Harrogate property developer Adam Thorpe has been banned from driving for 16 months after being caught almost twice over the legal limit.

Thorpe, 41, of Ingerthorpe Hall, Markington, was stopped by police in November last year on the B6265 near Risplith Hill.

He was found to have 66 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Thorpe pleaded not guilty in April but changed his plea at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday.

Magistrates said his 16-month disqualification from driving would be reduced by 16 weeks if he completed a course.

Thorpe was fined £984. He was also ordered to pay £98 to victim services and costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

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Thorpe announced plans for a £75 million redevelopment of the former Harrogate Borough Council building at Crescent Gardens in 2017.

The plans included luxury apartments, an art gallery, underground car park, swimming pool and restaurant.

But his company ATP Ltd went into administration with debts of almost £11 million.

Police today issued an appeal for witnesses following a crash near Harrogate in which a man suffered serious injuries.

The collision, on the A59 near Kettlesing, involved a white Transit van and a motorcycle.

Both were travelling in the direction of Harrogate.

The incident happened at about 2.30pm on Friday and led to the road being closed for several hours.

The motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for any witnesses to the collision, or anyone with relevant dashcam footage.

If you wish to do so you can call 101 and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number NYP-17062022-253.

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Harrogate fire station has urged farmers to check the temperature of baled hay and straw after a fire this week.

Knaresborough and Harrogate firefighters used breathing apparatus to tackle a blaze affecting dung heaps and about 70 hay bales at Thorpe Underwood on Wednesday.

There was also a large amount of straw used for bedding in the pile that caught fire.

Harrogate fire station said in a social media post that its thermal imaging camera identified hot spots at over 500 degrees. It added:

“Piles of straw like this can spontaneously combust. They self-ignite because of heat produced by bacterial fermentation. Once ignition temperature is reached, combustion occurs.”

The thermal imaging camera picks up the hotspots. Pic: Harrogate fire station

Hay spontaneously combusting is a common cause of summer barn fires. They usually occur just after the hay or straw has been baled.

Firefighters urged farmers to monitor the temperature of their hay and straw by using temperature meters, especially after collecting it from fields, and then taking steps to cool it if necessary.

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The family of PC David Haigh, the Harrogate police officer murdered by Barry Prudom, has called for a permanent memorial to be erected.

Father-of-three PC Haigh was just 29 years old when he was shot by Prudom at Norwood Edge car park in Stainburn Forest.

PC Haigh’s widow, three sons and other family members hung a wreath at the site yesterday — 40 years to the day after he was slain.

They laid another wreath at Harrogate police station, where there is a plaque commemorating a fallen colleague.

But besides that plaque there is nothing to honour the officer who made the ultimate sacrifice and his family feels it is time that was put right.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret at yesterday’s wreath hanging, relatives said they were in discussions with the Police Memorial Trust, a charity that erects memorials to British police officers killed in the line of duty.

They hope something will be arranged for the site where he died, which is currently a car park owned by the Forestry Commission.

The memorial to PC David Haigh.

Annette Jakes, PC Haigh’s widow, returns to the site most years to pay her respects. She said:

“He was a hero. Yet there is nothing to remember him except the plaque in the police station.”

The fateful day

Ms Jukes was so overcome by grief at the news of her husband’s death that she had to be sedated for many days afterwards.

Recalling the fateful moment, she said she could see police officers through the glass door of the family home at the time on Elmwood Street:

“It was about 10am. There was the chief superintendent and the police doctor behind him.

“The chief superintendent said ‘I think you’d better sit down’. Then he told me my husband had been killed this morning. I don’t remember anything after that. I just hit the ground. I was injected for weeks. I never even saw the children.”

Eldest sons Carl and Michael, who were 11 and eight at the time, were sent home from Grove Road Community Primary School. They were waiting in a neighbour’s house when they overheard the news that their dad had been killed. Two weeks later they were back at school.

PC David Haigh

Youngest son Richard, who was just three at the time, said he was “unbelievably proud” of his dad.

He added it was a cruel twist of fate that the anniversary of PC Haigh’s death always fell around Father’s Day.

About a dozen family members, including grandchildren of PC Haigh, were at Norwood Edge yesterday to pay their respects.

It was a short and dignified occasion at the spot where it is thought PC Haigh died from a single gunshot wound.

Prudom went on the run and killed two more people before turning the gun on himself 17 days later after Britain’s biggest ever manhunt.

Now the family hopes a more lasting tribute will be erected in memory of the young Harrogate father who sacrificed his life serving others.

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Residents at a Harrogate care home where rodent droppings were found and rooms smelled of urine have been moved to other homes.

Mary Fisher House was rated inadequate and put into special measures in April by the Care Quality Commission, which regulates health and social care.

The CQC report in April, which was based on an inspection in February, found evidence of rodent droppings in the kitchen.

It said some bedrooms smelled of urine, described medicines practices as unsafe and said there were insufficient staff to safely support people.

The four-storey home on Cold Bath Road, which caters for up to 24 residents, relied heavily on agency staff who weren’t properly inducted, it added.

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Claire Harris-Winstanley, manager of the home on Cold Bath Road, confirmed it was closed when the Stray Ferret visited today. However, she said it was not clear yet whether the closure would be permanent and declined to comment further at this stage.

Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire County Council’s assistant director for care and support, said in a statement today:

“We have taken swift action to find new accommodation for 12 residents of Mary Fisher House following a decision by the owner to close for refurbishment.

“This situation has arisen following a recent Care Quality Commission inspection of the home, which identified problems which needed attention.

“Since then we have been working alongside NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group with the home’s owner to try to secure improvements.”

“The owner has decided the best way forwards is to refurbish the premises and to do so without residents in place. As a consequence we are finding alternative accommodation for the 12 residents the county council has responsibility for.

“We understand the situation may be distressing for those involved and we are working diligently to ensure the process causes the minimum disruption to the residents involved. Our absolute priority is the welfare of those affected by this situation and we have been keeping residents, along with their relatives and representatives, fully informed of developments.”

Safety action

One woman, who had a relative at the £600-a-week home until recently, said she was given nine days to find alternative arrangements.

According to the CQC, the home is run by Svivekcaregroup Limited.

The Stray Ferret has tried to contact the provider but has yet to receive a response.

A CQC spokesperson, said:

 “The CQC carried out an inspection at Mary Fisher House in Harrogate in February 2022.

“As a result we have taken action to protect the safety and welfare of people living at the home.

“Our legal processes do not allow us to go into further detail at this time. All CQC’s action is open to appeal.”

A motorcyclist is in hospital with serious injuries after a crash in the Harrogate district last night.

The collision, which occurred at the junction of the A61 Harrogate Road and Weeton Lane, involved a black Range Rover and a Yamaha motorcycle.

It occurred at about 7.30pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about the incident.

In a statement this morning it said:

“Unfortunately, the rider of the motorcycle suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was transferred to hospital where they remain in a stable condition.

“A stretch of Harrogate Road was closed for around two hours in both directions to allow for an initial investigation and vehicle recovery.”

Anyone with information or dashcam footage of the collision or the events leading up to the collision can email adam.smith@northyorkshire.police.uk, or contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Adam Smith.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220103906.

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A machine that can repair potholes and other road damage in minutes could be coming to the Harrogate district.

Highways engineers are trialing the JCB Pothole Pro, which is said to be able to repair a typical pothole more quickly than conventional methods.

The machine has different heads, which can plane off areas of road surface, chop out sections of carriageway and clear up debris when the repair is complete, providing options to deal with different types of repairs.

Because the processes are automated the risk of health problems caused by hand / arm vibration from using power tools is eliminated.

NYHighways, which is the arm’s-length company responsible for maintaining roads on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, is evaluating the machine in the Hambleton district.

The Stray Ferret asked how much the machines cost, how many the council was thinking of buying and when it would make a decision.

A council spokesman said it had nothing further to add. However, the machines have been widely reported to cost £165,000 each.

Council leader Carl Les (left) watches the machine in operation.

Keane Duncan, the Conservative councillor for Norton who is also the executive member for highways, said in a statement:

“We are putting this machine to the test so we can evaluate how it works in real-world conditions and a decision will be made later on whether NYHighways should add it to their fleet.

“Whatever the outcome, road users can be confident we are always aiming to provide them with the best service possible.”

Ross Bullerwell, managing director of NYHighways, said in a statement:

“The JCB Pothole Pro system is just one innovation we are trialling, with many more planned over the next year in order to find solutions that are the right place, right time, and right price for the county’s roads.”

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North Yorkshire Police want to speak to a man in relation to alleged homophobic chanting in Harrogate.

Police today issued a CCTV image of the man they want to talk to.

A statement said officers were investigating a possible hate crime. It added:

“The incident happened on King’s Road in Harrogate near Bambino’s takeaway around 11.45pm on 28 May 2022.

“A group of men were reported to be singing a homophobic chant.”

The statement urged anyone with information to email geeta.maharjan@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101, select option 2 and ask for 0740.

Or, if you’d prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 1222009231.

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A union official has offered to spearhead a campaign to save Woodfield Community Primary School from closure.

A four-week consultation on closing the school on December 31 ends on July 4.

Representatives from North Yorkshire County Council told a public meeting last night they had exhausted all options to keep it open.

There was widespread anger and disbelief among those attending at how a school with good facilities in a populated area had ended up in this position.

Gary McVeigh-Kaye, North Yorkshire district branch secretary of the National Education Union, said it was “disgusting and immoral” that the school faced closure because it couldn’t find an academy sponsor. He added:

“This is a community school. If you want to campaign, I will support you.”

Ten staff could lose their jobs if the closure goes ahead.

Only about 20 people attended last night’s meeting at the school. Many of those present said most parents regarded closure as a done deal orchestrated by the county council.

Morag Plummer, who has had links with the school since it opened 51 years ago, said the council had neglected a once-thriving school for seven years. She said:

“They want this land and they couldn’t give a damn about us.

“The majority of people in the community want their children to attend a school in the area. Children are heartbroken.

“They just want that land and everybody else will suffer.”

Other parents made the same claim that the land would be used for housing but Andrew Dixon, the council’s strategic planning manager for children and young people’s services, said a decision on the site’s future hadn’t been made.

He added any such decision would be distinct from that of the school’s future.

Andrew Dixon, speaking at last night’s meeting.

Mr Dixon said the council’s proposed merger of Woodfield and nearby Grove Road Community Primary School showed it wanted to retain the Woodfield site for education. The proposal, which Grove Road governors rejected, would have seen Woodfield become part of Grove Road.

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Mr Dixon’s presentation highlighted how Woodfield pupil numbers had fallen from 154 in 2018 to 37 this year.

He said 93% of primary aged children in the Woodfield catchment area who attended a council-run school went to other schools.

Woodfield, he added, faced a cumulative deficit of £229,000 in 2023/34, due to low pupil numbers.

He presented three options: the Woodfield catchment area could either be subsumed by Grove Road or Bilton Grange Primary School catchment areas, or it could be shared by the two schools.

Dave Poole, whose children and grandchildren attended Woodfield, said many parents had already taken their children out of the school due to scaremongering messages about its future,

James Poole said he had been unable to find another school willing to take on his child, who has special needs.

Retired teacher Diane Maguire, who lives in the area, said the school’s facilities and vast outdoor space would be a huge loss to the community. She said:

“It seems the school has been badly let down by North Yorkshire County Council. It seems like the council is culpable.”

Aytach Sadik, a grandparent, asked if families could buy the school, which was described as “an interesting proposal” by Amanda Wilkinson, the Conservative councillor for Morton-on-Swale and Appleton Wiske, who is also the council’s executive member for education and learning skills.

Andrew Hart, a sub-postmaster in Bilton, said numerous new nearby housing developments would exacerbate the need for a school in future and the council should think ahead when making its decision, rather than look at past failings. Woodfield, he said, had been left to “rot on the vine”.

But Mr Dixon said falling birth rates suggested local schools would be able to cope.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at the council, said nobody wanted the school to be in the position it was but the local education authority was obliged to work with Woodfield governors to find a way forward.

Rail operator Northern has urged people to make alternative travel plans next week during planned strike action.

The RMT union has called a nationwide rail strike for three days on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.

Northern, which operates services running through Harrogate and Knaresborough, said in a statement today :

“There will be no replacement buses or alternative travel provided.

“On strike days there will be extremely limited availability of both train crew and signalling staff and as such we will not be able to operate services on most routes.

“Unfortunately, as we will not be able to position our fleet how we normally would, the significant impact of the strike will also be felt on non-strike days.

“Therefore, we regrettably advise customers not to travel on any day from Tuesday 21st through to Sunday 26th June.

“Where we are able to operate trains, services will be very limited, and trains will not start as early as normal and will finish much earlier than normal.”

The statement added that customers would be entitled to a refund for dates affected by strike action if not travelling.

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