Harrogate police were able to respond swiftly to a shop theft this afternoon after an officer walked into the shop soon after it happened.

The Harrogate police officer happened to be heading into the M&S BP garage in Pannal this afternoon for a coffee when the shop worker told him three men had just driven away with stolen food and drink.

Officers were able to quickly apprehend the three men in a van on Park House Green.

The three men were dealt with using the community resolution disposal procedure which is used for low-level crime such as minor theft and criminal damage.

A release by North Yorkshire Police explained the method:

“By encouraging suspects to face up to the impact of their behaviour and to take responsibility for making good any harm caused, a Community Resolution can reduce the likelihood of their reoffending. There must be an acceptance of responsibility on behalf of the suspect to undertake a Community Resolution response.”

The suspect’s van was also seized for being un-taxed.

The three men will now have to pay for the items stolen, which added up to around £30.

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An Albanian drug gang who ran a half-a-million-pound skunk-cannabis factory in quiet residential streets in Harrogate have been jailed for a combined 22 years.

Their “facilitator” was 73-year-old former guest-house owner Yoko Banks, who rented out her properties for “industrial” cannabis production “in the expectation of significant” profit”, Leeds Crown Court heard.

The disgraced businesswoman, who owns a string of “highly marketable” properties in some of Harrogate’s most desirable areas, is now starting a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence.

She and the six Albanian gangsters appeared for sentence on Friday after they each admitted playing a part in the audacious drugs plot worth at least half a million pounds.

Prosecutor Martin Bosomworth said the “professional”, London-based gang had invested tens of thousands into the three cannabis factories at Banks’s properties on Alexandra Road, Woodlands Road and Somerset Road near Harrogate town centre.

The brazen criminals had even dug a trench outside the three-storey Edwardian villa on Alexandra Road through which they fed electricity cables to the house to power the “highly sophisticated” cultivation system and bypass the electricity grid.

On one occasion, neighbours in the affluent street spotted the gang digging the ditch underneath a pavement and up the driveway. When they asked them what they were doing, they were told they were laying cables “for a fast-fibre broadband connection”.

The gang’s audacious plot finally unravelled when police were called to the five-bedroom villa at about 8.30pm on September 26 last year after reports of a “disturbance” in the street involving what appeared to be two rival gangs vying for the mega-money cannabis farm.

Crossbow found in house

Officers found 283 plants in the four growing rooms inside the mock-Tudor house, which was fitted with CCTV cameras. Chillingly, police also found “large” crossbow and arrows next to the front door. The plants had a potential yield of up to 21 kilos.

Mr Bosomworth said the “organised” gang had operated the lighting, electrical and “security” systems remotely through broadband technology and were even able to watch a “live feed” of the drugs bust over the internet.

There were other large grows at two of Banks’s other properties which had the “capability of producing industrial amounts” of the highly potent skunk.

She had rented the properties to the Albanians through an “unidentified individual who goes by the name of Francesco”, who sub-let the houses to the gang’s ringleader Visar Sellaj, 33, in the spring or summer of 2020.

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Sellaj, Kujtim Brahaj, 50, Indrit Brahaj, 27, Bledar Elezaj, 36, Andi Kokaj, 23, and 31-year-old Erblin Elezaj, an illegal immigrant, admitted various charges relating to the production and supply of cannabis but only at the Alexandra Road property.

Banks, of Scargill Road, admitted three counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Cannabis worth £300,000 found in van

Mr Bosomworth said that just before the “disturbance” on September 26, two unidentified men turned up at the property in a Citroen van and forced the door open. They left the property “carrying bundles of vegetation to the van”. He added:

“An Audi was (then) seen to arrive in the street from which five males exited – these being the Albanian defendants.

“They chased the Citroen through the street, but the van made off.”

Following the run-in with what appeared to be a rival gang, and realising they’d been rumbled, the six Albanians went into the property and “made a hasty clearance of such mature cannabis plants as they could find”.

They loaded the plants into a rented Transit van which was then driven, along with the Audi, back down south.
Police found the remaining 283 plants in the growing rooms and a “large, loaded crossbow” next to the front door.

The Transit van and the Audi were “trapped” on the M1 by police in Hertfordshire and were finally stopped on the M25 just after midnight.

Police found 30kg of “saleable”, harvested cannabis plants inside the van worth about £300,000.

Inside the £26,000 Audi SQ5, which belonged to Sellaj, police found £3,675 cash and an 18-carat-gold Rolex watch worth £28,000.

‘Industrial’ operation

The court heard that on September 22, four days before the drugs bust, Sellaj — who had a “large amount of money” in his bank account — booked a four-star B&B at the historic Arden House on the quiet, tree-lined Franklin Road.

As well as the 283 plants at the Alexandra Road factory, there were also 143 “root balls” from previous harvests and 6kg of cannabis flower buds. The “industrial” operation would have yielded between 11kg and 33 kilos worth up to £330,000.

A total of 59 cannabis plants, worth up to £83,000, were found at Banks’ Somerset Road property and 86 plants, with a “bulk value” of up to £62,000, were discovered at the house on Woodlands Road.

The total potential yield of the 395 plants was 45 kilos, with a combined value of up to £456,000. This was in addition to the 30 kilos found in the vans and did not include previous harvests.

Although Banks was not involved in the cultivation, she had played a “facilitating” or advisory role in the plot. She was in “regular communication” with ‘Francesco’ and Sellaj through Whatsapp messages and constantly “pressing to be paid by them”.

Banks, who had previous convictions for health-and-safety offences through her work, was due to be paid at least £12,000 a month in rent for the three properties and was also receiving “high” deposits.

‘Supplementing her pension’

Benjamin Whittingham, for Banks, said she had let out the properties to “supplement” her weekly pension due to financial pressures.

Indrit Brahaj, of Whitings Road, Barnet; Kokaj, of no fixed address; Sellaj, of Newnham Road, London; and Erblin Elezaj, of no fixed abode, all admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis and possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply.

Kujtim Brahaj, of Wellington Road, Enfield, and Bledar Elezaj, of no fixed address, each admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis.

Defence counsel for the Albanian men said they had each been working in construction or “odd jobs” in the south.

Importing crime to Harrogate

Judge Tom Bayliss QC said the “organised crime group” had “cynically chosen to import a criminal enterprise to Harrogate.”

Sellaj, who had been “directing operations”, was for six years and nine months.

Erblin Elizaj was jailed for five years and two months and Indrit Brahaj was jailed for four years and four months. Kujtim Brahaj and Bledar Elezaj were each jailed for three years for their lesser roles.

Jailing Banks for three-and-a-half years, Mr Bayliss told her:

“You have in your time been a successful businesswoman.

“You were, at the time, in some financial difficulties (which) may explain why you were – a woman in your seventies, a widow with a number of health problems – prepared to get involved with a gang from London.

“You knew that by doing that you were bringing drugs and criminality to Harrogate, a town where you have lived and worked for many years.”

Andi Kokaj, the last remaining defendant to be sentenced, will learn his fate on Monday, August 16.

A muddy footpath in Nidd Gorge has been transformed thanks to Bilton Conservation Group.

12 volunteers from the group spent 77 hours this week laying the 45-metre footpath, which is close to Tennyson Avenue, using 13 tonnes of limestone ballast. 

It was funded through a £1,000 grant from Bilton Conservative county councillor Paul Haslam’s Locality Budget. 

The main ‘Millennium Path’ was laid by the group in 2015 and was extended towards Tennyson Avenue in 2016.

The group had attempted a lightweight boardwalk solution three times, only to find it damaged by vandals.

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Keith Wilkinson MBE from Bilton Conservation Group praised Warren Considine for masterminding the project.

He said:

 “The 45-metre extension created on Monday made good a very muddy natural surface which had become dangerous to walk in.”

Cllr Paul Haslam added:

“I use my Locality Budget to focus on things that improve the environment for as many people as possible.”

Harrogate Town have rearranged their first game after a coronavirus outbreak in the squad.

The club will now play Leyton Orient away on Tuesday, August 24 with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Away tickets will be available to purchase from the ticket office at the Breyer Group Stadium

It comes a week after Harrogate Town said “a number of individuals” were unable to play or train due to a positive test or contact with someone who has had one.

At this time it is currently unclear when Town will play the postponed Crawley Town game.

However, the club were forced to bow out of the Carabao Cup because they were unable to rearrange the Rochdale game before the second round.

A spokesperson for the club said previously:

“It means a number of individuals are unable to play or train due to either a positive test or the requirement to self-isolate in line with government and English Football League guidance.

“The club will continue to work with covid protocols as set out by the EFL to ensure the safety of our players and staff.”

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Double Olympic champion Adam Peaty and soon-to-be Strictly Come Dancing contestant Adam Peaty is set to inspire the next generation of swimmers in Harrogate.

Adam Peaty, who is the most successful British swimmer in more than a century, is bringing a Race Clinic to Ashville College on Monday, August 23.

The sell-out £219 per ticket event, which is being staged in the college’s Sports Centre, is one of ten taking place across the UK, and the only one in Yorkshire.

Swimmers between 8 and 17-years-old can take part. It comes just weeks after one of the biggest names in world ballet Wayne Sleep also visited the school for the Yorkshire Ballet Seminar.

The swim clinic features three different stations. The first will focus on the breaststroke and will be led by Adam Peaty and Edward Baxter, a British swimming champion and record holder.

Adam Peaty’s gym coach Robert Norman will lead the second session which will dive into injury prevention.

Station three, led by Tim Shuttleworth, will give an insight into how to gain the mental edge necessary to compete successfully.

After the practical training sessions of each swim clinic, Adam will share lessons, wins, losses, and biggest learning experiences with the course participants.

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Duncan Archer, Head of Swimming, Athletics and Sports Development at Ashville, said:

“Adam is a national hero, one of our greatest ever Olympians, and an inspiration for young swimmers keen to emulate his success in the pool.

“A few short weeks ago, he was in the Olympic pool, in Tokyo, and soon he’ll be in our pool!”

Anna Rakusen-Guy, Ashville’s Events and Lettings Manager, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that Adam and his team have chosen Ashville for one of their ten race clinics, and the only one in Yorkshire.

“Our sports facility, which includes a heated 30m swimming pool, are used by a variety of different sports clubs and individuals throughout the year.

“Over the years, they have been home to a number of different sport camps, including the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy, the Louis Smith Gymnastics Academy, plus others coaching rugby, netball and hockey.”

An amateur birdwatcher has spotted what he believes is a rare white bird on the Stray in Harrogate.

David Johnson was walking with his dog and children when the bird caught his eye yesterday afternoon near Kwik Fit.

At first he thought it was a scrap of paper or a pigeon but was very happy to find something a little less common.

He thought that it could be white jackdaw but after asking a few questions he now believes that it could be a leucistic crow.

When Mr Johnson posted picture on a local Facebook group, one person replied to say there was a leucistic crow on the Stray around a decade ago nicknamed ‘Snowy’.

Birds with leucism are similar to those with albinism but they will have normally coloured eyes, legs, feet and bills.

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Mr Johnson told the Stray Ferret that he was chuffed:

“I posted something on a Facebook group. A few people came back to me with some information. They said it could be a leucistic crow.

“It it nice to see, it is really unusual. I walk around the Oval and Stray most days and I have not seen it before.

“The kids seem interested but maybe they weren’t as keen as me. I am really chuffed, we were lucky to spot it and Harrogate is lucky to have it.

“I have been telling lots of people, I am sure I have already bored my neighbours with it! It’s certainly the rarest bird I have ever seen.”

A trade union has raised concerns over staffing shortages at Harrogate district leisure centres which have recently been taken over by a new council-controlled company.

Brimhams Active was launched by Harrogate Borough Council this month and around 160 staff were transferred across to the new company to remain in their roles.

But with around 27 vacancies as a result of staffing shortages across the leisure industry, David Houlgate, branch secretary at Unison Harrogate, has raised concerns over the impact on services, as well wider issues over staff pay and retention.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said:

“The main concern is that it could impact on service delivery just as the new venture is starting up, resulting in limits on when facilities will be open.

“We have for some time raised concerns about recruitment and retention, right across the council, due to year on year real-terms pay cuts as a result of pay freezes and below inflation pay rises and also detrimental changes to terms and conditions.

“This year it is happening again, with staff being offered a below inflation pay rise of 1.75%.

“But at Brimhams, staff are also paid at a less favourable rate for overtime, than those in the council, a legacy of when the service was provided directly by the council.”

Leisure centres including Starbeck Baths and Knaresborough Swimming Pool were closed for more than a year earlier during the covid pandemic and since reopening some services have yet to make a full return due to the staffing issues.

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This was after many leisure staff were temporarily redeployed into different areas such as bin collections and as the council introduced a recruitment freeze in order to keep costs down during the pandemic.

Mr Houlgate added:

“The year-long recruitment freeze hasn’t helped.

“We were never consulted on it and we did make representation to the council to relax it sooner but this was not acted upon quickly enough in our opinion and we believe this has contributed to the current situation.

“We’ve also found that some staff who have been re-deployed during the covid-19 pandemic have preferred their new temporary roles and where the opportunity has arisen have chosen to remain in them.

“The council does not always engage with or involve the unions as often as we think it should.”

In response, a council spokesperson said it was “working hard” to fill the vacancies and that the staffing shortages were not specific to Harrogate but a nationwide problem.

The spokesperson said: 

“We have proactively explained to our residents that unfortunately, we may need to scale back some of our non-essential services so that we can protect both our staff and our customers.

“We also have a number of vacancies across our local authority controlled company Brimhams Active that we’re working hard to fill. This is progressing well and a number of new starters will be joining us this month.

“The recruitment issue is being faced right across the country, in both the public and private sector. It is therefore disappointing that the union has decided to paint this issue and the launch of Brimhams Active with the same brush.”

The spokesperson added:

“Brimhams Active will allow us to transform a conventional leisure service into a leading community focused health and wellbeing service.

“There are still strong careers in the leisure industry and we are optimistic that with competitive salaries and a wealth of other benefits we will attract people to come and work for us.”

Bilton Cricket Club’s charity fundraiser on Sunday has been cancelled after members of staff were forced to self-isolate after being ‘pinged’ by the NHS track and trace app.

The club had planned a family fun day with hot food, an ice cream van, children’s games, a bouncy castle and local businesses with stalls to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Organiser Matt Thomas said the news was “devastating” but he will attempt to arrange a new date either later this year or in 2022.

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He said:

Protesters have clashed with employees at an animal testing labratory in Harrogate this morning.

A group of around 10 to 20 people who are opposed to animal testing will be stationed at the entrance of Labcorp Drug Development just off Otley Road all day.

They held banners with “animal killers work here”, “animals are not ours to experiment on” and “end animal testing”.

Labcorp defends animal research as necessary to help save human lives. It uses the data it gathers from animals to develop treatments for cancer, heat disease, multiple sclerosis and more.

Jane Rose, who attended the demonstration, told the Stray Ferret:

“We just come together for the animals. We just want to publicise that this company thinks it’s okay to test in animals in 2021.

“Labcorp is a massive company based in the USA and we are tiny. But so what? We still have to speak for the animals.

“I just feel sick whenever I see a white van because I worry that is another load of puppies going to be tested on. It’s just wrong.”

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• Prize-winning vegetables and cakes to be sold in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

A short walk away on Otley Road many will recognise 80-year-old Annabel Holt, who has been protesting for the last two decades.

She encourages people to beep as they drive past to show support. Ms Holt told the Stray Ferret:

“I was brought up fox hunting, I was married to somebody who never stopped shooting. I used to kill creatures.

“But I perceived the physical brilliance of all creatures. I think this is horrendous right here in Harrogate.”

The Stray Ferret approached Labcorp for a response to the protester’s concerns. A spokesperson said:

“Labcorp Drug Development takes very seriously our ethical and regulatory responsibilities to treat research animals with the greatest care and respect.

“In addition to being the right thing to do, the proper care of research animals is fundamental to sound scientific research and the ability to develop life-saving and life-enhancing new medicines.

“New drugs must be tested in animals before human clinical trials to ensure the safety of patients and volunteers and there are clear links between excellent animal welfare and medical breakthroughs.”

Visitors to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens on Sunday will be able to view and buy produce grown in allotments across the Harrogate district.

The Harrogate and District Allotment Federation is holding its 60th annual allotment show in the Sun Pavilion from 11am until 4pm.

Stalls displaying produce will also be open on the nearby Sun Colonnade. Entrance to all areas is free.

Harrogate district mayor Trevor Chapman will formally open what will be the federation’s 60th show at noon.

The federation, which brings together members of 16 allotment sites in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough, was due to celebrate its diamond jubilee show last year until covid forced its cancellation.

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Vegetables, plants and cakes will be judged and sold and any outstanding items donated to Resurrected Bites, the Harrogate and Knaresborough community organisation that gives food that would have been thrown out to the needy.

The event will also include a miniature bug hotel, a raffle and stalls by Harrogate Civic Society and The Woodland Trust as well as craft and coffee stalls. Musicians will play in the bandstand between 2pm and 3.30pm.

Profits from this year’s event will be donated to Ripon Museum Trust, which owns the Workhouse Museum, Prison and Police Museum and Courthouse Museum in Ripon.