Man dies on Ripon building site

A man has died after an incident at a building site in Ripon.

North Yorkshire Police issued a brief statement this afternoon confirming the news. It said:

“Police were called to a report of an industrial incident in Ripon at about 10.30am on Wednesday.

“A man was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing jointly with the Health and Safety Executive.”

A member of the public contacted the Stray Ferret on Wednesday saying Harrogate Road in Ripon was closed and a large number of police, fire engines and ambulances were in attendance.

The police initially declined to reveal any information but today confirmed a man, who has not been named, had died.

No further details about the incident have been released.

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Venues close as heavy snow approaches Harrogate district

Gritters are out in force today as the Harrogate district braces itself for a second bout of heavy snow in a week.

Fountains Abbey near Ripon and RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate have already decided to close tomorrow, with the Met Office warning of road closures, stranded vehicles, power cuts and loss of mobile phone coverage.

With heavy snow forecast all day tomorrow (Jan 14), Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, including the deer park will be closed all day for the safety of visitors and staff.
If you've booked to visit tomorrow you should receive a cancellation email shortly.@GHRHarrogate pic.twitter.com/iwPF7JWxWi

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) January 13, 2021

Unfortunately with more heavy snow forecast in Harrogate tomorrow, RHS Garden Harlow Carr and Garden Centre will be closed on Thurs 14th January.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have paid for tickets, please contact harlowcarr@rhs.org.uk to arrange a refund. pic.twitter.com/oW6oKnTMJI

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) January 13, 2021

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place until 9pm tomorrow.

Although less severe than amber and red warnings, the Met Office still warns of “possible significant travel disruption”.

Overnight temperatures are forecast to fall as low as minus two degrees centigrade and not rise above freezing until Saturday, when another weather warning — this time for heavy rain — if effective.

A @metoffice yellow #weatherwarning for #snow and #ice in #NorthYorkshire is in place until 9pm tomorrow. Our gritting crews are treating priority roads but, if you must travel, please take extra care.

You can keep up to date with the forecast here ⬇️https://t.co/zHvC8EqeVU pic.twitter.com/02QCYkusKz

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) January 13, 2021

There are currently no flood warnings in the Harrogate district but they are in place nearby on the River Swale and River Ouse.

The Stray Ferret will provide weather and travel updates throughout the day tomorrow.

Road works in Harrogate district to continue during lockdown

Road works in the Harrogate district will continue during the third lockdown, according to North Yorkshire County Council.

Several long-term projects were scheduled to take place on some main routes at the start of the year, including Otley Road and Skipton Road in Harrogate.

The lockdown has brought many businesses to a halt, with staff encouraged to stay at home.

But county councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, said construction projects, including street and road works, were permitted to continue in accordance with Public Health England and industry guidance.

He added:

“All of this work contributes to the safe, efficient operation of the highways network so other key workers can do what they need to do.”

“As traffic levels are reduced to a minimum, our repair work can be carried out quickly, efficiently and with little or no disruption.”

Mr Mackenzie added contractors were nearing completion of the £15.1m Local Full Fibre Networks scheme, which has seen 170km of gigabit fibre installed in 20 towns in North Yorkshire. He added:

“At the same time, the Superfast North Yorkshire project has continued throughout the covid pandemic in order to ensure that increasing numbers of businesses and households in rural areas have access to high quality broadband, which is even more vital in times of lockdown.”

Can you help deliver hot meals to vulnerable people?

A charity that delivers hot meals to older people has issued a plea for more volunteers during the lockdown.

Harrogate and Ripon Foods Angels needs extra help because of rising demand for its services and a reduction in volunteers due to shielding.

The food angels prepare and deliver about 120 meals daily for vulnerable people in Harrogate and Ripon.

Today’s plea is not only for individual volunteers but also for businesses: for instance, two staff at Harrogate firm Slingsby Gin help every Thursday.

The service not only provides meals but also helps reduce isolation among vulnerable people during the pandemic.

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Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, which oversees the food angels, said it expected demand for meals to increase in the weeks ahead and any help would be appreciated. She added:

“New shielding guidelines have forced regular and willing volunteers to take a step down, which has left a big gap in the number of people we need to deliver the meals each day.

“We are asking those individuals or local businesses who can spare some time to please do so, so that we can continue to provide the much-needed service into the community.

Volunteers follow government guidelines and protocol, including wearing PPE.

For more information on volunteering visit here or call 01423 888777.

Police appeal for help finding fraudsters who conned woman, 80

Fraudsters pretending to be from a disability service stole three bank cards from a woman in her 80s in Summerbridge.

Police in Harrogate today issued a CCTV appeal to find the man and woman responsible.

The suspects took three bank cards and subsequently made fraudulent transactions in Ripon and Darlington.

The incident occurred on Hartwith Bank at around 4.45pm on October 14.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“We are appealing for information which will help to identify the suspects, including anyone who recognises the person in the CCTV image, which is from TK Maxx in Darlington around an hour after the incident.

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Anyone with information can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Katie Bell.

You can also email katarina.bell@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 12200181553.

The Harrogate district’s top five covid hotspots

There have been 633 covid infections recorded in the Harrogate district in the last seven days, according to government statistics.

The infection rate has rocketed over the last month and the current seven-day average rate is now 494 people per 100,000.

But there are considerable variations within the district.

The government breaks each district into smaller areas known as middle super output areas, each with a population of about 7,200 people.

According to the latest figures, the middle super output areas with the most current infections are central Harrogate and central Knaresborough.

The more rural Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley, which has been consistently less affected throughout the pandemic, has the fewest current infections.

Most infections

1 Central Harrogate 76

2 Knaresborough Central 61

3 Harrogate West and Pannal 59

4 Killinghall and Hampsthwaite 53

5 Starbeck 47

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Fewest Infections

1 Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley 13

2 Hookstone 17

3= Dishthorpe, Baldersby and Markington

3= Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby 19

5 Masham, Kirkby Malzeard and North Stainley 21

 

Frontline Harrogate hospital staff ask for car parking refunds

Some frontline staff at Harrogate District Hospital have requested £150 refunds for being asked to pay for car parking during the pandemic.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust suspended parking charges for staff and visitors during the first lockdown but reinstated them in September.

The trust then wrote to staff last month saying it had decided to donate staff parking fees to Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity, where they would be put towards a staff health and wellbeing fund.

The monthly parking charge is £50.50, which means staff paid £151.50 to park on site during the last quarter of 2020.

Employees have now been given the choice to opt out of this arrangement or continue contributing to the health and wellbeing fund.

Most have chosen the latter, but a number have opted out and some are seeking refunds for parking charges incurred in the final quarter of 2020.

One frontline worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Stray Ferret they felt it was unfair to be charged for parking after such a demanding year, particularly with the risk of covid, or to be pressured into paying into the hospital charity, however worthy the cause. They added:

“It feels like a kick in the teeth after all we’ve been through in 2020. We were busy before Christmas but right now it’s manic and we feel we deserve this money back.”

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The person added £50.50 was a considerable monthly sum for low wage staff, including cleaners and porters, who paid for onsite parking to know their cars were secure when they worked overnight shifts rather than leave them on nearby streets, which can also annoy residents.

In a letter to staff last month, Jonathan Coulter, finance director of the trust, encouraged staff to continue contributing fees to the health and wellbeing fund but added:

“By necessity this needs to be optional for colleagues, and therefore you could simply opt out and park for free, but we would hope the vast majority of colleagues would like to continue this, given the positive impact that the money raised will have for all staff, and the fact that this will be at no cost over and above what you currently pay.”

Mr Coulter told staff last week that at the start of the year 13 of 300 staff the trust had written to had asked to opt out but he was aware more had done so since.

He added the issue would be kept under review.

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesman told the Stray Ferret the car parking fees would be “specifically used to benefit colleague health and wellbeing all across the trust” and a staff group would decide where it is paid.

The spokesman declined to say whether staff would be offered refunds or why the trust had changed its parking policy again to offer the opt-out option.

16 sheep drown in pond in Burton Leonard

Sixteen sheep died when they fell through broken ice on a pond in Burton Leonard yesterday.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to the village at 5.30pm, when much of the Harrogate district was covered by ice and snow.

The service’s incident report said:

“A number of crews attended a large quantity of sheep that had wandered on to a frozen pond, causing the ice to break.

“Crews worked to rescue the sheep using two inflatable walkways, raft, lines, lighting, thermal imaging camera and crew power.

“Unfortunately of the 19 sheep rescued, 16 were dead.”

Rising temperatures have seen much of the snow and ice thaw today but many minor roads and pavements remain treacherous.

 

Three Harrogate Town players test positive for covid

Three Harrogate Town players have tested positive for covid, the club announced before this afternoon’s fixture with Cambridge United.

The trio consists of winger Brendan Kiernan, striker Aaron Martin and defender Ryan Fallowfield.

All three have been regular first team players recently but despite their absence today’s match goes ahead.

Aaron Martin. Pic credit: Harrogate Town

Ryan Fallowfield. Pic credit: Harrogate Town

The club tweeted that the players tested positive in the most recent round of testing and are now isolating. It added:

“All other tests at the club returned negative results and we wish all three a speedy recovery.”

Many of today’s fixtures have been postponed due to the weather but Harrogate’s trip was to high-flying Cambridge is still on.

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Travel problems remain in Harrogate district after freezing night

Freezing temperatures after yesterday’s snow are continuing to cause problems in the Harrogate district.

Overnight temperatures plunged as low as minus 12 degrees centigrade in some parts of North Yorkshire and a Met Office yellow warning for ice remains in place until 11am.

This has caused problems for motorists, travel companies and some venues that have remained open during the lockdown.

The Harrogate Bus Company said this morning it was unable to operate the 2A/2B – Bilton; 3 – Jennyfield; 6 – Pannal Ash; 8 – Knaresborough to Wetherby and the 24 – Pateley Bridge.

It added the 1 would operate between Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough bus station only, saying it was still unable to reach the Knaresborough estates.

And the 21 will be a non-stop service between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough on the motorway.

However, the 36 is running its full route from Ripon to Leeds.

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Gritters have teated main roads but North Yorkshire County Council has warned the reduced lockdown traffic could make it less effective and many minor roads are treacherous.

The council also tweeted its household recycling centres in Harrogate and Ripon will open late today due to the weather.

RHS Harlow Carr remains closed today, as does Fountains Abbey, near Ripon. Both are offering refunds.

No further significant snowfall is expected and temperatures are forecast to rise slightly over the weekend.

A Harrogate snow scene sent by reader Yvonne Davies

 

Alice Brooke Thwaites captured this image of the impact of the snow at Starbeck train station.