Firefighters from four fire stations were called to a blaze at a house in the Harrogate district last night.

Crews from Knaresborough, Harrogate, Ripon and Boroughbridge were summoned to the home in Brearton just after 10pm.

The house suffered severe fire, heat and smoke damage to the living room, hallway and front of the property, according to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The rest of the property suffered moderate smoke damage.

Brearton is about three miles from Knaresborough.

The fire service’s incident log said “the incident remains open whilst the cause is investigated”.

It added:

“Crews used eight breathing apparatus, four hosereel jets, two main jets, thermal imaging cameras, nine-metre ladder, triple extension ladders, small tools and lighting.”

Read more:

• Firefighters battle large wildfire near Brimham Rocks
• Man suffers serious head injuries in minibus collision in Knaresborough

Schools and traffic across the Harrogate district were affected by overnight snow.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather for ice across the district, which was in place until 10am this morning.

You can recap our live blog and updates from the Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham areas this morning below.

10.10am – Picture of Pateley Bridge this morning

Joyce Liggins has sent in this picture from Pateley Bridge of the town covered in snow.

She said:

“We woke up to a covering of snow this morning and it’s looking like there is plenty more to come by the look of the sky.”

9.31am – Met Office weather warning in place until 10am

The Met Office weather warning for ice remains in place until 10am.

Gritters have been out on main roads in Harrogate this morning during the overnight snow.

9am – Readers’ pictures

Stray Ferret readers have sent their pictures from this morning’s snow. Here is a couple they have shared with us.

If you have any pictures of the snow that you would like to share, you can email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or message us on Facebook and Twitter.

Picture from Jackie Bedford.

Picture from Hornbeam Park this morning. Picture from Vicky Galbraith.

8.50am – St Aidan’s in Harrogate open as usual

St Aidan’s Church of England Secondary School will be open as normal this morning.

School is open as usual today. Please only travel if safe. Let us know if your child is not coming in. All students should sign in at reception if late. Many thanks. pic.twitter.com/pXNVZ3vJiO

— St Aidan's (@StAidansCEHS) March 31, 2022

8.36am – Only a handful of Ripon Market traders this morning

Only a handful of Ripon Market traders have set up stall this morning due to hazardous conditions on the roads.

Brian Murphy, stallholders’ spokesperson who runs a fruit and vegetable stall, said:

“Because many of the traders come from a distance and travelling conditions are horrendous coming into Ripon, they decided to turn around and go back home.

“I’m keeping an eye on the weather, but will stay open for as long as I can.”

Brian Murphy at his stall on Ripon Market this morning.

8.30am – Heavy but moving traffic on Otley Road

Traffic is heavy but moving this morning on Harrogate’s Otley Road.

Overnight snow has left some side roads treacherous, but main roads in and around Harrogate have been gritted.

8.15am – Rossett Acre Primary School opening at 10am

Rossett Acre Primary School in Harrogate will open at 10am due to the overnight snow.

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

8am – Harrogate Grammar School delayed opening

Harrogate Grammar School has delayed the start of the school day due to the adverse weather.

The school will begin lessons from period three. Those pupils already on their way to school will still be accommodated and should report to the Hub on arrival.

7.45am – More pictures from across Harrogate

7.40am – Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School delayed opening

Ripley Endowed Church of England Primary School will open at 10am due to the overnight snow.

The school said that those pupils who arrived before 10am should use the intercom to be let in.

7.35am – RHS Harlow Carr to open at 11am

RHS Harlow Carr gardens will open at a slightly later time this morning.

The gardens will open at 11am due to the snow in order to allow for the car park and pathways to be cleared.

⚠️ Thursday 31st March

Please note, due to snow, the garden will open slightly later today at 11am. This is to allow our teams time to clear the car park and pathways. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this, please check back for further updates. pic.twitter.com/Yb8tj5DakF

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) March 31, 2022

7.30am – Kettlesing Felliscliffe Primary School and Beckwithshaw Primary School to have delayed starts

Kettlesing Felliscliffe Primary School and Beckwithshaw Primary School will both open at 10am this morning.

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

7.25am – Traffic moving normally in Harrogate

Traffic around Harrogate Town Centre is running normally at the moment.

Gritters have been down York Place and West Park this morning to clear the roads. However, traffic is expected to pick up in the next hour.

7.20am – Is your school affected by the snow?

If your school is affected by this morning’s adverse weather, get in touch and let us know.

You can email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk or on Facebook and Twitter.

7.12am: Weather warning in place until 10am

The @metoffice has issued a yellow #weather warning for #ice from 8pm tonight until 10am tomorrow.

Forecasters say #snow & hail showers could lead to icy surfaces, with possible travel disruption.

Take extra care if out and about.

More: https://t.co/nyJZTWA2Gn pic.twitter.com/s1roUeqCrO

— North Yorkshire Council (@northyorksc) March 30, 2022

7.03am: Harrogate covered in snow

https://twitter.com/MrsReedGeo/status/1509405530086948865

6.50am: Harrogate district wakes to blanket of snow.

Here’s the scene on Ripon Road in Killinghall. Send your updates to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Plans have been lodged to convert a neglected outbuilding at a Minskip pub into a microbrewery.

The owners of The Wild Swan on Main Street in the village, near Boroughbridge, have lodged the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council.

It would see a building on the site converted into a microbrewery and function room, which would include a food preparation area and toilet.

Documents submitted to the council say the conversion of the outbuilding would help to provide “much needed flexibility” for the pub.

It added that the proposal would lead to “significant investment” in the building. which is deteriorating and has been “seriously neglected”.

The document said:

“The outbuilding has been seriously neglected and is in need of significant investment to rescue it from further, irreversible, deterioration.

“The building will convert efficiently to provide the proposed accommodation requiring only limited alterations, thus removing any risk of changing the character and appearance of the area.”

Read more:

• New owners unveil Minskip pub’s fresh look
• Conversion of former Harrogate Arms moves step closer

The move to refurbish the building comes after three friends from Harrogate and York clubbed together to buy The Wild Swan in Minskip last summer.

After running the pub for a few months they closed it in January for a refurbishment and reopened to customers the following month.

The outbuilding at The Wild Swan at Minskip.

Owners Stephen Lennox, Alex Bond and Alastair Benham unveiled a new and improved pub and told the Stray Ferret earlier this year that a microbrewery was on the cards as part of the refurbishment.

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

Harrogate district residents are being invited to take part in interactive virtual meetings to learn more about the new North Yorkshire Council.

The new council will start operating in April next year, as part of the largest local government reorganisation since 1974.

The shake-up will see the demise of eight local authorities, including Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. All the services they provide will transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year.

The first locality roadshow is designed for people living in the Ripon and Skipton parliamentary constituency, It will be held next Monday (April 4).

Those living in the Selby and Ainsty constituency are invited to a meeting on April 6 and the virtual meeting for the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will take place on April 12.

Volunteers are being urged to come forward to help run Boroughbridge Community Larder — a new initiative in which surplus food is given away for free.

The community initiative, set up by Boroughbridge Lions and Boroughbridge Community Care, will stock surplus food from local shops, households and allotments which is then available for people to take home for free, regardless of means.

The main aim of the set-up is to reduce food waste.

The larder will be open on a Wednesday afternoon but organisers say more volunteers are needed to offer their time before it can open.

After an appeal on the Stray Ferret last October, Boroughbridge Methodist Church offered one of its church rooms for use. The room will have shelving for vegetables and dried goods, a fridge and two freezers.

Lions member Sue Johnson said:

“People can drop off any surplus food they have as long as it is within the best before and use by dates. For example, allotment owners might have a glut of courgettes in the summer, likewise people who have fruit trees might have lots left over which we would be more than happy to accept.

“The whole idea behind it is to stop and reduce food wastage because sending food to landfill creates methane which is bad for the climate.”

Read more:

• Medieval combat and walks mark 700th anniversary of Battle of Boroughbridge
• Sneak Peek: Boroughbridge pub reopens after six-figure refurb

Any food that isn’t taken on a Wednesday afternoon will either be frozen, given to farmers for animal feed or, once organised, given to schools for breakfast clubs.

The community larder project is being run in partnership with Hubbub which runs 200 similar schemes across the UK. It has also received £1,000 from North Yorkshire County Council.

Ms Johnson added most of the food will be coming from Morrisons at first but she hopes local coffee shops and bakers in Boroughbridge get involved.

Ms Johnson has asked anyone who can help to email bbrlions@hotmail.com.

No pacts are expected to be made between opposition parties in the Harrogate district ahead of the May local elections.

Voters will head to the polls in just under six weeks time to elect councillors to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party said it had reached out to both the Liberal Democrats and Labour to discuss a deal to unseat the Conservatives.

However, the Stray Ferret understands that no agreement has been made and that the Lib Dems and Labour are expected to field a candidate in every ward.

Shan Oakes, of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party, said the party had invited opposition groups to come up with a deal.

She said:

“We have invited Labour and the Lib Dems to talk to us.

“Between us, we hope we can get somewhere.”

(Left) Chris Watt, acting chair of Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party and Shan Oakes, Harrogate and Knaresborough Green Party.

It follows the Green Party and Liberal Democrats striking a deal in July 2021 when the Greens stood down a candidate and called on supporters to vote for the Lib Dems in the Knaresbroough Scriven Park by-election.

‘We do not agree to any deals’

However, Chris Watt, acting chair of the Harrogate and Knaresborough Labour Party, said the party will be standing a candidate in every ward on May 5.

He said:

“We do not agree to any deals.

“We will be putting forward our case on the doorstep.”

Mr Watt added that the party will be campaigning on housing, public transport and working with police to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Some of the new North Yorkshire Council ward boundaries in Harrogate and Knaresborough. Picture: NYCC.

Meanwhile, Philip Broadbank, who currently represents the Liberal Democrats on both Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, said it was up to individual candidates to make their case.

He said:

“All we can do is get around as much as we can and get the issues raised.

“We have all got to get out there and press our case.”

The Lib Dems are also expected to field a candidate in every seat with a campaign focus on housing, green policies and transport.

Conservatives hoping to hold onto power

Meanwhile, local Conservatives are hoping to increase their share of councillors at the upcoming elections.

Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservatives currently hold power on Harrogate Borough Council with 28 seats and hold 14 on North Yorkshire County Council – which is also in overall Tory control.

Read more:

• Ed Balls discusses politics and stammering during Harrogate school visit
• New North Yorkshire Council chief executive planned for autumn
• Speculation mounts over Harrogate independent candidates after website set up

Nick Brown, who is a Conservative councillor on the borough council representing Bishop Monkton, said the party was confident ahead of polling day.

“We are very positive and well prepared

“On the doorstep we’ve been explaining what the new authority is going to be about. It is going to be more efficient and it is going to save money.”

Local Conservatives have agreed their list of candidates, which will be published along with other parties on April 6.

Register to vote deadline

A total of 13 councillors will be elected in Harrogate and Knaresborough to the new authority, with an average of 6,194 people to each representative. A further seven will be elected across Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Masham and Boroughbridge.

Those wishing to vote in the upcoming election have until April 14 to register to vote. You can register here.

Meanwhile, events will be held online for residents across Harrogate and Knaresborough to learn more about the upcoming unitary council.

People will be given the opportunity to ask a panel of senior council officials about the changes and what it means for them.

Wallace Sampson, chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, and Neil Irving, from North Yorkshire County Council, will appear on the panel at the event on April 12. You can find more information on how to attend here.

A battle trail is being created in Boroughbridge, telling the story of the town’s turbulent past.

Several thousand soldiers converged on the town on March 16, 1322, when King Edward II’s troops defeated an uprising led by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.

Boroughbridge recently celebrated the 700th anniversary of the battle with a day of activities, including battlefield tours and re-enactments.

Now there are plans to create a trail that will enable visitors to discover for themselves all about the conflict.

Boroughbridge and District Historical Society and The Battlefields Trust have been collaborating on the initiative since 2019.

The project received £15,000 from the developer Miller Homes, in part-mitigation for being allowed to develop on land adjacent to the battlefield site.

Read more:

• Medieval combat and walks mark 700th anniversary of Battle of Boroughbridge
• Former pub near Boroughbridge to be converted into flats

The history society asked if the trust could produce five information boards.

Chris Rock, the trust’s Yorkshire regional chair, subsequently designed the boards and Louise Whittaker, a trustee, wrote the text.

One of the five information boards.

The boards were then discussed and proof-checked by the historical society, and mock-up boards were shown during the 700th anniversary celebrations.

The organisations are now awaiting planning permission from Harrogate Borough Council to install the boards.

They are due to be erected on either side of the bridge, near Milby Lock, at the Aldborough Road entrance to the footpath leading down to the south bank of the river, and in St James’s Square.

Ms Whittaker said:

“They are intended to be standalone boards as well as forming part of a battlefield trail, and so include the same information at both ends of the board, with a central section specific to the area where it is located.

“Chris and I have also produced a battlefield trail leaflet to accompany the boards, and this will be launched at the same time as they are unveiled.”

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire at a pub in Knaresborough last night.

According to North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, the incident took place at 9.47pm at a pub on Thistle Hill in the town.

The only pub with an address on that street is The Cricketers, which is in the Calcutt area of Knaresborough.

The incident log says:

“Crews from Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and an aerial ladder platform from Harrogate responded to reports of a fire to a public house.

“On arrival this was a fire confined to the chimney hearth. Crews extinguished the fire in the hearth and inspected the rest of the building for hotspots.”

Read more: 

• Mountain rescuers summoned after hiker injured in Nidderdale
• Firefighters battle large wildfire near Brimham Rocks

Boroughbridge is one of three towns in North Yorkshire to benefit from the latest phase of the roll-out of free public Wi-Fi.

North Yorkshire County Council is working in partnership with Harrogate telecommunications company NYnet to roll out the scheme in 20 market towns across the county to support recovery and growth.

The final town to benefit will be Harrogate later this month.

Free public access Wi-Fi means people with limited or no broadband can connect to the internet more easily.

Boroughbridge, Settle and Sherburn in Elmet are the latest to be switched on.

Boroughbridge and District Chamber of Trade said in a statement:

“The coverage runs from the Post Office, along Fishergate, up the High Street and to the St James Square area.

“It should be good for business, adding to the town’s appeal and helping us present a modern image to our residents and visitors.”

Boroughbridge

Robert Ling, assistant director for technology and change at the council, said:

“We know that the offer of free Wi-Fi in public spaces is drawing people into our town centres to both work and visit.

“Anybody visiting these three towns will now benefit from savings to their mobile data plans by accessing the internet for free with no time restrictions.

“We are nearing the end of the scheme, which represents the latest investment to improve North Yorkshire’s digital infrastructure.”

Read more:

• Medieval combat and walks mark 700th anniversary of Battle of Boroughbridge
• Sneak Peek: Boroughbridge pub reopens after six-figure refurb

York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership awarded £3.6m for the initiative as part of its allocation from the government’s £900m Getting Building Fund, which boosts infrastructure in areas facing the biggest challenges caused by the pandemic.

David Dickson, chair of York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s infrastructure and joint assets board, said:

“This whole programme of work to improve digital infrastructure in North Yorkshire is really important for the region. It will support York and North Yorkshire in becoming a greener, fairer and stronger economy.”

The towns included in the scheme are: Northallerton, Leyburn, Scarborough, Ripon, Skipton, Malton, Richmond, Whitby, Selby, Stokesley, Pickering, Knaresborough, Tadcaster, Catterick, Thirsk, Easingwold, Boroughbridge, Settle, Sherburn in Elmet and Harrogate.

Harrogate will be the final one to be switched on.

The historic Ripon Canal will be featured on BBC Four this evening when Robbie Cumming completes the last leg of a 170-mile journey aboard his boat, Naughty Lass.

On Monday, viewers of Canal Boat Diaries saw the YouTube vlogger and TV presenter set off from Wigan in the first episode of the new series.

In tonight’s final episode, which starts at 730pm, he takes in the sights along the route from Knottingley to the Ripon Canal basin at the outer reaches of the English inland waterways network.

The water-borne journey, via a navigable section of the River Ouse, also features Boroughbridge Canal

Almost 250 years of history

At the time of its opening in 1773, Ripon boasted the most northerly canal basin in England at the city end of its 2.5 mile stretch.

But that claim to fame came to an end in 2002, with the opening of the Ribble Link section of the Lancaster Canal.

Just 71 years after its opening, Ripon Canal became virtually redundant overnight with the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1841.

Ripon provides the final entry in Robbie Cumming’s Canal Boat Diaries. Picture BBC

Barges could not compete with the new rapid delivery service for coal and other goods and with the loss of trade, the canal’s fate as a commercial enterprise was sealed.

The railways that caused the canal’s demise soon became its owner, as the waterway was purchased by the Leeds and Thirsk Railway in 1844, which subsequently become part of the North Eastern Railway in 1855.

Decades of dereliction followed and at one stage Ripon City Council mooted the idea of filling in the canal to create an extension for the Dallamires Lane Industrial estate.

Prior to this suggestion, the British Transport Commission had obtained Royal Assent for the abandonment of the Ripon Canal in 1956.

Calls for the canal’s regeneration

However, growing calls to regenerate the canal to realise its potential as a  leisure and tourist asset for local residents and visitors proved successful, gaining momentum through the formation of the Ripon Canal Society.

Read more:

• More remediation costs ahead for Ripon Leisure Centre
• Wheelchair lift installed at Ripon Arts Hub

It reopened for navigation as far as Littlethorpe Road Bridge in 1986 and was officially reopened right into the centre of Ripon in September 1996, with the assistance of the society and local authorities and with funding from English Partnerships.

Further improvements have been brought about through a programme of work carried out by Ripon Motor Boat Club, which has its marina and clubhouse on a section of the canal near Littlethorpe.

The waterway is now managed by the Canal and River Trust, which is the charity that succeeded British Waterways. It was awarded a Green Flag for its water quality in July 2018 and the improvements have brought more wildlife to its banks. Otters are regularly spotted hunting for fish.

Previous episodes of Canal Boat Diaries can be seen on BBC iPlayer.