Editor’s Pick of the Week: M&S meltdown in Harrogate, migrant furore near Boroughbridge and messy verges in Ripon

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Harrogate’s worst heatwave fears came true this week when the M&S food hall at Oatlands closed three times in four days.

Staff were seen scuttling to deposit food in cold storage units round the back amid reports the hot weather was to blame.

One source told us: “I feel sorry for the poor staff having to keep shifting stock around and deal with irate customers because they can’t get their extra virgin olive oil houmous.” Another told us they’d had to suffer the indignity of a trip to Waitrose.

There was further outrage this week when North Yorkshire Council closed Spruisty Bridge, the former packhorse bridge in Knox. The closure, which could be in force until December, is down to health and safety because the wooden handrails have been deemed unsafe.

Residents have even taken to crossing the beck on foot.

Comments on our website — which are far better than those on Facebook — included: “Are they having to grow the tree first to get the wood to repair it?” and “I wonder how many people fell to their deaths in 17 to 20th centuries before the vital safety handrails were installed.” It’s worth subscribing purely for the non-toxic banter and comments.

The district’s unkempt state has been a hot topic this week. Ripon mayor, Councillor Andrew Williams, said some areas of the city were a “disgrace”. Grass cutting machines were heard whirring later in the week. After the Stray Ferret took up one reader’s complaint about a neglected Harrogate war memorial, it was tidied up within a day.

On a more serious note, one of the biggest stories of the week was the planned arrival of 1,200 migrants at the former RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse, nine miles from Boroughbridge, which united local politicians in opposition.

The feud between warring Tories, Councillors Carl Les and Keane Duncan, was settled this week when the latter agreed to call off his leadership challenge in return for a pledge from his rival that he will step down next year. There are just 10 months to go until the next North Yorkshire Council elections.

Finally, the Northern Aldborough Festival, the summer arts festival near Boroughbridge, had to draft in former BBC presenter John Humphrys on Thursday when Amol Rajan withdrew.

During a question-and-answer session with festival director Robert Ogden, he recalled how he once quizzed former Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on a celebrity edition of Mastermind. Asked who succeeded Henry VIII, Lammy replied ‘Henry VII’. Mr Lammy and I attended the same school, which was actually founded by Henry VIII. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.