The owner of a Coneythorpe pub has criticised a set of month long roadworks as the “final kick we didn’t need”.

The Tiger Inn will close for five weeks in the new year while utility company Power On installs power cables for a new development park comprising industrial and commercial units in the area.

The scheme is expected to last six months and involve five weeks of road closures, starting on January 9, in Flaxby and Coneythorpe.

It is the latest disruption to hit the pub, which has already struggled through covid and a fire in November 2020.

Barbara Gill, who owns the Tiger Inn, said the pub was already dealing with the cost of living crisis – which has seen its energy bills increase to more than £4,000.

She said:

“These road works are the final kick we didn’t need.”

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Ms. Gill told The Stray Ferret that pubs have had to learn how to cope with these national crises such as the pandemic and the now cost-of-living crisis.

She said:

“They’ve had to adapt rapidly.”

Ms Gill added that staff at The Tiger inn will receive full pay to support them while the pub is closed.

However, businesses in the area including the Tiger Inn have not been compensated for the road works.

‘Extensive consultation’

Power On said in a statement it had conducted “extensive consultation” to minimise disruption.

Work will start on York Road in Flaxby and continue onto Shortsill Lane and Moor Lane. It will take place from January 9 to 28 before recommencing on February 22 until March 14.

The company said in a statement that it was “committed to delivering essential works whilst ensuring minimal disruption to local residence and the community”. It added:

“We have been able to avoid further closures by allowing traffic to flow subject to reduced weight limits.  Alternative transport for schools will be provided by North Yorkshire County Council.

“We have been working with the local parish council who have assisted in coordinating the works.  Road closure signs will include alternate routes to any local businesses affected with advanced warning signs posted in late December.

“The works are to be completed during the winter months, to minimise impact.  At the request of the Tiger Inn and the parish council, it was agreed that work will be suspended during potentially busier periods such as Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, and Easter weekend.”

Ms. Gill is hopeful the pub will be able to get back on its feet with the support of their loyal customers around Mother’s Day.

She added:

“We need people to support us when we reopen.”

The Tiger Inn is planning to reopen on February 10.

Firefighters from Ripon, Harrogate and Masham extinguished a fire in a garage on Dallamires Lane in Ripon today.

The garage, which contained one vehicle, is attached to a house. The extent of the damage is unknown.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said the alert came at 2.22pm. It added:

“Crews extinguished the fire using two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet and a thermal imaging camera. The cause of the fire is yet to be established by fire investigation officers.”

It was the Ripon crew’s third call-out of the day. At 11.53am, city firefighters were summoned to a chimney fire on High Street in Markington. The incident log said:

“The fire was confined to the chimney and extinguished by the home owner prior to the fire service’s arrival. Crews carried out a thorough check for hot spots and gave advice to the home owner.”

At 7.59am,  a crew from Ripon responded to a report of water leaking at a home on Harrogate Road. The incident log said:

“Crews isolated the water leak in the loft and turned off the water to the property. Advice was given to a responsible person.”

Read more:

• Man jailed for setting fire to historic Knaresborough pub
• Reduction in Harrogate fire engines to begin next year

A man has received a four-month suspended prison sentence for possessing a knife in Harrogate town centre.

Michael Smith, 32, admitted the offence when he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Thursday (December 15).

Smith, of Harewood Road, Jennyfields, was charged with having the knife on Cambridge Road on November 8.

His sentence was suspended for 24 months.

Magistrates ordered him to carry out 180 hours of supervised unpaid work within the next 12 months.

Smith was also ordered to pay £114 to victim services and £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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A crowdfunding campaign offering people the chance to win a flat in Pateley Bridge is set to end on Christmas Day.

Lisa Bowerman and her fiancé Nick launched their competition through Crowdfunder 20 months ago and hope to reach their £130,000 target by the time it closes at midday on December 25.

At the time of going to press, it had generated £103,000.

The campaign aims to raise enough money to install new lighting at Stump Cross Caverns. The current lights have been in place since 1948.

Ms Bowerman said this would not only “preserve and protect the cave” but also be more sustainable and environmentally friendly because the system would use less energy. The lights will only come on if there are people in the cave. Ms Bowerman also said that the new system would minimise algae growth.

Tickets to win Ms Bowerman’s one-bedroom apartment on Pateley Bridge High Street cost £10.

An image of the flat.

Ms Bowerman said:

“Once the winner is announced they can pick up the keys there and then.”

She explained there would need to be discussions with solicitors to change the property into the winner’s name, but after that it’s theirs.

The couple have held multiple fundraisers to draw attention to the campaign, including their 105-hour sleepover in the caves that took place in October 2021.

Lisa and Nick have also been taking part in a 105-day bike challenge to raise money for the campaign. The number of days relates to Geoff Workman, who lived in the cavern for 105 days on his own in 1963.

More recently, they held another sleepover in the cave, where they took 12 people down with them from 9pm to 9am.

Ms Bowerman said:

“It was full within hours of launching the idea.”

However, of the 12 that Ms Bowerman took down, only eight lasted the full 12 hours because of the cold and damp.

Read more:

• Stump Cross Caverns owners live underground for 105 hours
• Stump Cross owners to raffle their £130,000 flat

In the lead up to the closing date, Ms Bowerman has been doing “everything she can” to get the message out there, including updating social media platforms including TikTok “every waking minute” to try to reach as many people as possible.

Lisa and Nick want to improve the cave lighting.

Stump Cross Caverns has awarded free meals in the cafe and cinema to the public as part of their marketing drive.

Ms Bowerman said that when the lights are being fitted, the caves will close for a period of time.

If the campaign does not reach its target of £130,00 by midday on Christmas day then the supporters will receive a full refund and the campaign will be declared unsuccessful.

Click here to visit the Crowdfunder page.

With its reservoirs, hills and villages, there are few more beautiful places than Nidderdale. And it has rarely looked better than in recent days, when ice and light snow added to its allure.

Talented local photographers, who posted a series of images on the We Love Nidderdale UK Facebook page, have agreed to share some of them with us.

Several are by Dave Benson, who lives in Summerbridge and gets to see Nidderdale through his jobs as a self-employed gardener and newspaper deliverer.

We have also included images by Heather Middleton, Matt Bibbings and Jamie Clark.

If you have stunning images of the Harrogate district, please send them to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk. 

The view from Wath. Pic: David Benson

Sunrise over Brimham Rocks. Pic: David Benson

A wet Lofthouse. Pic by David Benson

Brimham Rocks: Pic by Helen Middleton

A cloud inversion: Pic by Matt Bibbings

Hoar frost on Top Wath Road: Pic by Jamie Clark

Gouthwaite reservoir. Pic by David Benson

The Harrogate district has had more drink and drug driving arrests in the last week than anywhere else in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Police said today 32 people had been arrested in the last seven days of the campaign — a big increase on 18 in the first week.

Of the 32, 10 were from the Harrogate district. The next highest is York with seven, followed by Scarborough with six, Hambleton with four, Ryedale with three and Craven and Richmondshire with one each.

The campaign started on December 1 and has now seen 50 arrests in total at the halfway stage. Of the 50 arrests, 38 were men and 12 were women.

The highest reading was from a 46-year-old woman in Northallerton who was four time over the legal limit.

Superintendent Emma Aldred, head of specialist operations at North Yorkshire Police, said:

“It’s alarming to see that we have arrested 50 people in just over two weeks for drink or drug driving in North Yorkshire.

“The message is clear; we will not tolerate drink and drug drivers on North Yorkshire’s roads”.

Emmerdale actor Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle, launched this year’s campaign when he participated in a mock road traffic collision.

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• Police plea to call out drink drivers amid increasing Harrogate district incidents
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North Yorkshire Police has urged Christmas revellers to “know your limits” as they prepare for one of their busiest nights of the year.

Today is known as Mad Friday because it is the last working Friday before Christmas and many people go out.

It is also one of the busiest nights for the emergency services as a result of alcohol-fuelled disruption.

The county’s police force said in a statement it will be deploying extra officers in towns and city centres. The statement added more staff will be working to handle 999 and 101 calls:

“It’s expected that our force control room will receive a 30% increase in 999 and 101 calls compared with demand on an average Friday night.

Superintendent Fiona Willey, the silver commander for Friday’s policing operation, said:

“We understand that people want to let their hair down and we’re not here to spoil anyone’s fun. However, we have a job to do and that’s to keep people safe as well as maintain law and order.

“We’re well-rehearsed at dealing with what’s known as Mad Friday and have additional officers and staff in place to provide resilience.

“My plea to people who are heading out on Friday is to plan your night, think about your own safety and know your limits.”

Plans have been submitted to demolish the ‘little temple’ in Harrogate town centre to make way for the £11.2 million Station Gateway scheme.

North Yorkshire County Council has applied to remove the tempietto even though it is still assessing responses to the latest gateway consultation and has yet to make a final decision on whether the scheme will proceed.

The application says the removal of the tempietto and restoration of the site is expected to be carried out in April 2023. But a council spokesman told the Stray Ferret this date was “indicative”, adding it would only be removed as part of the gateway works.

A decision on whether to proceed with the gateway is not expected until late next year.

Classical design

The tempietto, which is inside Harrogate Conservation Area, was built between 1988 and 1992 as part of the redevelopment of the area to create the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Made of Jedburgh sandstone, its classical design was based on the work of 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio’s basilica at Vicenza in Italy.

The government-funded gateway scheme would see major changes to the public realm opposite the train station to make the gateway to Harrogate more attractive to visitors and more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

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It would also see part of Station Parade reduced to single lane traffic to accommodate cycle routes and James Street partly pedestrianised. Business groups and residents have voiced concerns about the impact on trade and traffic.

A planning document submitted as part of the council’s application says “the demolition of the tempietto would have a negligible impact on the significance of Harrogate Conservation Area”. It adds:

“Although of low historic significance, the tempietto offers some aesthetic contribution to the historic character and is sensitive to Harrogate Conservation Area in its use of materials.”

The planning document, which describes the little temple’s condition as ‘reasonably good’ also refers to a 2016 character appraisal of the area, which said:

“Unfortunately, apart from the paving of the area enclosed by the quadrant of Victoria Gardens, the opportunity to create an attractive, formal space was not taken and the area presents a very ‘bitty’ appearance with paths, low fences and hedges, and a thoroughly unscholarly tempietto.”

‘Bitty’ — how Victoria Gardens is described.

Emma Gibbens, principal conservation officer for place-shaping and economic growth said in a consultation comment on behalf of Harrogate Borough Council:

“If the removal of the structure was not part of a new public realm scheme, its loss would be regrettable in terms of loss of visual interest, but could not said to impact detrimentally on the historic environment.

“However, the removal is part of a scheme that will provide a new high quality public realm to this part of the conservation area and there is no objection to its removal in this situation.”

North Yorkshire Police has tonight renewed its appeal for information following the disappearance of a man from Ripon.

Gavin Dhont, 45, was last seen in the city on Tuesday, December 6, and officers said they are extremely worried for his welfare.

Gavin enjoys walks in areas including the Hell Wath, Studley Roger, Studley Royal Park and along the river Ure. He also enjoys visiting Ripon Wetlands.

Police are asking residents and business owners in these areas, and along Princess Road and Lead Lane, to check any video doorbells which may hold footage of Gavin.

Gavin also has connections to Scarborough and may have travelled there.

Another photo of Gavin

A number of enquiries have been carried out since Gavin was last seen and officers are currently working to establish if a potential sighting of him on Tuesday can be confirmed.

Gavin’s Dad, Luc, said:

“Gavin — if you see or hear this appeal please contact someone. Either call myself or another family member or friend or call the police. We all want to know you are OK and bring you home safely. We are all very worried about you.”

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Inspector Julie Earnshaw, said:

‘We are extremely worried for Gavin’s welfare, especially as the weather has been so cold over recent days.

“We have released another photograph of Gavin in the hope it will help people remember whether they have seen him and if you have, please contact police with information.”

Gavin is described as of thin build with short dark brown hair.

Anyone who has seen him since he went missing or who believes they know his whereabouts is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police as a matter of urgency on 101, or call 999 in an emergency and quote either his name or reference 12220219012.

Police said Gavin’s family has thanked everyone who has assisted with the search, including those who have shared the appeal on social media.

Update: Yorkshire Water emailed on the morning of Friday, December 16 to say: The repair is complete and our teams will be reinstating and reopening to road as soon as possible. 

Traffic problems caused by a burst water main in Dacre are expected to continue until next week. 

Buses, including school services, were diverted again this morning due to the problem. 

A spokesman for The Harrogate Bus Company said: 

“A burst water main at Dacre is leading to diversions affecting route 24 and school service 620H.

“Currently Yorkshire Water advise that the affected section of road will remain closed until Monday (19 December): if that date is brought forward, we will of course advise customers. 

“In the meantime and until Yorkshire Water’s repairs are completed, buses are unable to serve stops between Fountains Bents and Dacre Banks. 

 He added:

“The 620H is serving the top section of Dacre from Summerbridge. Students waiting at the Providence Chapel bus stop can walk a short distance to board the 620H, which enables the bus to turn around at Dacre Lane before going back past Summerbridge towards Clint Bank, then continuing via Birstwith to resume its normal route at Elton Lane. 

“Early contact was made with all schools involved yesterday (Wednesday) and a regular driver is allocated to the 620H which also helps with communication.”

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The spokesman said the delay to today’s 10am route 24 departure from Harrogate was caused by “mechanical issues with the bus”, adding:

“Our engineer was able to carry out roadside repairs: however this, plus the diversion at Dacre, led to this journey being delayed. Our apologies to customers for this delay.” 

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said:

“Our teams are aware of a leak on a water main in Dacre. We are working to repair this as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”