Police say new drugs gang causing wave of violence in Harrogate

Police say a new county lines drugs gang is responsible for a recent wave of violence in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had seized a taser, drugs, cash and a mobile phone from the town’s streets since it set up a new unit to tackle the gang at the start of June. Nine people have been arrested.

They said the new county line is believed to originate from West Yorkshire and was trafficking drugs into Harrogate via the road network and public transport.

Detective Chief Inspector Fionna McEwan, who is leading Operation Roll, said:

“The increased level of violence that we have seen recently has been targeted towards individuals who are involved in drug-related criminality.

“Driving this gang out of Harrogate is now a key priority for us and although we have seen success so far, there is more to be done.”

The new gang is believed to be from West Yorkshire.

DCI McEwan said Harrogate remained “one of the safest places to live in the country” but urged members of the public to “help us by being vigilant and checking in on the younger and vulnerable people in our communities”.

Several specialist officers have been assigned to disrupt the new drugs line.

A police statement said:

“The team operate predominantly in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles. A police dog which is trained to detect drugs is also being deployed to work at transport hub in Harrogate to intercept the supply of drugs by train and bus.

Police drugs dos are being used as part of the investigation.

Recent arrests

North Yorkshire Police provided the following details of recent arrests,

Assault on Dragon Road, Harrogate – Thursday, June 8

A man in 20s who was assaulted on Dragon Road in Harrogate sustained a serious injury to his leg.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

A second man, also aged 18, was arrested on suspicion of causing a wounding, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession with intent to supply class A drugs, and possession of criminal property.

A third man, aged 52, was arrested on suspicion of processing criminal property and assisting an offender.

All three men were charged and remanded in custody to appear in court on York Crown Court on Monday, July 10.

(NYP Ref – 12230104602)

Police stop on Chelmsford Avenue, Harrogate on Friday, June 23

At 9pm officers from Operation Expedite were on routine patrol on Chelmsford Avenue when they identified three men suspected to be linked to county lines drug dealing. The three men spotted the officers and ran away. The team managed to detain two of the three men.

An 18-year-old man was in possession of a taser, 22 wraps of cocaine, £85 in cash and two mobile phones. He was arrested on suspicion of procession with intent to supply a class-A drug and possession of a weapon. He was charged and remanded in custody to appear at York Crown Court on Monday 31 July 2023.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug and possession of criminal property. He was interviewed and released on conditional bail while further enquiries are carried out.

Enquiries are continuing to locate the outstanding suspect.

(NYP Ref – 12230115980)

DCI Fionna McEwan is leading the police investigation.

Police search warrant on King Edward’s Drive on June 26

Officers acted on intelligence and executed a warrant at a property on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate. When they entered the property, a man was seen dropping a mobile phone into a toilet.

A 29-year-old man and a 40-year-old man were both arrested for supplying cocaine and a modern slavery offence. A 35-year-old man was arrested for possession of a suspected class A drug and modern slavery.  They were all interviewed and bailed with conditions which prevent them from entering North Yorkshire.

(NYP Ref – 12230118198)

Assault on Bower Road on June 26

A man in his 30s was assaulted and received an injury to his face. A 41-year-old was arrested and later released. Enquiries are continuing.

(NYP Ref – 12230118424)

Police appeal for help spotting cuckooing

Cuckooing is the term given when drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it at a base to sell and store drugs.  Cuckooing victims are often drug users themselves, or people who are vulnerable due to a mental or physical disability, their age or lifestyle.

Police said signs of cuckooing include:

Anyone with concerns about county lines can speak to their local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. If you’d rather stay anonymous you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Andrew Jones calls for apology after Lib Dem rival wrongly says Harrogate ticket office closing

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has called on his Liberal Democrat rival to apologise for wrongly claiming Harrogate train station ticket office was due to close.

Rail operator Northern said this morning it planed to shut 131 ticket offices — but Harrogate’s would be one of 18 to remain open. It is part of a nationwide cull of hundreds of ticket offices.

Some four hours after the news was announced, Tom Gordon, the Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, published a press release titled ‘Lib Dems call on rail bosses to save Harrogate ticket office’.

It said the “the closure of the ticket office at Harrogate station will lock so many people out of being able to access tickets and travel by train” and urged the government and rail leaders to “think again”.

Not closing: Harrogate train station ticket office.

An hour later Harrogate and Knaresborough Lib Dems issued an ‘updated press release’ in which Mr Gordon called for “reassurances on the future of Harrogate ticket office”.

His initial press release prompted Mr Jones to say:

“Harrogate ticket office is remaining open.  It doesn’t need saving.  It was never threatened with closure.

“Assuming they didn’t know the facts, although this may just be political scaremongering, all the Liberal Democrats had to do was read the Stray Ferret, any other local news outlet or my Community News website and they would have known the actual situation.

“The news had been up on those sites for hours before they issued their erroneous press release.  An apology to the customers and staff who have been worried by this false claim would seem to be an appropriate thing to do.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Gordon for a response to Mr Jones’ comments and whether he would issue an apology but had not received a response by the time of publication.

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Long Lands Common names wood after Harrogate conservationist

A newly planted woodland at Long Lands Common has been named after Harrogate conservationist Keith Wilkinson.

Mr Wilkinson founded Bilton Conservation Group and has played a key role in protecting local green belt land.

He was asked to unveil a new woodland sign on Saturday and to his surprise discovered it was named Wilkinson Wood.

The 1.62-hectare site consists of 740 trees that are a mixture of nine native broadleaf trees: sessile oak, English oak, wild cherry, bird cherry, common alder, aspen, field maple, hazel and goat willow.

The honour was bestowed at the third AGM of Long Lands Common, the community-owned woodland near Bilton created on land saved from the threat of a new road.

Keith Wilkinson at Oak Beck

Mr Wilkinson played a major role in that campaign as well as the project to open Nidderdale Greenway to walkers and cyclists. He was awarded an MBE in 2013.

He said:

“I opened my speech with the Greek proverb which says that a society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. I was then ready to unveil the plaque before continuing with my speech. My jaw dropped when I discovered my name was on it. What a wonderful surprise!

“We’ve also planted over 50,000 trees in Nidd Gorge, and these will all link up together with Wilkinson Wood like a mosaic, with wildlife passing freely down the corridors.

“This is such positive news in a time when wildlife is really struggling on a local and national level. We all need to play our part in helping to support nature, and I commend everyone involved and thank them for all their hard work in creating Wilkinson Wood. I feel very honoured indeed.”

Chris Kitson, secretary of Long Lands Common, introduced Mr Wilkinson to the 100 people looking on as “the man who has done more than anybody else we know to bang the drum for nature and conservation”.

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The AGM also saw Long Lands Common members elect new board members, agree a new organisational structure and formally begin its partnership with Knaresborough Forest Park.

Talking about the partnership, Mr Kitson said:

”It made perfect sense and it was the right thing to do, and completely in line with our objectives as a community benefit society — to protect the green belt and the green spaces between Harrogate and Knaresborough, and preserve them as a space for education and recreation for the people of our towns, now and for the future.”

White horses to carry Harrogate’s Sophie Lambert on her final journey

White horses decorated with purple will carry Harrogate’s Sophie Lambert on her final journey this week.

Sophie, 22, was found dead last month after a five-day missing person search that touched the lives of thousands of people in Harrogate and beyond.

Animal lover Sophie was particularly fond of horses and her big brother Craig Robinson has chosen two to pull a carriage carrying her body to Harrogate’s Stonefall Crematorium on Friday.

Her pet chihuahuas Boston and Bentley will wear jumpers saying ‘my mummy is in heaven’.

Sophie loved animals and had two dogs.

A crowdfunding appeal set up by Craig to give Sophie “the best send-off ever” has raised more than £3,700 — well above the £3,000 target.

He wrote on social media:

“Well, Soph, these beautiful horses are the ones I’ve picked for you with purple on there as well as you loved bright colours, these horses will bring you home one last time my angel.

“I hope I’ve done you proud and done everything to be perfect for you.”

The 40-minute service at 11am, which will be live-streamed, will be followed by drinks celebrating Sophie’s life at the Malt Shovel in Brearton.

The purple and white horses will match Sophie’s favourite colours.

There is no dress code but Craig has requested everyone wears odd socks because, as Craig puts it, “Sophie never did believe in wearing the same coloured socks as she said life was to short to match them”.

He has been setting of bio-degradeable lanterns this week in memory of Sophie, and said:

“I thank you all once again for the support help and donations you guys have given us in order to give Sophie the spend off she has always deserved. Rest easy Sophie my little Angel night night.”

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Person trapped in Harrogate hotel lift suffers panic attack

Firefighters were summoned to a Harrogate hotel today when a person trapped in a lift suffered a panic attack.

A crew from Harrogate were called to the hotel on Ripon Road at 9.21am this morning.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report, three members of staff were stuck in a lift.

The report does not say which hotel it was or how long they were trapped.

It said:

“Crews gained entry to the lift and administered oxygen to one occupant who was suffering from a panic attack.

“Incident then lift with life engineer.”

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Missing Harrogate woman found

A missing Harrogate woman has been found, police have said this afternoon.

The woman, was reported missing by her family on Tuesday, June 20 — six days after she was last seen by neighbours at her flat in Starbeck on June 14 .

North Yorkshire Police issued an urgent appeal for help finding her that day.

The force have now said:

“The 56-year-old woman who went missing from the Starbeck area on Wednesday 14 June has been found.”

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Historic Harrogate hotel reopens after 152-day transformation

The former St George Hotel in Harrogate reopened yesterday after a 152-day transformation.

The hotel has new owners, a new name and a completely refurbished look and feel, which it is hoped will attract local people to eat and drink there.

Now called the Harrogate Inn, it has adopted a country pub feel that is the hallmark of owners the Inn Collection Group.

The Newcastle-based company has added the venue to its portfolio of 32 locations that also includes the Black Swan at Helmsley and the Wordsworth Hotel in the Lake District.

Closer to home, the Inn Collection Group also owns the Ripon Spa Hotel and Dower House in Knaresborough, which are due to reopen under new names the Ripon Inn and the Knaresborough Inn this summer.

The Harrogate Inn

The Harrogate Inn, which closed at the end of January for refurbishment, has a new entrance, a new bar and restaurant, six extra rooms, two new outdoor patio features. Meals are available from 11am to 9pm.

Louise Stewart, property director at the Inn Collection Group, said:

“The works have been extensive with a total refurbishment of the old function rooms and reception area of the old St George Hotel, the creation of the new grand entrance and remedial works to the building’s roof.

“It has delivered a venue which has been warmly received by those we have shown around prior to reopening, and I hope that the inn is going to delight guests going forward.”

The Harrogate Inn project has been managed by Silverstone Building Consultancy and delivered in partnership with 7Formation.

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Harrogate Carnival to be held on July 30

Harrogate Carnival is set to take place on Sunday, July 30.

The free event will begin with a street parade through the town centre before heading to Valley Gardens.

The attractions will include a troupe from Leeds West Indian Carnival and a dance stage with belly dancing.

First staged in 2019, the carnival is commissioned by Destination Harrogate, which is a tourism organisation run by North Yorkshire Council and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

The event, which celebrates global diversity, costumes, sounds and flavours, will include music, dance, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre.

John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate, said:

“This exciting and unique event is perfectly suited to the Valley Gardens, one of many fantastic event spaces that we’re fortunate to have here in Harrogate.

“Carnival will also draw visitors from further afield to join in the celebrations with our residents, with opportunity to boost our visitor economy and showcase the town as an amazing visitor destination.”

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Cllr Derek Bastiman, the council’s executive member for open to business,  said:

“Carnival is a chance for our community to come together, embrace diversity and create lasting memories.”

The full programme will be announced closer to the date on the Harrogate International Festivals website for more information: https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/

The arts charity is seeking volunteers to take part in the carnival.

Multiple fire crews called to barn blaze at Kirkby Malzeard

Crews from four fire stations were called to Kirkby Malzeard last night to deal with a fire in a barn containing hay bales.

Firefighters from Ripon, Bedale, Lofthouse and a water bowser from Boroughbridge rushed to a farm at Ringbeck Road at 6.11pm.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“Crews worked to protect surrounding buildings and to extinguish the fire.

“The farmer assisted with a tractor in turning the bales over as crews battled with a changeable wind to extinguish the fire.

“The fire resulted in 100% damage to approximately 85 hay bales and also fire damage to the roof of the barn.”

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Harrogate college Henshaws retains ‘good’ Ofsted rating

Henshaws has retained its ‘good’ rating in an inspection report published today.

The independent specialist college in Harrogate, which provides education and training for learners with profound and multiple disabilities and complex needs, was praised for its “effective and caring support”.

The three-day visit by three inspectors in May was Henshaws’ first Ofsted inspection since 2018.

Their report said:

“Learners behave well in lessons and around the college as a result of the effective and caring support of staff.

“Learners are respectful towards each other, staff and visitors. Staff create a calm environment, which enables learners to flourish.

“Learners know that staff will not tolerate poor or unkind behaviours, such as swearing and name calling.”

They added “staff support learners well to become active citizens and members of their communities” and that leaders and managers have a “clear vision” that enables learners to build confidence, develop independence and achieve their aspirations.

The report said:

“They support learners, for who it is appropriate, to prepare for employment or to participate in volunteering opportunities.

“They help learners to make friends, learn to live more independently and to look forward to a positive future.”

Safeguarding is described as “effective”. However, Ofsted said a small number of sessions “are not age appropriate” and urged the college to “ensure that the pace of learning in all lessons is appropriate to enable learners to make the progress of which they are capable”.

Besides its overall ‘good’ rating, Henshaws was assessed as ‘good’ in five of the six sub-categories. It was rated ‘outstanding’ in the sixth, which was for personal development.

‘Wonderful to be recognised’

The college on Bogs Lane provides day and residential provision for 66 people. Most learners are aged 19 years and over and all have an education, health and care plan coordinated by their local authority.

The personalised curriculum includes subjects such as art, music, dance, horticulture, English, mathematics, a forest school and swimming.

Sally Daniels interim chief executive and director of education and care services, said it was delighted by the outstanding mark, adding:

“The new inspection framework is generally viewed as being more challenging and we are very pleased to have maintained our overall ‘good’ rating.

“In addition, our safeguarding processes were rigorously challenged during the inspection and found to be highly effective.

“We work tirelessly to provide our students, their families and their carers the best support and curriculum we can and it is wonderful that this has been recognised by our regulator.”

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