11: Why the Stray Ferret called for a fair deal at the hospital car parkFare dodging falls on Northern trains after fines increase fivefold

Rail operator Northern has issued 10% fewer penalty fares in the first month since the government increased the fine to £100.

The government raised the penalty fare from £20 to £100 on January 23 amid concerns the figure was too low and was no longer an effective deterrent to fare evaders.

In the month since then Northern, which runs services passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough, has issued penalty fares to 3,831 people caught travelling without a valid ticket or ‘promise to pay’ notice, compared to 4,261 in the same period last year.

Northern, which provides 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations in northern England, revealed adult passengers accounted for 81% of the penalty fares issued, with under 18s making up the remaining 19%.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said:

“A sudden 10% reduction in the number of penalty fares being issued would suggest the increase to £100 has been effective in terms of a deterrent. Of course, this is only the first month – but it is definitely a step in the right direction.

“Upwards of 95% of our customers do the right thing and buy a ticket before they travel – and having invested in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the country, Northern has made it easier than ever to buy a ticket via our app, website or one of more than 600 ticket machines across the network. There really is no excuse.”

Industry body, the Rail Delivery Group estimates that every year around £240 million is lost through fare evasion on British railways.

The £100 penalty fare forms part of The Railways (Penalty Fares) (Amendment) Regulations 2022. Penalty fares are reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.

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Harrogate council fines landlords more than £100,000 over safety issues

Harrogate Borough Council revealed today that it has fined seven landlords a total of £109,000 since 2018 for failing to comply with private sector housing requirements.

The council said in a press release it most recently took action against landlord Mr Jamshid Jalali-Ghazaani, who failed to comply with an improvement notice on his property on the High Street in Starbeck.

According to the release, the council found several hazards including excess cold, structural issues and kitchen safety issues. He was fined £25,000.

Mr Jalali-Ghazaani appealed the penalty in September but a property tribunal dismissed it.

The council said it had successfully defended every appeal made by private landlords, including a fine of £15,000 for Stephen Archer’s Providence Terrace property, a fine of £13,500 for Andrew Norman’s Dragon Road property and Kingspark Limited’s £15,000 fine for its property on Electric Avenue.

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In addition, the council has also issued financial penalties totalling £40,589 against landlords of other properties did not appeal the penalty.

The release was published days after the council was criticised by residents for not taking firmer action against to prevent trouble at the privately-let 38 Mayfield Grove, Harrogate, which has been the subject of 255 police reports since 2008.

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy, environment and housing, said:

“While there are no doubt many landlords who provide excellent residential accommodation, there will sadly always be those who put the financial gain ahead of the safety of their tenants.

“This is an important reminder for landlords that as the housing authority we have the powers, and where necessary, will use them to protect tenants and residents. And hopefully encourage landlords to improve housing standards in the private rental sector.”

No coronavirus fines despite huge party on the Stray

The police did not hand out any fines when people partied on the Stray last week, it was revealed today.

The easing of lockdown combined with good weather led to large gatherings.

Despite evidence many people broke social distancing rules, North Yorkshire Police told a press briefing today it did not issue any fines.

Under current rules, people can only gather in groups of six. But this was clearly being flouted on Harrogate’s Stray last week.

Police were seen interacting with people on the Stray but did not disperse the crowds.

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Since March 29, when lockdown restrictions eased, North Yorkshire Police has handed out 11 fines. Ten were for indoor gatherings in Scarborough.

Superintendent Mike Walker, coronavirus response lead at North Yorkshire Police, told today’s press briefing of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum:

“No fines were handed out but I do have confidence in our officers and PSCOs that if fines were the proportionate response then they would have been issued.

“So outdoor gatherings are governed by the rule of six or two households. These can take place in public spaces or private gardens with social distancing rules in place.

“There are a number of exceptions that we have to take into consideration, including that two households may comfortably exceed six people and that linked households for care and support only count as one household.

“Clearly the continued ‘four Es’ approach is vital to help our officers and PSCOs determine whether there has been a breach in the regulations.

“But my message to the public as the weather gets better as we saw on the Stray that day, people either plan or spontaneously go to public outdoor spaces.

“If you do go to public outdoor spaces you need to make your assessment when you get there as to whether it is safe for you and your family to be there. So that’s the expectation as that is common sense.”

People gathering on the Stray last week.

Police officers engaged with those breaking social distancing rules on the Stray but were unable to disperse the crowds.

Some residents were left with a sense of deja vu, as the heavily littered scene was almost an exact replica of what happened on the Stray on various occasions last summer.

Harrogate man speeding at 126mph was also breaking lockdown rules

A Harrogate man broke lockdown and speeding rules when he was caught driving at 126 miles an hour on the way to Scarborough.

North Yorkshire Police said today the man had picked up a woman from York and they were on their way to Scarborough when they were caught near Stainton.

When questioned by officers they explained that they “just wanted to go for a drive”, which was not considered to be a reasonable excuse for being outside during lockdown.

Sergeant Daniel Thompson, of Scarborough’s neighbourhood policing team, said at a North Yorkshire coronavirus press briefing today:

“One of the safety cameras on the A64 sighted a vehicle travelling at 126mph. I managed to stop that vehicle as it approached Stainton.

“There were two people in the vehicle. A man who travelled from Harrogate who picked up the woman from York. They were travelling from York to Scarborough for a drive.

“That was the only purpose. They were from two different households and travelled significant distance. The speeding was putting themselves and others at risk.

“Just going for a drive was not a reasonable excuse. We tell these people to just do their bit and as the police we will continue to do our bit.”

Police and public health leaders are increasingly concerned about the number of people breaking lockdown rules as the weather improves.

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North Yorkshire Police said today it has handed out 255 lockdown fines in the last seven days, which is a 33% increase on last week.

Superintendent Mike Walker, North Yorkshire Police’s lead on the coronavirus response, said:

“We are starting to see a concerning trend. Over the last few weeks we have reported increasing numbers of fines that the police are handing out.

“There has been a significant upturn in the numbers. We handed out 255 fines in the last week, with 169 in the last weekend alone.

“We believe the figures are influenced by the good weather but officers are reporting that there has been a change of behaviour since the government released its roadmap.”

More lockdown fines issued in North Yorkshire than anywhere else in England

More fines were issued for breaching coronavirus regulations by North Yorkshire Police than by any other force in England.

With 1,082 fines issued from the start of lockdown until Monday, June 8, the force handed out 19 more fines than the Metropolitan Police.

West Yorkshire Police issued 826 fines in the same period, South Yorkshire gave 377, and Lincolnshire 231.

The North Yorkshire force said more than half of its fines were issued to visitors to the county. Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker said:

“The police’s overarching aim in the response to Covid-19 has been to keep people safe, to protect the NHS and save lives. We took that responsibility seriously.

“Although we planned for the worst case scenario, we have seen a much lower than expected absence rate among our officers and staff, enabling us to provide increased patrols in our communities.

“We are thankful that out of thousands of interactions with the public, we rarely had to enforce the regulations. The vast majority of people understood and supported the role of the police in this public health emergency and we are grateful for all of the support and positive engagement we have had from members of the public.

“There was a minority who didn’t understand or believed the rules did not apply to them. And where people have not responded to our engagement approach, when we have explained the regulations and encouraged them to follow them, but they have still refused, we have resorted to enforcement – as the public would expect us to.”

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Mr Walker said the attractions of North Yorkshire had drawn people to the county even when regulations told them not to travel, resulting in the large number of fines and the high percentage issued to people from outside the area.

He said the fines issued have been scrutinised by the criminal records office and by a panel led by North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), Julia Mulligan. She said:

“I want to place on record my thanks to the officers and staff who have worked so hard to protect us, and thank the majority across North Yorkshire who have followed the law and stayed at home as much as possible.

“We may be over the peak, but this crisis is not over and as we move towards having to take more personal responsibility as we stay alert to the threat of the virus, I encourage everyone to continue to follow the restrictions and guidelines.”