A halogen heater left too close to curtains caused a house fire near Boroughbridge last night.
A person at the house required oxygen and was taken to hospital.
Firefighters from Knaresborough and Harrogate were called to the property in Aldborough at 10.40pm last night.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident report said:
“The fire was caused by a halogen heater that had accidentally been turned on whilst being too close to the curtains.
“On the arrival of fire crews, the occupant had extinguished the fire using a fire extinguisher and water from a kettle.”
The report said firefighters removed the curtains, dampened down and cleared the smoke.
It added:
“Crews administered oxygen therapy to one occupant suffering from smoke inhalation. The occupant was transported to hospital via road ambulance for a precautionary check up.”
Read more:
- Boroughbridge Primary School to get two new classrooms
- Person hospitalised after industrial accident near Boroughbridge
Tanker operation raises sewage concerns on River Ure
A three-week tanker operation on the River Ure near Boroughbridge has raised concerns about how well a treatment plant can cope with sewage.
Boorughbridge resident Caroline Slater contacted the Stray Ferret saying she had noticed a “raw sewage” smell when walking her dog near the river.
She attributed the smell, which she believes is due to excess sewage flowing from a wastewater treatment plant in Aldborough into the river, to recent periods of heavy rainfall, as well as “the large number of new houses built in the area”.
Ms Slater said:
“The pumping station at Boroughbridge sewage works cannot cope with the amount of sewage.
“The Ure is really polluted. Sometimes there are huge banks of foam which do not dissipate, greasy films and a smell of sewage.
“I have witnessed contractors cleaning up the riverbank areas after floods and using the river as a dumping ground for waste.
“It was really smelly down there on Saturday when there was no pumping going on. It just smelt like raw sewage.”
Ms Slater also said “tankers have been pumping sewage out from Aldborough road for the past three weeks — maybe more — and taking it away”.
She added:
“I have contacted Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency. I really am despairing. I would ideally like to get some momentum going to try to clean up the River Ure.
“Young people bathe in it at the salmon ladders in the summer, also at Ripon and Masham, further up and downstream. It isn’t safe. Nature is suffering. Nobody seems to be accountable.
“I am also extremely concerned about the continuation of house building in the area and what effect this will have on infrastructure that cannot cope. “
Town council also ‘doubts’ treatment plan can cope
The Stray Ferret contacted Cllr Robert Windass, a Conservative who represents Boroughbridge and Claro on North Yorkshire Council, about the matter.
Cllr Windass said Boroughbridge Town Council shared Ms Slater’s concerns.
He added:
“I am aware that tankers are pumping out sewage from the Aldborough treatment plant and taking it to other plants. This happens when the River Ure is in flood as it has been for the past few weeks with all the rain we have had.“Certainly, the town council and many residents have expressed concern about whether the Aldborough treatment plant can cope with the increased sewage because of the number of new homes built in and around Boroughbridge. They always say that it can but when situations like this occur, we have our doubts.“Personally, I have not been downstream of the treatment plant recently, but I will make a point of doing so in the next few days.”
Yorkshire Water’s response
The Stray Ferret put Ms Slater’s concerns to Yorkshire Water and asked for confirmation on whether excess sewage is being released into the River Ure.
A spokesperson said “diluted wastewater from storm overflow” is released into the river during periods of heavy rainfall. If more rainwater is pumped into the treatment works than it is designed to handle, an excess is released into nearby rivers.
The spokesperson added:
“The storm overflow at Boroughbridge wastewater treatment works is in operation currently due to the amount of rainfall in the area recently and possible groundwater infiltration into the sewer network.
“Storm overflows are permitted by the Environment Agency and act as a relief valve during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall to prevent wastewater backing up and flooding homes and businesses.”
Yorkshire Water said the tankers were in place due to groundwater potentially infiltrating a sewer. The firm said this was also as a result of heavy rainfall and could result in wastewater escaping the network from manholes if left unmanaged.
The spokesperson added:
“Our teams are currently tankering in the area to relieve pressure on the sewer network and will be carrying out a thorough investigation of the network in the coming days to identify any possible sources of infiltration.”
The firm added the tanker was also removing some wastewater, groundwater and sewage flow from within the network and taking it to the treatment works. It said this was “taking the pressure off the sewers to prevent pollutions”.
Read more:
- Black Lion at Skelton saved after community takeover
- Five candidates to contest Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election
Hot Seat: The man bringing international artists to a village near Harrogate
In June every year, something close to a miracle occurs in a small village 11 miles from Harrogate.
Major names in the international arts world converge for 10 days on Aldborough — a beautiful and historic place but hardly known for capturing the zeitgeist.
For arts lovers, however, an annual pilgrimage to the Northern Aldborough Festival has become part of the summer arts scene. They park in fields, drink Pimm’s in a churchyard marquee and get to see the kind of names who usually appear in less soulful venues in Leeds or York.
The festival, which grew out of a fundraising initiative to restore the church organ in 1994, consistently attracts major international talent.
This year’s line-up, from June 15 to 24, includes the likes of South Korean pianist Sunwook Kim, TV historian Lucy Worsley, trumpeter Matilda Lloyd and a singing competition judged by a panel that includes Dame Felicity Lott.
Lucy Worsley is among those appearing this year. Credit Hay Festival / Paul Musso
Festival director Robert Ogden, who overseas the programme, is best known locally for running Ogden of Harrogate, the fifth generation family jewellery business on James Street.
But Mr Ogden has strong credentials in the arts world: a former chorister at Westminster Cathedral Choir School in London, he completed a choral scholarship at King’s College, Cambridge before forging a successful career as a countertenor, singing around the world in major productions alongside the likes of Jose Carreras.
Since he became festival director in 2010, the festival line-up has broadened and this year includes spoken word events and jazz as well as classical music and culminates with an outdoor pop music party and fireworks in the grounds of Aldborough Manor.
Mr Ogden says the change reflects his own wide tastes but also acknowledges “we can’t rely on our core audience”.
Robert Ogden
Festival planning is year-round but he takes a two-week break from the jewellery business to focus fully on the festival in the immediate run-up.
He says things are shaping up well this year ahead of Thursday’s opening night. Asked for his personal highlights, he cites Matilda Lloyd, the opening night Haydn opera double bill, Monteverdi’s Vespers and the new £7,000 singing competition. He says:
“Of all the things we have done in the last 15 years this competition is perhaps the most exciting. I’m certain at least one or two of the semi-finalists will be household names in the next few years.
“There’s nothing a festival wants to do more than to unveil and support new talent.”
How does he persuade occasionally temperamental artists to head to the eastern side of Boroughbridge? He says it’s a combination of the festival’s reputation, the St Andrew’s Church acoustics, the setting and the welcome. Aldborough, he says, is the “perfect chamber music space” and there is something undoubtedly magical about it.
St Andrew’s Church in Aldborough
Mr Ogden says he never feels the festival is in competition with the year-round Harrogate International Festivals and thinks there is scope for another local summer arts festival “if it’s marketed well”. Besides Ryedale Festival and Swaledale Festival, competition isn’t fierce.
But it isn’t an easy time in the arts world. Brexit, he says, has denied many emerging artists the opportunities he enjoyed to develop his craft in Europe. The cost of living crisis had had an impact on ticket prices, but Mr Ogden says Aldborough hasn’t made “any major price rises”.
Future festival ideas include live streaming, although digital connectivity in the village isn’t great, and recording music under the Northern Aldborough label.
Read more:
He plans to stay at the heart of things, reporting to festival chairman Sir Andrew Lawson-Tancred:
“As long as I feel I still have that creative urge and impetus I will aim to do it as long as they allow me to.”
What is his message for anyone thinking of attending, perhaps for the first time?
“Aldborough is not far to drive from Harrogate. It’s an oasis of calm, the acoustics are wonderful and the welcome is wonderful. Try something new.”
Further information on the Northern Aldborough Festival is available here.