Woman dies in Harrogate house fire

A woman in her 50s was found dead this morning after firefighters were called to a fire at a house in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue sent crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough to reports of a fire on Craven Street, just off King’s Road, at 6.20am.

On arrival firefighters made their way into the property and found the woman. They took her out of the house to paramedics, who tried to save her life with CPR.

However, the ambulance crew pronounced her dead at the scene.

Firefighters then carried another search of the property but found no evidence of other people.

North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue have launched a joint investigation to determine the cause of the blaze.

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A resident on the street, who didn’t want to be named, said:

“There was a lot going on here this morning with lots of police, ambulance and fire engines.

“From what we can tell there was a fire at the back of the house. But we didn’t see any flames or smoke.

“Someone was stretchered away and they were trying to resuscitate them.”

The fire happened on Craven Street.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were deployed to carry out a search of the property. One casualty was located.

“They were brought out of the property and CPR was given. However, they were pronounced dead at the scene by ambulance crews.”

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police added:

“North Yorkshire Police was called Craven Street in Harrogate at around 6.20am on Friday, January 7 following a report of a house fire at the location.

“On arrival a woman in her 50s, the sole occupant of the property, had sadly been pronounced dead by ambulance crews.”

Overnight break-in at Harrogate jewellery shop

Police are investigating after thieves smashed their way into a jewellery shop in Harrogate overnight.

Browns Family Jewellers on Beulah Street has been a hive of police activity today with officers carrying out investigations. The jewellers was broken into at 2.30am this morning.

This afternoon passers-by could still see the crime scene investigation team gathering evidence while staff tried to clean up smashed glass.

At this time it is unclear how much jewellery, if anything, the suspects managed to take from the shop.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“I can confirm that the intruder and fire alarms, due to a smashed window and the presence of smoke in the property, activated at 2.28am today.

“It appears that the suspects entered the building but it is not yet clear if anything was taken.

“CCTV and forensic examinations are ongoing along with neighbourhood enquiries.”

North Yorkshire Police has asked for anyone with information on the break-in to get in touch by calling 101. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Quote reference number 12220003179 when providing details.

Yorkshire children’s hospice ‘heartbroken’ after van stolen

Martin House Children’s Hospice says it’s ‘heartbroken’ after thieves stole a van from its warehouse in Thorp Arch.

The hospice, which is based in Boston Spa and has a charity shop in Harrogate, provides care and support for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

It tweeted today that without the van it can’t collect donations. In November alone the charity raised over £167,000.

The van is a white Mercedes and its registration number is KP14 WKD.

The hospice has issued an appeal asking anyone who might be able to lend them a van until they buy a replacement, or for donations that can cover the costs of hiring one.

It said:

“We would be really grateful if anyone could please help us with the short term use of a van until we can secure a long term replacement. Alternatively, we would appreciate donations to help us cover the costs of hiring one.”

To donate call 01937 844569 or email getinvolved@martinhouse.org.uk

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New plans submitted for smaller Dunlopillo development

Plans have been submitted to build an apartment block with fewer homes than what has already been agreed at the former Dunlopillo factory in Pannal.

Developer Echo Green Developments was granted planning permission in September 2021 to demolish the main office block and build 48 apartments.

However, the decision, which was made under permitted development rights, was met with anger from some residents. Pannal historian Anne Smith said the village would be lumbered with a “skyscraper-type building” due to its extra two storeys.

Conservative MP Andrew Jones also spoke out against the scheme and said it should have been decided by a vote from the council’s planning committee.

Office-to-residential permitted development rights were brought in under the Conservative government and can be used by developers to fast track the redevelopment of disused offices.

Fewer apartments

The developer has now submitted new plans which would supersede the previously approved plans.

It includes 38 apartments, fewer than the original proposal, but would still be two storeys taller than the demolished building.

Architect drawings of how the building would look.

Commenting on his website, Andrew Jones MP said:

“This time round I want as many residents as possible to submit their views and I will certainly support a request for it to go before the council’s planning committee should the parish council wish it to do so.

“In the meantime I encourage residents to submit their views to the council.”

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History of the site

From 1938 to 1949 the site was occupied by the Bintex factory, which manufactured radar equipment for use during the Second World War.

It was bought by rubber manufacturer Dunlop, which changed its name to Dunlopillo and made the site its headquarters.

It is estimated around 440 people worked there in its 1970s and 80s heyday producing pillows, mattresses, beds and latex cushioning for cars.

Car crashes into house on Rigton Hill causing ‘significant damage’

Emergency services were called to North Rigton this morning after a car crashed into a house.

Images show a silver Ford Fiesta car struck the corner of a cottage on Rigton Hill, just north from the Square and Compass pub.

Police and fire crews responded to the incident at around 8am and were able to manage traffic while ensuring the scene was safe.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident caused “significant damage to the front of the property and the vehicle”. It added:

“Thankfully, no one was injured and the homeowner was not inside when it occurred.”

Police and fire crews said this was a damage-only collision and there were no reports of any injuries.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:

“This was a single vehicle road traffic collision involving a car impacting a building. All the persons were out of the vehicle on the arrival of the fire crews, who worked to make the scene and vehicle safe.”

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A recovery vehicle arrived to remove the car just after 9.30am.

Police are investigating the collision and any witnesses are asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room. The reference number is NYP-07012022-0047.

Electric bike shop to open in Harrogate next month

A specialist electric bike shop will open on Leeds Road in Harrogate next month.

The Electric Bike Shop will open on February 11 in a unit that previously was home to Fultons Foods and Choices video rental.

The company began in Bristol but has expanded to open stores in London, Cheshire and the Midlands. Harrogate will be its ninth location.

It sells and services bikes with electric motors and also sells e-cargo bikes, which are like electric bikes but have a large storage area to transport goods.

Helen Gadbury, PR manager from Electric Bike Shop, told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate is a “prime location” for the company to open its next shop.

She added:

“The bikes are getting more powerful and the technology has improved a great deal. The majority of our customers are older people who used to cycle regularly but had suffered from a lack of confidence. Electric bikes are a way to get out and start cycling again.”

Six jobs are set to be created. It will be open from Monday to Saturday.

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Tributes paid to Harrogate D-Day veteran, who has died aged 97

Tributes have been paid to a Harrogate’s D-Day veteran who has died at the age of 97.

John Rushton, who was also known as Jack among friends, passed away peacefully at Harrogate District Hospital after a visit from his family on New Year’s Day.

Mr Rushton not only fought in World War II but when he settled in Harrogate in the 1970s he carried on in public service with his work at Harrogate College and the Tewit Youth Band.

On VE Day in May 2020, he was the star of the town’s celebrations. Leaning out of his window, he watched performances and warmed the hearts of his neighbours. He told the Stray Ferret on the day:

“It’s very nice that they would do all this for me. I don’t deserve it, I just happen to be the one that has lived the longest.

“I have had a good life. It’s very good of them to have done this as if I am a hero. I am not, I am just an ordinary Yorkshireman.”

Mr Rushton was never one to command attention and always rejected the title of hero, but he was held in high regard by his peers and all that knew him.

Dave Rushton, one of John’s four sons, said:

“We are very sad but my dad has left a great legacy and history. We have had so many goodwill messages, which has been an enormous help.

“He fought the illness really hard, he fought right to the end. I want to put on record our thanks to the staff on Wensleydale Ward and at Lister House care home in Ripon.

“I think people will remember him for his character. So many people have told me how much of a character he was, even if he never thought he was a hero.

“We did manage to get in a trip back in 2019 to Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. We had hoped to go again but we certainly ended on a high.

“I already know a lot about his life but since his passing I have learned a lot more about the affection people held him in.”

A British Army spokesman said:

“We are indebted to the bravery of Mr Rushton and his comrades. Our thoughts are with Mr Rushton’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

David Houlgate, vice chair of the Knaresborough branch of the Royal British Legion, said:

“What I will say is clearly he was in a sense a true hero of this country. John defended this country and helped to free Europe from tyranny.”

The life of John ‘Jack’ Rushton

Mr Rushton was born in Doncaster on May 24, 1924, where he was brought up and educated before leaving school to become an apprentice joiner.

At the outbreak of World War II because he was too young to enlist, he joined the home guard before he volunteered for service shortly after his 18th birthday.

On the night of June 5, 1944, he set off from Portsmouth, having been sent in place of another marine who had taken ill.

The crossing was made in a flat bottomed tank landing craft, and as the weather was poor, he sheltered with a comrade underneath one of the tanks, lying on top of the ammunition.

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It was such a rough crossing, he later said he preferred being shot at in France to staying on board.

Arriving on the Normandy beach at 6am on June 6 he proceeded to deploy and arm his unit’s tanks and guns and spent much of the assault without his helmet or rifle as they impeded his tasks.

During that day, he narrowly avoided death three times including running over an anti-tank mine several times. He often says with a wry smile that only the good die young. He also says that the real heroes are the ones who didn’t return home.

Jack ready to celebrate VE Day in 2020.

Having been promoted to Sergeant, Jack was then sent out to India, travelling by ship and often sleeping on riveted steel decks. On arrival in Bombay his unit was tasked with keeping the peace during the country’s internal struggles, and later training to join the war against Japan further east.

In 1945 he was sent to Malaysia to await deployment to the battlefront, however when the atomic bombs were dropped, he was spared the ordeal of the next fight.

Although the war was now over, his unit was sent back to India to help quell a naval mutiny, and as a result, he didn’t make it home until 1946, when he was demobbed, and returned to Doncaster.

He moved jobs and towns before he settled in 1972 with a final family move to Harrogate College of Further Education.

Jack retired in 1988 and turned to his interests in the local brass bands and the Royal Naval Association. He was widowed in 2012 after almost 61 years of marriage and has four children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

 

Green light for major refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro

Harrogate Borough Council has given the green light for a major refurbishment of Harrogate’s Hydro swimming pool.

Councillors on the planning committee approved the plans today with work on the project set to start in April.

The Hydro was first opened in 1999 and replaced the old Coppice Valley pool.

As part of its plans to overhaul leisure services, which were approved in June 2020, the council outlined a £13.5 million project to refurbish The Hydro.

The authority will demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400 square metres fitness suite on the first floor.

Outside, the car park will be reconfigured with a new area bicycle storage and room for six electric vehicle charging points.

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Cllr Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“I’m delighted that the planning committee has approved the plans to redevelop the Hydro in Harrogate.

“This multi-million pound refurbishment project will create exciting new opportunities for local people to move more, live well and feel great.

“Our vision is to create a healthier and more active population that are living longer, more independent and happier lives.

“By creating first-class facilities like this we’ll be able to deliver the aims and objectives of Brimhams Active.”

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, said:

“Through the provision of fantastic modern leisure and wellness facilities and engaging, inclusive services we will be able to help many more people become active and lead healthier lifestyles.”

Further projects at The Hydro

The move to refurbish The Hydro comes as other work is being done to upgrade the building.

In July, the council confirmed it is to buy a new diving platform to replace the damaged one that has kept divers out of the pool for eight months.

Meanwhile, the council has also given approval for 420 solar panels to be installed on the roof of the pool as part of a decarbonisation project.

The council successfully bid this year for funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy‘s public sector decarbonisation scheme, which helped to fund the panels.

A total of £1.8 million will be spent at The Hydro to install the solar panels, as well as replace gas boilers with air source heat pumps and put in place new energy monitoring and control systems.

The Hydro is now run by Brimhams Active, a new arm’s length leisure company set up by the council this year. It has taken over the running of 12 leisure facilities in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and Pateley Bridge.

Harrogate police officer pleads not guilty to alleged sexual assault

A Harrogate police officer has pleaded not guilty after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman while on duty.

Christopher Ryan Hudson, 31, appeared before Leeds Crown Court for a preliminary hearing today where he entered his plea.

The alleged offence is said to have taken place at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road, Harrogate, on February 8.

He is accused of sexually touching the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while he was on duty.

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Mr Hudson, of Hollin Terrace, Huddersfield, spoke to confirm his name and that he understood his bail conditions, which include no contact with the alleged victim.

Judge Simon Batiste imposed the new conditions before adjourning the case for a trial on February 20, 2023. He blamed the delay on a “considerable backlog in the courts”.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement that Mr Hudson was based in Harrogate at the time of the allegation and was currently suspended.

Inquest opens into death of Harrogate suspected murder victim

A suspected Harrogate murder victim died from head and torso injuries, according to the coroner who opened an inquest into his death today.

Gracijus Balciauskas, 41, died just before Christmas on the night of Monday, December 20 at a flat on Mayfield Grove.

Jon Heath, senior coroner for York and North Yorkshire, said at the hearing in Northallerton today:

“Mr Balciauskas resided in Harrogate on Mayfield Grove. He was found deceased at the property the following morning.

“The provisional cause of death is by head and torso injuries. This inquest was formally opened on January 6 and adjourned pending further investigation by the police.”

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Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, of Mayfield Grove, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at York Magistrates Court last month charged with murder.

They did not enter pleas and the case was adjourned until February 4.