How to travel to and from Leeds Festival this bank holidayOvernight closures on A1(M) near Harrogate next monthDrivers warned to expect delays after serious collision closes A1(M)

Drivers should expect delays on the A1 this morning after a serious collision near Boroughbridge.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened on the southbound carriageway at around 2.20am.

The force said the southbound carriageway of the A1(M) is currently closed between junction 48 (Boroughbridge) and junction 47 (Allerton Park) and is expected to be for some time.

However, the northbound carriageway has now reopened.

National Highways has advised drivers to allow more time for journeys as the southbound carriageway is expected to be closed throughout the morning.

A spokesperson said:

“The southbound carriageway is expected to remain closed beyond the morning’s peak travel period as emergency services and National Highways traffic officers remain at the scene of the incident, which happened at around 2.20am. 

“Collision investigations are currently taking place, with recovery and repairs also expected throughout the morning following an oil spill and repairs needed to the central barrier. 

“There are currently delays of more than 60 minutes on the southbound carriageway.”

A diversion is in place along the A168, which runs parallel to the A1(M).

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Man, 31, dies following collision on A1(M) near Boroughbridge

A man has died after his HGV lorry collided with an overhead bridge on the A1(M) this morning.

North Yorkshire Police said the incident, which happened at around 2.10am, occurred on the southbound carriageway of the motorway between junction 48 (Boroughbridge) and junction 47 (Allerton Park).

Police closed the A1(M) this morning to respond to the incident. The force said the southbound carriageway is now expected to be open after 4pm.

In an updated statement, the force said the HGV lorry collided with an overhead bridge near the Allerton Waste Recovery site. The driver died at the scene.

It added:

“The southbound carriageway was closed to allow emergency services to attend the incident and investigate the scene. It currently remains closed for scene recovery work to take place, two lanes are expected to open to traffic after 4pm.

“We’re now urging anyone who saw the collision or the HGV involved in the collision prior to it that has not already made contact to get in touch. Our officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have any relevant dashcam footage.

“Anyone with information is asked to email mcit@northyorkshire.police.uk or phone North Yorkshire Police on 101 and speak to the Force Control Room.”

Quote reference number 12240071188 when passing information.

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Officers also took to social media this afternoon to ask motorists not to use their phones when driving.

It came after several people drove past and filmed the scene of the collision on the A1(M).

Police said it would be taking action against the drivers. A spokesperson for the force added:

“We have taken registration details of approximately 30 vehicles, and we will follow up with action against the drivers – this will ultimately be points and a fine, but they may end up in court.”

Overnight closures on A1(M) between Boroughbridge and Wetherby

National Highways has announced a series of full overnight closures on the A1(M) between Wetherby and Boroughbridge.

Drivers planning to travel on the A1(M) in North Yorkshire are advised to plan their journeys in advance as a bridge is due to undergo essential maintenance from April 29.

National Highways is repainting steel beams on Moor Lane Bridge, which carries the A168 over the A1(M) near Walshford. At the same time, it will be carrying out further maintenance on the A1(M) in this area.

To ensure this is carried out safely, full overnight closures will be in place between junctions 46 (Wetherby) and 48 (Boroughbridge).

Closures and diversions

The overnight closures will begin on April 29 on the A1(M) northbound between junctions 46 and 48 over up to three weeks. During these nights, the southbound carriageway will remain open.

From May 18, this work will switch to the southbound side, with overnight closures on the A1(M) southbound between junctions 48 and 46 for a further period of around three weeks. The northbound side will stay open.

The closures will be in place each night, Monday to Friday, and every other weekend, between 8pm and 6am. The A1(M) will remain open during the day, and no road closures will take place over the May bank holiday weekends.

All work is subject to weather conditions and may be rescheduled if poor weather prevents it going ahead.

Drivers are advised to follow the signed diversion – and not rely on their satnavs. The northbound diversion will be via B1224 and A168, with the route reversed for the southbound work.

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Woman in 30s dies after A1(M) collision

A woman has died following a collision on the A1(M) near Leeming.

The incident was reported at around 11.15pm last night and happened on the southbound carriageway.

It resulted in the A1(M) being closed in both directions between junction 50 at Ripon and junction 52 at Catterick. 

The woman, aged in her 30s and from the Leyburn area, was a passenger in a car that had parked on the hard shoulder of the on-slip.

She was hit by another vehicle after walking into the carriageway.

An air ambulance was called and police investigators examined the scene and recovered the vehicles involved. The road reopened around 8am.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Despite the efforts of members of the public who stopped to provide first aid, and the emergency services, she sadly died at the scene.

“Police are appealing to any motorists who witnessed the collision but have not yet contacted or spoken to the police to get in touch.

“Officers are also appealing to anyone who saw a parked vehicle on the southbound on-slip from Leeming Bar to the A1M, or a person in the carriageway prior to the collision, to get in touch, including anyone with dashcam footage.

“Anyone with information who can assist the investigation and has not already spoken to the police is asked to email marie.williams@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 and pass information for incident 12230236443.”

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Junction 47 upgrade on A1(M) cost £3.1m above budget

The junction 47 upgrade on the A1(M) near Knaresborough cost £3.1 million more than budgeted, it has finally been revealed.

North Yorkshire Council said this week the scheme, which was forecast to cost £7.7 million, actually cost £10.8 million.

The project finished in April last year, seven months later than planned.

North Yorkshire County Council, which was abolished on April 1 this year, said last year costs had increased to £10m.

But no figure had been given since despite requests from the Stray Ferret. The council said this was due to ongoing discussions with contractors over the final amount.

But following our latest enquiry, Cllr Keane Duncan, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“The final costs are £10.8 million. This includes the additional costs for delays which were caused by the discovery of the protected great crested newts, as they legally had to be relocated.

“We also experienced poor ground conditions on the southbound slip road, and during the coronavirus pandemic operatives had to comply with strict health and safety guidance which extended the timescale.”

He added:

“The Junction 47 upgrade has proved hugely successful, meeting the high traffic volumes without delays at peak times including during the Great Yorkshire Show.

“It was voted the winner of the best large projects award at the CIHT Yorkshire andHumber awards in October 2022.”

A gathering of officials and councillors to mark the upgrade of the junction last year.

Three of the four slip roads onto and off the roundabout were widened to increase capacity.

Traffic signals were installed on the roundabout to improve traffic flow and lights were added to the T-junction between the A168 and the A59, a short distance from junction 47 on the York side, to benefit drivers turning onto the A59 and to improve safety.

To the west of junction 47, between the A1 and the Flaxby roundabout, a lane was added for traffic travelling east, so there are now two lanes in each direction between those two roundabouts.

Mercedes driver fined for clocking 151mph on A1 at Boroughbridge

A man who was caught driving at 151 miles per hour on the A1(M) at Boroughbridge has been fined and disqualified.

Jorden Jay Barwick, 22, of Magnolia Way, Sowerby, admitted being twice over the speed limit at a hearing at Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

Barwick was caught by a safety camera vehicle on the northbound carriageway at junction 48 on August 21 at 7.25pm.

North Yorkshire Police said his car, a Mercedes A45 AMG, was not displaying a front registration plate.

Officers used the images from the camera to trace the vehicle using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). The car was then stopped by a marked police car and the driver identified as Barwick.

The 22-year-old was sentenced to a 12-month disqualification and a £369 fine, he was also ordered to pay £110 in costs and a £196 victim surcharge.

Richard Fletcher, acting traffic bureau manager at North Yorkshire Police, said: 

“Speed is involved in around one third of all fatal collisions, which is why it is important we identify and punish those caught speeding on the roads of North Yorkshire.

“Barwick showed complete disregard for the safety of other road users when he chose to commit these offences. In fact, the speed he registered on our camera was the fastest we have ever seen, and we were determined to bring him to justice.”

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Solar farm at Wetherby Services could power EV charging points

Wetherby Services has submitted plans for a solar farm on land next to the A1 (M) service station — with the renewable energy it generates used to power the site’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

The land north of the service station, which is currently used for agricultural purposes, spans more than five hectares but it would be turned over to solar panels under plans submitted by Moto Services to North Yorkshire Council this month.

According to planning documents, the proposal forms part of Moto’s strategy to bring forward solar farms on land next to Moto’s existing service stations.

Moto Services is the UK’s largest motorway service station operator with 59 sites.

It is expected the solar panels would be able to generate up to 7MW of renewable energy.

The screening opinion application asks the council if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be submitted for a future full planning application for the solar farm.

The majority of the site is in a zone with a low flood zone risk. However, as part of it is also located in areas with medium to high risk of flooding, North Yorkshire Council has recommended that its flooding department is consulted on the proposal.

The solar farm application follows the launch of 12 EV charging points at Wetherby Services last year.

Planning documents state: 

“The proposed development is deemed crucial for the ongoing functionality of the associated Wetherby MSA. Electric vehicles will play a big part in the transition to zero emission transport, but to achieve these targets, it is imperative that suitable infrastructure is provided to support electric vehicles.

“The proposed development forms part of Moto’s wider strategy to bring forward solar farms on land adjacent to Moto’s existing MSAs, which will generate much needed electricity to power the EV Chargers at their services.”

In May, neighbouring authority Leeds City Council approved plans for 762 homes just 600m south of the site.

However, Moto says considering the “scale and nature” of the proposed solar farm development it would “unlikely lead to significant adverse effects” on the housing development.

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Campaigners threaten judicial review to halt motorway services near Ripon

Campaigners in Kirby Hill have given North Yorkshire Council notice of a legal challenge against a decision to approve a motorway service station near the village.

Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services have told the authority they intend to press ahead with a judicial review over a move to grant permission for the service station between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, near Boroughbridge and Ripon.

Councillors on the authority’s planning committee granted approval for the scheme on September 12, which would see a Welcome Break built at the site, as well a filling station and 364 car parking spaces created.

The proposal already had outline permission after the government’s Planning Inspectorate approved the plan on appeal in April 2021.

Applegreen, which is based in Dublin, applied for amendments to the proposal, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.

However, Gareth Owens, chair of the Kirby Hill RAMS, said the move amounted to “significant change” to the scheme and confirmed the campaign group would challenge the approval.

He said:

“The leader of the new council, Cllr Carl Les, told parishes that he wants to work with them and ensure their voice is represented in North Yorkshire Council decisions.

“These laudable principles form the basis of the parish charter that he signed in July 2023. Two months later, planning officers and the strategic planning committee have ridden roughshod over the needs, rights and wishes of the local community.

“This is totally unacceptable. We have written to the council initiating the pre-action protocol for judicial review and giving them 14 days to reconsider this decision and respond, in light of the serious legal issues that we have identified.”

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Mr Owens said the group would challenge the decision on four grounds: unlawful decision, irrational decision, procedural impropriety and unfair decision.

The Stray Ferret approached North Yorkshire Council for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The move comes after the government approved plans for the service station following a series of public inquiries and planning battles.

In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, Applegreen’s application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.

The inquiry, which was held by planning inspector David Rose and streamed onto YouTube, lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies from residents, campaigners and developer Applegreen.

In a decision notice, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.