Harrogate trucker: ‘HGV licence costs deterring new drivers’

A Harrogate lorry driver has said the costs of obtaining a HGV licence need to be reviewed if more people are to take up the career.

The government said this week it was introducing temporary visas for 5,000 lorry drivers after a Road Haulage Association survey revealed a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK.

This shortage has contributed to ongoing fuel supply problems.

Mark Garrod, from Harrogate, holds a category 1 HGV licence, which entitles him to drive lorries weighing more than 7.5 tonnes. He said the cost of obtaining a licence could deter some of those wanting to train as drivers to fill the vacancies.

The cost of the test alone is about £225 and learners must also pay to complete 35 hours of training. Mr Garrod believes the combined cost is too much for many people, particularly the unemployed.

He urged the Department for Transport to review the costs, or find ways to encourage employers to help staff who wish to learn.

Mr Garrod, who is not currently working but is due to join a Harrogate lorry company in the coming weeks, said he’d spoken to numerous people looking for haulage work who had turned down roles because they couldn’t afford the fees. He added:

“People see this shortage as an opportunity to find work but then they see the cost of getting the licence and they can’t afford it.

“It may be that something as simple as reviewing the costs could help the shortage of drivers.”

Surge in inquiries at Harrogate law firm 

Harrogate law firm Truth Legal said today it had received a surge in enquiries from international drivers hoping to apply for short-term visas.

But it added there was still a lack of clarity over how the initiative will work.

Louis MacWilliam, head of immigration at Truth Legal, said:

“If an employer doesn’t have a sponsor licence already, the process of getting one can take weeks or even months.

“It’s not yet clear how this will mesh with the government’s plans to open the scheme in October, and close it on Christmas Eve”.

The Department for Transport announced various measures this week to increase the number of lorry drivers.

They include using Ministry of Defence examiners to increase immediate HGV testing capacity and introducing free, short courses to help drivers gain a category C or category C&E licence.

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A government spokesperson said:

“We’ve taken immediate action to increase the supply of HGV drivers, streamlining the testing process, enabling fuel companies to work together and introducing short term visas.

“This is a global problem and we have been working closely with industry for months to understand how we can boost recruitment.

“However we also want to see long-term solutions delivered by employers through improved testing and hiring, with better pay and working.”

Harrogate events venue ‘bouncing back’ with new line-up revealed

The Yorkshire Event Centre has unveiled its lineup of events for the rest of the year —  which are all coming to Harrogate for the first time.

The conference and events venue at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground was closed for much of this year and last year due to covid and was used as a vaccination site from February until August.

The Great Taste Golden Fork Reception will be held at the YEC next month. It’s the first time the food show has ever been held outside London.

The Builders Merchants Federation, which brings together companies supplying building materials to the construction industry, will stage its All Industry Conference on Friday November 5 and 6.

And the Great Yorkshire Christmas Fair will relocate from Ripley Castle. The show, which offers Christmas gifts, will run from December 2 to 5.

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Heather Parry, managing director of the YEC, said the new events will be “very positive for the industry and for the Harrogate area”.

She added:

“We are absolutely delighted to be bringing new business to Harrogate and to Yorkshire, with a number of new events signing up with us for the first time.  It’s truly wonderful to be back doing what we do best after a tough 18 months.

“We are looking forward to bouncing back, bigger, better and stronger than ever.”

Upcoming events:

Fuel Watch: Harrogate district fuel problems persist

Fuel stations are trying to get back to normality across the Harrogate district amid reports that the crisis is slowing down.

Some forecourts remain closed but many are back up and running across the area. So we have created this live blog to help those in need find fuel.

Have you just been to fill up? Help other drivers in need by letting us know what the situation is like at your local petrol station.

Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your reports and we will add them to this rolling coverage throughout the day.

645pm – Reports of two stations open

Esso on Wetherby Road in Harrogate is open and we also hear the Texaco in Kirk Hammerton is operating but some pumps are not available.

3.50pm – Esso on Harrogate’s Skipton Road closed

Thanks to Ian for telling us the Esso garage on Skipton Road has closed.

Is the fuel supply issue easing today? The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents filling stations, says there are “early signs” of pressure at the pumps easing.

But Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association says “the situation is not getting better”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says soldiers could be driving fuel tankers “in the next couple of days”.

2.15pm – No queues at Morrisons in Boroughbridge

A reader tells us that Morrisons in Boroughbridge has plenty of all fuel and there are no queues. This is a key site for many motorists in the Harrogate district and has been the scene of lengthy queues in recent days. A sign of things getting back to normal?

Send us your updates from forecourts in Harrogate, Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham and anywhere in between.

1.20pm – Harrogate fuel stations working well

Our reporter has been out and about once again to get a view from the fuel stations across the town. There have been deliveries but some places have since run out of fuel.

12pm – BP in Harrogate set to reopen after delivery

A tanker has arrived at the BP fuel station on Leeds Road, Harrogate to replenish the supplies of petrol and diesel.

The station had been closed for the past couple of days but should be ready for drivers to fill up at around 1pm.

A tanker has arrived.

10.30am – Boroughbridge Morrisons fuel station refills

Boroughbridge’s Morrisons fuel station is now back open after running out of petrol and diesel yesterday afternoon at around 3pm.

A reader contacted us to say that it was not busy and all of the petrol and diesel pumps were in operation.

10am – Just one fuel station out in Ripon

The Spar BP petrol station on North Street is awaiting a delivery later today, but is currently without diesel or unleaded petrol.

Both of the Morrisons petrol stations, on Harrogate Road and on the supermarket site, have all pumps in operation serving diesel and unleaded fuels.

Photo of BP pumps at Spar

Pumps at the BP Spar station.

 

Harrogate’s Horticap opens revamped free nature trail

A Harrogate nursery has reopened its free nature trail this week after a nine-month refurbishment of the grounds.

Horticap, which is based at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries on Otley Road, is a charity that provides adults with learning and other disabilities training in horticulture, allied crafts and rural skills.

Parts of the trail were badly churned during construction of a new tearoom and shop at Horticap, which opened earlier this year in June.

The Hopkins at Horticap cafe is named in honour of former Horticap student Peter Hopkins, who left his house in Bilton to the charity after he and his mother Marjorie died.

The Banks Community Fund, a Durham-based charity linked to The Banks Group, donated £5,000 to make the work possible.

The trail includes additional seating areas, interpretative boards and new pond screening.

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While a new sunken garden has been created to provides a social space that can be used by visiting schools and community groups.

The work has been led by Horticap’s operations manager Phil Airey, supported by local contractors and long-term supporters.

Some of the Horticap students were also able to assist when it was safe to do so.

The charity hopes the new facilities will extend its role in the local community.

Mr Airey said:

“The nature trail has always been really well used by our visitors, and we’ve now created something even better that we’re sure everyone’s going to love.

“It’s a very practical space with lots of interesting things to see and activities to undertake, and the extra facilities we’ve added have made it even more attractive.

“Involving some of our students in making these improvements has helped them develop new personal and workplace skills while also giving them an even greater sense of ownership.

“Without the generous funding that The Banks Group have provided, we’d have just had to tidy up the nature trail as best we could.”

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said:

“Despite everything that’s been going on this year, the Horticap team has done an excellent job in improving what was already a great community asset.

“It’s brilliant to see all their hard work resulting in something so impressive.”

Developer remains ‘fully committed’ to Kingsley Drive homes

A developer behind a controversial proposal to build 217 homes in Harrogate has said it “remains fully committed” to the site.

Persimmon Homes saw its plan for Kingsley Drive rejected by Harrogate Borough Council last month.

Residents lodged 388 objections to the scheme and offered none in favour.

The Stray Ferret asked Persimmon whether it intended to appeal the application or submit fresh proposals for Kingsley Drive.

A spokesperson said:

“We remain fully committed to the Kingsley Drive site and are still considering our options.”

Residents ‘remain vigilant’

The Kingsley ward area will eventually see more than 600 homes built, including developments at Granby Farm and 149 homes on Kingsley Road.

Persimmon’s plan to build 217 homes was rejected by councillors after authority officials said the application was “not considered acceptable”.

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The site is allocated for housing under the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which outlines development in the district until 2035.

But although the principle of development has been established, council officers had concerns about overdevelopment and inadequate information on surface water drainage and noise.

Authority officials also said in a report that the number of homes on the site was above the 173 allocated in the local plan.

John Hansard, who lives in the area, previously told the Stray Ferret that residents were aware that the plan could come back following last month’s rejection.

He said:

“It was a good result and I am pleased about that. It does give us a bit of breathing space.

“My only concern is that they [the developer] will appeal. I think that we need to look into that.

“I think we need to remain vigilant.”

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

A very good morning to you and welcome back once again to the traffic and travel blog. It’s Connor with you once again today, hoping to help you avoid any problems by road or rail.

Give me a call on 01423 276197 or get in touch on social media if you spot anything on the roads or are waiting for a delayed bus or train. Also let me know if you have any updates for our petrol stations.

The morning blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is all from me this morning. I do hope you have found the updates helpful today. I am heading over to the news desk now but will be back from 6.30am tomorrow.

Petrol stations

Roads

The A59 York Road near Kirk Hammerton looks to be particularly busy this morning already with what seems to be road works in the area.

Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road also look to be busy this morning on our traffic system in Harrogate.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Petrol stations

Roads

The A59 York Road near Kirk Hammerton looks to be particularly busy this morning already with what seems to be road works in the area.

Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road also look to be busy this morning on our traffic system in Harrogate.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Petrol stations

Roads

The A59 York Road near Kirk Hammerton looks to be particularly busy this morning already with what seems to be road works in the area.

Skipton Road, Knaresborough Road and Ripon Road also look to be busy this morning on our traffic system in Harrogate.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Petrol stations

Roads

The A59 York Road near Kirk Hammerton looks to be particularly busy this morning already with what seems to be road works in the area

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Petrol stations

Roads

Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road. Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World is also likely to be busy with temporary lights in place.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6:30am – Full Update 

Petrol stations

Roads

Otley Road is likely to be particularly busy as work has started on a new cycle route near Harlow Moor Road. Ripon Road near McCarthy’s Storage World is also likely to be busy with temporary lights in place.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

Harrogate woman: ‘A hand grenade was found in my garden’

A woman from Harrogate has spoken of her shock at discovering there was a hand grenade in her garden today.

Sandra Warburton’s family home on Gordon Avenue, in Bilton, became the centre of a police operation today when the explosive device was found.

The house has been in Ms Warburton’s family for 60 years but it was only today, the day after she sold it to her daughter, that the grenade was discovered.

Ms Warburton, who received a call from her son-in-law this morning saying he’d found the device, said she was shocked and bewildered. She added:

“It could have been there when we were little”.

Her son-in-law contacted North Yorkshire Police, which quickly responded by placing a cordon on the street and giving nearby residents the option to evacuate.

Two bomb disposal experts arrived just after 1.15pm and were able to safely remove the device and leave, along with other police officers, about 30 minutes later.

Ms Warburton said:

“These things just don’t happen. My son-in-law that found it this morning, he just rang and said someone was on their way to deal with it. He was moving all sorts of things around and he found it in the garden.

“But they’ve found it and said it was fine now. I just can’t believe it.”

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Police cordoned off three streets in Bilton after the discovery on Gordon Avenue, just off Bilton Lane, late this morning.

A police statement said:

“Police evacuated a small number of houses whilst the Ministry of Defence made an assessment on the device.

“The MoD recovered the device and the cordon is now lifted.”

Police cordon lifted after hand grenade discovered in Harrogate

A Harrogate street has returned to normality after bomb squad officers dealt with a hand grenade in a garden.

Police cordoned off three streets in Bilton after the discovery on Gordon Avenue, just off Bilton Lane, late this morning.

A bomb disposal unit from the Ministry of Defence rushed to the street, which is between Richard Taylor Church of England Primary School and Bilton Cricket Club.

The team departed at about 1.40pm and the police cordon was lifted and people allowed to return to their homes.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“An explosive device was found by a member of the public in their garden at a property on Gordon Avenue today.

“Police evacuated a small number of houses whilst the MOD made an assessment on the device.

“The MOD recovered the device and the cordon is now lifted.”

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A resident on Gordon Avenue told the Stray Ferret about the “mad moment” police knocked on their door.

The resident, who requested anonymity, was evacuated at around 12.30pm, said:

“This is obviously not something that happens everyday, it is quite mad really. Definitely rare for Harrogate.

“We saw that the police were on the street. The next minute the officers were knocking on my door.

“They said that they had called in the bomb squad because the neighbour had found a bomb.

“Not everyone was evacuated, just the residents who live quite close by. Police were quick to get people away.”

Police cordon off Harrogate streets after ‘bomb discovery’

Police have cordoned off three streets in Harrogate after a resident found what they believed to be an unexploded shell in their garden.

Bomb disposal unit from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are currently on the scene.

A small number of houses have been evacuated in the area. There is currently a police cordon and scene guard on Gordon Avenue, Hall Lane and Bilton Lane.

Residents have been told to stay indoors and avoid the area if possible.

North Yorkshire Police have cordoned off Gordon Avenue.

North Yorkshire Police have cordoned off Gordon Avenue.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“It was found by a member of the public in their garden at a property on Gordon Avenue today.

“Police have evacuated a small number of houses whilst we await the arrival of the MOD to make an assessment on the device.

“A scene guard and cordon is currently in place on Gordon Avenue, Hall Lane and Bilton Lane.”

This is a breaking news story, which we will update as we gather more information. We have sent a reporter to the scene.

Harrogate Pine Marten pub closes for month-long refurbishment

A well known Harrogate pub and restaurant has closed for a month-long refurbishment.

The Pine Marten, on Otley Road near RHS Harlow Carr, closed today and is planning to open again on Saturday, October 30.

When it reopens in October the pub has promised that it will have a “glamorous” new look and feel with its own personality and style.

It will also bring a new feature bar, which will be at the centre of the social space.

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As well as a new feel for the pub, the owners have also developed a new menu inspired by food trends from across the world, including a new range of small plates.

The pub dates back to the 1820s when it was the original home of Robert Wigglesworth, who created the world’s largest telescope at the time.

The Stray Ferret approached owners Mitchells & Butlers for comment. The company declined to comment but said it would share more information closer to the reopening date.