Man jailed for possessing cocaine in Harrogate

A drug dealer has been jailed for two years and two months after police intercepted his vehicle in Harrogate.

Bakar Ranian, 45, of Conway Grove, Harehills, Leeds, was jailed by York Crown Court today (December 5) after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement today officers on proactive patrols in and around Harrogate spotted a vehicle that had been making regular trips between Leeds and Harrogate on November 11.

It said its movements were consistent with an organised crime group involved in the supply of class A drugs.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police’s county lines Operation Expedite team, stopped the vehicle, a BMW 1 series, in Harrogate and asked the driver to explain his movements.

The driver was Bakar Ranian, originally from Hackney in London but who had recently become a resident of Leeds.

The police said his account was implausible and vague and it began to change when challenged by officers.

Ranian was detained for a search under Misuse of Drugs Act, as was his vehicle. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cocaine after officers found drugs on him following the search.

Some of the seized drugs.

A search of his vehicle led to officers finding £100 cash and a large quantity of suspected class A drugs, all concealed in various compartments in the vehicle.

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They recovered three large snap bags that each contained multiple deal snap bags inside them.

They located a further four large snap bags each containing multiple deal bags of white powder, inside in a bag wrapped in a hat, concealed in the boot.

A single bag of white powder was also located within the glovebox. Police then conducted a search of his address where approximately £2,000 cash was found and further evidence of his drug dealing activities.

In total officers recovered 109 packages of cocaine and four bags of MDMA with a combined street value of approximately £5,000.

PC Michael Haydock of Operation Expedite, who lead the investigation said:

“Bakar Ranian was working for a county line with the sole objective of selling highly dangerous and addictive drugs on the streets of Harrogate.

“He has knowingly broken the law and has clearly made a significant financial gain from his criminal activity. This has now been taken away from him. He, like many others before him, have sold these drugs without the slightest bit of thought or consideration for the wider implications of their actions.

“I am pleased to see that he has been imprisoned for his crimes and hopefully, he will now see the error of his ways. Similarly, anyone who believes they can commit drug crime in North Yorkshire should see this as a warning that drug dealers will be pursued and sent to prison”

 

Police say Seb Mitchell murder sends ‘clear message’ on knife crime

The senior investigating officer in the murder of Harrogate teenager Seb Mitchell has said the outcome of the case “sends a very clear message to anyone who may consider possessing a knife”.

Dylan Cranfield, 17, was sentenced to  a minimum of 11 years in jail at Leeds Crown Court yesterday for murdering Harrogate Grammar School student Seb with a kitchen knife in February this year.

Cranfield will be eligible for parole in a little over 10 years.

Dylan Cranfield

Detective superintendent Wayne Fox, of North Yorkshire Police’s major investigation team, described the case as “an absolute tragedy”.

He added:

“The life of a young man has been needlessly taken in circumstances which escalated as a result of the defendant arming himself with a lethal weapon in retribution for causing a very small amount of damage.

“No sentence can bring back a young person, who had such a bright future ahead of him and so much to look forward to in life.

“The defendant’s actions in resorting to the use of a knife, have been catastrophic, taking Seb’s life and changing beyond recognition the lives of his family, friends and loved ones.”

Det supt Fox added:

“There are no words that can sum up the devastation caused by young people who think nothing of picking up a knife or other weapon and using it. I hope that the outcome of this case sends a very clear message to anyone who may consider possessing a knife that no good can come from such action.

“Our thoughts remain very much with Seb’s family and friends. We hope that the conclusion of the proceedings brings a semblance of closure for them at such a difficult time.”

The Stray Ferret published articles yesterday about Cranfield’s sentencing and also the family’s reaction to the conclusion of the case.

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Firefighters called to kitchen blaze in Starbeck

Firefighters were called to a kitchen fire in a bungalow at Starbeck today.

Crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to Forest Way at 9.30am this morning.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:

“The fire originated on a cooker hob when an air fryer was placed on top and the hob was switched on.

“The fire spread to nearby kitchen utensils, and subsequently caused one square metre of fire damage, and 20% smoke damage to the kitchen.

“Two occupants were out of the building on arrival of the fire service.”

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£20,000 feasibility study to begin on Knaresborough cliff lift

A £20,000 study is to investigate the feasibility of a cliff lift in Knaresborough.

The idea of a lift connecting the steep divide between Waterside and the town centre has long been debated.

Now the government’s shared prosperity fund has awarded a £20,000 grant to conduct a feasibility study into the idea, a meeting of business group Knaresborough Chamber heard this week.

Peter Lacey, an executive member of the chamber, said in January the organisation and Knaresborough Town Council had agreed to work together to build a business case for better connectivity in the town.

Mr Lacey told this week’s meeting that £20,000 had now been awarded and the firms Carey Tourism and 56 Degree Insight would lead the market research.

The community group Renaissance Knaresborough promoted the cliff lift idea pre-covid and Ben Carey, of Carey Tourism, worked on an interim report on behalf of the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council.

Mr Carey told the meeting he suspected the lift would be a long-term project costing about £5 million and connectivity would be key to its success. He said:

“We can produce the most wonderful, iconic structure but nobody is going to fund it unless you can show it will be transformative to Knaresborough.

“It’s all about connectivity — how you can make sure people spend more time and money in local businesses.”

Mr Carey also said it was essential that North Yorkshire Council extended the lease of Knaresborough Castle otherwise nobody would invest in the scheme.

The castle land, which is leased from the Duchy of Lancaster, is likely to host the lift.

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, told the meeting the lease had nine years left and he was pushing for it to be extended.

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GALLERY: Christmas tree festival gets underway in Knaresborough

About 75 Christmas trees decorated by community groups, schools and businesses have gone on display in Knaresborough.

The Knaresborough Christmas Tree festival is believed to be a unique event in the north of England for the way it showcases so many festive trees in a church.

Held at St John the Baptist Church in Knaresborough, which dates back to the Norman period, this is the festival’s 10th year.

It got underway at a preview event last night that included singing by female choir The Songbirds, mulled wine and minced pies.

Each tree is decorated individually, usually reflecting each organisation’s purpose. For instance, running club Knaresborough Striders’ tree is decorated with running shoes.

Brian Robinson, the artistic director of the festival, curates the exhibition by deciding how to display the trees to best effect.

The festival lasts until December 23. Admission is free from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. noon to 4pm on Sundays and 12 to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays.

The trees will remain in place after December 23 for Christmas services at the church, including the Nine Lessons and Carols Service on Christmas Eve.

The church, whose director of music is town crier Mark Hunter, hosts music throughout the festival, including an Advent carol service tomorrow (Sunday) at 5pm.

The Stray Ferret attended last night’s preview event. Here are some photos.

A previous version of the article incorrectly stated singing was provided by the Northern Songbirds when it was in fact The Songbirds.

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Each tree is individually decorated.

Knaresborough train station’s impressive entry.

Artistic director Brian Robinson

Town crier Mark Hunter, who is also director of music at the church, with his consort.

The festival runs until December 23.

Brian Robinson displays the trees to best effect.

 

Council silent on claims it ignored safety warnings on collapsed Knaresborough wall

North Yorkshire Council has failed to respond to claims it ignored warnings about the state of a wall that collapsed in Knaresborough.

The stone wall on Briggate fell onto the highway on September 14 this year.

Fortunately, nobody was injured on what is one of the town’s busiest routes for pedestrians and motorists — but traffic lights have caused delays and disruption ever since.

Several residents and councillors have told the Stray Ferret they contacted the council about the wall before it fell. We were also told the council had a safety report on the wall.

Nearly three months on, the council has yet to respond to these claims.

The wall collapsed in September.

Cllr Hannah Gostlow, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough East on North Yorkshire Council, alerted the council in an email on June 16 last year.

Her message, seen by the Stray Ferret, said several old stone walls in Knaresborough needed “investigating and possibly monitoring for safety”, with Briggate top of the list.

It added:

“I am unsure who owns each wall but in each case they would either impact a road or path if they were to break down, and could potentially be a risk to life and also their repair could cause significant congestion in the town.”

 

 

 

 

Cllr Gostlow (pictured), who is also the current Knaresborough mayor, told the Stray Ferret:

“This issue was widely known about by residents and councillors.”

After the wall collapsed, Briggate resident Catherine Rogerson told the Stray Ferret she had reported the structure to North Yorkshire Council the previous month because it appeared to be buckling. She added:

“I said it was an emergency and could collapse, causing a nasty accident.

“Several other local people have also contacted them about it. We all stressed it was in a dangerous state.”

Failed to act

When the wall came down, we asked the council to respond to Ms Rogerson’s claims.

Melisa Burnham, the council’s highways area manager, said traffic lights would remain in place until repairs to the wall are carried out and “we are liaising with residents of nearby properties and are in discussions with contractors to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible”.

We replied to the council’s media office, which handles all media enquiries, to say Ms Burnham’s response did not address the claims the council had failed to act on warnings.

However, we did not receive a response so we subsequently submitted a freedom of information request asking how many people had complained about the state of the wall in the previous two years and what action the council had taken. We also asked to be sent the council safety report.

Public bodies are supposed to respond to freedom of information requests within 20 working days.

After six weeks without a response, we pursued the matter with the council this week. It said the delay was “due to the request initially being under the incorrect service area” and a response would be sent “as soon as possible”.

Cllr Matt Walker who represents Knaresborough West said the council’s response since the wall collapsed has been wholly inadequate. He said:

“The council have avoided answering questions including providing a safety report that was done days before the wall fell. I wonder why?

“A full investigation needs to be done to understand why it happened in the first place and lessons learned. Residents have lost faith in the highways team to do anything and so have I.”

Cllr Walker also said he had received several reassurances work would start at the beginning of November but it only began on November 27, causing weeks of traffic lights around the unattended rubble.

At one point there were reports on social media of fed-up residents attempting to remove the rubble themselves.

That never happened and now the rubble is off the highway, but traffic lights remain.

Karl Battersby, the council’s corporate director for environment, said on November 22 the “works are now more complex than first anticipated” because of residents’ concerns about the cellars that were impacted by the collapsed wall”.

Roadworks are usually prohibited during Knaresborough’s annual Christmas Market Weekend, which begins today.

But the ongoing saga of the wall means they will continue to operate on Briggate, and are likely to do so for many weeks to come.

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Knaresborough set for Christmas Market Weekend

Knaresborough will begin two days of festive fun when its Christmas Market Weekend gets underway tomorrow.

The Christmas market, which takes place from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday, is the centrepiece of a host of activities around the town.

The market will feature about 65 stalls, food and free entertainment, including Morris dancers, music and singing.

Many Knaresborough traders are staying open until 7pm for late night shopping on Saturday.

Elsewhere, more than 70 decorated Christmas trees will be on display in St John’s Church for the annual Great Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival. The festival, which is free to enter, begins tomorrow and runs until December 23.

Photo of Christmas trees in the aisles of St John's Church in Knaresborough, at the Knaresborough Christmas Tree Festival in 2022.

The Christmas tree festival

Holy Trinity Church on Briggate is running a Christmas fair tomorrow and Sunday.

The weekend will close with a 10-minute firework finale, set against the backdrop of Knaresborough viaduct and the Nidd Gorge, at 4.30pm on Sunday.

Event co-sponsor 1858 Bar & Restaurant will hold an after-party following the firework finale.

Parking in Knaresborough is limited. A free park and ride service will operate from the GSPK car park on Manse Lane (postcode HG5 8LF) to the town centre from 8am to 5.30pm both days.

The new banking hub on Kirkgate will open for counter services between 9am to 5pm both days, which will enable people to withdraw cash.

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Knaresborough Heritage Centre to open next year

A Knaresborough Heritage Centre will open on the town’s High Street next year.

The centre will include a shop selling Knaresborough books, gifts and cards, an information centre for visitors and a multi-purpose gallery for exhibitions, talks and workshops.

Located in the former Printzone premises, it is hoped the building will be open to visitors at least four days a week from spring.

Knaresborough Town Museum Group was set up in 2019 to campaign for a museum. It was renamed Knaresborough Museum Association and registered as a charity in 2021.

The association had a small gallery and office space in a converted house at 8 York Place, which has now closed to visitors.

Kathy Allday, chair of Knaresborough Museum Association

A planned move to the former Castle girls’ school fell through after protracted negotiations with Harrogate Borough Council, which was abolished in April.

Kathy Allday, chair of the association, has now announced the organisation has received the keys to the former Printzone premises opposite the bus station.

Ms Allday said:

“York Place has been great but this will enable us to do more activities.

“We will be stepping-up in a lot of different areas.”

It is hoped the new site, which needs refurbishing, will be ready to open by spring.

The association organised the first Knaresborough archaeological festival in October, which attracted more than 1,000 people over two weekends.

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Local politicians give views on Harrogate Spring Water expansion plans

The Liberal Democrat candidate aiming to be Harrogate and Knaresborough’s next MP has said he opposes the latest expansion plans by Harrogate Spring Water.

However, the current Conservative MP Andrew Jones has not given an explicit indication of whether he supports or opposes the plans.

Harrogate Spring Water revealed proposals this month to fell 450 trees near its Harlow Moor Drive headquarters so it can expand its bottling plant and produce more plastic bottles.

It says the scheme will create 50 jobs and lead to a net biodiversity gain because it will create a 1,200-tree publicly accessible woodland nearby.

But the campaign group Save Rotary Wood is leading opposition to the loss of trees, which were planted by schoolchildren concerned about climate change.

Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French multinational Danone, is holding a public consultation event at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate from 4pm to 7pm tomorrow (Thursday, November 30).

Ahead of the meeting, we asked Mr Jones and Mr Gordon for their views on the subject.

Mr Gordon said:

“Whilst I absolutely want to see more jobs in Harrogate, and the benefit that would bring for our local economy, I do not support the plans in their current form.

“We should be protecting woodland and preserving biodiversity; to suggest there will be a net gain is not guaranteed, as it would take years for new trees to mature.”

Mr Jones gave a lengthier response but did not state explicitly whether he supported the proposal.

He said:

“The level of community engagement by Harrogate Spring Water on their latest application is a significant and welcome improvement on their previous attempt to achieve approval for their extension. That public consultation is critical as the outcome will rightly be a significant part of the considerations of the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee when they look at the application.

“The environmental offer is a big improvement on what we saw previously. And that is important, as constituents to whom I have spoken want significant additional tree planting and public access to that new woodland if the council are minded to approve the proposals.

“On the face of it, replacing trees that are lost on a 3-to-1 or a 6-to-1 ratio is a large increase in cover. The concern is that saplings will be replacing trees with 25 years’ growth. I have spoken to people who helped plant saplings in Rotary Wood all those years ago and I can understand why that is a very emotive part of these plans.”

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Mr Jones added:

“Having said that, it is also important to acknowledge that Harrogate Water is a successful local business that carries the name of our town across the world. I want that success to continue and to grow.

“So a welcome for the vastly improved public engagement, a welcome for the increased environmental offer alongside public access and a recognition that we want successful businesses locally. But I understand the caution about habitat loss and the loss of an area enjoyed by many for recreation.

“There is a public consultation event this week which can help further shape the proposals. I encourage everyone with an interest to attend that meeting and help ensure that the planners get the best possible application to consider.”

Farmers urged not to leave mud on North Yorkshire roads

Farmers and lorry drivers in North Yorkshire are being urged not to leave mud on the roads.

North Yorkshire Council said today people have been in touch reporting muddy roads following the recent wet spell.

It prompted the council to call on drivers of agricultural and construction vehicles to be responsible when using public routes.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transportation, said:

“We understand that this is a busy time in the farming calendar, and that this year the prolonged period of rain is likely to have made conditions worse than usual.

“However, that makes it more important than ever that if farmers or construction vehicle drivers do need to use public roads, they take their responsibilities seriously.”

Cllr Duncan added drivers leaving mud risked legal action:

“If mud on the road results in injury, damage to property, loss or inconvenience, legal action can follow, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.”

The council said farmers or construction vehicle operators must:

You can report mud on the road here.

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