The emergency services were summoned to help two teenagers who it is believed had been in the River Ure in Boroughbridge yesterday evening.

A passerby called Yorkshire Ambulance Service at around 6.20pm. The caller said they had seen a teenage boy drinking before going into the water.

When the ambulance crews arrived they realised that he had been with a teenage girl as well but she was no longer in the area.

So the paramedics requested help from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and four water rescue teams to look for the missing girl.

The crews soon found the girl and took her back to her parents. The paramedics then took the boy to hospital for treatment.

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A spokesperson for the fire and rescue service said:

“Ambulance responded to a believed intoxicated male youth by the river.

“Fire were then requested as there was some suspicion that a female youth who had been present due to items found there, may have gone into the river.

“Two level two water rescue and two level three water rescue teams mobilised from Boroughbridge, Ripon, and Richmond.

“Shortly after Boroughbridge attended, contact was made with the missing female – safely back with her parents.”

A spokesperson for the ambulance service added:

“We received an emergency call at 6.19pm on Wednesday to reports of a teenager by the River Ure in Boroughbridge who had been into the water.

“Two ambulances and a clinical supervisor were dispatched to the scene and one patient was conveyed to hospital.

“There were no additional patients requiring ambulance assistance at the scene.”

Planning permission has been granted for 14 new street lights to illuminate the River Ure bridge in time for the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Boroughbridge next year.

Boroughbridge Town Council is behind plans to light up the historic bridge at night to improve visibility for pedestrians and motorists. There has been a bridge on the site since at least the 12th century.

The scheme was awarded £13,000 from North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner following the sale of the force’s historic AJ1 number plate.

A planning statement submitted with the application said the visual impact of the street lights on the Grade II listed bridge will be “limited”.

“The only visual change will be the addition of the light units, which have been selected to complement the parapet walls with an honest approach and without imposing significant new elements on the structure.

“The low key design and hidden cabling aim to ensure that the installation will go largely unnoticed during daylight hours.”

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Battle of Boroughbridge

The Battle of Boroughbridge took place on March 16 1322. There was an encounter on the River Ure bridge between Edward II and his cousin, the Earl of Lancaster.

A small army of rebels under the Earl of Lancaster was held at the bridge itself by a larger group of men loyal to the king.

Attempts to negotiate a truce failed and the short, one-sided battle resulted in the surrender and subsequent execution of Lancaster.

The bridge has remained a key part of the transport network ever since.

A proposal for hundreds of new homes in Boroughbridge that a councillor likened to ‘a sink development from Lancashire’ has been resubmitted.

Cllr Nigel Simms, a Conservative who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard on Harrogate Borough Council, apologised for any offence caused after he described the plans for 260 homes as “like a sink development from Lancashire, not something that we should be having in North Yorkshire”.

The council’s planning committee rejected the plans in June over concerns that too many terraced properties had been concentrated in a small area, and that residents would also not get enough garden or storage space.

Cllr Andrew Paraskos, a Conservative who represents Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale who also sits on the planning committee, said at the time “it looks like they have crammed as many houses in as possible”.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes have now lodged new plans for 256 homes — four fewer than its previous application — at Stump Cross, as part of a wider 450-home development.

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This proposal forms part of the first phase of housing at the Boroughbridge site.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes already have outline approval to build on the site and are seeking final permission.

The site layout for the planned 256 homes in Boroughbridge.

In documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the developers said:

“The development will respect Boroughbridge’s local character but also move the area towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice and mixed-use approach.”

The council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

A man in Boroughbridge has said he has spotted a gap in the market for a micropub that sells high-quality local cask ales.

Paul McCusker, who has run several pubs in West Yorkshire and currently works behind the bar at another pub in Boroughbridge, wants to convert a former hardware shop on Horsefair into a micropub called the Borough Tap.

He hopes he can be pulling pints there by Christmas.

Mr McCusker said that whilst there were places like the Grantham Arms known for excellent food, the town lacked a specialist alehouse that could tap into an expanding population.

He said he wants the pub to showcase the many local breweries on Boroughbridge’s doorstep, including Roosters, Bad Co and Turning Point.

“There’s no other pub that will do this and there’s a gap in the market.

“There’s so much local produce that can be showcased.”

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Mr McCusker is yet to receive planning permission for the pub but next week Harrogate Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee will decide whether to grant the venue an alcohol licence.

He said if all goes to plan, he wants to grab “the bull by the horns” and open it before the end of the year.

He said his goal was to get the Borough Tap House into CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.

Mr McCusker added:

“I’ve run pubs that have got in the Good Beer Guide. It’s hard to get to that standard but it’s like The Bible and people look to it for guidance, although word of mouth is still the best recommendation.

“I want people to say they had a cracking hour in my pub.”

A family in Boroughbridge is still waiting for a developer to replace a tree that its workers chopped down 10 months ago.

With a new estate being built nearby, Wayne and Cally England were used to the sound of construction but were nevertheless surprised to see a man with a chainsaw in their garden at around 8am on January 6.

When they went out to question him, he told them that he had already started cutting the tree and it was no longer safe so it had to come down.

The worker chopping down the tree.

Taylor Wimpey apologised at the time and offered to replace the tree and install a new fence. However, 10 months later this has yet to happen.

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Mr England initially believed the tree was on a boundary between his home and the land owned by the developer.

But after the incident he commissioned a geospatial survey, which found the tree was fully on his family’s land. Mr England told the Stray Ferret:

“The kids were crying, I am not laying anything on, they were in tears. It turned out that Taylor Wimpey had been talking to a neighbour who approved the work.

“Taylor Wimpey owned up to the mistake but have done nothing afterwards.

“We had been sending emails back and forth but since I sent in the survey they have not responded. Do they think they can leave it alone and it will go away?

“We want the fence on the boundary and another tree. A lot of people have gone on about compensation but I am not after the money. We just want the tree back.”

The stump of the felled tree.

In emails to Mr England, Taylor Wimpey claimed the tree was damaged and therefore unsafe.

Mr England has always disputed the claim. A tree survey he commissioned found it was healthy and would have lived for another 20 to 40 years.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said:

“We would like to reiterate our regret for any upset caused by removing the tree in Mr England’s garden for health and safety reasons.

“We have been in contact with Mr England to apologise for the delay in replacing the fence and to schedule the works as soon as possible.”

One of the owners of a pub near Boroughbridge that caught fire over the weekend has said he and his partner are lucky to be alive.

Brian Rey and Elaine Howden, who have owned the Ship Inn at Aldborough for 13 years, were woken at about 2am on Sunday by a ringing sound.

Mr Rey went to the door at the top of the stairs to investigate but as soon as he opened it he was met by a wall of smoke. He said:

“My godfathers, it was really thick white smoke. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes but then I started struggling to breathe.

“So I called Elaine over for us to get out but we couldn’t make it through the smoke. We had some face masks in the room so we put a few of them together and escaped.

“We really were lucky to get out. If that fire had been anywhere else but the store room which is surrounded by concrete then the whole building could have come down.”

The fire service believes the tumble dryer on the right is the likely cause of the fire.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the scene. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service later said it believed the blaze started in a tumble dryer.

However, Mr Rey is unsure whether the tumble dryer was in fact the source of the problems. He said they never used it after 5pm and he had smelled something unusual near the fridge earlier that night.

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Since the fire, the local community has rallied behind the pub.

Both the Grantham Arms and the General Tarleton owners have offered help and people have donated £700 to a gofundme page set up by local resident Sam Stoddart to help the Ship Inn recover from the fire.

The store room is filled with melted appliances. The walls and ceilings are black from the aftermath.

Mr Rey added his thanks for the support:

“The people in the village have been very helpful. We have taken plenty of phone calls from people who have wanted to wish us luck.

“With the fundraiser we were at a bit of a loss. We only found out when a journalist asked us about it. There still is that friendly spirit, I thought those days had gone.”

A country pub near Boroughbridge is closed indefinitely after fire broke out in the early hours of this morning.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk, Knaresborough and Harrogate were summoned to the Ship Inn at Aldborough after a fire alarm went off in the kitchen at about 2am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s incident log said:

“Crews discovered a fire in the kitchen believed to have originated from a tumble dryer.”

“Crews used 2 hose reel jets, one covering jet, four breathing apparatus, thermal imaging cameras, one short extension ladder, positive pressure ventilation (fan) and lighting to extinguish the fire and assist them with the incident.”

The Stray Ferret called the pub this morning and a woman, who did not leave her name, said:

“It was an electrical fire. At the moment we are closed and need to assess the damage.

“It’s absolutely devastating — after everything that’s happened with covid and now this.”

The pub, run by Brian and Elaine Rey, made headlines in 2011 when Princes William and Harry were among a group of 16 that visited for a friend’s wedding. Kate Middleton was also present.

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Boroughbridge Lions are on the hunt for a space in the centre of the town to open a community fridge, which would provide food to anyone in the local area.

The community group will work alongside Boroughbridge Community Care, a charity that offers help to those in need, to set up the space which would allow everyone to share surplus food, including donations from local food businesses, producers, households and gardens.

The organisations will be working with Hubbub which already helps to run 200 community fridges across the UK.

Food, such as dairy products, bread, tinned food and dry food destined for landfill would be donated by local shops or businesses and given to anyone in the community.

Lions member Sue Johnson said the space didn’t need to be huge, just big enough for a fridge and some shelving and somewhere central for people to access.

Ms Johnson said:

“We are still waiting for someone to come forward and offer us a space.

“Boroughbridge Community Care already hand out food parcels to six families locally. But we thought for people that aren’t aware of Boroughbridge Community Care, or who are struggling one week, then we would be there.”

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The plan is to start by opening the fridge one day a week and then, depending on how much food is donated and how large the demand is, open more days.

The space would be run by Lions and Boroughbridge Community Care staff.

Ms Johnson has asked anyone who may be able to offer a space or get involved in the project to email bbrlions@hotmail.com.

Boroughbridge residents have expressed frustration at queues caused by temporary traffic lights on Bridge Street.

Queues on either side of the bridge have been growing in recent weeks due to the lights, which are near the development of six luxury apartments at the former HSBC building.

Three-way temporary lights have led to queues in both directions.

Locals have described the queues coming over the bridge, in the town centre and on Mill Lane as “horrendous”.

One resident, Neil Macdonald, who lives within walking distance told the Stray Ferret:

“This is the second time they have been there and they cause huge queues back to the roundabout and Horsefair.”

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The roadworks are not visible on North Yorkshire County Council’s roadworks map, which provides details of the nature of work and how long it is expected to last.

Remember, you can keep up-to-date on any morning traffic delays via our live blogs with  updates very 30 minutes from 6.30am to 9am. 

Ripon’s Royal Engineers exercised a right granted to them 72 years ago, with their annual freedom march through the city this morning,

The four sqaudrons of 21 Engineer Regiment were represented in the spectacular event, which saw them march past Ripon Town Hall, the famous Market Square and obelisk and down Kirkgate to Ripon’s ancient and iconic cathedral.

An advance party led the troops who, in line with tradition and the rights bestowed on them when freedom of the city was granted, marched in step to the sound of their military band with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed.

The advance party paused outside Ripon Town Hall, where they were met by hornblower Allison Clark

Since 1949, Royal Engineers based at Claro Barracks have had the Freedom of the City of Ripon and this morning’s march followed a day on Market Square yesterday, at which they showed the public machinery and equipment used in supporting British armed forces in many parts of the world.

The march was a prelude to a ceremony at Ripon Cathedral marking Councillor Eamon Parkin’s continuance as mayor of the city – an historic event making, him the first to remain in office for three consecutive terms.

Cllr Parkin, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am honoured to serve this fine city and proud of the association that it has had with the Royal Engineers, for as long as I can remember.

“They do us proud here in Ripon and do the country proud, through their service around the world.”

The band set the beat for the marching troops

Yesterday, Lt Col Simon Graham, commanding officer at Claro Barracks, where 650 personnel are based, pointed out:

“A lot of our time in Ripon is spent behind closed doors and though our work takes us to many places around the world, we feel very much part of this community.”

He added:

“It’s marvellous to have the honour of the Freedom of Ripon and this weekend is a great opportunity to let let people know what we do.”

The troops pass the cathedral

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The Royal Engineers have served on operations in Northern Ireland, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, providing light role close support that enables the army to live, move and fight.

In Afghanistan, the regiment was deployed on Operation Herrick, the codename used for all British military operations in Afghanistan since 2002.