There are fears that about 10 peacocks have been secretly killed in Killinghall.

A muster of peacocks has roamed the village for years. But the number exploded last year to as many as 16, upsetting some residents with their loud screeching and damage to gardens.

There were calls for the peacocks to be rehomed — but it seems someone may have taken matters into their own hands.

Killinghall Parish Council said in a statement on social media yesterday it was “made aware that there are concerns regarding our resident peacocks”.

It added:

“There have been sightings of only four of the birds and people are speculating as to what has become of the rest.

“If action was taken to remove any of the peacocks, the parish council is unaware of this and certainly had no involvement.”

Parish council unfairly blamed

Last year, after receiving complaints about peacock anti-social behaviour, the parish council had suggested working with residents to address the problem.

It floated the idea of rehoming and even looked into the possibility of neutering — an idea that was dropped as impractical.

Read more:

• Some Kilinghall peacocks could be re-homed
• Councillor fails in bid to rehome Peter the Peacock on his farm

The parish council said yesterday it hadn’t received any further communication from residents since last year.

Nevertheless, its attempts to respond to concerns.have led to some unfair speculation on social media that it was responsible for the missing birds — something it has been keen to clarify that it wasn’t.

Speculation is now rife about the fate of the peacocks, with some suspecting a disgruntled villager may be responsible.

There are also fears for the safety of the remaining birds, which tend to roost in a large tree in the new development at the back of Cautley Drive.

Some residents in nearby Bilton were upset last year when its resident peacock, Peter, was rehomed by the RSPCA animal charity after concerns for his welfare. He is believed to be in Lancashire.

Three men have appeared in court charged with stealing items from household waste recycling centres in Harrogate and Ripon.

North Yorkshire County Council operates the sites at Penny Pot Lane in Harrogate and Dallamires Lane in Ripon.

Lewis Boocock, 23, of Pioneer House, Dewsbury, is alleged to have stolen six laptops from Dallamires Lane and two TVs and two laptops from Penny Pot Lane on March 20 last year.

Mitchell Boocock, 22, of Common Road, Batley is charged with the theft of numerous electrical items from Penny Pot Lane on March 29 last year.

Luke Boocock, 21, of Leeds Road, Ossett, is alleged to have stolen electrical items from the sites at Penny Pot Lane and Dallamires Lane on March 21 and March 29 last year.

The cases, which were heard at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday, have been remitted to Lancashire Magistrates Court on April 22.

The three men were granted unconditional bail.

A man in his 70s suffered a serious head injury this morning when he was involved in a collision with a minibus on the A59 in Knaresborough.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement this afternoon that the pedestrian was taken to hospital. It added:

“He was conscious and breathing following the incident.”

The A59 remains closed between Bogs Lane in Harrogate and Long Walk in Knaresborough.

The incident occurred near Forest Lane Head at about 9.30am.

Diversions have been put in place while collision investigators examine the scene.

The police statement said:

“Witnesses or motorists with dash-cam footage are asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room. Please quote reference NYP-31032022-0111.

Read more:

• Two cars deliberately set alight in Knaresborough
• Snow affects schools and traffic across Harrogate district

A fire officer saved a tiny kitten when it got stuck inside a recliner chair in Killinghall.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service received a call to help the animal after it somehow became trapped in the chair.

Paul Metheringham, station manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said a single person was dispatched in a car to help the feline.

Using small tools, the rescuer was able to help the kitten escape unharmed.

The incident happened at about 7pm on Tuesday. No further details are available.

The fire service’s incident log said:

“A fire service officer rescued a tiny kitten that had got stuck inside a recliner chair. The kitten was rescued and had no injuries.”

Read more:

• Police appeal after dogs chase sheep near Beckwithshaw
• Sneak Peek: Paradise arrives in Killinghall

Schools and traffic across the Harrogate district were affected by overnight snow.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather for ice across the district, which was in place until 10am this morning.

You can recap our live blog and updates from the Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham areas this morning below.

10.10am – Picture of Pateley Bridge this morning

Joyce Liggins has sent in this picture from Pateley Bridge of the town covered in snow.

She said:

“We woke up to a covering of snow this morning and it’s looking like there is plenty more to come by the look of the sky.”

9.31am – Met Office weather warning in place until 10am

The Met Office weather warning for ice remains in place until 10am.

Gritters have been out on main roads in Harrogate this morning during the overnight snow.

9am – Readers’ pictures

Stray Ferret readers have sent their pictures from this morning’s snow. Here is a couple they have shared with us.

If you have any pictures of the snow that you would like to share, you can email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook and Twitter.

Picture from Jackie Bedford.

Picture from Hornbeam Park this morning. Picture from Vicky Galbraith.

8.50am – St Aidan’s in Harrogate open as usual

St Aidan’s Church of England Secondary School will be open as normal this morning.

School is open as usual today. Please only travel if safe. Let us know if your child is not coming in. All students should sign in at reception if late. Many thanks. pic.twitter.com/pXNVZ3vJiO

— St Aidan's (@StAidansCEHS) March 31, 2022

8.36am – Only a handful of Ripon Market traders this morning

Only a handful of Ripon Market traders have set up stall this morning due to hazardous conditions on the roads.

Brian Murphy, stallholders’ spokesperson who runs a fruit and vegetable stall, said:

“Because many of the traders come from a distance and travelling conditions are horrendous coming into Ripon, they decided to turn around and go back home.

“I’m keeping an eye on the weather, but will stay open for as long as I can.”

Brian Murphy at his stall on Ripon Market this morning.

8.30am – Heavy but moving traffic on Otley Road

Traffic is heavy but moving this morning on Harrogate’s Otley Road.

Overnight snow has left some side roads treacherous, but main roads in and around Harrogate have been gritted.

8.15am – Rossett Acre Primary School opening at 10am

Rossett Acre Primary School in Harrogate will open at 10am due to the overnight snow.

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

8am – Harrogate Grammar School delayed opening

Harrogate Grammar School has delayed the start of the school day due to the adverse weather.

The school will begin lessons from period three. Those pupils already on their way to school will still be accommodated and should report to the Hub on arrival.

7.45am – More pictures from across Harrogate

7.40am – Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School delayed opening

Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School will open at 10am due to the overnight snow.

The school said that those pupils who arrived before 10am should use the intercom to be let in.

7.35am – RHS Harlow Carr to open at 11am

RHS Harlow Carr gardens will open at a slightly later time this morning.

The gardens will open at 11am due to the snow in order to allow for the car park and pathways to be cleared.

⚠️ Thursday 31st March

Please note, due to snow, the garden will open slightly later today at 11am. This is to allow our teams time to clear the car park and pathways. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this, please check back for further updates. pic.twitter.com/Yb8tj5DakF

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) March 31, 2022

7.30am – Kettlesing Felliscliffe Primary School and Beckwithshaw Primary School to have delayed starts

Kettlesing Felliscliffe Primary School and Beckwithshaw Primary School will both open at 10am this morning.

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

7.25am – Traffic moving normally in Harrogate

Traffic around Harrogate Town Centre is running normally at the moment.

Gritters have been down York Place and West Park this morning to clear the roads. However, traffic is expected to pick up in the next hour.

7.20am – Is your school affected by the snow?

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch and let us know.

You can email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or on Facebook and Twitter.

7.12am: Weather warning in place until 10am

The @metoffice has issued a yellow #weather warning for #ice from 8pm tonight until 10am tomorrow.

Forecasters say #snow & hail showers could lead to icy surfaces, with possible travel disruption.

Take extra care if out and about.

More: https://t.co/nyJZTWA2Gn pic.twitter.com/s1roUeqCrO

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 30, 2022

7.03am: Harrogate covered in snow

https://twitter.com/MrsReedGeo/status/1509405530086948865

6.50am: Harrogate district wakes to blanket of snow.

Here’s the scene on Ripon Road in Killinghall. Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Police are to lead a crackdown on underage drinking in Ripon in the latest attempt to tackle the city’s long-running problem with crime and antisocial behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police said today Ripon has joined 240 locations in the country designated as a Community Alcohol Partnerships area.

These partnerships see police work with retailers, schools, neighbourhood groups, Trading Standards, local authorities and other emergency and health services to reduce alcohol problems.

As part of the initiative, retailers will be assessed by Trading Standards and police to check they are not selling alcohol to children.

Intervention work to prevent under-18s drinking will also be carried out.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the partnerships have led to a 61% reduction in weekly drinking by teenagers, a 50% drop in young people hanging round shops and asking adults to buy alcohol, and a 42% decline in anti-social behaviour involving drink.

Ripon Community Alcohol Partnership will officially launch on Wednesday next week.

Read more:

• Bid to retain Ripon Spa Baths for community use fails
• Ripon chef’s arctic marathon to raise funds for suicidal young people

PCSO Helenor Gwatkin, who is leading the launch for North Yorkshire Police, said:

“We’re listening to residents’ concerns about antisocial behaviour in Ripon and we’re addressing them in several ways.

“Our targeted patrols are one part of the solution, but the community alcohol partnership allows us to focus on prevention and early intervention. This stops issues from arising, reduces offences and helps educate young people to make better choices.

“Community alcohol partnerships have been very well supported in other parts of North Yorkshire and I am confident the initiative in Ripon will be just as well received.”

Alcohol education

Police, youth services and other local organisations will provide alcohol-free activities for young people and work with schools to take a proactive approach to alcohol education.

Kate Winstanley, director of Community Alcohol Partnerships, said:

“I am delighted to see the launch of a CAP in Ripon. Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life.

“In just over a decade CAP has set up more than 240 partnerships around the UK and our evaluations show they are having a significant impact on reducing children’s alcohol consumption, improving their health and wellbeing and enhancing the communities where they live.”

Plans for a new 36-flat supported housing development in Harrogate have been given the go-ahead today.

Jackie Snape, chief executive of the Harrogate charity Disability Action Yorkshire, made an impassioned plea to councillors for the scheme to go ahead. She said disabled people wanted to be given more control of their lives.

Ms Snape told Harrogate Borough Council‘s planning meeting that the need for supported housing was growing ever greater as disabled people “want so much more than residential care”.

She was speaking in support of plans to replace the charity’s existing Claro Road care home with 36 flats, which will allow residents to live more independently.

Ms Snape said:

“Disability Action Yorkshire has provided residential care for disabled people in the Harrogate area for the past 60 years, and for at least the last six years we have been working towards stopping that part of our service.

“The reason for this is that the disabled people we work with are telling us very loudly that they don’t want residential care.

“I asked the young disabled people currently living in 34 Claro Road what they thought I should say to you today.

“They said ‘just tell them we are ready, we want choice and control over our own lives, we just want our own front doors, we want what everyone else has.’”

Read more:

• Race for Life returns to Harrogate this summer
• Plan for new Claro Road care home set for approval

Disability Action Yorkshire, which this year celebrates its 85th anniversary, is working with Highstone Housing Association to build three apartment blocks at the Claro Road site.

Residents ‘no longer want residential care’

Ms Snape said the need for this type of accommodation has been growing over the last decade, but became in even greater demand during the pandemic which “solidified the resolve” of Claro Road residents that they no longer want residential care.

She said:

“For the past two years they have been treated differently to the rest of society, at one point not being able to have visits from friends and family while the rest of the country went out to eat out.

“Nearly every day somebody said we wouldn’t be in this situation if we had a home of our own.”

The charity’s plans – which included a mix of one and two-bed flats – were approved with “open arms” by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today.

Works will now start later this month to construct the first of the flats on the grounds of the current home and on a derelict playground which was sold off by the council last year.

The existing care home will be replaced with flats, as well as a base for support staff who will be on site 24-hours-a-day.

Speaking at today’s meeting, councillor Stuart Martin said:

“This is exactly the sort of development we should be building and it’s one of the easiest decisions I’ve taken on this planning committee.”

The new drive thru Leon restaurant currently being built on Wetherby Road in Harrogate is expected to open in early May.

The healthy fast food chain has about 70 outlets in the UK and opened its first drive thru in Leeds last year. The Harrogate venue will be its second drive thru.

EG Group, which owns the site, received planning permission to open a Starbucks on the site of the former dental surgery.

Work to transform the site on Wetherby Road.

Its planning application was approved despite concerns about the volume of traffic.

A Leon spokeswoman confirmed the site would now be used exclusively as a Leon drive thru, which she added was “scheduled to open in early May”.

Read more:

• Leon to open drive thru restaurant in Harrogate
• Three new restaurants and bars opening in Harrogate in next few days

She said the restaurant would create up to 15 jobs and there would be more than 50 seats inside and about 16 outside.

The spokeswoman added:

“We are so super excited about launching our second drive thru restaurant in Harrogate.”

Harrogate has become the final town of 20 in North Yorkshire to get free public access Wi-Fi.

It means people with limited or no broadband will be able to access the internet more easily in the town centre.

North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, in partnership with Harrogate telecommunications firm NYnet, have provided the scheme. Public access Wi-Fi was switched on in Knaresborough and Ripon last year.

The scheme aims to support post-covid recovery in North Yorkshire. Harrogate Borough Council has provided £300,000 to provide extra coverage across the district.

Robert Ling, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for technology and change, said:

“Harrogate is one of the largest, busiest towns in North Yorkshire which boasts thriving businesses, tourist attractions and stunning gardens. Our hope is that the free Wi-Fi service will prove popular, as it is certain to boost the town’s digital infrastructure.”

Read more:

• Free Wi-Fi goes live in Knaresborough
• Harrogate Hydro renovations a long-term gain, says diving club

Matt Roberts, Harrogate Borough Council’s economy and transport officer, said:

“By providing free public spaces Wi-Fi it allows people of all ages to keep connected, look up local businesses and discover all that the Harrogate district has to offer. It also supports our economic growth strategy which aims to make the Harrogate district the best place to live, work and visit.”

York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership allocated £3.6million to the scheme part of its allocation from the government’s Getting Building Fund.

David Dickson, chair of the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This whole programme of work to improve digital infrastructure in North Yorkshire is really important for the region. It will support York and North Yorkshire in becoming a greener, fairer and stronger economy.”

Former CNG building goes on the market

The Harrogate headquarters of energy firm CNG, which ceased trading lat year, has gone on the market.

Montpellier Property Consultants is advertising the four-storey property on Victoria Avenue.

The air-conditioned building was built in the 1990s and refurbished in 2015. The advertisement says:

“It offers modern high specification office accommodation and benefits from the latest systems and technology.

“The quality of its specification and the very extensive office accommodation it provides makes it unique in the business district.”

Slingsby Gin signs sponsorship deal with Ascot Racecourse

Harrogate firm Slingsby Gin has become the official gin supplier to Ascot Racecourse.

Royal Ascot, which is held in June, is one of the premier events on the British horseracing calendar.

The partnership will generate considerable exposure for the local firm through exclusive branding and activations, branded bars for the season and inclusion in event coverage that is broadcast worldwide.

Slingsby Gin said in a statement:

“We are delighted to add this to our existing long-standing sponsorship with one of the golf world’s most exciting events, the BMW PGA Championship, and we hope that the new Ascot partnership will further strengthen our strong sporting connections.”

JB Gill to appear at Great Yorkshire Show

JB Gill

Pop star turned farmer JB Gill has agreed to appear on the new GYS stage at the Great Yorkshire Show.

He will appear twice on stage on Wednesday, July 13, as part of a chat show style section before meeting fans afterwards.

Former ITV Calendar presenter Christine Talbot will host the GYS Stage.

The Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate will take place from July 12 to 15.

JB rose to fame as a member of boy band JLS, who had five number one singles, before setting up a farm in the Kent countryside,

Send your business news to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk