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27
Mar
Verdict issued on criminal investigation into Harrogate Spring Water
North Yorkshire Council has said it will take “no further action” against Harrogate Spring Water following a criminal investigation into food safety and hygiene.
The Stray Ferret revealed in December the company, which is part of French multinational Danone, was being probed.
The council said at the time:
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.
It added the investigation related to a “reported breach of food safety and hygiene regulations” but declined to give further details on the grounds that “disclosure could adversely affect the course of justice”.
The Stray Ferret asked the council for an update this month.
Dean Richardson, the council’s head of regulatory services, said:
The investigation requested by the Food Standards Agency into Harrogate Spring Water has concluded and we have advised that there should be no further action.
We subsequently asked the council if it would release details of the investigation now it had concluded.
Mr Richardson said:
In August last year, the Food Standards Agency asked us to investigate an allegation that bottled water was being produced by Harrogate Spring Water from a borehole contaminated by bacteria.
As the designated food authority with enforcement responsibility, rounds of sampling were undertaken. These samples were taken by both the company and ourselves and were subjected to laboratory analysis.
After a thorough investigation, our officers were satisfied there was no risk to the consumer that would need further action, and we advised the Food Standards Agency accordingly. Throughout this process, Harrogate Spring Water cooperated fully with our requests.
The plant will continue to be subject to routine food hygiene reviews in accordance with our food safety inspection programme.
We also approached Harrogate Spring Water. A spokesperson said:
North Yorkshire Council closed their investigation into this allegation at the end of November 2024 and recommended to the Food Standards Agency in December 2024 that the case be closed with no action to be taken against Harrogate Spring Water. The Food Standards Agency has since closed the case with no action taken against Harrogate Spring Water.
How the proposed building would look.
The Food Standards Agency is the government department that works with local authorities to enforce food safety regulations.
1,016 objections
News of the investigation emerged during consultation into the company’s plans to fell 500 trees to 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, asked the council for details of complaints received about Harrogate Spring Water’s site operation and any action taken to resolve them over the last three years. Details of the investigation were included in the response.
Harrogate Spring Water received outline planning permission to expand in 2017, which means the principle of development has been established.
Its current reserved matters application deals with appearance, size and landscaping of the site and needs to be approved by councillors before the scheme can proceed.
Consultation officially closed on November 17 and the application was expected to be determined by the council this spring. But so far this has not happened.
The application has attracted 1,016 objections and 11 expressions of support.
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