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02
Dec 2024
Exclusive: Harrogate Spring Water under criminal investigation
Harrogate Spring Water is subject to an ongoing criminal investigation into food safety and hygiene.
The news emerged during the consultation on the company’s plans to fell 500 trees so it can expand its bottling factory in the Pinewoods, at the back of its headquarters on Harlow Moor Road in Harrogate.
Pinewoods Conservation Group, a charity that maintains the 96-acre woodland, requested information from North Yorkshire Council before submitting its views on the expansion.
It asked specifically for details of all complaints received about Harrogate Spring Water’s site operation on Harlow Moor Road and any action taken to resolve them over the last three years.
The council replied:
Harrogate Spring Water is subject to an ongoing investigation that requires the appropriate procedures to be followed and completed and therefore could ultimately lead to more formal action.
But the council refused to reveal details of the investigation on the grounds that “disclosure could adversely affect the course of justice.”
It added:
The council believes this exemption is engaged as the information requested was obtained as part of a criminal investigation into a reported breach of The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013. This investigation remains active. Disclosure of information which forms part of this investigation would risk the integrity of the investigation.
The council dealt with the request for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, which gives the public the right to access environmental information held by public authorities.
The Pinewoods in Harrogate.
The council added it had also received an allegation in October 2023 of a person contracting a notifiable disease linked to drinking a bottle of spring water but this was “not substantiated” after an investigation.
A separate allegation of pollution from the Harrogate Spring Water site on land nearby was logged on April 17 this year. The council’s response added: “This was investigated but there was no evidence to substantiate the complaint and the case was closed.”
Asked to comment on the criminal investigation, a spokesperson for Harrogate Spring Water said:
Harrogate Spring Water has been working closely with the council regarding an allegation made about our site. North Yorkshire Council has informed us that they will recommend that the case is closed with the Food Standards Agency. We appreciate the constructive and positive way in which the council have worked with us through this. We can reassure our customers and consumers that our products are, and always have been, safe to consume. We will not be making any further comment.
How the proposed building would look.
The Food Standards Agency is the government department that works with local authorities to enforce food safety regulations.
‘Conversations not published’
Consultation on Harrogate Spring Water’s plans officially closed on November 17. But the council appears to be still uploading submissions on its website, with the latest entry dated November 29.
So far the plans have received 976 objections and 11 expressions of support.
Pinewoods Conservation Group has not submitted its response yet.
A spokesperson said:
The group has delayed making a formal response to the updated planning application as we are still awaiting replies to a number of queries made to North Yorkshire Council. Although some information has just been made available post the statutory deadline, further requests are now severely overdue.
We have also appealed one response where we suspect information is available and has not been shared.
Time will be required to review responses from key council departments in areas such as ecology and landscaping that have still to be made available via the planning portal. We are also aware of detailed conversations between Danone and the council that have not been published via the planning portal as expected.
As such, with almost 1,000 comments already submitted we would encourage people to make their views known if not already done so as the council have confirmed responses will be still be accepted whilst the information we have requested is made available.
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Harrogate Spring Water, which is owned by French multi-national Danone, wants to fell 500 trees in a section of the Pinewoods known as Rotary Wood at the back of its headquarters on Harlow Moor Road to make space for its factory expansion.
The company has said the scheme will boost the local economy and it has mitigated for the loss of the trees by planting a community woodland nearby.
But the potential loss of a woodland created by schoolchildren to combat climate change has proved divisive, particularly as it would enable more plastic bottles to be made.
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