A peacock that has strutted around Bilton for years and nested in people’s gardens appears to have left the area for good.

The streets of Bilton have been curiously quiet in recent days without the distinctive squark of Peter the Peacock, and there are murmurings on social media that the bird has flown the nest.

Concerned Bilton resident Claire Hamer told the Stray Ferret that an RSCPA inspector called her this afternoon to say Peter had injured his foot and the charity had taken him to an animal sanctuary in Lancashire to recuperate. 

According to Ms Hamer, when Peter is back on his feet he will be re-homed and will not be returning to Bilton.

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Bilton has been Peter’s home for 12 years and one superfan even set up his own Facebook page for the peacock that has amassed over 500 followers.

Its last post was on June 5.

He told the Stray Ferret today that Peter had not been seen for weeks and that rumours of his departure could be true.

Ms Harmer said Peter would be “greatly missed.”

“I enjoyed seeing him, he was very tame, I used to give him seeds, so beautiful.

“He could make a big noise but I got used to it. He would roost in our tree.

“I will miss him, bless him.”

Up to nine cars have been vandalised in the space of a few minutes on the same street in Bilton.

Three young people in hoodies are being blamed for the incident, which occurred at about 5am yesterday on Dene Park.

The Stray Ferret visited the area last night and saw several car windows smashed.

Residents said the youngsters were seen running up the street damaging the cars during the early morning spree and that police had subsequently been in the area taking statements.

The residents added there had been a spate of attacks on homes and cars lately but this was the worst so far.

One Dene Park resident, who asked not to be named, said:

“How do I know it won’t be my front window that gets smashed next?

“This has been going on for a while and we know who the culprits are. It’s very worrying.”

The resident said nine cars had been damaged but another person in the area said they believed the number was seven.

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Police about the incident yesterday but has not yet had a response.

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Two people are being treated in hospital after an incident involving armed police on Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate today.

Officers were called to Woodfield Road after being alerted to a disturbance in a council flat close to Woodfield Community Primary School before 7am.

Police put a cordon in place and a long stretch of the road was closed until a man was led away at about 10.10am.

North Yorkshire Police has now said a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of affray.

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It tweeted this afternoon:

“A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of affray and has been taken to hospital for treatment.

“A woman was also taken to hospital with an injury to her hand.

“The cordon has now been lifted and the road has reopened.”

People in Bilton have spoken of their shock after the suburb became the scene of a four-hour armed police incident this morning.

Officers were called to Woodfield Road after being alerted to a disturbance in a council flat close to Woodfield Community Primary School.

A large stretch of the road was closed amid reports of a man behaving erratically in a first-floor window.

Crowds gathered to watch about half a dozen armed police officers, protected by a shield, stand in a garden outside the flat. An ambulance was also on hand.

Police were seen talking to the man, who was leaning out of the window.

A nearby resident on Woodfield Road, who asked not to be named, said they became aware of the commotion at about 6.30am and police arrived after it got louder. She said:

“There were loads of police. It was a worrying incident.”

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A workman in the area told the Stray Ferret he arrived in the area at 7.30am and was shocked to see about eight police vehicles and an ambulance.

“There was a guy throwing stuff from a window and shouting, and a lot of police cars moving about. It was shocking.”

A police cordon was erected as more and more people began to gather on the street to watch the drama unfold.

North Yorkshire Police issued a short statement saying a police negotiator was at the scene and the public were not thought to be at risk.

Eventually, at about 10.10am, a man was escorted by police into a van and the road reopened, bringing a tense and dramatic morning to a conclusion.

A man is led away by police on Woodfield Road.

Armed police outside the flat.

Police officer stands next to the cordon at Woodfield Road this morning.

Woodfield Road was closed by police.

A man has been arrested on Woodfield Road in Bilton after reports of knives being thrown out of a window.

North Yorkshire Police, including armed officers, were been to the scene at around 6am this morning.

A cordon was put in place to allow emergency services and a negotiator to speak to the man.

Seven police vehicles were called to the street this morning and officers had to divert residents and traffic down Elm Road. The road remains closed between Elm Road and Skipton Road.

Local residents told the Stray Ferret they are “shocked” by the incident.

North Yorkshire Police has released a statement, earlier this morning, saying:

“We’re currently at the scene of an ongoing incident on Woodfield Road in Bilton. A cordon is in place to allow emergency services, including a police negotiator, to respond.

“Please avoid area until further notice, the wider public are not believed to be at risk. We will provide an update when the cordon has been lifted.”

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Self-combusting linseed oil is believed to have caused a fire that spread to a Harrogate house and shed last night.

The fire shattered a kitchen window and melted a PVC frame during the freak incident at a home in Cecil Street, Bilton about 9.30pm.

The North Yorkshire Fire and Service incident log said:

“Two crews from Harrogate and an officer attended a fire to a shed that spread to a garden fence and caused damage to the rear of a property.

“The fire shattered a kitchen window and melted some of a PVC frame.

“The cause is believed to be some linseed oil that self combusted and melted a turps containers and then run down to the shed setting that alight.”

Linseed oil, which is extracted from flax seed, is a natural oil used as a preservative for wood as well as being an ingredient in paints and varnishes.

Firefighters used two hose reel jets and a thermal imaging camera to tackle the blaze.

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Plans to convert a car park in Bilton into council housing have been sent back to the drawing board.

Harrogate Borough Council’s housing team wants to build the two-bed properties near Dene Park and Woodfield Road to provide what it described as “much-needed” accommodation for some of the hundreds of people on the social housing waiting list.

Planning assistant Arthama Lakhanpall told a meeting on Tuesday that 1,700 households are currently in the queue for council homes, with 316 specifically requesting two-bed properties.

He asked councillors to approve the plans but was told to take another look at the layout and designs.

Conservative councillor Nigel Simms, who represents Masham and Kirkby Malzeard, said the proposals were “just not right yet” and “completely at odds” with existing properties in the area:

“I would like to see something that represents the vernacular that surrounds it, not something that looks as if it has just been brought out of a design brief.

“This needs to go away and come back with something that reflects the local distinctiveness.”

There were also questions over why seven car parking spaces – including three disabled bays – were needed in the plans, with councillors suggesting that more or larger homes could be built.

They also said eco-friendly methods of heating, such as air source heat pumps and solar panels, should be installed instead of gas.

Conservative councillor Andrew Paraskos, who represents Spofforth with Lower Wharfedale, said:

“We could make better use of the land that is there. Whether it is more houses or bigger houses I’m not sure, but it should be sent back for reworking for a scheme that we actually need and is more fitting.”

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A report to councillors said the homes would provide a “modest addition” to the council’s housing stock and that the loss of 12 ‘underused’ car parking spaces would not have a negative impact on the area.

It said:

“The design of the dwellings would respect local distinctiveness and there would be no significant harm to local residential amenity.

“The development would provide off-street parking and additional tree planting. It is considered that the housing development would provide a more efficient use of the site.”

Councillors unanimously voted to defer a decision on the plans at Tuesday’s meeting.

An appeal has been launched to raise money for the family of a young Bilton boy with a rare life-threatening illness.

Archie Flintoft, 5, has Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, an incurable condition whereby his bone marrow doesn’t create the red blood cells he needs to survive.

Only 1,000 people worldwide have the condition and Archie needs to go to Leeds General Infirmary for blood transfusions every three weeks just to keep him alive. He also has to travel to London for a special check-up two or three times a year.

Although treatment costs are covered by the NHS, mum Vicky had to leave her job to take care of Archie. Family visits to St Mary’s Hospital in London can set them back up to £1,000 each time because of transport and accommodation costs.

Two years ago mum Vicky set up a Facebook group called Archie’s Army, where followers can keep up with what Archie’s doing and help out with fundraising projects. But since the covid pandemic it’s been difficult to raise money.

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Mum Vicky says young Archie takes everything in his stride:

“When he has his transfusions he has to sit still for six hours, and that’s not easy for a five-year old. So I get him a magazine with a little toy, and that’s his treat. He has lots of videos, games, and a tablet, and we eat snacks as well.”

The current fundraising bid was launched yesterday as part of a community appeal led by Andrew Hart and Asma Ola, owners of the Red Box, a post office and gift shop on Harrogate’s King Edward Drive.

For every pound donated, Post Office Ltd has agreed to add another pound, and Red Box will donate two pounds on top of this. Donations have already reached a total of £800, including the top-ups.

Vicky said:

“We’re absolutely blown away by everyone’s kindness and support. I don’t have the words to say how much it means to us that people are behind us to provide the best care we can for our boy.”

The family aims to get Archie’s hospital fund to £3,000. Any further money received will be given to DBA UK, the charity which supports people with the condition and their families.

Donations can be made in person at the Red Box newsagent in Bilton.

A campaign has been launched to bring back Bilton Youth Club a decade after it closed.

Arnold Warneken, who was the Harrogate and District Green Party candidate in last week’s the Bilton by-election, has set up a petition calling on North Yorkshire County Council to reinstate the youth club. It was wound up in 2012 following funding cuts.

He said a reinvigorated youth club would have a big impact on young people in Bilton who have been stuck for things to do, particularly during lockdown.

Anti-social behaviour and crime were key issues when he was out campaigning, he added.

Mr Warneken said:

“It’s about getting people to acknowledge the relationship with anti-social behaviour and the lack of youth clubs.”

His petition currently has 230 signatures and Mr Warneken hopes the Bilton community will rally behind it to put pressure on North Yorkshire County Council, which runs children’s services in the district.

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Bilton Youth Club ran for over 50 years and was open three nights a week for teenagers to meet up and socialise. It also offered a range of activities, including sports and outdoor pursuits, until 2012.

The building is now run by the charity North Yorkshire Sport, which operates Bilton Health and Wellbeing Hub. It provides community activities, including a youth club, art club, physical activities, and social sessions for older people.

However, it only offers teenagers the chance to meet up once a week on Monday evenings from 5pm-7pm.

Mr Warneken proposes the youth club could be run at different venues in Bilton and offer activities from camping and foraging to musical tuition and sports coaching.

He added:

“It needs imagination and for the community to believe it will make a difference to crime, safety and health. The kids need to be given a chance.”

North Yorkshire County Council’s head of stronger communities, Marie-Anne Jackson, said:

“The county council’s children and families service are currently actively working with the stronger communities team, North Yorkshire Sport and North Yorkshire Youth to look at how we can work with local communities to support them to develop activities for children and young people and their families.

“We’re keen to harness the incredible energy and community response that has been seen in this work during the pandemic, by engaging with local people and organisations and making sure they have the support, skills and confidence needed to provide community services they would like to see in their local area.

“This includes making sure communities can provide support networks or services they feel they need for children, young people and families in their area.”

Conservative councillor Matt Scott has said he feels “privileged” to represent Harrogate at county level after his by-election win tightened the Tories’ grip on the town.

He was elected onto one of two Bilton and Nidd Gorge seats on North Yorkshire County Council on Friday.

His victory was a major blow for the Liberal Democrats, which had previously won six out of eight county elections in the area in the last 16 years.

It means the Conservatives have strengthened their power on the county council by lifting their total seats to 57 out of 72.

Speaking on Monday to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Scott said he was pleased with the result as he also set out his top priorities for his new term:

“My message to those who voted for me is the same as my message to those who did not vote for me – I am privileged to be able to represent the Bilton and Nidd Gorge division on the county council and will be pleased to help anyone who gets in touch with me.

“I am interested in positive outcomes, not the political allegiance of someone who has come to me for help.

“As a sitting district councillor I will continue to work hard on tackling litter and protecting our green spaces.

“In terms of county council issues I will be doing all I can to support Woodfield Community Primary School. I will also be taking a keen interest in sustainable transport issues as a means of tackling congestion.”

Cllr Scott, who already represents the Bilton Woodfield ward on Harrogate Borough Council and is employed as a caseworker for Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, joins Paul Haslam as one of two Conservative county councillors serving the area.

The by-election was held following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Geoff Webber, whose party previously had a strong foothold during the last four elections.

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Standing to replace him was Liberal Democrat candidate Andrew Kempston-Parkes, who was second by a margin of 352 votes.

Mr Kempston-Parkes, a local businessman and former borough councillor, said he was “heartbroken and devastated” by the result but promised the party will come back “stronger than ever”. He said:

“I know we will continue the fight against this stranglehold on local politics – we are certainly not finished.”

Mr Kempston-Parkes also criticised the first-past-the-post voting system, which meant the Conservatives won with 43% of votes. He expressed hopes that other opposition parties could form an alliance to contest elections as one group in the future.

He said:

“Perhaps the Lib Dems, Greens and Labour need to come together and form a progressive way of working in order to give the electorate one clear choice.

“If that had been the case in Bilton and Nidd Gorge, the Conservatives would have come second, which is the really sad thing about this election – the majority of people didn’t vote for the person who won.

“As long as the parties in the centre and to the left continue to stand against each other then the Conservatives will continue to rub their hands in glee and rule in the majority when in fact they are the minority.”

The by-election held last week was the only local council election held in the Harrogate district.

A full election for all seats on North Yorkshire County Council was scheduled to take place but was cancelled because of the ongoing local government reorganisation.

Under the plans, elections to a new unitary council structure – which will replace the current two-tier system in North Yorkshire – could happen in 2022 depending on government approval.

The Bilton and Nidd Gorge by-election results in full are: