Flooding expected on Skell, Ure and Nidd as river levels rise

Flood warnings are active on low-lying areas alongside the rivers Ure, Skell and Nidd in the Ripon, Boroughbridge and Harrogate areas this morning. The Environment Agency issues flood warnings when flooding is expected and immediate action is required. One was installed in Ripon last night due to rising river levels. The Environment Agency said:

“Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Laver, River Skell, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around riverside properties including Firs Avenue and properties either side of Alma Weir.”

Another warning is active for Boroughbridge camping and caravan site along the Ure. It says the river level is expected to peak at around 2.2m at Westwick Weir this morning, A separate warning was issued at 12.48am this morning for the nearby River Tutt in Boroughbridge where properties next to the river are expected to flood. The only part of the River Nidd with a flood warning is at Birstwith, where the Environment Agency said at 4.48am this morning:

“Areas most at risk include properties situated along Wreaks Road, Clint Bank and Broomfield Road.”

Less severe flood alerts, which indicate flooding is possible but not likely, are in place for the upper, middle and lower Nidd catchment areas A flood warning for the Lower River Ure was issued at 1.48am last night but was downgraded to an alert at 8.31am, with the Environment Agency now saying:

“Flooding is possible on low-lying land including agricultural land and local roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.”

The River Crimple, Lower Dunsforth Access and the Nidd at Hunsingore also have flood alerts in place. Lighter rain is expected this morning before a 48-hour dry period proceeds more rain.

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Heavy rain causes flooding and travel disruption

Homes are at risk of flooding, travel is disrupted and attractions have closed as rain affects the Harrogate district. Follow our live blog for Storm Babet updates.

Please send storm news from your area to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

6.10pm: RSPCA urges pet owners to keep animals safe

RSPCA water rescue teams are on standby.

RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy said:

“In areas affected by flooding owners should be looking to bring small animals inside and move them upstairs, while livestock should be taken up to higher ground with enough emergency supplies for their needs. If householders do have to leave animals behind when they evacuate properties then they should keep them inside an upstairs room with plenty of food and water.

“Wild animals can also struggle in stormy weather but people can help them too. For example, they could leave some extra food out for hungry birds above ground level and perhaps even provide shelter for ground-nesting birds.”

5.48pm: Patio flooding in Killinghall

Reader Simon Beckett has sent us this photo of his patio in Killinghall, where standing water is beginning to accumulate.

If you have photos showing the impact of the storm please send them to us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

5.18pm: Northern warns of ‘ongoing disruption’ on trains

Rail operator Northern has urged people to check here for service updates before setting off.

4.51pm: Environment Agency warns of more flood warnings

The Environment Agency has just issued a press release saying more flood warnings are expected to be issued, including in Yorkshire in the next 24 hours.

It says:

People are being urged to prepare for the risk of significant flooding for the rest of this week. The public should sign up to flood warnings and check the latest safety as heavy downpours are likely to fall on saturated ground.

Mike Dugher, Yorkshire area director at the Environment Agency, said:

“Persistent and heavy rain brought by a combination of Storm Babet and following weather systems means significant river flooding is possible across Yorkshire today and into Saturday.

“We have flood alerts and warnings in place across Yorkshire and do expect more to come into place over the next 24 hours.

“We would urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car. ” 

4.16pm: Don’t visit the coast, urges North Yorkshire Council

In case you were thinking of heading to Scarborough, North Yorkshire Council has issued a press release advising against it.

Marine Drive was closed today due to overlapping seawater and street furniture being blown around in high winds.

A decision has also been made to cancel this evening’s two shows at Scarborough Spa as Spa Road will be closed due to the risk of overtopping. The cliff lift is also out of action because of the high winds.

3.45pm: Plane skids off runway at Leeds Bradford Airport

Emergency services are at the scene. You can read more here.

3.05pm: Persistent rain forecast until 4am

The amber weather warning for the Harrogate district is in place until 6pm tonight but the Met Office is still forecasting rain until 4am tomorrow morning followed by more intermittent lighter rain until 11am tomorrow.  The sun may make an appearance on Sunday.

2.12pm: Flood warning removed for Pannal and Burn Bridge

The Environment Agency has removed its flood warning for parts of Pannal and Burn Bridge alongside the River Crimple — also known as Crimple Beck. It was issued at 4.14am. However, a less severe flood alert remains in place in the wider River Crimple catchment area.

Five other flood alerts remain active in the Harrogate district, including this one for the Middle River Nidd catchment area.

1.16pm: Mother Shipton’s to close tomorrow

Mother Shipton’s in Knaresborough has posted on social media:

“Due to the ongoing extreme weather conditions, we have made the decision to close the attraction on Saturday, October 21.”

12.47pm: ‘Do not ignore road closed signs’, say firefighters

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service has issued a social media post urging drivers not to drive into floodwater or ignore road closed signs. You can read more here.

11.58am: Met Office upgrades local weather warning to ‘amber’. 

A yellow weather warning has been in place for the Harrogate district until tomorrow morning. But the Met Office has now upgraded to a more severe amber alert from midday until 6pm today.

It said persistent heavy rain was likely to lead to some flooding and disruption.

 

11.22am: Power cuts in Great Ouseburn

Northern Powergrid’s live power cuts map currently shows 52 homes in Great Ouseburn and Little Ouseburn are without power. But this appears to be the only part of the Harrogate district affected right now.

10.44am: Fountains Abbey and RHS Harlow Carr closed

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, including the deer park, are closed all day. RHS Harlow Carr announced yesterday it would close today and its autumn garden weekend had also been cancelled.

10.30am: Current flood alerts and warnings

Here is the current Environment Agency map showing flood alerts and flood warnings in the Harrogate district. You can read more about each incident here. If you live near any and can provide any updates and images email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will share the information.

10.21am: Harrogate to Leeds trains ‘returning to normal’

Rail operator Northern has posted on social media that the line between Harrogate and Leeds has reopened and services are returning to normal. The line closed due to flooding. However, Northern adds some services may still be delayed or cancelled.

10.11am: Flood alerts all along the River Nidd

The Environment Agency currently has flood alerts in place for the upper, middle and lower River Nidd. There are also alerts for the Lower River Ure at Ripon, the Lower Dunsforth Access and the River Crimple catchment. A more serious flood warning remains in place for the River Crimple at Burn Bridge and Pannal.

 

 

Another fire at Birstwith factory

Firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough used breathing apparatus to tackle a factory fire in Birstwith.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to reports of a fire in a flour drying unit measuring 60 metres x 20 metres at Kerry Ingredients at 12.29pm yesterday.

Its incident report said:

“The fire caused 30% fire damage and 50% smoke damage to the drying unit only.

“The cause of the fire was overheating product in the dryer. Crews used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel jet, a thermal imaging camera, a triple extension ladder and small tools to deal with the incident.”

It is not the first time firefighters have been called to the three-storey former mill.

In August last year, Ripon and Knaresborough crews used breathing apparatus to tackle a blaze in a drying plant.

The cause of the incident was not revealed.

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Residents in Pannal and Burn Bridge urged to act now to avoid flooding

The Environment Agency has urged people in Pannal and Burn Bridge to act now to avoid the impact of flooding.

The government agency issued a flood warning for areas alongside the River Crimple at 4.14am this morning.

Flood warnings are more severe than flood alerts and indicate flooding is imminent.

It said:

“River levels are rising rapidly on the River Nidd due to rainfall associated with Storm Babet.

“Areas most at risk include properties on Station Road, Malthouse Lane and Crimple Meadows. Further rainfall is expected throughout the day.

“Our incident room is open and we are closely monitoring the situation.”

A less severe flood alert has been issued for the Upper Nidd Catchment area (see above).

Rain is predicted all day before drier weather tomorrow.

The Environment Agency said:

“Avoid using low lying footpaths and any bridges near local watercourses and do not attempt to walk or drive through flood water.”

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What to do if you get a flood warning

This is the Environment Agency advice.

A flood warning means you need to act: flooding is expected. You should do all the actions for a flood alert, but also:

Visitors barred from Harrogate hospital after ‘security incident’

Harrogate District Hospital suspended visiting yesterday due to a “security incident” in the car park.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust urged people not to visit the emergency department unless it was a severe illness or injury or a life threatening condition in a social media post yesterday evening. It said:

“We are aware of a security incident in the car park at Harrogate District Hospital and are working with the police who are in attendance.

“Please avoid our Emergency Department unless it’s a life-threatening or severe illness or injury.”

Officers from North Yorkshire Police attended the scene and resolved the situation. A police spokesperson said:

“We were called to Harrogate District Hospital at 3.40pm on Thursday following concerns raised about a patient’s car in the main hospital car park.

“Following enquiries, it was confirmed there was no risk to the hospital or the wider public and the matter was resolved without the need for evacuations of patients and staff.”

The hospital trust did not reveal further details of the incident and a spokesperson said they could not add any more detail to the police statement.

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Handmade gift shop to open in Knaresborough

A handmade gift shop is to open in Knaresborough’s Green Dragon Yard on Saturday.

Mel and Andrew Turner already have Boggle Hole shops in Harrogate and Northallerton.

Their Knaresborough venture, which will employ four staff and be called Little Boggle Hole, will follow the same format by selling items made by Yorkshire crafters, artists and designers.

It will occupy the unit previously used by Yorkshire Mixture sweet shop.

Ms Turner said:

“All three shops have exactly the same ethos.

“Knaresborough appealed because of its independent shops plus it has a nice mixture of people we are trying to attract.

“The feedback we received was that there was a need for something like this.”

Boggle Hole opened in Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre in August last year. the Northallerton store started trading in 2020.

Ms Turner is a holistic therapist and Mr Turner served 22 years in the armed services.

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Harrogate people given free short stories as literature festival begins

A free short stories dispenser has been brought to Harrogate to mark today’s start of the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival.

The four-day festival, which ends on Sunday, takes place at the Crown Hotel. The line-up includes Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Andy McNab, Gaby Roslin, Carrie and David Grant and Sir Vince Cable.

As part of the celebration of books, local residents are being encouraged to head to the Crown Hotel until Sunday to collect a free bite sized piece of literature from the dispenser.

The stories are selected from a range of over 10,000 short works of literature and cover a range of genres, including romance, drama, crime fiction, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, children’s stories and the classics.

At the touch of a button, visitors will receive a short story that will take one, three or five minutes to read. The story is printed on eco-friendly paper to read straight away or take away and read in a spare moment.

Authors range from Emily Dickinson to Lewis Carrol, Ernest Hemingway and William Shakespeare to contemporary stories by lesser-known authors and aspiring new writers.

The annual festival is curated and produced by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by Raworths Solicitors.

Rachel Tunnicliffe, senior partner at Raworths, said:

“The short stories dispenser allows us to take a moment to celebrate the joy of reading and storytelling, no matter how busy we are. It’s a fun and engaging way to bring great writing and literature to the whole community.”

The photo shows Ms Tunnicliffe and Dan Siddle, general manager of the Crown Hotel, with the short story dispenser.

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Knaresborough leisure centre opening delayed again

The opening of Knaresborough’s new leisure centre has been delayed again.

North Yorkshire Council originally planned to open the £17.6 million Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre when Knaresborough Pool closed at the end of summer.

But the opening was put back until November because of what the council described as “an unavoidable delay involving the new electrical supply to the building”.

In a fresh update today, the council said the scheme had been delayed by another month and was now due to open in early December.

Work on the pool is continuing.

How the site currently looks.

Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director for community development, said:

“We have been informed by the contractor that due to complex mechanical and electrical works at Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre taking longer than anticipated there will, unfortunately, be a slight delay to its re-opening.

“We now anticipate that the newly refurbished centre will be open to the public in early December.”

A council spokesperson said the delay had not increased the cost of the project.

It means people in Knaresborough will be without a pool for at least three months.

The leisure centre, which is being built next to the former pool, will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, activity pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, spin studio, café, electric car charging points and bicycle storage.

Once the old pool has been demolished, a play area will be installed in front of the new facility.

The activity pool

Brimhams Active, the council-owned company that manages leisure services in the Harrogate district, uploaded some photos of the leisure centre site today, which we have shown in this article.

The former Harrogate Hydro, which is also operated by Brimhams Active, reopened in September as Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre after a £13.5 million refurbishment.

Councillor Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West, said:

“Having no pool in Knaresborough for an additional couple of months will add cost for young families during this cost of living crisis who will have to take children to Starbeck Baths or the Hydro.

“I will be asking the council for £1 swimming admissions for all children for the first month when the new Knaresborough pool finally opens.”

Cllr Walker added he was disappointed not to have been informed of the news before the media and called on the council to “improve its poor communication with elected members across Harrogate and Knaresborough”.

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Andrew Jones MP calls for 138-home scheme in Knaresborough to be rejected

Andrew Jones has raised concerns in Parliament about plans to build 138 homes in Knaresborough and called for the scheme to be rejected.

The site, off Water Lane, is within the Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines where development can take place.

But it has attracted opposition from Knaresborough Town Council and residents, amid concerns about the proximity to Hay-a-Park gravel pits, site access and the impact on local infrastructure. Hay-a-Park is an important breeding site for goosander ducks and protected Canada geese.

Now Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Conservative MP Mr Jones has added his voice to those calling on North Yorkshire Council to refuse the scheme.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“At a time when we have enshrined in law our commitment to stop and reverse the decline in nature, development of a site within or so close to a Site of Special Scientific Interest is not acceptable.  The effect on bird species in particular concerns me.

“There are though many more reasons why this application should be rejected.”

Water Lane on the left divides the field and Hay-a-Park.

He added:

“Environmental health say that a further risk assessment is required because of the presence of gas which means that ‘residential construction would not be accepted’.

“The Ramblers point out the applicant has ignored the public right of way and strongly object to the plans.  The council highlights the need for an archaeological survey.  The highways authority say there are ‘unresolved highways issues’ and Yorkshire Water object to the application saying that ‘the layout and landscaping details are not acceptable’.

“Residents give many other reasons why the application should be rejected and I agree with them.”

Mr Jones raised the issue during a parliamentary debate on protecting green spaces on Monday.

He asked housing minister Rachel Maclean what steps she was taking to ensure “proposed sites for housing that are completely unsuitable for reasons of biodiversity or lack of access or proximity to a site of special scientific interest are not taken forward and built upon”.

Ms Maclean replied she could not comment on individual cases but it was “really important that local authorities make decisions according to their local plans”.

Third bid to build on land

Two previous plans to develop on the land, which is currently used for grazing, have been refused.

The latest proposal, however, has reduced the number of homes from the original 218 and the previous 148 to 138.

A planning statement sent to the council by Cunnane Town Planning on behalf of applicant Geoffrey Holland said 40% of homes would be classed as affordable and the scheme would include open space and a children’s play area.

A footpath across the site.

A design and access statement by Haines Phillips Architects described the scheme as “a well-balanced, landscape dominated proposal where front gardens are generous, dwellings are no longer cramped, parking or garaging no longer remote or dominant, and casual surveillance and street activity visible in all locations”.

It added:

“It results in an environment that will give a sense of place and well-being for residents.

“It is considered that the proposal does not adversely impact upon other residents or existing neighbours, nor upon the SSSI.

“It is a proposal of benefit in terms of architectural design, landscaping and sustainability whilst providing a strong contribution to housing needs.”

But Knaresborough Town Council has called for it to be rejected, saying the land is one of the town’s last open green spaces “and its loss will impact on the health and wellbeing of the residents of Knaresborough”.

A petition by Andy Bell, a Liberal Democrat town councillor whose ward includes the proposed development, has attracted more than 500 signatures.

Cllr Andy Bell (left) and resident Dave Worner on Water Lane.

Mr Bell said the development “threatens our local environment by encroaching on precious green spaces that provide habitat for wildlife and contribute to cleaner air quality”.

Cllr Matt Walker, a Liberal Democrat who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, has ‘called in’ the application, which means it will be determined by elected councillors on the planning committee rather than by an unelected council officer.

Cllr Walker said this would enable the application to be “fully scrutinised by council members in an open forum”.

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Harrogate Bus Company introduces two-for-one travel on Fridays

The Harrogate Bus Company is introducing a two-for-one travel deal on Fridays as part of a campaign to persuade motorists to cut emissions.

The scheme, which begins in two days, enables two people to travel using a Harrogate one-day ticket costing £5.70

The bus company said today it was supporting the charity Zero Carbon Harrogate’s car-free Friday initiative, which relaunches on Friday this week.

Zero Carbon Harrogate is inviting motorists to sign up online to a pledge to leave their cars at home at least one day a week.

Paul Turner, commercial director of the Harrogate Bus Company, which plans to convert its entire Harrogate fleet to zero-emission electric power next year, said:

“As well as the benefit to our local environment, choosing the bus makes sense in lots more ways – it’s a lot less stressful than driving, and with a full day’s travel anywhere for two people travelling together within Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby and as far as Harewood and Ripley on the 36 at only £5.70 on Car Free Fridays, it’s a lot cheaper than driving into town and paying for parking.”

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Cars make up an estimated 49 per cent of total emissions in the Harrogate district – a percentage that remained almost static over the 10 years prior to the pandemic, while emissions produced by generating power for homes fell by 26.5 per cent over the same period.

Jemima Parker, chair of Zero Carbon Harrogate, said:

“We all know congestion has returned to Harrogate’s roads following the pandemic – and cars are one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in our town.

“That’s why we are bringing back our Car Free Fridays campaign, and inviting drivers to sign a pledge to leave the car at home. Doing so will improve air quality for everyone, while walking to the bus stop can also boost our own physical and mental health.”

The deal is available on all Harrogate Bus Company services in and around Harrogate and Knaresborough, plus routes 7 and 8 as far as Wetherby, and the 36 north as far as Ripley and south as far as Harewood.