The A61 south of Harrogate has been closed this afternoon as police deal with a serious collision.

The road is closed between Swindon Lane near Kirkby Overblow and the A659 Otley Road near Arthington, at the bottom of Harewood Bank by the bridge over the River Wharfe.

The collision reportedly happened in the early hours of this morning and the road has been closed all day.

Neither North Yorkshire Police or West Yorkshire Police have issued any details about the incident or the closure, which is near the boundary between the two counties.

The closure is affecting public transport, with the 36 bus between Harrogate and Leeds having to divert from its stops at Walton Head Road, Rigton Lane End, Kirkby Overblow Lane End, Dunkeswick Lane End and Harewood Bridge.

The Harrogate Bus Company has issued advice to passengers, saying:

“There are no alternative stops due to the length of diversion for this route.

“Customers wanting to get to and from these stops will need to find an alternative way of travel as the bus cannot get to these stops.”

Drivers are also being diverted away from the scene, via either Otley or Wetherby.

Read more:

• Road closure continues after gas pipe problem found in Knaresborough
• Child airlifted to hospital after collision outside school near Ripon

The body of missing man Jesus Moreno lay undiscovered for more than eight months because it was just outside the 500-metre police search area.

A police search team found Mr Moreno’s body on Friday on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area.

He had been missing since August 1 last year when he got off a 36 bus from Leeds to Harrogate at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge.

The discovery of his body, close to the last sighting, came two weeks after West Yorkshire Police said it had “exhausted every possible line of enquiry”.

Asked why it had taken so long to find the body when it was so close to the last sighting, a police spokesperson said:

“Police can confirm the body of a man found in undergrowth on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area on Friday has been identified as that of missing Jesus Moreno.

“A number of searches by specialist police search teams were undertaken in the Harewood area for Mr Moreno, as part of extensive enquiries conducted into his disappearance.

“The specialist search team initially set a search area of 500 metres radius from Jesus’ last known location. This area was searched with specialist resources.

“Mr Moreno’s body was found just over 250 metres outside that boundary and hidden under thick undergrowth, as part of ongoing work undertaken according to the wider search plan.”

The statement added that enquiries into the death remain ongoing but “there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances”.

Police images of Jesus Moreno

Piglove Brewing Co, the Leeds brewery Mr Moreno co-founded, said in a statement on social media:

“It is with great sadness that the Piglove family announces that our beloved Jesus’ remains have been found near Harewood bridge, the last place he was seen on the 1st of August 2022.

“Please be thoughtful to our staff and family during this challenging time. It has been a tough eight months for the business but your support through this time has meant the world to us.

Read more:

• Police find body at Harewood in search for missing Jesus Moreno
• D-Day looms for £11.2m Harrogate Station Gateway

Police investigating the disappearance of Jesus Moreno have found the body of a male.

The body was found by a police search team yesterday afternoon on land close to the River Wharfe in the Harewood area.

West Yorkshire Police announced the discovery in a statement this afternoon. It added there were no suspicious circumstances. The statement added:

“The family of Mr Moreno have been informed of this development and enquiries are ongoing to confirm the identity of the deceased.”

Mr Moreno, 41, who worked at a Leeds brewery, was last seen more than eight months ago in August 2022.

A poster in Harrogate appealing for help

He was spotted on CCTV catching a 36 bus to Harrogate at Leeds bus station at 6.10am on Monday, August 1.

He got off the bus at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge on the A61, at 6.39am.

He was then seen on CCTV near the bridge at 8.14am.

Today’s news comes two weeks after West Yorkshire Police said it had “exhausted every possible line of enquiry” and issued a fresh appeal for help.

Police had searched the countryside and river near where Mr Moreno was last seen.

Drones were used and the family even used a psychic to try to help.

Read more:

• Police: All lines exhausted into missing man last seen on A61 near Harewood Bridge
• Search continues for missing man last seen on A61 near Harewood bridge

Officers from West Yorkshire Police have said they have “exhausted every possible line of enquiry” into missing man Jesus Moreno.

Mr Moreno, 41, who worked at a Leeds brewery, was last seen eight months ago in August 2022.

The brewer was spotted on CCTV catching a Harrogate-bound 36 bus from Leeds bus station at 6.10am on Monday, August 1.

He got off the bus at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge on the A61, at 6.39am. He was then seen on CCTV near the bridge at 8.14am.

In a fresh appeal, Detective Inspector Ryan Malyk, who has overseen the missing person investigation, said the force had explored all possible lines of enquiry into Mr Moreno’s disappearance.

He said:

“We recently met with Jesus’ family to give them a detailed overview of the work that we have been carrying out to find him since he was reported missing.

“We are acutely aware that they are continuing to go through a really difficult time while his disappearance remains unresolved.

“It is completely out of character for him to go missing like this and to remain out of contact with his family and friends for such a long period of time.

“As it stands, we have explored and exhausted every possible line of enquiry to find him, and unfortunately that has not brought us any progress beyond the last confirmed sighting of him at Harewood Bridge.

“We remain committed to finding him and would welcome any new information that could assist us.”

Read more:

• Alleged victims of fraud at Knaresborough car dealership call for more police action
• Police criticise ‘disgraceful actions’ of Harrogate officer convicted of sex assault

Mr Moreno was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, with the logo of his Piglove Brewing Co business on it, black jeans and carrying a black Vans rucksack with a chequered pattern on it.

Police said he was known to have previously visited nearby beauty spots on the River Wharfe at Netherby.

A new image of Jesus Moreno released by West Yorkshire Police.

Police search advisers oversaw a number of searches of the countryside surrounding where Mr Moreno was last seen.

Specialist marine and underwater search officers checked the surface of the River Wharfe down to Ulleskelf, North Yorkshire, and carried out underwater searches of specific locations along the waterway.

The force said detectives from Leeds District CID have conducted extensive enquiries over the time since he was reported missing, but had not yielded any new information on his whereabouts.

Anyone with information can call West Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting reference 13220422334.

Searches are continuing for missing man Jesus Moreno who disappeared more than two weeks ago after catching a bus bound for Harrogate.

The brewer was spotted on CCTV catching a 36 bus from Leeds bus station at 6.10am on Monday, August 1.

He got off the bus at Swindon Lane near Dunkeswick, just north of Harewood bridge on the A61, at 6.39am. He was then seen on CCTV near the bridge at 8.14am.

Images released by West Yorkshire Police of missing man Jesus Moreno

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police today said there have been no further sightings of him since then and officers are continuing to appeal for information from anyone who may have seen him.

The 41-year-old’s family, friends and colleagues at Piglove Brewing Co have continued to post on social media to try to trace him. Posters have also appeared around Harrogate asking people to check their CCTV and dashcam footage from the Harewood area on Monday, August 1.

In a video posted to the company’s social media accounts, they said:

“We need to ask you now not just to think if you’ve seen him, but we need you to look at your CCTV throughout the week from Monday, August 1 all the way up to today.

“If you live anywhere near the Harewood bridge, anywhere near the A61, Netherby, Weeton, East Keswick, these types of places, we’re calling out for people now.

“We’ve got to get our brother home safe.”

Last Monday, a week after his disappearance, police said they were concerned for Jesus’s welfare and were going to begin searching the areas near where he was last seen.

Anyone with information can call West Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting reference 13220422334.

Read more:

• Appeal for missing Leeds man who may be in Harrogate
• Police find missing Ripon man

A 92-year-old woman has died after being involved in a serious car crash in the Harrogate district at the weekend.

The crash happened just after 8pm on Saturday at the crossroads of Spring Road, Moor Lane and Wharf Lane in Netherby, which is near Harewood, on the fringes of the Harrogate district.

North Yorkshire Police said after the incident that the woman had sustained serious injuries and today confirmed she had died in hospital. It said:

“Sadly the 92-year-old woman who was a passenger has passed away in hospital. Her family have been informed, our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

“We are continuing to appeal for information following this collision.”

Read more:

• Roof fire causes ‘serious damage’ to old rectory near Ripon
• North Yorkshire Police among slowest in country responding to 999 calls

The collision involved a navy-coloured Jeep Cherokee and a Blue Volkswagen T-Cross.

The Jeep Cherokee was travelling down Moor Lane towards Spring Road and the Volkswagen was heading east to west on Spring Road.

Police are asking for anyone who witnessed the accident, saw the vehicles prior to the incident or have dash cam footage that may be relevant to contact them.

You can call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for 917 Jon Moss, of the major collision investigation team. Or email Jon.Moss@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220091836.

A luxury Harrogate wedding venue is transforming into a ski lodge restaurant to keep staff in work this winter.

Current covid restrictions limit weddings to a maximum of 15 guests.

This has had a huge impact on venues like Wharfedale Grange, near Harewood, which is able to seat 270 wedding guests and can cater for 165 people in its restaurant.

It hopes that by adapting the use of its barn it will be able to retain staff, especially with the furlough scheme ending this month.

Claire Thomas, managing director of Wharfedale Grange, said:

“We’ve got 18 full-time staff and 12 part-time staff so we’re effectively keeping 30 people in work by converting to a restaurant and not making them redundant.”

Described as ‘La Folie Douce meets Yorkshire’, the restaurant — called Apres Bar & Grill — will incorporate elements of ski lodge resorts.

It is due to open from November 1 to the end of March.

Read more: 

• Covid restrictions won’t stop ‘beautiful’ weddings, says Harrogate celebrant
• Harrogate couple cancel wedding for third time