Two thieves have smashed their way into an independent Harrogate shop and stolen cigars and whiskey.
The men, believed to be in their early 20s, used a stone to break a glass panel on the door of James Barber Tobacconist.
It is one of two shops on Cold Bath Road targeted by criminals already this month. In a separate incident last week, a man vandalised the Christmas lights outside hair salon Dangerfield & Keane.
Mr Barber has published CCTV footage of the break-in on his Instagram page in the hope it might lead to an arrest.
The incident happened in the early hours of November 1 and Mr Barber has decided to release the film now because the police investigation has yet to find the perpetrators.
The thieves also smashed a cabinet to get hold of the goods. One left when the alarm sounded.
Mr Barber estimated the crime had cost him £1,000 in repairs and loss of goods.
His Instagram post said:
Man, 23, suffers serious facial injuries in Ripon“Until now these two are still out and about maybe looking for another opportunity to violate another business owner.
“Since it has been more than 10 days, we felt the need to warn all local businesses like us to be vigilant as we believe this can happen anytime. If anyone recognises these two please report it directly to the Harrogate police. Crime No.NYP-01112022-0012.”
A 22-year-old man has been arrested following a disturbance on Ripon’s Finkle Street.
Police were called to the incident at 2.40am in the early hours of Saturday.
The victim, a 23-year-old man was found with serious facial injuries and taken to hospital for treatment.
The 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent, he has been released on conditional bail to allow for further enquiries to be carried out.
Crime scene investigators were summoned and a scene guard was put in place to allow officers to retrieve any evidence from the scene of the incident.
Crime scene investigators at the site on Saturday.
North Yorkshire Police is urging anyone who witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police to get in touch on 101. The incident number is 12220200870.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Man suffers serious head injuries on Harrogate’s Bower Street
A 32-year-old Harrogate man has been arrested following a reported assault on Bower Street.
Police were called by the ambulance service at 6.20pm on Saturday after the victim, a man in his fifties, was found with serious head injuries in the street.
The victim was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious condition.
The 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent. He has since been released on conditional police bail to allow for further enquiries to be carried out.
It was revealed last month that railings are to be installed on Bower Street in an attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour.
North Yorkshire Police is urging anyone who witnessed the incident but has not yet spoken to police to get in touch on 101. The incident number is 12220201215
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Three arrested after dozens of bags of cocaine found in Harrogate
Two men and a woman have been arrested after police stopped two cars and found dozens of bags of cocaine in the Harrogate area.
North Yorkshire Police said today two different vehicles were searched.
As well as suspected cocaine, a lock knife was also found in one of the cars and the driver was banned from driving.
A man in his 20s has been charged with possessing a blade and driving while disqualified. He was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class-A drugs.
A woman, also in her 20s was also arrested on suspicion of class-A drug offences.
A second man in the other vehicle, who is in his 20s, was also arrested on suspicion of possessing class-A drugs.
All were bailed following the drug arrests on Thursday to allow the substances to be inspected by a laboratory as part of police investigations.
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- Police seize drugs, knife and machete from car near Harrogate
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Morning ‘traffic chaos’ on A61 between Ripon and Harrogate
Motorists have endured a morning of misery between Ripon and Harrogate this morning due to lengthy delays on the A61.
Roadworks at Bishop Monkton combined with a broken down bus in Killinghall caused a double delay for people using the main route.
Linda Birnie called the Stray Ferret to say it took her an hour and 10 minutes to get from her home in Ripon to Ripley. She said:
“The traffic this morning was absolutely appalling. I would have gone through Knaresborough if I’d known.”
Ms Birnie set off at 8am and shortly afterwards hit a two-mile queue caused by lights near the garden centre at Bishop Monkton.
According to North Yorkshire County Council’s live roadworks map, there are two-way signals there until Friday due to work being carried out by Yorkshire Water.
It always says there are separate roadworks at Wormald Green until Wednesday this week.
Ms Birnie said after getting through that queue, there was a brief period of respite before she encountered another large tailback before the Ripley roundabout due to a broken down bus in Killinghall.
She had travelled to Harrogate because she is a member of the Harrogate Borough Council-owned leisure company Brimhams Active and her yoga class had been moved because of ongoing work caused by ground stability issues at Ripon’s new leisure centre.
Other motorists got in touch to inform us of lengthy delays on the same route this morning.
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A foggy day of remembrance across the Harrogate district
From Ripon Cathedral to Knaresborough Fire Station, people fell silent for two minutes across the Harrogate district today to pay their respects to the war dead.
Thousands of people stood 20-deep in the fog around the war memorial in Harrogate for the traditional parade and outdoor service.
Thousands of people also gathered at Spa Gardens and on nearby streets in Ripon, where services were held at the war memorial and in Ripon Cathedral.
Ripon Spa Gardens
Starbeck observed a minute’s silence at 11am before the main ceremony at 3pm.
Starbeck war memorial
Further afield, Junior soldiers from Harrogate’s Army Foundation College took part in a Remembrance Sunday service at Merville Battery, France, as part of a trip learning about the Normandy invasion.
Junior soldiers from Harrogate in France today. Pic: Matt Allen / MOD Crown Copyright 2022
Besides the formal ceremonies, many people took time out of their day to observe the two-minute silence.
Firefighters at Knaresborough lined up to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Knaresborough Fire Station
It marked the culmination of commemorations, which started with a minute’s silence on Friday. November 11 at 11am.
Pateley Bridge, which traditionally holds its main service on the 11th whatever the day, did so again this year.
Harrogate’s Ashville College also held a service on Friday before students and staff, along with members of the governing body and former pupils, gathered in front of the memorial to hold a two-minute silence and to lay wreaths and poppies.
Of the 300 former Ashvillians called up in the First World War, 38 died in the conflict. Eight of those were killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
In the Second World War, 465 former pupils and teachers volunteered for the forces, and of those 59 were killed.
Ashville College
North Yorkshire Police crime scene investigators are attending an incident on the corner of Finkle Street and Allhallowgate in Ripon.
The corner site has been cordoned off with blue and white police tape.
A crime scene investigation vehicle, mobile police office and a further police vehicle and officers have been at the scene.
Police at the scene are not giving any details about the nature of the incident.
Read more:
Knaresborough urged to ‘think big’ to maximise growth opportunity
Experts have urged Knaresborough to ‘think big’ to help the town’s economy make the most of upcoming major political changes.
They said the town needs to focus on something eye-catching and big — such as a cliff lift — to maximise the potential of North Yorkshire devolution.
Knaresborough and District Chamber of Trade invited the experts to talk about how to seize the opportunities presented by the creation of a combined authority and mayor for North Yorkshire and York in 2024.
The changes will bring £540 million into the county over a 30-year period and see transport, skills and education decision-making powers devolved to the mayor from central government.
James Farrar, chief operating officer for the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said town centres would be a major focus of whoever is elected mayor because the county does not have a large urban city.
He recommended the town focus on securing funding for one major, eye-catching initiative that would appeal to the whoever is elected mayor.
“Town centres will be important to the mayor and the places that do well will be the places that have a plan.
“Don’t wait for the money — get on the front foot. Have a clear plan and understand your priorities.
“Think about the one thing you want in Knaresborough.”
This week’s chamber meeting. Pic: Charlotte Gale
Mr Farrar added many businesses were looking to move out of York because there was no more space to expand and towns like Knaresborough could take advantage.
Alan Reiss, director of strategy for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, told the meeting devolution “massively amplifies the voice of a region” and that North Yorkshire looked like securing a “great deal” financially.
Christian Spence, an economist from Open Innovations, a not-for-profit organisation that uses data to help people make decisions, told the meeting the Knaresborough area was growing rapidly but not in the town centre itself.
By contrast, he said growth had doubled in the south of Knaresborough and Follifoot, over the last 10 years.
Read more:
- Consultation launched over £540m North Yorkshire devolution deal
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Peter Lacey, an executive member of the chamber who owns a nationwide consulting firm, said Knaresborough had lots great ideas but needed to find a common purpose.
He was one of several people at the meeting to suggest a cliff lift could be the big idea that levered funding into Knaresborough. He said:
Bettys unveils Christmas cracker window display in Harrogate“We’ve got some great companies based here, but to date there’s been little joined-up thinking about how we can all add to the wellbeing of local residents, the community and how we see the future of the town as a thriving centre of innovation and growth.”
Bettys unveiled its Christmas window display in front of hundreds of people at 5.30pm today.
Branch manager Janet Parker led the countdown, which ended with the blind going up to reveal the display.
Staff worked throughout last night to create the Christmas cracker-themed display.
There were free hot drinks and mince pies for those watching, and local carol singers added to the festive feeling.
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Firefighters called to sauna fire at Rudding spa
Firefighters using breathing apparatus were called to reports of a fire in a sauna at Rudding Park spa last night.
Crews from Harrogate, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough were summoned to the incident in Follifoot at sixteen minutes past midnight.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says:
“Crews used four breathing apparatus, two thermal imaging cameras, one hose reel and small tools to deal with the incident.
“The fire was caused by an electrical fault.”
The hotel’s managing director, Peter Banks, said the fire started after the spa had closed and was spotted by a night cleaner, who quickly raised the alarm – even before the smoke alarms had been activated.
The sauna has a system which releases nitrogen as soon as a fire is detected, taking the oxygen out of the room. Mr Banks said:
“By the time the fire service, arrived, the fire was pretty much out. The system worked exactly as it should have and it’s business as usual today.”
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