North Yorkshire Police has arrested 27 people during a national week of action to tackle county lines drug dealing.
County lines involves drug dealers from larger cities dealing drugs in smaller towns, often exploiting vulnerable people in the process.
It’s been a constant problem in Harrogate and Ripon with gangs from West Yorkshire targeting the towns.
The national week of action, between October 3 and 9, was coordinated by the National County Lines Coordination Centre.
On Monday, officers arrested a 33-year man in Harrogate who was suspected to be delivering drugs from his vehicle. He was found to be in possession of approximately £1,500 worth of cannabis and approximately £500 of cash.
On Friday, officers suspected that a drug deal had just been conducted in a vehicle in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate. One man was arrested, but the passenger managed to flee from the police. After a chase and extensive area search, officers successfully detained and arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of supplying a class-A drug – suspected to be heroin.
Later that night officers arrested a 31-year -old man from Manchester on Wetherby Road in Harrogate. He was suspected to be in the area dealing drugs. Officers conducted a search of the man and his vehicle and located approximately 30 individual packets of suspected cocaine.
Officers said across North Yorkshire it had arrested 27 people on suspicion of drugs offences. Two bladed weapons were recovered as well as over £5,000 in cash and £10,000 in what is suspected drugs. It also made 60 welfare visits to vulnerable people
The force’s operation expedite team, which is responsible for tackling county lines, was on the streets stopping people and vehicles that are linked to the supply of drugs. The force said Harrogate’s Neighbourhood Policing Team as well as licensing officers from North Yorkshire County Council were also involved.
Specialist dogs were used to disrupt the supply of drugs linked to the night time economy in Harrogate and Ripon.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Simpson who supported the coordinated the week said:
“Although this is a fantastic set of results from the last seven days, it’s important to stress that this is very much business as usual for North Yorkshire Police.
“Out teams are out and about conducting warrants and intercepting the supply of drugs, week in week out.
“Drug use has serious implications on people’s health and impacts on the quality of life for communities.
“We will not tolerate the use of drugs in our county. I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”
Cuckooing is the term given when drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it at a base to sell and store drugs, often using violence and intimidation to achieve this.
Cuckooing victims are often drug users themselves, or people who are vulnerable due to a mental or physical disability, their age or lifestyle, such as sex workers and single mothers.
Signs of cuckooing to look out for include
Children are groomed and exploited to deal drugs on behalf of organised criminals. These are the signs to look out for:
Anyone with concerns about county lines is asked to speak to their local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency.
If you’d rather stay anonymous you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you are a young person who is worried about being involved in county lines, or knows someone who is, you can speak to an adult and let them know how you feel.
You can also contact www.fearless.org who allow you to pass on information about crime anonymously.
You can also contact Childline on 0800 1111 – they are a private and confidential service where you can talk to counsellors about anything that is worrying you.
Harrogate Borough Council installed 76 new CCTV cameras in past 3 yearsThe Harrogate district’s increase of 36% over the past three years ranks it above the national average of 22%.
It has experienced the 53rd largest percentage increase in cameras of the 308 councils that replied to the survey.
In Yorkshire as a whole, only York and Doncaster increased the number of CCTV cameras at a faster rate than Harrogate.
Overall the research found the number of public CCTV cameras in the UK has now risen to more than 100,000, with some local authorities more than quadrupling their surveillance over the last three years.
The authority with the highest increase in the UK was Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, where the council now operates 468 cameras – a whopping increase of 363%.
“CCTV is an integral part of modern-day society, and cameras have grown more commonplace in recent years as technology and connectivity have improved.
“The increases revealed in our research might raise privacy concerns, but generally CCTV benefits the safety and security of both the public and businesses, and the upwards trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon.”
Boroughbridge postmaster recalls being saved after cardiac arrest
A passing motorist saved the life of Boroughbridge postmaster Nigel Hamilton-Evans when he collapsed by the roadside.
Mr Hamilton-Evans, 57, was walking along Aldborough Gate in Boroughbridge when he suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest.
The passer-by pulled over, called 999 and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Mr Hamilton-Evans said:
“He did CPR and kept me alive until the ambulance arrived.
“If he hadn’t been passing at that exact moment, I wouldn’t be here today. I am so lucky that he knew what to do.
“A few people stopped to offer their help and, while doing CPR is hard work, he said the adrenaline had kicked in by that stage and he wanted to carry on; he said he was determined not to let me die.”
The ambulance crew arrived and continued with the life-saving efforts.
Mr Hamilton-Evans was eventually taken to Harrogate District Hospital before being transferred to Leeds General Infirmary, where he had surgery to fit an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a small device that sends electrical pulses to regulate abnormal heart rhythms.
Nigel Hamilton-Evans and wife Karen.
Mr Hamilton-Evans, who is married to Karen with one son, Rhys, later travelled to meet the man who saved him to say thank-you in person. He said:
“It was a very emotional meeting; this guy had saved my life, what can you say? I asked what I could do for him and his family to say thank-you. He said, ‘nothing, just to see you smile is enough’. He was so humble.”
“Then he said, ‘the one thing you could do is raise awareness of the importance of people learning CPR and defibrillators’, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Since his near-death experience last year, Mr Hamilton-Evans has raised £1,600 towards funding a community public access defibrillator, which will be located in Boroughbridge. He also plans to organise CPR training in the town.
He will be sharing his experiences with students who are learning CPR to mark Restart a Heart Day at Boroughbridge High School on Friday this week.
Mr Hamilton-Evans is one of many cardiac arrest survivors and their life-savers supporting Yorkshire Ambulance Service’s attempts to provide CPR training to more than 40,000 people to mark Restart a Heart Day.
Ambulance staff and volunteers will visit 136 secondary schools to teach the life-saving skill to tens of thousands of students.
Professional football clubs in Yorkshire are also urging members of the public to get hands-on as ambulance staff and volunteers visit stadiums throughout October to teach CPR to football fans. They will be at Harrogate Town’s home match against Hartlepool on Saturday.
This year’s activity means that Yorkshire Ambulance Service staff and volunteers will smash the milestone of more than 200,000 people being taught CPR since the Restart a Heart campaign was launched in 2014. During this time bystander CPR rates in Yorkshire have increased from 40% to 75%.
Jason Carlyon, community engagement officer with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said:
“Our message is simple – please be confident to intervene when someone has a cardiac arrest.
“Everyone in every community has a role to play in the chain of survival, whether it’s by calling 999, doing chest compressions, locating a defibrillator, retrieving it or by telling others what to do.
“We come across many patients who are alive today because someone started CPR when they collapsed – everyone deserves that chance.”
To mark this year’s Restart a Heart Day, Yorkshire Ambulance Service has launched two CPR training methods:
Traffic and Travel Alert: Harrogate district update
The main routes into Harrogate, such as Wetherby Road, Knaresborough Road and Skipton Road, appear to be flowing normally in the approach to rush hour.
Here is your Stray Ferret traffic update.
Drivers heading towards Wetherby should be aware of temporary traffic lights still in place on the A661 Harrogate Road near Spofforth.
The lights are in place while Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work and are now due to last until October 18.
Elsewhere in Harrogate, long-term work on Crescent Road means motorists are unable to turn left at the Parliament Street junction. Traffic coming the opposite way on Ripon Road is unable to turn right.
Montpellier Road remains closed until tomorrow as Northern Gas Networks carries out maintenance work.
Stop go boards are due to be in place on John Street today and tomorrow.
Roadworks on the Boroughbridge Road at Scriven are likely to cause delays for motorists travelling between Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.
Looking ahead, work is scheduled to begin on Monday to reconstruct the B6265 at Red Brae Bank, Bewerley, near Pateley Bridge, which suffered a landslip during storms in February 2020.
The scheme requires the road to be closed from October 17 to December 9. A diversion will be in place via Pateley Bridge; the B6451 Dacre; Menwith Hill Road; Duck Street and Greenhow Hill village. Temporary traffic lights will be in place during the remainder of the work.
Northern services between Harrogate and Knaresborough going to York and Leeds are scheduled to run as normal this morning.
The Harrogate Bus Company is not currently reporting any cancellations but you can get updates here.
Cost of North Yorkshire unitary authority’s new council tax system soars
Council bosses in North Yorkshire are facing calls to explain why a new council tax system will cost taxpayers millions of pounds a year more to run than the current system.
North Yorkshire County Council has revealed the cost of administering the unitary authority’s council tax scheme is expected to be £37m, £2.4m more than the current structure run by North Yorkshire’s district and borough councils.
A cross-party group of councillors has proposed unifying council tax bills across the seven districts over the next two financial years as some areas are paying higher rates than others.
Yesterday the Stray Ferret reported on how the Harrogate has the highest council tax in North Yorkshire.
The move would mean Harrogate’s average bills for a band D property would fall by £23.47 during each of the two years on a current bill of £1,723.27 whilst other areas might see a rise.
The proposed increases and cuts in council tax charges do not include what increases the new unitary authority, police and fire services and parish councils may levy from April 1.
The county council’s executive member for finance, Councillor Gareth Dadd said the authority was acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under with rising inflation and the cost of energy and food soaring.
He said:
“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”
As part of the proposals, the executive committee will consider providing up to 100 per cent reductions on council tax bills for households on the lowest incomes.
However, opposition politicians said the rising cost of administering the new council tax system raised a red flag, particularly after as the county council had estimated savings brought about by creating abolishing the district and county councils and establishing a unitary authority should reach £252m over its first five years.
Councillor Andy Brown, the authority’s Green Party group coordinator said:
“We were assured that combining into one council would be simple and would reduce costs. We are already seeing how complicated it is and how hard it is to achieve the cost savings.”
Leader of the council’s Independent group, Councillor Stuart Parsons added:
“Big is supposed to be better. One is supposed to be cheaper than eight and this is an area where one is certainly not cheaper. How many other areas will there be.
“This is against all the logic of the massive savings that they claim would result from unification. What other extra costs are envisaged as a result of local government reorganisation and what savings are envisaged to come up with the magnificent £50m a year they have claimed would be found.”
Cllr Parsons said it would take many years for the new authority to iron out inequalities between services in the seven boroughs.
He added:
Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites warns it could close“I would like a full explanation of how the council has come to this £2.4m figure and how they are going to make it cost neutral. Eventually they should be able to make savings on staff as they establish a single team, but it’s going to take a long, long time.”
Food waste organisation Resurrected Bites has issued a plea for help to businesses after warning it might not survive another year.
The community organisation, which saves food from landfill, has helped thousands of people struggling to get by since it started in January 2018. It operates Give As You Can cafes and shops in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Founder Michelle Hayes appealed for support at last night’s Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce meeting. She said Resurrected Bites had generated £87,000 and spent £91,000 this year, adding:
“A huge number of people rely on us so we need to look at ways we can still be around in 12 months’ time.
“Since the jubilee, our food supplies have dropped off. We are going to have to start paying for it.”
Michelle Hayes speaking at last night’s chamber meeting.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret afterwards, Ms Hayes said Resurrected Bites currently had sufficient income to survive another six months.
She said it was becoming harder to find supplies because more people were buying reduced price items from supermarkets that might otherwise go to Resurrected Bites.
Ms Hayes also said some supermarkets’ decisions to scrap best before dates was a good move overall but it contributed to there being less food waste in the system for organisations such as Resurrected Bites. She said:
“Fundraising is more challenging because of the economic challenges people are facing.
“We’ve got six months’ income left. I don’t wan’t to go much below that.”
Harrogate district council tax set to fall by £23 under devolution
Council tax bills for a Band D property in Harrogate are set to fall by £23.47 for the next two years as part of the transition to the new North Yorkshire Council.
Harrogate Borough Council currently charges the highest council tax of the seven district councils in North Yorkshire.
An average band D property in the district is currently £1,723.27, compared with £1,586.83 in Hambleton, which has the lowest level of council tax in the county.
The seven councils will be abolished on April 1 as part of the government’s devolution agenda and North Yorkshire County Council is to meet next week to discuss ways to harmonise the level of payment across the county.
Under plans being drawn up, Band D bills in the Harrogate district would fall by £23.47 a year for two years while Hambleton’s bills would increase by £89.49.
However, the rises and falls due to harmonisation do not take into account the annual increase in council tax bills, which is set to be approved by county councillors in February. The figures also relate to just the precept for county and district authorities, and do not include money for North Yorkshire Police, the county’s fire brigade and parish or town councils.
If a Harrogate town council is formed, the precept for people living in the town council area would increase.
The advent of a new council covering the whole of the county in April means there is a legal requirement to ensure all council taxpayers in North Yorkshire are charged the same amount.
The proposals to phase this in over the next two years will be considered by members of North Yorkshire County Council’s decision-making executive when they meet on Tuesday next week. They are based on recommendations by a cross-party working group of councillors.
The working group, which was established by the county council’s executive in June, considered a range of proposals, including harmonising council tax bills over a period of up to eight years.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for finance, Cllr Gareth Dadd, who is also the authority’s deputy leader, said:
“The challenge to harmonise council tax bills across the county is obviously a significant one, but it is an issue we have to address before the new North Yorkshire Council is launched in April next year.
“We are acutely aware of the financial pressures which everyone is under not just in North Yorkshire, but across the whole country, as we see inflation rising and the cost of energy soar along with the price of food and drink and other essential items.
“A great deal of work has gone into the proposed scheme to harmonise council tax bills across all seven districts, and we believe that the plan that has been drawn up to introduce the changes over the two years represents the fairest way forward for everyone involved.”
There would be huge variations in the amount of funding generated if the decision was taken to opt for moving council tax levels to the lowest amount seen in Hambleton or choosing to adopt the highest level in Harrogate.
If council tax bills were brought in line with Hambleton, there would be an annual reduction of funding in the region of £21 million, falling from the current level of £401.8 million to £380.4 million.
By comparison, an extra £11.3 million would be generated by increasing council tax bills to the level currently paid in the Harrogate district, with the average across North Yorkshire for owners of a Band D property paying £1,723.27 instead of £1,676.32.
Funding from council tax is used to finance services ranging from waste collection and recycling to highways maintenance and adult social care.
North Yorkshire has third highest speeding offence rate, research reveals
A survey of all police forces in England and Wales has revealed motorists in North Yorkshire are the third likeliest to record speeding offences.
The average number of speeding offences in the county is 4.54 per 1,000 residents, according to the research.
Only Lincolnshire, where the rate is 5.43 offences per 1,000 residents, and South Wales, where the figure is 5.23, are above it in the league table of 43 police force areas in England and Wales.
At the other end of the scale, Durham has the fewest speeding offences committed on average each year, with just 0.95 per 1,000 people.
Price comparison website Forbes Advisor compiled the latest speeding offence data from data.police.uk spanning 2010 to 2020 across each police force area in England and Wales to establish an annual average of speeding offences made.
This was cross referenced with population data from ONS to find the areas with the most speeding offences per 1,000 residents.
North Yorkshire was found to have an average of 3,774 speed limit offences per year from a population of 831,600.
Kevin Pratt, from Forbes Advisor, said:
“Get caught speeding and, if convicted, you’ll get points on your licence, and these will likely stick for four years.
“Rack up a total of 12 or more and you could be banned from driving. On top of that, you’ll need to declare your points when applying for or renewing your car insurance, with an increase of around 5% on the cards because you’re now perceived to be a riskier prospect.”
North Yorkshire Police today announced a two-week blitz on speeding motorists.
The constabulary said in a statement traffic officers will be targeting excess and inappropriate speed on county roads “over the next couple of weeks”. It added:
“Twenty-four-hour enforcement activity will take place across the county, with an aim of catching those who put other road users in danger.”
Today marks the start of a three-week nationwide speed enforcement operation, led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which represents British chief police officers.
The initiative, which includes National Safe Speed Day on October 19, highlights the risks of speeding and encourages motorists to slow down.
Between January 1 and December 31 last year, there were 85,610 speed violations captured by safety camera vans and safety camera bikes in North Yorkshire.
Expect to see more police speed vans over the next two weeks. Photo by Martin Dawes
The last speed enforcement campaign in January this year resulted in almost 5,200 speeding violations during that month alone.
Traffic Constable Ali Hoyle said:
“These figures show just how much of an issue speeding is here for us in North Yorkshire and this is not a huge surprise as we have a vast road network across the county including hundreds of miles of rural roads.
“The reason why we do these types of deployments is because we are trying to prevent serious collisions on our roads and make them as safe as they can possibly be.
“There are so many dangers associated with excessive speeding, not least because it’s a major cause of fatal road traffic collisions. By slowing down and making sure you drive to the conditions of the road, you have more time to react to other drivers and hazards.
Book collection launched across district to support teenagers’ mental health
Books that support the mental health of teenagers have been put in libraries across the Harrogate district.
The North Yorkshire’s library service initiative coincides with today’s World Mental Health Day.
The pandemic’s disruption to young people’s lives, alongside issues such as growing concern about global warming, has increased uncertainty about identity, position in society and future plans.
In 2020, almost half of young people said they did not feel in control of their lives and almost a third felt overwhelmed by feelings of panic and anxiety on a daily basis, according to North Yorkshire County Council.
The new books, which are recommended by health professionals as part of the Reading Well initiative, cover topics such as body image, bereavement, social anxiety, boosting confidence, surviving online, sexuality, gender identity and mental health.
They cater for a wide range of reading levels and formats to support less confident readers and encourage engagement.
North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said:
“Our libraries have embraced the Reading Well scheme for some years, already focusing on mental health, dementia and issues facing young people.
“This latest collection adds another strand to the support that young people can find at their library, again showcasing their important role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve.”
Every library in North Yorkshire, including Harrogate, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Ripon, will be displaying titles from the new collection and any title which is unavailable can be requested and borrowed free of charge.
The Reading Well collection is curated by The Reading Agency in partnership with experts from organisations and professionals including NHS England, leading mental health charities and library staff.
More information about the Reading Well collection can be found here.