison sentence is a real possibility."

Heppenstall admitted fraud by abuse of position and will be sentenced on April 2.

A BARNSLEY MP has vowed to continue his fight against legal high use in the town.

After working closely with the council, the police, councillors and Trading Standards to force the closure of the original shop, Dan Jarvis again raised the issue with ministers in Parliament to call for an urgent blanket ban.

It followed a meeting he held last week with his constituency's residents to hear about the devastating impact the dangerous substances are having on their community.

He said: "Why should residents put up with intimidating gangs congregating outside their homes at all times of day? Why should they feel too afraid to wait at the bus stop or walk to the shops?

"The residents want to be able to hold community events, to celebrate their area, but at the moment their lives are blighted by legal highs.

"I'm more determined than ever to eradicate this problem from our town. This week I again called for an urgent blanket ban but regrettably ministers could only confirm that the government has failed to deliver on this before the General Election."

A BUS operator is giving away a week's free travel to mark a company milestone.

Stagecoach is running the competition on Wednesday to celebrate the first birthday of its Twitter account.

Followers can win the prize by retweeting posts including the hashtag #SCYrksBirthday.

A winner will be picked at random.

POLICE in Barnsley have appealed for witnesses after an 85-year-old woman died in a collision.

At 11pm on Wednesday, officers received reports that a grey Ford Mondeo had been involved in a collision with a wall on Sheffield Road, Hoyland Common.

The 85-year-old woman was taken to hospital where she sadly passed away.

An 82-year-old woman, a 77-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Officers would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 1057 of March 25.

THREE men have been sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison following an aggravated burglary in Barnsley.

On the evening of March 16 in 2013, four unknown intruders entered the home of a family on Wilson Avenue in Penistone.

The couple were threatened with a baton and knife, before the intruders restrained the man with handcuffs.

The court heard that despite the pleas of the couple, who informed the men that their infant daughter was asleep upstairs, they searched the house and stole a number of items, including a TV, laptop and an iPhone.

The couple were extremely shaken, but uninjured during the incident. Following extensive police enquiries, three men were arrested.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday, they were found guilty of aggravated burglary.

Paul Archer, 30, of Barnsley Road, Cudworth, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Thomas Revitt, 23, also from the same street and 21-year-old Adam Hallgate, of Evelyn Terrace, Kendray, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Acting Detective Sgt Chris Horsley, who led the investigation, said: "The sentence reflects the extremely shocking behaviour demonstrated by these men.

"The residents were subjected to a traumatic ordeal when the men broke into their home and made extremely violent threats.

"They have shown no remorse for the threats and demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the residents, their property and the law. I hope that the sentence can help the family to move on after this ordeal.

"We're still making enquiries to identify a fourth man believed to be connected with the incident."

If anyone has any information on that, call police on 101 quoting incident number 1157 of March 16, 2013. Alternatively, to give information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

CHILDLINE has warned that young people might be feeling "very distressed" after hearing news that Zayn Malik has left boyband One Direction.

The popular 22-year-old announced his departure yesterday. Having seen upset fans post their thoughts on social media pages, the counselling service has now issued advice.

Sue Minto, head of ChildLine, said: "There are young people who are going to feel seriously distressed at the news.

"People are going to have to get their head around the fact that for some this will be very distressing and not to undermine it, even if they don't quite understand it.

"Anyone who is feeling distressed can contact us by calling 0800 11 11 or visit www.childline.org.uk."

A MAN is keeping a written record of missed bus services after some people were left stranded miles away from their homes.

Lesley Holt, of Redthorne Way, says residents from multiple street would like to voice their concern about the Tates-run 34 service, saying it's not "fit for purpose".

"I'm getting together a list of bus times which are being missed," he added. "The elderly and the young are having to walk up to Shafton Two Gates which is a mile away to get to get the bus into town.

"We called March 11 'black Wednesday' as the service in the bus station stopped running from 11.30am until 3pm, leaving elderly residents stuck in the bus station.

"An 82-year-old woman was stuck for two hours until her daughter could come and pick her up, and an 88-year-old lady had to pay £11 in a taxi to get to her home at Dog Hill.

"It needs sorting out so residents have no fear of getting into town and getting back home on the bus without this problem occurring."

SYPTE deputy interim director general, David Young, said: "Service 34 is run on a majority commercial basis, so SYPTE has limited authority to influence the journeys that we don’t subsidise.

"However, under our conditions of contract, we have insisted Tates Travel develop an action plan to put positive changes in place, and we hope this will improve the quality of service they currently provide."

BARNSLEY Council may look at implementing a ban on legal highs in the town centre.

The move would mimic what's happening in Lincoln from April 1, where a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) has been put in place to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The move is the first of its kind in the country and Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesman for Barnsley Council, would not rule out any measure which would contribute towards improving the safety and enjoyment of the town centre.

"Any measures must be reasonable and proportionate to address relevant issues to the town," he said.

"This is not to say that there isn't a problem associated with legal highs in Barnsley - it's not absolutely clear cut that their use is the singular contributor to anti-social behaviour in our town centre."

A BARNSLEY primary school is celebrating after Ofsted inspectors declared it 'good' in every area of its work.

Children at Royston's Meadstead Primary Academy achieve particularly well in reading, writing and mathematics.

The quality of teaching is good, teaching assistants make a positive contribution to pupils' learning and the headteacher and her deputy provide 'ambitious and purposeful leadership'. 

Head Wendy Baxter said: "The entire team have worked very hard to raise standards and ensure that our children get the best education possible.

"This is well-deserved for them. Of course we're now on our journey to become outstanding."

A BARNSLEY dentist has been struck off - after he told a nurse his 'magic tongue' could cure her intimate medical condition.

Fadi Sukaria's career was ended after the General Dental Council heard he repeatedly groped his colleague and made sexually explicit comments while they were working for Primecare Oral Health Services on Sackville Street, Barnsley.

When Sukaria heard Nurse A was suffering from cystitis, he said: "I have a magic tongue to make it better."

The panel found he had also asked if she had any 'rude' photos or videos on her phone, stroked her breasts, groped her bottom, bit her arm and asked her if she had ever been raped.

Sukaria, originally from Syria, denied all the charges against him.

MAJOR plans to create a business park are set to be approved.

If given the go-ahead at Sheffield City Region Combined Authority's meeting on March 30, work will take place on the key highway connections along the Dearne Valley Parkway (M1 junction 36 along the A6135 to Goldthorpe).

This will result in the ability to develop both potential employment and housing sites, significantly contributing to Barnsley's growth ambition.

Coun Roy Miller, cabinet spokesperson for place, said: "It will provide businesses with the right infrastructure they need to thrive and is essential in helping to attract and retain new and existing businesses, which in turn will create a more competitive private sector employment base.

"There will be significant impact on the number and proportion of private sector jobs in Barnsley."

In total the site is estimated to bring forward 2,497 jobs by 2024 and 4,744 jobs by the end of 2033. In addition, due to the scale of the scheme, it will further develop a minimum of 110 construction jobs.

STAGECOACH has announced details of its Easter services in Barnsley.

The bus operator will run as normal up to and including April 2.

On Good Friday, April 3, a Saturday service will operate on all services.

On Saturday and Easter Sunday, services will operate as normal.

On Easter Monday, a Sunday service will operate before the network returns to run as normal from Tuesday.

A MUCH-LOVED Barnsley tipple has won a silver medal in a nationwide competition to find the country's best beers.

Acorn Brewery’s iconic Barnsley Bitter was the runner-up in the standard strength bitter category at the Society of Independent Brewers' (SIBA) national beer competition this week.

It beat off tough competition for hundreds of other beers to get to the finals and impressed no less than 100 judges to gain second place.

Dave Hughes, owner of Acorn Brewery, said: "We're very proud - we’ve brewed Barnsley Bitter since we set up the brewery in 2003 and it’s always been good."

BARNSLEY'S first ever Green Party candidate has been announced.

Michael Short, who lived in the Barnsley Central constituency for 23 years, went to Shawlands Primary, Holgate and Barnsley College before heading to the University of Huddersfield.

He said: "I joined the Green Party on the back of them being refused a platform in our supposed 'democracy'. They represent the best hope now for a fairer society.

"Bringing services such as the railways, utilities and schools back into democratic, accountable and transparent public hands is something that the majority of the public supports.

"The Green Party however is the only party that promises to stand up to private interest and take back our services.

"This is crucially important in Barnsley, an area where a quarter of children are living in poverty and which is the fourth most deprived area in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

"We have still yet to recover from the blight of Thatcher and her successors, of whichever party. I strongly believe it is the best party to represent Barnsley and its proud history of struggle for social justice."

A DEAD cat was dumped near a Barnsley primary school last week.

An image of the poor cat - which had been put in a black bin bag - was posted on We Are Barnsley's Facebook page on Thursday.

Jayne Hulme, who alerted our readers, contacted the RSPCA and Barnsley Council having found it on fields near Carlton Primary School.

A council spokesperson confirmed the cat had been removed from the field.

A FORMER nightclub in Barnsley town centre will be turned into a children's play area.

Citrus Rooms, on Eastgate, has stood empty for several years, but it will be given a new lease of life having obtained planning permission.

The plans, submitted by Nicholas Hadfield, of Bainton Drive, Barnsley, said it would provide families with a 'superior entertainment venue', with the opportunity to enjoy the adventure of play together in a 'relaxed family-orientated atmosphere'.