Ex-Leeds United player fined by Harrogate magistrates for speeding

Former Leeds United midfielder Ronaldo Vieira has been fined by magistrates in Harrogate for speeding.

Vieira, 23, who was sold by Leeds to Sampdoria in 2018, was caught speeding on the A1237 near Rufforth on July 13 last year.

He was fined £250 by Harrogate Magistrates Court and ordered to pay a £34 surcharge and £90 court costs.

The case was dealt with in his absence.

Vieira currently plays for Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A league and has made 26 appearances for the club.

He was sold to the Italian side for £7.7 million in August 2018.

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Highways chief orders study into Harrogate’s Prince of Wales roundabout crossing

North Yorkshire County Council is to look into installing a zebra crossing at the Prince of Wales roundabout in Harrogate.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive county councillor for highways, has ordered council officers to conduct a feasibility study into creating an uncontrolled crossing on the exit at York Place. ‘Uncontrolled’ means there wouldn’t be any traffic lights.

The move comes after Malcolm Margolis, a local environment campaigner, posted a video on social media showing people struggling to cross the roundabout due to the volume of oncoming cars.

Mr Margolis said the crossing was “unsafe by design” and left people having to wait for cars to let them cross the road.

He said:

“They [pedestrians] either have to wait – and wait – for a decent gap in the traffic or, as here, rely on the kindness of drivers holding up traffic behind them while they make a run for it.”

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Cllr Mackenzie told the Stray Ferret a study will be prepared to look at the viability of a zebra crossing on the site.

He ruled out a traffic light crossing as this would see “cars stuck on the roundabout”.

Prince of Wales roundabout #Harrogate. Unsafe for pedestrians by design. They either have to wait – and wait – for a decent gap in the traffic or, as here, rely on the kindness of drivers holding up traffic behind them while they make a run for it. Zebra crossing essential. pic.twitter.com/rbwTlmUxaJ

— Malcolm Margolis BEM (@MalcolmMargolis) March 23, 2022

Cllr Mackenzie, who is due to step down from the county council at the May elections, said crossing at the Prince of Wales roundabout had been an issue for “many years”.

Cllr Don Mackenzie

He said:

“This has been something that has been existing for many years and we think the time has come that this needs to be looked at afresh.

“I have often heard people say that this is a difficult road to cross and you have to rely on the politeness of drivers.”

A study will now be drawn up by county council officials and brought before either Cllr Mackenzie or his successor as county councillor for highways.

Two men face charges after fight outside Harrogate McDonald’s

Two men have appeared in court to face charges after a fight outside McDonald’s in Harrogate town centre.

Joshua Archer, 18, of Kingsley Close, Harrogate, and Tyler Rushton, 19, of Century Walk, Harrogate, are charged with affray and inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent against a man.

The alleged offences occurred outside the McDonald’s on Cambridge Road, on September 18 last year.

The two men appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday to confirm their names and ages.

Neither man indicated a plea before the magistrates.

Mr Archer and Mr Rushton will appear before York Crown Court on April 19 where the case will continue.

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Knaresborough man denies sexual assault and child exploitation charges

A Knaresborough man has denied a string of sexual assault charges and inciting the exploitation of children.

Anthony Medri, 63, of Forest Moor Road, is charged with intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

He is also charged with three counts of sexual assault on a female and three counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child he did not reasonably believe was aged 18 or over to become a prostitute to be involved in pornography.

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Mr Medri, who stood unsuccessfully for the Liberal Democrats in the 2015 local elections when he contested the Stray ward. appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning to confirm his name and age.

He entered a plea of not guilty to all seven charges.

He was granted bail and will appear at York Crown Court for trial on April 19, 2022.

 

Firefighters called to Knaresborough pub

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire at a pub in Knaresborough last night.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, the incident took place at 9.47pm at a pub on Thistle Hill in the town.

The only pub with an address on that street is The Cricketers, which is in the Calcutt area of Knaresborough.

The incident log says:

“Crews from Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and an aerial ladder platform from Harrogate responded to reports of a fire to a public house.

“On arrival this was a fire confined to the chimney hearth. Crews extinguished the fire in the hearth and inspected the rest of the building for hotspots.”

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Harrogate council to sell restored Knaresborough flats for £879,000

Harrogate Borough Council is set to sell four flats on Knaresborough High Street that were restored and brought back into use.

The council bought the Grade II listed properties in 2019 after they had been unoccupied for several years.

Renovation began with planning permission and listed building consent in 2020, and has just been completed.

Now, senior councillors look set to sign off on selling the leasehold of the town centre properties for an estimated £879,900.

However, the authority will retain control over the freehold of the flats. It also intends to keep the freehold of two retail units that were part of the refurbishment.

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A report due before councillors at next Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting says retaining the freehold would help “retain control over the quality and frequency of future external repair and maintenance” of the properties.

The properties are valued at:

Cllr Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development at the council, said previously:

“These properties had been a blight on the high street in Knaresborough for several years.

“But after they were brought to our attention by Cllr Darling, we recognised the potential they could have to provide both homes and business spaces, we took the necessary steps to purchase them.”

Chancellor disappoints Harrogate’s key hospitality sector, says business group

Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget has received a lukewarm reception from Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

Chief executive David Simister said there were “a number of positives”, such as the increase in employment allowance and the continuation of the rates reduction, adding:

“However, there was no relief in terms of VAT for the hospitality industry, which will go up to 20 per cent from April 1.

“And with the current cost of petrol and diesel, the cut in fuel duty is miniscule. National Insurance is in effect an income tax, and cutting this along with income tax should be the priority.

“Mr Sunak is gambling that business will grow and he can reduce taxes later, but corporate tax will still rise.

“In short, creativity is certainly geared towards delivering good news in election year, but in the here-and-now there’s little relief, and it’s orientated towards larger business.”

Masham brewery launches new beer for summer

Masham-based Black Sheep Brewery has launched a brand new beer ahead of the summer.

Called Refresh, the cask beer comes as part of the brewery’s seasonal range and will be made available in April.

Described as a fresh take on the classic British blonde ale, Refresher offers a light, fruity pint with layers of pulsating hop character.

Jack Scott Paul, brand and communications manager at Black Sheep Brewery, said:

“We’re really excited to launch Refresher, just in time for the spring season. Refresher is our own, fresh take on the classic British blonde ale, and we know this one will be popular with both cask beer lovers and those looking to try a new kind of pint.”

“As the name suggests, it’s sure to offer perfect refreshment and judging by the recent weather, there’s no better time of year to launch this new beer.”

Harrogate’s director of rugby resigns

Harrogate Rugby Club has announced that its director of rugby is to step down at the end of the season.

David ‘Doc’ Doherty will resign from the position after being at the club since 2016.

He helped to rebuild the first team squad and secure promotion back to National 2 North in 2019/20, as well as establishing an academy. However, the first team is currently at the foot of the table with just three wins from 24 fixtures this season.

Doherty also took on commercial chair duties and helped to bring a number of new sponsors to the club.

– David Doherty – Director of Rugby. It is with regret that Harrogate RUFC announce that our Director of Rugby, David ‘Doc’ Doherty, has decided to resign his position at the end of this current season. https://t.co/c2edMeXCMm pic.twitter.com/VjBlSw7Uxj

— Harrogate Rugby Football Club (@Harrogate_Rugby) March 23, 2022

 

Speaking following the decision, Doherty said:

“I have always loved my six years leading Harrogate Rugby Club. I have consistently strived to leave the club in a better place than when I joined.

“We now have a long-lease on our land and have a sustainable business model, with the academy at the heart of what we do. This has already started to bear fruit with a huge number of players transitioning into 1stXV and senior rugby.

“Planning is well on the way for our ground redevelopment and the club can kick-on to future success, as we have created solid foundations.

“I would sincerely like to thank all the players, coaches and members who have supported me at the club during my time, and look forward to sharing a beer with them at the end of season dinner.”

The club are now reviewing options to replace Doherty, with an announcement on a new director expected by the end of the season.

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Harrogate’s Otley Road cycle route ‘on budget’ despite problems

Harrogate’s long-delayed Otley Road cycle path is on budget despite the troubled project running into more problems.

That is according to North Yorkshire County Council, which first secured funding five years ago and has recently faced design and safety complaints over the first phase of works completed in January.

The council – which is now reviewing designs for the final two phases – said the cycle path has so far been delivered to the expected costs and that it currently did not anticipate “any overspend”.

The project is part of a wider package of transport improvements for the west of Harrogate which once completed will cost around £4.6 million.

Around £2 million of this was allocated for the Otley Road cycle path, and so far £1.6 million has been spent on design, construction and utility costs, according to the council.

This is made up of £1.04 million on phase one and £559,182 on phase two which has yet to begin.

A council spokesperson said: 

“Invoices are still due for phase one, and phase two has yet to be started therefore costs will increase, however we are on budget.”

‘No indication’ on phase three progress

Phase one and two are being funded by the government’s National Productivity Investment Fund, while phase three will be built using contributions from housing developers planning to build hundreds of new homes in the west of Harrogate.

Kevin Douglas, chairman of Harrogate District Cycle Action, said the campaign group had been given “no indication” of how these negotiations with developers were progressing and that this was a “worry” for when the project could be completed in full.

He added: 

“The main issue for us is the time this project has taken already and with the further delays surely that means the costs are going to go up.

“Hopefully the council keeps within budget for the whole project and it gets delivered in full soon.”

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His comments come after members of Harrogate District Cycle Action recently met with council officials to highlight their concerns over the first phase.

Parts of the completed works have been described as “unsafe” and “badly designed,” with a narrowed section of cycle path at Otley Road’s junction with Harlow Moor Road being a particular concern.

The council is currently in talks with Yorkshire Water to buy a small plot of land in order to remove a wall and widen a corner on this part of the route.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

Otley Road cycle lane construction in December 2021.

The council also said it would take all feedback onboard as part of its review of phases two and three which are being redrawn in line with new government guidance.

Mr Douglas added:

“The higher quality cycle path we get, the more people will use it – that has always been our view as we want a scheme that delivers facilities which everyone can use.

“We also want lessons to be learnt from the first phase, and hopefully there is a genuine willingness to take on board the points we made.”

The council previously said it hoped to start work on phase two in April.

However, this is now likely to be in May or June.

Harrogate drug dealers sentenced after being caught with £2,500 worth of cocaine

Two drug dealers have been sentenced after being caught in Harrogate with cocaine worth £2,500.

Darren Walker, 44, and Hannah Sharrett, 32, admitted to possessing the drugs and a small amount of cannabis.

The pair were stopped by police in a car on Leeds Road on April 16, 2020, heading into Harrogate.

A search located two bags of cocaine in the glove box and a further bag under the passenger seat – with a street value of more than £2,500. 

A further small amount of cocaine was found in Sharratt’s possession, and a small amount of cannabis in a car door pocket.

Police seized and examined Walker’s phone, which showed him arranging the sale and transportation of drugs for street-level distribution.

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Walker, of Darley, Harrogate, was sentenced to 44 months in jail for possession with intent to supply cocaine. 

He was also disqualified from driving after being found to be under the influence of cocaine.

Sharratt, of Fairfax Avenue, Harrogate, was given a suspended sentence totalling 24 months for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and possession of cocaine and cannabis.

PC George Frost, from North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite Team in Harrogate, said: 

“We are working tirelessly to combat criminal exploitation and drug supply in the area, and will continue to proactively target those who would seek to gain from the sale of harmful illegal drugs in our communities.

“This court result sends a clear and robust message that the sale of Class A drugs on the streets of North Yorkshire will not be tolerated.”