Vandals leave Harrogate hospital facing large flood repair bill
Harrogate District Hospital has been left with a repair bill after vandals caused thousands of pounds’ worth of flood damage.
The perpetrators pulled away panelling behind a men’s toilet sink and ripped pipework off the wall, causing significant flooding to the antenatal department, the ground-floor corridor in the Strayside wing and several offices.
The attack was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, December 27.
As a result, there was damage to equipment stored in the area and flooring in the departments needs to be replaced.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust estimates the clean-up and repair operation – which includes hiring equipment to dry the areas out – will cost £4,000-£6,000, which it said “could be used for patient care rather than repairing damage caused by vandals”.
A spokesperson for the trust said:
“Such anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and whilst the safety of the patients in our care was unaffected, it did cause additional work for our staff when they should be focused on patient care. Repairs also have a financial implication for our trust.
“The people responsible were recorded on a CCTV camera within our hospital and the incident was reported to the police.”
Hosepipe ban to remain despite heavy rain across Harrogate district
The hosepipe ban across the Harrogate district will remain in place despite today’s heavy rainfall.
Yorkshire Water confirmed it will keep the ban in order to help refill its reservoirs ready for dry weather in spring and summer next year.
A spokesperson for the company said:
“Although we have had some rainfall recently, reservoir levels are still significantly below where we would expect for this time of year and are only around half full.
“Winter is the best chance our reservoirs have to refill and be ready for the warmer and drier months in spring and summer next year.
“We’re grateful to our customers who have been saving water where they can this summer, it’s important that we all continue to do so over winter too. Our teams are out 24/7 fixing leaks and moving water around the region to where it’s needed.
“The hosepipe ban is still in place to help protect the environment and give our reservoirs the best possible chance at returning to healthy levels.”
The Met Office has issued a weather warning for heavy rain across the district today and into tomorrow morning, saying there is the possibility of localised flooding.
Meanwhile, extensive surface water has appeared on the Stray in Harrogate and there are reports of small patches of flooding on roads across the district.
One hardy resident was out this morning trying to clear leaves from blocked drains on Leadhall Lane, in an attempt to clear the flooded road between the junctions of Leadhall Road and By-ways.
Spotted a problem caused by the weather? Email us the details to let others know.
Heavy rain floods some Harrogate district roads
Heavy rain has led to flooding on some Harrogate district roads today
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms this morning and warned some roads could be flooded.
It proved accurate as drivers across the district, which is still under drought, struggled in many of the usual highway trouble spots for flooding.
Pic: Lynne Hardcastle
Church Lane in Hampsthwaite, pictured here, remained open despite treacherous conditions.
Pot Bridge, where there is a sharp double bend, on the B6161 was also difficult due to the conditions.
The weather warning ended at 1pm but driving conditions are expected to remain difficult this afternoon due to spray and standing water.
Flood fears halt 61-bed Knaresborough retirement home
Developers behind plans for a Knaresborough retirement home have been told to make the building smaller and move it further away from the River Nidd.
Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee today deferred a decision on the proposals for 61 extra care apartments near Grimbald Bridge after continued concerns were raised over flooding and the impact on local health services.
The developers, Adlington Retirement Living, also said there is “no record” of the site flooding and have agreed to pay £40,000 to help fund expansions at GP surgeries in the area.
However, local people claim the River Nidd has overflowed at the site as recently as February.
Resident Steve Benn told a meeting today:
“Although pictures on the planning portal show the land dry, the debris on the bank indicates that the site has recently flooded.”
Mr Benn also claimed there are photos of the site flooded, but council officers said they have not seen any evidence.
Kate Broadbank, case officer at the council, said:
“We haven’t received any verified information that contradicts the applicant’s information which states the river did not overtop its banks on the site in either historic events or more recently in February.
“Irrespective of what has happened in the past, both the Environment Agency and the Lead Local Flood Authority are satisfied that the application provides acceptable mitigation.”
‘Overload’ health services
The Wetherby Road development was refused last year before councillors voted for a deferral in March when the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) lodged an objection.
The CCG previously said it was “extremely concerned” that another care facility in the area could “overload” local health services.
However, this objection has now been withdrawn after the £40,000 payment from the developers was agreed.
As well as this, Adlington Retirement Living have offered to pay for a new footpath connecting Grimbald Bridge as well as upgraded crossings after road safety concerns were raised by residents.
These proposals have been agreed in principle by highways officials at the county council.
‘It is too large’
Speaking at today’s meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Pat Marsh said the retirement home amounted to “overdevelopment” of the site and that it should be reduced in size “considerably”. She said:
“It is the numbers that are being asked for on this site which are problematic.
“It is too large. If they want to do it, I would like to see them cut the numbers down considerably and move that building further away from the river.”
A revised application is now expected at a later date.
Bishop Monkton residents fear 125 new homes will exacerbate flooding
Villagers in Bishop Monkton say climate change has led to increased flooding in their village over the past decade — and two housing developments, with a total of 125 new homes, will exacerbate the problem.
The group’s members are residents Kenneth Barker, Jonathan Beer, Harvey Bigg, Martin Minett, Raj Selvarajan and Bob Upton.
Both sites in the village, which is five miles south of Ripon, were allocated for development in Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan, which means they are likely to be approved in some form.
But the action group is holding out hope that they will be dismissed outright because surface water at the two sites will run off into Bishop Monkton Beck, a small river that runs through the village.
Major implications
The group says freak flood events are becoming more common in the village.
One resident submitted an objection to both developments that said from 2011 to 2020 the village faced nine days of floods, which was the same as the previous 50 years combined.
A spokesperson for the action group said
“The wider cumulative impacts of these developments will have major implications to the village in our view.”
A flood risk assessment submitted on behalf of Alfa Homes says surface water from the development will be discharged into Bishop Monkton Beck, which the Environment Agency classes as a river.
The developer said it has factored in a 30% increase in rainfall due to climate change but the risk of flooding would remain low.
A flood assessment submitted on behalf of the smaller Kebbel Developments scheme said surface water run-off into the river “will not increase flood risk elsewhere.”
That scheme will store water in a tank before it is discharged into the river.
However, members of the action group fear the two schemes, as well as a plan to increase the number of caravans on a local holiday site, could make flood events like those seen in 2015 and 2020 worse.
The two applications have almost 300 objections between them, with many people citing fears about flooding in the village.
North Yorkshire County Council, which is the flood authority, said HBC should refuse the application on flood grounds. It said:
“[The development] will ultimately increase the risk of flooding and exacerbate an already flood prone area; potentially further jeopardising people, property and critical infrastructure.”
Mike Mulligan, director at Kebbell Developments, sent the following response:
“The site is allocated for residential development in the adopted Harrogate Local Plan and therefore the principle of development has already been established. The comments and concerns of local residents on surface water flooding are noted and our engineers are liaising with the relevant bodies on the detailed design of the on-site attenuation and drainage scheme.
“We can confirm that the surface water drainage scheme for the development will meet all the necessary requirements. The key principle of the scheme is to ensure that the surface water is attenuated on the site in a large storage tank before being slowly discharged into the Beck at an agreed discharge rate.”
Afla Homes did not send a response at the time of publication
Call for urgent remedy to Ripon residents’ flooding issue
Ripon City Council is calling for urgent action and a detailed investigation led by the Environment Agency after Storm Franklin brought unprecedented flooding to Hillshaw Park Way last month.
The owners of 11 affected properties, who are still dealing with insurance claims, a clean up operation and months of misery and disruption ahead, are seeking answers about the causes of the flood amid concerns that the drainage infrastructure serving their area is not fit for purpose.
Residents were invited to an extraordinary meeting of the council called by Mayor and ward councillor Eamon Parkin and fellow ward councillor Sid Hawke.
Irwin Blenkiron and his neighbour Andrew Jarvis spoke on behalf of all residents to highlight their concerns and seek remedial action to ensure that a similar incident does not occur in the future.
Irwin Blenkiron (front, centre) and Andrew Jarvis (checked shirt) spoke on behalf of residents of Hillshaw Park Way at the extraordinary meeting.
Mr Blenkiron, an 80-year-old retired civil servant, told the meeting about an urgent pre-dawn phone call he received from a neighbour on February 21, warning that flood water was rapidly rising in the street in front of his home.
With the need for him and his wife Carol to evacuate their bungalow growing by the minute, cars were moved from the drive to higher ground and friends unaffected by the flood who live further down the street, welcomed them into their warm and dry home.
After the council meeting, Mr Blenkiron told the Stray Ferret:
“My wife and I have lived in the street since 1985 and we have never experienced anything like this before.”
Linda Beck, who has lived in the Hillshaw Park Way for 14 years, has written on behalf of affected residents to Yorkshire Water, expressing doubts about the pumping station and associated drainage infrastructure serving the area.
Yorkshire Water’s pumping station, which serves Hillshaw Park Way and Priest Lane.
She and neighbours believe it is no longer able to cope with increased capacity of water caused by more frequent stormy weather. exacerbated by run-off water from developments, including the nearby St Michael’s Retail Park at Rotary Way and the adjacent Cathedral Meadows residential development.
Linda Beck had to throw away items from her garage after they were saturated by flood water.
Her letter was sent to the developers, along with North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, and Ripon’s MP Julian Smith.
The pressure of water, caused by the February 21 flood, blew the cover off one of a series of storm drains located on land to the rear of Mr and Mrs Blenkiron’s home.
Ms Beck, whose garage, drive and back garden were flooded, said:
“I haven’t suffered the same degree of damage that other neighbours have experienced, but it’s a mess, massive inconvenience and I could have done without this.
“We certainly don’t want to have to put up with this again and it is clear to us that action is required.”
Andrew Jarvis, like other neighbours, is facing months of misery ahead as he waits for his home to dry out.
Those views are shared by Mr Jarvis, who who has lived in Hillshaw Park Way for 30 years. He pointed out:
“We need the causes of the February flood to be sorted out before the next storm arrives.
“The flood waters were totally unexpected and rose so quickly that there was no way of keeping them out of my house and garage.
“Now, along with Mr and Mrs Blenkirion, Linda and other neighbours on the street, I’m having to deal with the clean-up operation, with dehumidifiers around my home on virtually all the time making it hard to sleep.
“I even had to find a temporary home for my tropical fish, because it’s not suitable to have the aquarium here in these conditions.”
Yorkshire Water’s response
In response to the the letter sent by Ms Beck, Anthony Sumner, Yorkshire Water operational complaints champion, said that the flooding in Hillshaw Park Way occurred after the River Ure burst its banks and “the main surface water line out of Ripon had nowhere to go”.
Mr Sumner added:
“We were called to the sewerage pumping station as we had a report from a customer who thought the flooding was as a result of our asset failing.
“We met with a customer and showed that the sewerage pumping station was pumping as normal (by lifting both pumps and checked (sic) the rising main discharge point) .The issue as far as the pumping station was concerned was that it was taking on flood water and surface water (and) as such therefore couldn’t cope.
“There has never been any question for needing to increase capacity at this pumping station under normal conditions.
“Regarding increasing the size of the pumps, when the system was designed it was determined that the size of the pumps would meet the needs of the area, as has been shown under normal circumstances our pumps meet the requirements they were designed for.
“We would not look to increase the size or capacity at this time. Increasing the capacity of the pumps would detriment (sic) residents and communities further down the system especially during exceptional rainfall and severe storms similar to the ones we have recently experienced.”
“The problem with this response is that weather events like Storm Franklin and before that Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, are becoming the norm and are occurring more frequently.
“Once you add in the additional waste and drainage water generated by new housing and other developments in Ripon, it is clear that capacities are going to be stretched on a more regular basis.
“That is why we want the Environment Agency, as the rivers authority, to head the investigation into what happened at Hillshaw Park Way in February, so that urgent improvements can can be made.
Knaresborough charity shop forced to close after fifth flood
A Knaresborough business owner has made made the “devastating” decision to close her charity shop after it flooded for the fifth time in five years.
Rachel Wills runs the Watermill Cafe at The Lido leisure park in Knaresborough.
When her niece Bella was diagnosed with leukaemia, Ms Wills wanted to support the hospital caring for her so she decided to open a charity shop within the premises.
It began as a book table in the corner of the cafe but as more people heard Bella’s story, a bigger space was needed for donations so Ms Wills converted the ground floor cellar and opened a ‘bring and buy’ shop.
Since opening three years ago, the venture and annual summer BBQs have raised more than £10,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
But the cafe stands on the banks of the River Nidd, making it a frequent victim of flooding. Now, after last month’s storms, Ms Wills has decided she can’t keep rebuilding the shop.
The high waters during a night of flooding and then a few days later.
Each time it floods she and her partner have to rebuild the shelves and put a call-out for more donations.
Last month’s floods forced the cafe owner to throw away three-and-a-half tips of donations and food stock and pump out more than 500 litres of water.
She said:
“I was watching the waters rise on the CCTV. I could see things dropping into the water. I just knew I couldn’t go through this again, every time it happens it’s harder to build back again.
“If I keep it on and we get flooded again I’m back to square one. It’s an awful decision to make but I will keep holding events to support the hospital but keeping the shop open is just really hard when it floods so regularly.”
Bella was diagnosed cancer-free in March 2020. Nevertheless, Ms Wills wants to continue finding ways to donate to the hospital.
Each year, she holds a summer barbecue outside the cafe on the river banks, with live music and games, which raises around £1,000 — this will continue.
Bilton and Woodfield Community Library closed due to flooding
A burst pipe in the nearby children’s centre caused water to enter the library (pictured above). Volunteers that operate the library noticed the problem when they arrived this morning.
Contractors are already on site to assess the damage and work to clean up the leak could start as soon as tomorrow.
However, the library will be closed for two weeks while work is carried out.
People who were due to return library books during the closure will not face fines.
Harrogate district volunteers wanted to fill sandbags for floods
A team of volunteers hopes to fill more than a thousand sandbags in Harrogate tomorrow.
Harrogate Borough Council keeps a stockpile of around 3,000 sandbags to support communities across the Harrogate district when they’re threatened with flooding.
The recent floods have depleted its stock so the council wants to prepare for future floods by filling up sandbags from 7am at its depot on Claro Road in Harrogate.
During floods in Pateley Bridge in February, some residents reported difficulties in getting hold of sandbags to help protect their properties.
Volunteers will come from Ready for Anything, which is a database of North Yorkshire County Council volunteers that are called upon in times of emergency.
If you are interested in coming along contact Harrogate Borough Council’s emergency planning officer Ash Demaline at ash.demaline@harrogate.gov.uk
Drainage concerns at Goldsborough housing site following Storm Franklin
Residents in Goldsborough have raised concerns over drainage on land earmarked for 36 homes following Storm Franklin.
Heavy rainfall last week caused puddles to appear on a site off Station Road in the village (pictured above), which is a mile from Knaresborough. This has renewed concerns from residents of water run off into nearby properties.
However, residents say they are concerned that the surface water may affect nearby homes and that they have repeatedly warned Stonebridge Homes, the developer, and the council over flood risk.
Noel Evans, who lives next to the site, said:
“Residents have frequently over the past four years stated that the change of this field from agricultural land, where there has been recorded flooding problems, will be immensely worse once the site is filled with hard surfaces such as roofs, pathways and roadways.”
In a letter to the council, local resident Beverley Jackson added:
“These heavy rainfall events now occur every year so we cannot treat them as occasional hazards.”
Since the heavy rainfall last week, multiple residents have submitted comments via the council’s planning portal about their concerns.
The developer lodged a drainage plan as part of its proposal, but is still awaiting approval as part of its conditions with the council.
Mr Evans said the plan would need to be “superlative” in order to reduce the risk of flooding.
New sewer system
The Stray Ferret asked both Stonebridge Homes and its parent company, Henry Boot Ltd, for comment on the concerns raised by residents at the Goldsborough site, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
However, in a letter to the council in January this year addressing public comments on drainage, Katie Purdam, senior planner at Stonebridge Homes, said drainage at the site would “not contribute to the flood risk noted by residents”.
She said:
“We have carried out the detailed technical analysis and soakaway tests to the required standards by an independent consultant, which has shown that we can provide sufficient permeability rates and therefore the development can be accommodated.
“The cause of the historic flooding noted by residents is likely the old-style sewage system which runs through the gardens on the west and east sides of Station Road, which may be poorly maintained.
“We will be providing a new sewer system, which will bypass the existing unadopted sewer system in the gardens of properties either side of Station Road. Our new foul sewer will be laid down the site access, north along Station Road and then east to connect directly into the adopted sewer at Princess Mead.
“The drainage from our site will therefore not contribute to the flood risk noted by residents.”
