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13
Jun
Harrogate Spring Water confirms pipeline project behind roadworks misery
Harrogate Spring Water has confirmed the four-way traffic lights at the Curious Cow roundabout are due to it installing two pipelines.
The Stray Ferret has spent more than a week trying to get details of the work on the edge of Killinghall after numerous readers got in touch wanting to know what was going on.
We initially contacted North Yorkshire Council, the highways authority, for information on Wednesday last week.
It said yesterday (June 12):
A private contractor working on behalf of Harrogate Spring Water is carrying out installation works for two pipelines in the area.
Work has been completed on Otley Road, Killinghall, and is expected to continue on the Curious Cow roundabout until June 20.
We are continuing to liaise with the contractor and the applicant to ensure their traffic management is appropriately managed and signed for the least disruption.
'We apologise for the inconvenience'
We subsequently asked Harrogate Spring Water, which is part of French multinational Danone, why the work was being carried out, how long work was likely to last and why it had not communicated details with the public. We also asked if yesterday’s imposition of a drought in Yorkshire would affect the scheme.
A spokesperson replied today:
A private contractor is currently carrying out work to install two pipelines in the area. This installation is about continuity of supply for the site. The current work on the Curious Cow roundabout will continue until late June. We have obtained all necessary permissions from the council and are working with them throughout this process in line with council requirements.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and are working to ensure that the work is completed as quickly as possible, and traffic is appropriately managed.
Reader Neil Crabtree sent us a copy of a freedom of information request he sent to the council about the work, which said Harrogate Spring Water had been granted a roadwork licence from the council for £767.87.
Mr Crabtree said he understood the roadworks will continue on Oaker Bank, Penny Pot Lane, Cornwall Road and onto Harlow Moor Road, where Harrogate Spa Water is based.
We asked Harrogate Spring Water if it could confirm or deny this but the spokesperson declined to comment further.
The Curious Cow roadworks prompted a furious outburst by the owner of Pharmall Country Store last week, who was angry about the appearance of yet more four-way lights outside his business. The roadworks were initially advertised as lasting for just four days.
Mr Crabtree said he did not understand how a private business could be granted a licence for roadworks that bring so much disruption and only benefits the company. He added:
Despite my protests about the lack of progress with an army of workers doing very little, the works have, as predicted, run over leaving four-way traffic lights at the roundabout still in place.
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