Bentley on the Stray reignites parking debate

A Bentley that was casually parked on the Stray today has reignited the fierce debate about cars not following the rules when it comes to the 200-acre parkland.

The luxury vehicle was spotted parked on the grass, and on double yellow lines, this afternoon on Willaston Road, which is off Knaresborough Road and close to Harrogate District Hospital.

Parking on the Stray has been a long-running problem for Harrogate Borough Council. Last year it erected signs that said motorists parking illegally risk a £100 fixed penalty notice or being towed away.

A Twitter user claimed the chrome Bentley had been there for three days, which prompted the council to immediately despatch a member of its parking team to the stricken vehicle.

Less than an hour later, the car was spotted by a Stray Ferret reporter driving down Parliament Street.

It is not known whether the owner received a fixed penalty notice.

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Teens left in tears by Northern train guard’s ‘heavy-handed’ fine

The parents of three teenagers left “in tears” after being issued with a fine on a train journey have criticised the guard’s “heavy-handed” approach.

Freddie Fulford, 15, and his friends Evie and Oscar Bartle were travelling from Cattal to York on Saturday, June 3.

It was the first time the three had gone into York together and Freddie’s dad, Tony, said they were looking forward to a day out on their own.

“They jumped on the train with no tickets because it was in the station when they arrived.

“There is a ticket machine at the station, but they didn’t know you couldn’t pay on the train.”

Cattal Station

Once the guard realised the teens didn’t have tickets, he issued them with fines of £20 each. The teenagers said they were told in an “intimidating and frightening” way that the maximum penalty was three months in prison.

Upset by the fine and the threat of a criminal record, the teens called their parents from York station in tears.

Mr Fulford, who lives in Harrogate, said:

“They could have paid there and then or the guards could have said ‘buy at ticket on the app and we’ll come back in a minute’. It was just so heavy-handed.

“The obvious answer would have been to let them buy the tickets on the train and explain what they should do for next time.”

He said both families have submitted complaints and appealed against the fines. They had heard from other parents whose children had been fined for similar situations and had successfully appealed.

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Both sets of parents are in a position to pay the fines, he said, but he was concerned about other families who were not. He added:

“The main point is to stop it happening again.”

The Stray Ferret contacted Northern for a response to Mr Fulford’s concerns about their handling of the situation.

In response, Tony Baxter, regional director for Northern, said:

“Customers have a duty to buy a ticket for travel before they board a train.

“They can do so in advance via our app and website or, if they wish to purchase at an un-staffed station, they can do so from one of the more than 600 ticket machines we have installed across the network – one of which is at Cattal station.

“Customers should arrive at the station in time to purchase their ticket before they travel. Anyone issued with a penalty fare has the right to appeal the decision to an independent appeal service.”

Harrogate district MPs silent on Boris Johnson’s future

The three Conservative MPs whose constituencies include the Harrogate district have remained silent so far on whether Boris Johnson should resign.

Number 10 said today that the Prime Minister and his wife Carrie, plus Chancellor Rishi Sunak, had been notified by the Metropolitan Police that they would be given fixed penalty notices.

The Met, which is investigating alleged covid law-breaking at 12 Whitehall and Downing Street gatherings, has issued more than 50 fines.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today led calls for Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak to resign.

Harrogate district MPs (from left) Nigel Adams, Andrew Jones and Julian Smith.

The Stray Ferret reported in January that Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, had said in a letter to a constituent:

“I followed coronavirus restrictions. I take the maxim ‘lawmakers can’t be lawbreakers’ seriously.”

Mr Jones added:

“In respect of the investigation announced by the Prime Minister in December, if this finds wrongdoing, and the police find that these actions were criminal, then consequences must flow from that.”

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The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Jones today asking for his views on today’s fixed penalty notice and whether he felt Mr Johnson should resign.

We also contacted Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, and Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, to ask whether they felt Mr Johnson should resign.

At the time of publication, none had replied.

Police issue £1,000 fine for illegal New Year’s Eve party at Harrogate hotel

North Yorkshire Police has issued a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for a breach of coronavirus regulations at a hotel in Harrogate on New Year’s Eve.

Last week the Stray Ferret published claims that Harrogate hotelier Simon Cotton flouted covid restrictions by holding a party for himself and 10 friends at the Yorkshire Hotel on New Year’s Eve. Mr Cotton has consistently denied the allegations.

The Stray Ferret spoke to multiple sources who allege the party ate on a single table, did not observe social distancing and that speakers were brought in to play music with bar staff on hand to serve drinks into the early hours of the morning.

The party stayed in the hotel overnight and new staff were then brought in to serve the group breakfast on New Year’s Day.

Our sources say some staff were extremely unhappy at being asked to work but feared for their jobs if they refused.

North Yorkshire Police issued the following statement today:

“An investigation into an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations at a hotel in Harrogate on New Year’s Eve has now concluded. As a result, North Yorkshire Police have issued the person responsible for the venue with a fixed penalty notice of £1,000 fine.”

Government covid legislation gives police powers to issue a £1,000 fixed penalty notice for business-related breaches. This is increased to £2,000, £4,000, and £10,000 for repeat offences.

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The Stray Ferret contacted the HRH Group, which owns the Yorkshire Hotel as well as the Fat Badger and the White Hart Hotel, and Mr Cotton for a response but we had not received one by the time of publication.

Mr Cotton has continued to be active on Twitter since the Stray Ferret story broke, including a retweet that paid tribute to the NHS. He has also posted pictures of himself delivering food to customers from the Fat Badger.

Sharp increase in speeding tickets pre-lockdown

The number of speeding tickets in North Yorkshire increased significantly before lockdown due to “intensified efforts” by police.

North Yorkshire Police issued 13,424 fixed penalty notices for speeding in January and February this year, compared with 9,726 during the same months last year and 6,147 during the same months in 2018.

It means the police, who released the figures following a request made under the Freedom of Information Act, more than doubled the number of speeding tickets issued during the two-month period compared with 2018.

The number of fixed penalty notices fell from 5,836 in February to 3,624 in March when lockdown began and has remained down on last year’s comparative monthly figures. However, the roads have generally been quieter.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said it was committed to tackling speeding and had been focusing particularly on towns and villages with a 30mph limit.

The spokesman said there had been some “awful driving and motorcycling” in spring on quieter roads during lockdown and it had launched “a significant operational response to tackle this”. The spokesman added:

“North Yorkshire Police has carried out several high-profile, county-wide roads policing operations in 2020 to address speeding in communities, on main routes and other dangerous road use.

“We saw speeds of more than 60mph in 30mph zones and more than 130mph on main roads during lockdown, when roads were quieter.

“The consequences of hitting a pedestrian or another vehicle at those speeds don’t bear thinking about, which is why we intensified our efforts to target irresponsible motorists.”

‘Horrific consequences’

The spokesman said police officers saw the “horrific consequences of excessive speed” when they attended incidents. He added:

“In the last few months, our officers have had to help people crushed by mangled vehicles, pick up body parts from the carriageway and witness people in their final moments of life. Then they’ve had to break the devastating news to the families left behind.”