John Plummer, Author at The Stray Ferret

Firefighters tackle car fire at Aldi in Knaresborough

Firefighters were called to a car fire in the Aldi car park in Knaresborough yesterday.

A full-time crew from Harrogate was joined by on-call firefighters from Boroughbridge to deal with the incident.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was alerted to the incident at 5.54pm.

It’s incident report gives no details other than to confirm the fact that firefighters attended.

The car was situated close to the store’s main entrance and eye-witness reports said the site at Swallowtail Way was evacuated.

Frustration grows over ‘rubble on the road’ saga in Knaresborough

Residents and businesses in Knaresborough have expressed exasperation at the length of time it is taking to resolve the collapsed wall on Briggate.

Traffic lights have been in place since a section of the wall came down more than two months ago.

The lights have caused frequent delays on a key route in and out of Knaresborough, with traders claiming it is deterring people from shopping in town.

North Yorkshire Council has said work will finally start on Monday — but lights are likely to remain for several months.

Local people do not understand why a pile of rubble is proving so difficult to deal with, and fear it will hamper Christmas trade.

Bob McRae, who has lived in Knaresborough for 40 years, wrote to the council about the issue.

He praised council leader Carl Les and corporate director for environment Karl Battersby for replying promptly but said he failed to understand why this had become such a big issue. He said:

“People are frustrated. It’s just a bunch of rocks that have been sitting there and it seems nobody can pick them up. There could have been a temporary fix to get the traffic moving.”

Mr McRae also questioned whether council officers in Northallerton understood the impact the situation was having on the town.

The wall collapsed in September.

Hairdresser Kelly Teggin agreed, adding:

“I don’t believe in this day and age nothing can be done to get both lanes back open as soon as possible.

“All other roadworks should have been suspended as soon as the wall fell in September.

“Town and trade is massively affected and it’s not going to change before the end of January, which is disastrous for our town.”

‘We cannot avoid emergency works’

Mr Battersby said the work was more complicated than initially thought.

He said:

“We have been working hard to prepare plans to rebuild the collapsed wall on Briggate in Knaresborough, which is currently under two-way lights to protect road users and ensure traffic can move safely.

“Due to concerns of the residents with cellars – who were directly impacted by the collapsed wall – the works are now more complex than first anticipated.

“Work will start on Monday, November 27, under the existing two-way lights, and is due to be concluded in late-December. In the new year (date to be confirmed), further maintenance work along the rest of the wall will take place – again, under two-way lights – to ensure its future integrity is maintained.”

The traffic lights on Briggate.

He added:

“We also have an embargo on other road works in the local area during this time. However, it is worth stressing, we cannot avoid emergency works.

“We appreciate Knaresborough Christmas events are due to take place in the coming weeks, and this may cause some delays, but safety must come first. To help prevent any delays, we will be manually controlling the lights during the Knaresborough Christmas Market, to ensure the movement of traffic.”

Harrogate man jailed for insulting magistrates

A Harrogate man has been jailed for insulting magistrates and kicking court furniture.

Samuel Hughes, 46, of Swarcliffe Road, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Friday, November 17.

Hughes had previously been found guilty of assaulting a named woman in October 2021 — a charge he denied.

He received an 18-week suspended prison sentence in May last year, and was required to attend a building better relationships appointment in July this year.

But he failed to do so and when he returned to court last week, he was charged with “wilfully insulting the magistrates”, according to court records.

The records added he used “foul and abusive language to the bench upon sentence being pronounced”.

He also kicked court furniture and attempted to resist handcuffs being put on and was committed to jail for four weeks.

Autumn statement will boost business and pay in Harrogate and Knaresborough, says Andrew Jones MP

Andrew Jones MP has said today’s autumn statement will “benefit businesses here in Harrogate and Knaresborough and boost the pay packets of tens of thousands locally”.

However, the Liberal Democrat hoping to replace him at the next general election said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s statement amounted to “empty promises and stale nonsense”.

Mr Hunt’s hour-long statement this afternoon included cutting the main rate of National Insurance contributions from 12 per cent to 10 per cent, increasing the state pension by 8.5% from April 2024 to £221.20 and a reduction in business rates.

But next year’s economic growth forecast was downgraded from 1.8% to 0.7%.

Andrew Jones

Mr Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“This was an impressive autumn statement delivered by a Chancellor who understands his brief. Mr Hunt announced a series of measures which will benefit businesses here in Harrogate and Knaresborough and boost the pay packets of tens of thousands locally.

“The cut to national insurance contributions and the increase to the national living wage will put more cash in the pockets of the least well-paid. This is very important in an area like ours that depends on the often less well-paid hospitality sector.

“The hospitality industry will be further supported with a freeze in alcohol duty and by the changes to business rates and hospitality and leisure relief.”

Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough at the next election, accused the government of being “content with local health services crumbling” by failing to provide additional funding for local health services.

The party had called on the Chancellor to invest in a NHS rescue plan and inject £20 million into repairing crumbling concrete at Harrogate District Hospital.

Mr Gordon said:

“This Conservative government seems completely content to sit back and allow Harrogate and Knaresborough’s local hospital to crumble. They are either so out of touch they cannot see how many people are struggling to access healthcare, or they simply do not care.

“The Autumn Statement was an opportunity to get people off NHS waiting lists and allow them to return to work so we can rescue our flatlining economy. Instead we got empty promises, stale nonsense and a tax cut that’s not even a drop in the ocean compared to what people have already paid.”

Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty renamed National Landscape

All designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales, including Nidderdale, have been rebranded National Landscapes from today.

The new name aims to create greater understanding and awareness of the sites’ environmental importance in combating issues such as climate change.

There are 46 AONBs in the UK, covering 14% of England, Wales and Northern Ireland including moorland, farmland, coast, forests and International Dark Sky Reserves. The first to be designated an AONB was the Gower Peninsula in 1956; the most recent, in 1995, was the Tamar Valley, which spans Devon and Cornwall.

All are now known as National Landscapes.

Iain Mann, lead officer for Nidderdale National Landscape, said:

“Nidderdale’s landscape is treasured by those who live here and the many people who come to visit.

“Next year will mark 30 years since our partnership came together to conserve and enhance this special place. We look forward to continuing to work with the wide range of partners, from farmers and landowners to volunteers and conservation organisations, as we jointly face up to challenges such as climate change and nature recovery.

“Our new name reflects the national importance of this work and, we hope, sends a welcoming message to people who don’t yet know us to come and visit.”

Pateley Bridge

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England said:

“For decades the AONBs have helped protect the beauty of our finest landscapes. Today though we need so much more from these wonderful places, helping us adapt to climate change, catching carbon, restoring depleted wildlife and encouraging more people outside, at the same time as producing food, sustaining local communities and enhancing historic environments.

“Modern challenges require new approaches and today marks the beginning of a new phase for our National Landscapes.”

Police begin clampdown on uninsured drivers in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police began a week-long blitz today on motorists driving without insurance.

Officers on patrol will use automatic number plate recognition and in-car technology to find offenders.

The activity is part of the national police campaign Op Drive Insured.

A North Yorkshire Police statement today said:

“In a three-hour window in the York area, our officers have already seized four vehicles and arrested one uninsured driver on suspicion of drug driving.

“At a time when austerity is high, vehicle insurance is not a cut back you can afford to make.”

You can check if your vehicle is insured here.

Three people seriously injured in head-on crash on Harrogate bypass

Three people have been treated in hospital for serious injuries after a two-vehicle head-on collision on the Harrogate bypass.

Firefighters had to extract two people from one of the cars involved in the collision, which occurred on the A658 at yesterday afternoon.

The incident led to long tailbacks between Harrogate and Knaresborough.

In a statement today, North Yorkshire Police said:

“North Yorkshire Police was called to the scene of a serious two-vehicle head-on collision on Harrogate by-pass at around 3.20pm on Monday, 20 November.

“North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene, sending two appliances from Harrogate. Firefighters extracted two people from one of the cars involved in the collision.

“Three people were taken to hospital by Yorkshire Ambulance Service for treatment to serious injuries.

“Road closures were put in place in the immediate area while emergency crews attended the scene and the area was made safe.”

The statement added no arrests have been made and an investigation into the cause of the collision is “ongoing”.

Witnesses are urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12230220890.

Harrogate street closure: police investigation ‘ongoing’

North Yorkshire Police has said the closure of a street in Harrogate town centre on Friday night is part of an “ongoing investigation”.

Back Cheltenham Mount was cordoned off for several hours on Friday afternoon and evening.

The closure led to speculation about the nature of the incident but the force had not disclosed any information until today.

Officers also sealed off the steps on Cheltenham Mount and King’s Road that cut across Back Cheltenham Mount.

The steps starting on King’s Road.

A police officer on patrol on Back Cheltenham Mount.

In response to a media enquiry from the Stray Ferret, a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said this morning:

“A police cordon was put in place in Harrogate town centre as part of an ongoing investigation.

“Enquiries are at an early stage, and a further update will be provided when possible.”

‘Operational challenges’ delay major Harrogate roadworks

The completion of seven weeks of roadworks in Harrogate town centre has been delayed, Northern Gas Networks has said.

The company has been replacing metal pipes with plastic pipes on some of the main routes, including Parliament Street, King’s Road and Cold Bath Road.

The project was due to end yesterday but Mark Mawhood, operations manager for Northern Gas Networks, said:

“I can confirm that the extensive work taking place in Harrogate will be completed this week.

“We will however need to return to complete a small section of the network, which due to some operational challenges could not be completed in the timeframe. The planning team is currently working on dates for when this work will be caried out and we will then notify the public and media once this is scheduled.

“We apologise for inconvenience caused during these works, and we thank the public for their patience during this large-scale scheme.”

The roadworks are the second phase of delayed works that were “paused” a year ago.

Starbeck tap dancers take part in world record bid

Forty dancers from Starbeck took part in a bid to break the world record yesterday for the largest number of people to perform the same tap routine at multiple venues simultaneously.

Children and adults from Summerbell Dance Academy took to the floor of the Victoria suite at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate as part of BBC Children in Need’s fundraising activities.

The youngest tapper was aged two and the oldest was 86.

They performed a routine they had been learning since September to Wham!’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

The figures are being collated today to see whether the tapathon world record of 7,596 was beaten.

Regardless of whether the target was achieved, the local dancers managed to raise £380 for Children in Need.

Performing their routine at the Crown Hotel.

Jennie Summerbell, the principal of Summerbell Dance Academy, said:

“It was a national initiative but it gave us a challenge and something to aim for.”

Summerbell Dance Academy, which is based at St Andrew’s church hall in Starbeck, has 200 students.

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‘We cannot avoid emergency works’

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