Lockdown ‘at worst possible time for retail’ says Harrogate bookshop

Lockdown will come at the “worst possible time for retail”, according to the owner of an independent bookshop in Harrogate.

Georgia Eckert, of Imagined Things Bookshop in Westminster Arcade, said she usually took a third of her annual takings in the eight-week run-up to Christmas.

Ms Eckert said she understood the government’s need to act but questioned how little time businesses had to prepare for the change.

“It’s come at the the worst time for retail. I know there is a lot of uncertainty but we didn’t have any time to plan for it.

“The government had said for ages there wouldn’t be another national lockdown.”

Ms Eckert is due to give birth in March and had recently extended her staff team from one to three. She said:

“I’m relieved the furlough scheme will continue. I just hope we can reopen in December but even if we can there is a limit to how many people we can have in the shop due to social distancing.”

Ms Eckert said her business would “do everything it can” to survive, by providing click and collect, home deliveries and developing its website.

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Being a former NHS employee, Ms Eckert said she understood action had to be taken to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed. She added:

“Let’s hope business will bounce back strongly but we have to get through this first.”

Andrew Jones MP criticised for lockdown U-turn

Local Liberal Democrats have asked how Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones could support the national lockdown “with a straight face” after recently speaking out against the move.

Mr Jones said on October 20 “a blanket national lockdown is wrong and local interventions are what we need now to tackle this crisis”.

Two days later he said businesses in his constituency were worried about the impact of the district being moved into tier two.

But on Wednesday he is set to vote with the government on introducing a national lockdown from Thursday.

Geoff Webber, the Liberal Democrat group leader on North Yorkshire County Council, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said:

“How can he roll back from that so soon with a straight face? Foresight is in his job description; seven months on he and his party shouldn’t be waiting until breaking point to respond to the crisis.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to tell MPs today that covid deaths over the winter could be twice as bad as those in spring if the lockdown isn’t implemented.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he still supported a blanket ban and which way he intended to vote.

Mr Jones once again chose not to respond to the Stray Ferret, although we are aware he has spoken to other publications on this issue.

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Harrogate district recovers from floods — but alerts remain

Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Masham have all been hit by flooding today — and alerts remain in place.

Parts of Knaresborough close to the River Nidd appear to have been the worst affected.

An Environment Agency spokesman said there were no confirmed cases of people having to leave their homes.

However, Andrew Weatherhead, owner of Weatherhead Butchers in Pateley Bridge worked through the night unblocking drains and mopping two inches of water from his High Street shop.

Mr Weatherhead, whose shop opened as usual this morning, told the Stray Ferret he planned to buy some flood gates to prevent further problems.

 

Mr Weatherhead, who finally got home at 3am only to be woken by his house alarm going off at 5.30am, said the town’s river flood defences worked well but added:

“I think there is something wrong with the state of the drains. So many are blocked. We had to unblock them with shovels and sticks and when we did the water went down quickly.”

No other shops in Pateley are believed to have been affected.

Cars moved

Vast swathes of Knaresborough were under water this morning. The area near the Vantage Toyota dealership, close to the River Nidd, was particularly bad.

Kyley Price, a medical administrator who lives in the area, said:

“We are surrounded by water but I’m hoping it wont be too bad. Just the usual clean up to come.

“We got a warning at 5.30 this morning so moved cars etc. We are now just sitting watching TV and waiting.”

Ms Price questioned the effectiveness of the flood prevention measures in the area:

“The water rises and fills the surrounding flood plane and fields faster than ever.”

Ure rising in Ripon

A flood warning remains in place in Ripon for Ure bank and the racecourse.

The government’s flood information service posted at 11.28am today:

“The level of the River Ure at Ripon Ure bank is 3.44m and rising. We expect river levels to continue rising with peak levels expected around 3.61m this afternoon.

“Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded.”

The water is rising in Ripon.

Many rural roads, including the bridge at Masham, were treacherous this morning.

The forecast is improving but a flood alert is in place for the upper Nidd. The flood information service said at 11.28am:

“Further rainfall is expected on Monday, and river levels will fluctuate through the day. Flooding of low-lying land, roads and footpaths remains possible.”

 

River Nidd flooding set to hit Knaresborough today

The government has urged people to implement immediate flood protection measures in response to expected flooding in Knaresborough this morning,

Following a weekend of heavy rain, much of the Harrogate district is saturated. But some low-lying areas are in particular danger, which prompted the government flood information service to issue a warning at 5.33am today.

The service said flood warnings were in place at Knaresborough caravan park and Goldsborough Mill Farm, Knaresborough.

River levels are forecast to rise as a result of heavy rainfall on Sunday. It added:

“Consequently, flooding of property, roads and land in Knaresborough is possible today. Areas most at risk are riverside land at Knaresborough Caravan Park.

“The River Nidd in Knaresborough is expected to reach a peak level of up to 1.8m at around 9am today.

“Please activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers, and stay away from fast moving water.

“Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the forecast. This message will be updated in 8 hours or as the situation changes.”

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Another late night queue at Harrogate Tesco

Just three hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced another national lockdown yesterday, a large queue had formed outside the Tesco Express in the centre of Harrogate.

This video was taken minutes after 10pm — when pubs closed — and shows little sign of people conforming to social distancing guidelines.

The same situation arose last weekend at pub closing time.

But with all pubs forced to close from Thursday, further instances are unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

Harrogate town centre was busy last night, with Halloween many people making the most of a final weekend of the pubs being open.

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10pm queues

The Harrogate district’s seven-day rolling average infection rate is 251 people per 100,000 people, which is the highest of the seven district and borough council regions in North Yorkshire.

It is also higher than the England average of 223 per 100,000 people.

According to government figures, Harrogate west and Pannal has recorded the most new infections in the district in the last seven days, with 43.

The next highest is Harrogate central with 36 followed by Killinghall and Hampsthwaite with 31.

Ripon north and west recorded the fewest new cases, with just four.

A quarter of North Yorkshire care homes affected by covid

Almost a quarter of North Yorkshire care homes currently have at least one covid infection.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, revealed the situation in a bulletin on Wednesday. He said:

“Despite robust outbreak management plans, we now have more than 55 care homes out of a total of 233 with single cases or outbreaks, and three of those now have a very difficult situation with wider scale infection. This is a serious matter, as you will understand.”

The council is due to make an announcement on reopening care homes to some visitors today.

It advised care homes to close during October.

A council spokesman said the announcement was still due to go ahead.

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Mr Flinton reiterated that North Yorkshire’s tier one status was hanging by a thread and that people’s actions now would determine what happened at Christmas. He added:

“If we are to have any chance at all of staying in this tier, and to give us all the best chance of being able to be with our loved ones at Christmas, we need to step up and stand together as a county and we will explain this in more detail over the coming days.

“In my role as chair of North Yorkshire’s Local Resilience Forum, I am regularly asked when all this will end.

‘The answer is unfortunately not as straightforward as the question. In truth, we will need to adapt the way we live for many more months.”

Man arrested in Harrogate after suspected £1,500 shoplifting haul

A suspected shoplifter in Harrogate was arrested with £1,500 worth of goods in his car yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police arrested the man on Leeds Road at about 5.30pm following a report of shoplifting from a store on Cambridge Road.

Officers intercepted a silver car after CCTV operators alerted police.

The suspect’s vehicle was stopped and the driver, a man from the Leeds area, was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken into custody.

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He was later released while under investigation.

Investigations into the theft of £1,500 worth of suspected stolen goods are ongoing.

Is Mary the Harrogate district’s longest-serving lollipop woman?

An 85-year-old lollipop woman in Summerbridge has celebrated her 45th year of helping children cross the road.

Mary Fisher has helped three generations of children at Summerbridge Community Primary School.

She took up the role in 1975, when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister and Leeds United reached the final of the European Cup, and has been excited by it ever since. She said:

“One of the best parts of the job is that everyone recognises you – everyone always waves at me.

“I love being outside and active as well. I have to be out and about rather than sat inside. Not a day goes by where I think I don’t want to get up today and do it.”

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Ms Fisher worked as a carer for more than 30 years before retiring in her 60s.

“I’d get up in the morning and go to my caring job, before coming back and getting changed and going out to be a crossing lady. I did that for many years and I enjoyed it.

“The community thinks the world of us lollipop ladies and the job we do and every day is different and every day is happy.”

Nick Coates, headteacher at the school, said Ms Fisher was “a treasured member of our community for generations” who had “ensured the safe crossing of the busy road for hundreds of children”. He added:

“Not only does Mary ensure that everyone is safe, but she always has a kind word for the children and a wise word for the parents, many of whom she has known for all of their lives, too.”

Police hunt owner of Cockapoodle that bit man in Burn Bridge

Police are appealing for help finding the owner of a Cockapoodle that bit a man near Burn Bridge.

The man was attacked about 50 metres from the path entrance to Crimple Meadows woodland playing fields.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the dog was one of two large brown Cockapoodles with thick brown curly hair. One dog was light brown and the other dark brown.

They were with a white man who is described as stocky, 5ft 9 inches tall and in his late fifties. He was wearing a dark green coat and did not have the dogs on leads. A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“The darker brown dog started jumping up at a member of the public and bit the male victim on the arm, causing minor injuries.

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish who the man with the two dogs was.”

The incident took place at about 10am on October 7.

Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police by calling 101 and selecting option 2. Ask for PC Thornborrow. You can also email jackie.thornborrow@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200176089.

Domestic abuse rises in North Yorkshire

Domestic abuse has risen sharply in North Yorkshire — but police say this is mainly due to changes in methods of reporting.

Incidents of domestic abuse increased by 26 per cent in 2018/19 and by three per cent in 2019/20, according to latest crime statistics published by the Office for National Statistics yesterday.

But Detective Superintendent Allan Harder, of North Yorkshire Police, said this was largely down to the requirement to record multiple crimes where stalking and/or harassment has occurred, rather than simply one crime per incident. He said:

“Whilst we were hearing of this increased demand from our partners and in the national media, the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to North Yorkshire Police has remained level.

“Although victims have been seeking additional support, this is not associated with a significant rise in reported incidents.”

Fraud, which is one of North Yorkshire Police’s key priorities, has risen by 700 per cent since January 2019 but the force attributed this to people now reporting incidents directly to it rather than the agency Action Fraud.

A police spokesman said:

“Numbers of fraud incidents we are seeing each month since that time are staying fairly consistent.”

Just six murders occurred in North Yorkshire in the year ending June 2020. Only Bedfordshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and North Wales had fewer.

Burglary, theft, vehicle crime and criminal damage showed marked decreases, mainly due to the impact of the national lockdown on March 23.

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