Harrogate street evacuated after bomb scare

Police evacuated a Harrogate street due to a bomb scare yesterday.

People had to leave their homes on Leadhall View, which is a cul-de-sac off Leadhall Road, for about three hours while bomb disposal experts arrived on the scene.

The drama began when John Shackleton, who lives on Leadhall View and runs aid missions to eastern Europe, tried to help a woman at his church.

Mr Shackleton, who used to work in bomb disposal, said the woman told him she had a couple of old shells in her attic.

He added:

“I said I would take them home and have a look at them. So I put them in the back of my car and the following day started dismantling them.

“There was a phosphorous liquid and I thought ‘this doesn’t look right’.”

Mr Shackleton told a bomb disposal friend about his concerns and within about half an hour police arrived on the scene and began telling people to leave their homes.

He said the two shells appeared to date back to the Second World War, adding:

“The bomb squad took them away and said they were totally unsafe but I don’t know what they did with them.

“The incident put the fear of god up everyone on the cul-de-sac — I won’t be very popular with my neighbours!”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police today told the Stray Ferret:

“Police officers attended and took photographs of the items which were sent to the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team for assessments.

“The EOD team arrived at 12.45pm and they were able to confirm that the shells were empty and they removed the items.

“Nearby neighbours within a 100m safety cordon were able to return home at around 1.30pm.”

The Stray Ferret has spoken to residents who said they were asked to leave their homes but knew few other details.

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Harrogate firm sold to Irish multinational

Harrogate firm Groundtrax Systems has been acquired by an international company based in Dublin.

Groundtrax, which was founded by Simon Adams in 2011, has a storage and distribution facility at Station Yard in Ripley. It provides specialist ground protection products, such as reinforced paving, for roads, car parks and commercial sites.

According to a media release issued today, it has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Origin UK Operations Ltd, which is part of Irish multinational Origin Enterprises PLC.

The release added the business, led by Mr Adams and supported by director Laura Tyrrell and sales manager David Marsh, “has experienced strong growth in recent years” and has “built a UK-wide customer base of high-profile organisations that operate in the construction, hospitality and transport sectors, amongst others”.

Mr Adams, who will remain with the business, said:

“I am exceptionally proud of what we’ve built at Groundtrax Systems with a prestigious portfolio of customers and a reputation for quality and service.

“As part of Origin, the business will experience the next stage of its growth, benefiting from the strong presence the group has in a diverse range of industries, supplementing where we already operate. I’m excited to support the Origin team as we integrate into the group and deliver new opportunities for the business.”

Advising Mr Adams, who was the 100% shareholder of Groundtrax, was north-east based RG Corporate Finance. LCF Law provided legal advice.

Chris Clark, managing director of Origin Amenity, said:

“Groundtrax Systems is a welcome addition to our amenity and landscaping operations as we accelerate the diversification of the group beyond our core agricultural business.

“There are strong synergies with our existing amenity businesses and its products and distribution capabilities will add value to our expanding offering to our key sector client base.”

Origin Enterprises provides a range of agricultural advice, services and products to arable, fruit, vegetable growers amenity and landscaping professionals in the UK, Europe and Brazil.

Photo caption: Simon Adams, managing director of Groundtrax, with its trackway and truck grade cellular paver products ready for dispatch from the company’s facility in Ripon.

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Grassroots funding awarded to Harrogate football clubs

Four football clubs in the Harrogate district have been awarded grants from the government as part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Fund.

The fund will award £93 million in 2023-24 to more than 1,100 projects around the country.

In total the Harrogate district was awarded £5,077 between the four clubs, with all of them applying for goalpost funding. 

Applicants could apply for a range of facilities including football turf, floodlights, pavilions, goalposts, changing rooms and improving sports access.

The Harrogate district clubs which were successful in securing grassroots funding were: 

The aim of the funding was to increase participation in sport amongst underrepresented groups and target communities most in need. 

Currently, the focus within underrepresented groups is to increase the involvement of women and girls, disabled players and those in deprived areas. 

The government funding is partnered with investments from the English FA and the Premier League. 

Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, Julian Smith, said:

“This is great news for these local clubs. 

“The government is making a real investment in grassroots sports as we make significant progress towards meeting our ambitious target of 3.5 million more people active by 2030.”

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What will the new combined authority mean for Harrogate?

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority had a launch event yesterday in the grand surroundings of York’s Guildhall.

The new public body will see four councillors from York and North Yorkshire work with a newly elected mayor to deliver schemes worth £18m a year related to transport, housing, net-zero and business.

The combined authority era will begin in earnest after mayoral elections on May 2.

But for all the aspirational talk from leaders at the launch about “historic milestones” and “flourishing together”, what will it actually mean for people living in Harrogate?

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council and James Farrar, interim head of paid services for combined authority, to try and get a better sense of how the combined authority will work — and how the mayor could use their new powers to improve Harrogate.

Some key decisions will be made in Harrogate

A common criticism of North Yorkshire Council is the location of its headquarters in Northallerton with it frequently being described by Harrogate residents as remote and out-of-the-way.

The combined authority will have two main offices — in York and at County Hall in Northallerton.

Cllr Les disputed the argument that this means even more decisions affecting Harrogate will not be made locally and he insisted the town will have a voice.

As the mayoral role will also include the brief of the current Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, her office and staff at Harrogate Police Station on Beckwith Head Road will come under the control of the mayor.

Although the crime and fire duties will be led by a deputy mayor who will be appointed after the election.

Cllr Les said:

“Devolution is the holy grail of local government. It’s about moving decision-making away from Whitehall to County Hall and to York. I’ve been around local government for nigh-on 30 years and I’ve never met a councillor who doesn’t believe we can’t make better decisions locally.”

The mayor could help fund the Harrogate Convention Centre redevelopment.

North Yorkshire Council has a £49m problem with what to do with the ageing Harrogate Convention Centre.

It’s seen seen two funding bids rejected by government to help pay for a planned redevelopment that it inherited from the defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

It was even recently suggested by council chief executive Richard Flinton that the council-run facility could be sold to the private sector.

However, Mr Farrar said the convention centre redevelopment project could win funding from the mayor providing it delivers “good bang for the buck”.

Cllr Les was more enthusiastic about the idea and said “absolutely” when asked if the mayor could help pay for it.

He added:

“That’s a discussion we’d want to have with the mayor, whoever he or she is.”

The launch event today.

The mayor could reverse cuts to Harrogate’s fire service

Conservative fire and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe has faced strong criticism from fire unions and the public over her decision to reduce the number of fire engines available in Harrogate overnight to one.

She also recently announced that from April, four firefighters based in the town will lose their jobs, saving £210,000.

Last month, Ms Metcalfe said she was going to write to local government secretary Michael Gove to plead with him for an increase in funding available to the fire service through council tax.

Cllr Les admitted government hasn’t always listened to the requests of crime commissioners but said that could change with a more high-profile mayor who may be able to negotiate more money for North Yorkshire’s cash-strapped fire service.

Cllr Les said:

“They could [reverse the cuts].  But if the mayor wants to reverse the savings, they have to find the money.”

Mr Farrar added that the budget of the fire service will be “entirely down to the mayor”

More active travel schemes for Harrogate?

Harrogate’s £11.2m Station Gateway has turned into one giant headache for North Yorkshire Council.

The active travel scheme has been drastically scaled-back following opposition from local businesses and the finished version could end up satisfying nobody.

One of the mayor’s responsibilities is to bring forward a strategic transport strategy for the region and Mr Farrar said this could include suggesting new schemes to promote cycling and walking in Harrogate.

He added:

“We’ll be looking at how people move around in Harrogate in an effective way.”

But how will the combined authority be able to succeed where the council has arguably failed?

Cllr Les said:

“The station gateway is a classic example of putting forward a scheme and finding two distinct lobbies in Harrogate where there are well-educated people who know how to put a coherent argument forward.

“Its very clear a lot of people wanted a scheme that’s much more pedestrian and cycle-friendly, other people wanted it to be more business-friendly. We’ve tried to strike a balance, whether we’ve got it right, only time will tell.”

One of the first jobs in the mayor’s in-tray could be repairing the fractured relationship between Harrogate businesses, cycling community and the public sector following the station gateway debacle.

But if he or she decides to encourage more active travel in Harrogate, they could also run into the same problems and divisiveness faced by North Yorkshire Council.

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1,000 sign petition to protect Bilton’s Knox Lane from housing

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to prevent land targeted for homes in Bilton being available for development.

North Yorkshire Council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee rejected an application by the developer Jomast to build 53 homes off Knox Lane, as reported by the Stray Ferret in September.

Residents have been engaged in a long-running campaign to protect the land from housing. More than 500 objections were made against the Jomast plans.

With the immediate threat of housing removed, the campaign organisation Knox Community Conservation Group is now attempting to protect the land from further planning applications.

It set up a petition to remove the land from the forthcoming North Yorkshire Local Plan, which will replace the current blueprint for where development can take place.

The plan will replace the current Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-35, which was created by the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council, said this month the new plan was expected to be finalised in about four years. He added a call for sites was due to go out to consultation this spring.

Knox Lane

The land off Knox Lane. 

Knox Community Conservation Group campaigners were at Nidderdale Greenway last weekend urging people to sign the petition, which closes on February 5. 

It will then be presented to the council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee at its next meeting on March 14. 

The petition says previous site assessments conducted by Harrogate Borough Council of the Knox Lane site in 2013 and 2016 found it to be unsuitable for development because it “would have adverse or highly adverse effects on historic environment, priority habitats and/or species and landscape”.

The group says these concerns remain and has called on people to “preserve and protect” the historic area of Bilton, where a former railway line used to run through.

The photo shows (from left) Margaret Cockerill, Alison Heyward and Jill Harrison all from Knox Community Conservation Group.

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Woman’s decomposed body discovered at park home in Knaresborough

The partially decomposed body of a woman found at an over-50s retirement park in Knaresborough yesterday is believed to have laid undiscovered for about six weeks.

Neighbours at Nidderdale Lodge Park raised the alarm yesterday when they became suspicious about the length of time since they had seen the woman.

They alerted the emergency services after noting a smell when they lifted the letterbox to check on her welfare.

Bob Frendt, who lives at the 53-home retirement park for over-50s and used to chair the residents’ association, said:

“It’s really sad. It’s awful to think she died like this.

“People look out for each other here. The community spirit is very good but this woman kept herself to herself and nobody noticed she was missing until yesterday.”

Mr Frendt, who is well known for his aid trips to eastern Europe, said police checks indicated the woman’s phone had not been used since December 18, which was 41 days before her body was discovered.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today:

“Police were called by the ambulance service at 10.30am on Sunday, January 28 following the death of a woman in her 50s at Nidderdale Lodge in Knaresborough.

“Officers believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

“A file is being prepared for the coroner.”

Nidderdale Lodge Park was established in the 1960s as a caravan park and began providing park homes in the 1980s.

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Police seek man after woman ‘sexually touched’ in Harrogate bar

Police have issued a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak after it said a woman was “sexually touched” walking through a Harrogate bar.

In a statement today, North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened at Banyan Bar & Kitchen on John Street.

It took place at about 8.30pm on Friday, December 15.

The police statement said:

“Officers would like to speak to the man in the image as they believe he will have information that could assist the investigation.

“Anyone who recognises the person in the image or can help to identify them is asked to email katie.jacobs@northyorkshire.police.uk

“Or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Katie Jacobs or collar number 1131.”

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

Quote reference number 12230237996.

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Police seek woman after coats stolen at Harrogate TK Maxx

North Yorkshire Police has issued a CCTV image of a woman they would like to speak to after clothes were stolen from TK Maxx in Harrogate.

In a statement today, officers said a woman took four coats as well as a bag full of clothing without paying.

The items, worth £600, were taken from TK Maxx in Victoria Shopping Centre at about 3pm on November 29.

The statement added:

“Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the woman in the image as they believe she will have information that will help the investigation.

“Anyone with any information is asked to email Jamie.Kennerley@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Jamie Kennerley.

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

Quote reference number 12230227510.

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Storm Isha hits Harrogate district

Strong winds battered the Harrogate district last night and continued to cause problems throughout the day. Our live Storm Isha blog below provided updates throughout the day.

2.40pm: Quieter night expected — but winds to pick up again

The latest Met Office forecast shows winds abating tonight although it will remain very blustery. Tomorrow night, however, is expected to see gusts of up to 51mph.

The number of local flood warnings has been reduced. There is currently a warning for the River Ure camping and caravanning site at Boroughbridge and less severe flood alerts for the lower River Ure at Ripon and the lower River Nidd catchment area.

12.48pm: Newby Hall miniature railway flooded

Newby Hall’s miniature railway looks more like part of the boating lake this morning.

The stately home between Ripon and Boroughbridge has posted a video on its Facebook page of the flooding, along with the message:

“The River Ure is so high this morning it’s completely covered our railway. The Ure is one of many rivers that drain the dales into the River Ouse.”

12.01pm: Masham road closed

The A6107 has been closed by police at the bridge entering Masham, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce chief executive Martin Mann has posted on social media.

11.01am: River Ure high in Ripon

Two photos indicate how high the River Ure is in Ripon. The first, put on social media by Tom Bulmer, shows the water level high on the bridge. The second, sent to us by Richard Taylor, co-chair of Ripon Civic Society, shows the metal sculpture of a soldier and horse on the flooded North Bank up to their necks in water. They can just about be spotted.

Pic Tom Bulmer

10.21am: Northern Powergrid says power restored to 84% of homes affected

Northern Powergrid, which distributes electricity for eight million people, has said in a statement about 32,479 customers have been affected by the storm so far. It added:

“We have, however, successfully restored power to over 25,260 customers, and we are working as quickly as possible to get the remaining customers’ lights back on.

“Our teams responded quickly and have already managed to reconnect 84% of customers who have been impacted. We will keep customers updated regularly via text message, on our website and on our social media channels.  “

It added Northumberland, which recorded the highest gust of 99mph, had been most affected.

9.25am: High local river levels

River levels are high on the Nidd at Knaresborough and Hunsingore, the Ure at Ripon and Boroughbridge, as well as the Crimple and Swinney Beck at Masham, according to the government. The middle reaches of the Nidd don’t currently appear too high. You can find out more here.

7.31am: Rail passengers ‘encouraged to check’

Rail operator Northern hasn’t issued any specific alerts to trains on the line passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough this morning but has said:

“Storm Isha is expected to cause disruption to our network, so we’re encouraging customers to check before they travel this evening and tomorrow morning.”

7.11am: Dishforth Road closed

Dishforth Road in Sharow, which had been described as ‘impassable’ on social media, has just been sealed off by the sign and cones at the dip near the sewerage pumping station.  Signs and cones are in place.  Drivers must now divert using Berrygate Lane.

6.50am: Gusts hit 56mph at Greenhow Hill

Nationally, the highest gust of wind recorded so far is 99mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland. Locally, gusts have hit 56mph at Greenhow Hill, near Pateley Bridge.

6.02am: Flooding expected along Ure

A Met Office weather warning is active until Wednesday.

The Environment Agency has issued flood warnings, which means flooding is expected, for the River Ure at Boroughbridge camping and caravanning site and for the River Ure at Masham.

The Boroughbridge update, issued at 4.52am today, said:

“River levels continue to rise at Westwick Weir and Boroughbridge as a result of heavy rainfall associated with Storm Isha.

“Flooding is affecting locations near the River Ure with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around Boroughbridge Camping and Caravanning Site. The river should peak this afternoon,”

The Ure at Masham warning, issued just before 1am, says:

“Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Ure, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around Masham including properties on Mill Gate, Marfield Quarry and off the A6108. Flooding is expected in the early hours of Monday.”

Less severe flood alerts are in place for the lower River Ure at Ripon and for the upper and lower Nidd catchment areas.

There are unconfirmed reports online of Dishforth Road at Sharow, which is notoriously prone to flooding, being “impassable”.

National Highways posted on social media last night that the A66 was closed in both directions between Scotch Corner and the M6 because of strong winds.”

 

Harrogate hero John Shackleton, 85, chops logs to fund 50th aid mission

It’s minus two degrees and 85-year-old John Shackleton is chopping logs in Starbeck.

John had a heart attack recently but neither that nor advancing years has stopped him doing what he has done for much of his life — helping others. He’s one of Harrogate’s most loved and admired citizens for his aid trips to desperate places. If ever anyone deserved an accolade, surely it’s John.

He’s now trying to raise about £20,000 for what will be his 50th trip driving an ambulance full of medical supplies. This time he will be heading to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan to help Armenians displaced from their homes in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

John has talked about retiring more often than Elton John but here he is on a bitterly cold day toiling away outside some back street garages in sub-arctic Starbeck.

He says:

“I’m always saying ‘this will be my last one’. But it is so important. There are people living in tents with nothing. I really feel their pain. We are so privileged in Harrogate.”

Chopping wood in Starbeck.

John mainly uses a chainsaw these days but can still wield an axe when required. When we met this week, it was almost too cold to hold a pen, nevermind an axe, yet he and helpers Adam Rawson and Mick Stokes were working up a sweat. The chopped wood has to be loaded into ton-bags and delivered to customers. John says:

“It’s heavy work. There’s a lot to be done.

“Sometimes I have up to six lads chopping. They don’t receive any payment, besides the odd cup of tea. They are all here to help and I couldn’t do it without them.”

With Mick Stokes (left) and Adam Rawson (right) at the back of John’s ambulance.

Having a break with Alfie.

The logs are sourced from his daughter’s husband’s farm in Summerbridge. “We are desperately short this year,” he says.

So far he’s raised about £5,000 towards his latest target of £20,000. The main source of income for his trips is donations. Selling logs supplements it. John has also hit on a new way to raise money — doing trips to the tips in Harrogate for people who want to get rid of stuff. He says:

“If anyone wants anything sending to the tip give me a buzz. All contributions go to the poorest people on earth.”

John and many of his helpers are members of St Robert’s Church in Harrogate. They used to chop wood at a man called Pete the Pole’s place in Burn Bridge, until he died. Now they operate out of council garages in Starbeck. John is resigned to eventually losing them but he’s well connected and so well loved that he’s usually able to find someone willing to help.

The usual procedure is to buy an ambulance, usually from Amsterdam, then fill it with medical supplies and drive it to wherever it’s required before getting back to Harrogate however he can, usually with two co-drivers.

John has been doing this since his first mission in 1990 when he was moved by the plight of Romanians after the fall of Ceausescu.

‘I have to be busy’

Born in Gibraltar to a Harrogate-born father who fought in Spain during the Second World War, John moved to Harrogate with his family when he was 12. He served in the RAF and worked in bomb disposal before finding himself jobless with a young family. He says:

“I had no idea what to do. I had three girls so I had to put bread on the table. So I bought a greengrocers on Stonefall Avenue and ran that for seven years.”

He also opened a design studio and sold wall plaques, one of which his daughter presented to President Jimmy Carter when he visited Washington in Tyne and Wear in 1977.

Eventually he fancied a change and went to night school to learn some practical skills and used what he learned to convert a house on Victoria Avenue into four flats. He has been converting properties ever since.

His first wife died suddenly 48 years ago and his second passed away last year. He has 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

John was up a tree with a chainsaw when he suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, he looks fit and robust now.

Besides doing this, he also collects bikes for Harrogate charity Resurrection Bikes, which brings old cycles back to life. He says:

“I have to be busy. I’m very active. It’s something I have to do because it’s the right thing to do and I’m fortunate to be able to do it.”

You can donate to John’s mission here. For details about tip trips, contact John at johnshackleton@aidtoeasterneurope.co.uk or call him on 01423871255.

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