Harrogate district braced for snow as Storm Darcy hits

The Harrogate District is braced for yet more snowfall this coming week as Storm Darcy hits the UK.

According to the Met Office, the district is forecast snow showers overnight into Monday morning.

A yellow weather warning for snow remains in place for tomorrow until Wednesday.

Temperatures are also expected to drop to a low of -2 degrees celsius tonight and only reach highs of one degrees tomorrow.

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It comes as the district is set to be hit by Storm Darcy, dubbed “Beast from the East 2”, which has brought heavy rainfall, snow and icy winds.

Amid the heavy snow forecast, RHS Harlow Carr has confirmed it will be closed on Monday.

Unfortunately due to a forecast of heavy snowfall, we will be closed tomorrow, Monday 8 February. If you've paid for tickets, contact harlowcarr@rhs.org.uk to arrange a refund. When we reopen, it's for exercise for visitors who live locally, following government guidelines. pic.twitter.com/MQDPWQZryZ

— RHS Harlow Carr (@RHSHarlowCarr) February 7, 2021

It said in a tweet:

“Unfortunately due to a forecast of heavy snowfall, we will be closed tomorrow, Monday 8 February. 

“If you’ve paid for tickets, contact harlowcarr@rhs.org.uk to arrange a refund. When we reopen, it’s for exercise for visitors who live locally, following government guidelines.”

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency (EA) has a flood alert in place for the Lower River Ure near Ripon and Boroughbridge – meaning flooding is possible.

Alerts on its website said the levels in both rivers remained high due to recent rainfall, but are falling slowly.

However, the EA added that further rain and snow was forecast and it was “monitoring the situation closely”.

For full information on school closures and traffic disruption make sure you follow the Stray Ferret – we’ll have regular updates from early Monday morning if the storm affects us. 

Harrogate district records 18 further covid cases

The Harrogate District has recorded a further 18 covid cases, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,867.

A further patient who tested positive for coronavirus has died at Harrogate District Hospital.

The latest death was recorded on February 5, according to NHS England figures.

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It takes the total covid-related deaths at the hospital this week to 10 and the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 139.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 151 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average stands at 135, while the national rate is 211.

New snow warning issued for Harrogate district

Residents across the district are bracing for another spell of wintry weather, with warnings in place for snow and ice in North Yorkshire until the middle of next week.

The Met Office has today issued new yellow weather warnings for snow and ice from first thing on Monday until Wednesday lunchtime.

It had already issued warnings of snow and ice from Saturday afternoon until Monday night, saying there may be disruption to travel and icy patches on pavements.

However, the Harrogate district looks set to escape the worst of the conditions, with amber warnings having been issued for the south-east of England and parts of Scotland. In North Yorkshire, snow showers are expected from Saturday evening until Monday afternoon, with the forecast currently showing significant breaks between them.

However, the weather is expected to remain cold for at least another week, with more snow forecast for the district from Thursday onwards.

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Meanwhile, Pateley Bridge Town Council has issued a reminder to residents about gritting and ploughing in the area after a number of queries were raised during bad weather over recent weeks.

Chairman Mike Holt said roads were gritted on a priority basis by North Yorkshire County Council, with tier one roads such as bus routes treated first, followed by tier two, including the B6165 from Ripley to Pateley Bridge. He said:

“Once these roads are clear the third tier is tackled. These are the minor roads and side streets that make up the remainder of the road network.

“Bearing in mind that the county has over 5000 miles of roads I do believe it is understandable that more often than not, the snow clears before they can get to tier three, or sometimes even the second tier.

“NYCC also employ local sub-contractors to plough and grit their local area. Unfortunately this costs extra money which NYCC does not have, so this facility is not used as often as it possibly should be.

“I am led to believe that the grit bins are each allocated two refills per season. Extra refills can be arranged but at a considerable cost and of course when the weather is poor, it is impossible to say when those top-ups might occur.”

If the snow causes disruption over the coming days, the Stray Ferret will provide live updates about road conditions, school closures and more. Keep checking our website and social media for the latest news.

Harrogate district records another 35 covid cases

A further 35 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,812.

Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another covid death. NHS England figures show the death was reported on February 3.

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The death toll at the hospital since the start of the pandemic now stands at 136.

The hospital has also discharged a further 28 patients this past week. In total, 461 patients diagnosed with coronavirus have been discharged since March.

Elsewhere, the district’s seven-day coronavirus rate has fallen to 164 per 100,000 people. The North Yorkshire average stands at 145, while the England rate is now at 231.

Six covid deaths at Harrogate hospital this week

Two more patients who tested positive for covid have died at Harrogate District Hospital, it was revealed today.

Both deaths were recorded on Tuesday, according to NHS England figures.

It brings the number of covid-related deaths at the hospital this week to six, and the total since the start of the pandemic to 135.

There are currently 65 covid patients being treated in Harrogate hospital — the highest ever figure.

However, Public Health England reported just 17 new infections in the Harrogate district today.

It is one of the lowest daily totals so far this year.

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The figure takes the total number of cases since March to 6,777.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 177 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average has also dropped to 153, while the England rate stands at 243.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the area in the district with the highest number of covid cases in the past seven days, with 32 reported.

A further 44 covid cases confirmed in Harrogate district

A further 44 covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,760.

The district’s seven-day rate has dropped slightly to 180 people per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 160 while the England rate stands at 256.

Killinghall and Hampsthwaite remains the worst-hit sub-district, with 35 infections in the last seven days.

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Meanwhile, Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another death of a patient who tested positive for coronavirus.

The covid death toll at the hospital now stands at 133. NHS England figures show the death was reported yesterday.

Elsewhere, Richard Webb, director of adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, said today case figures in care homes “remain static”. 

Of the 235 care settings in the county, which includes care homes and extra care facilities, 77 have one or more positive covid cases. 

Fifty-six have outbreaks, which is classed as two or more, while 114 staff and residents have covid. 

The number of large outbreaks, defined as 10 or more cases, have decreased from nine to three in the past week.

WATCH: Harrogate vaccine team ‘deserve big round of applause’

Two Harrogate district residents who have recently been vaccinated have heaped praise on the team behind the local vaccination centre.

David Ridgway and David Hill got their coronavirus jabs at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this month.

Both residents contacted the Stray Ferret with the hope that their experiences will encourage anyone who is apprehensive.

Mr Ridgway, who lives in Pateley Bridge with his wife, said over a video call (above):

“They deserve a big round of applause. For anybody who is maybe a little bit apprehensive about going, don’t worry at all.

“It’s a very easy and relaxed experience with plenty of happy, smiling faces.”

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Mr Hill, who lives in Harrogate, also told the Stray Ferret:

“Other than a sore arm for a couple of days I had no side effects other than mentally feeling ‘over the moon’!

“The whole process was brilliantly organised so much so I told our MP Andrew Jones it had made me feel proud to be British.

“I also rang my GP surgery telling them the same story and they were pleased to receive the call.”

A further 41 coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district

A further 41 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic up to 6,558.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has also fallen to 174 per 100,000 people.

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The county-wide rate stands at 170, while the national average is 308.

Meanwhile, a further death from a patient who tested positive for covid has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

It takes the death toll at the hospital up to 124. The death was recorded on January 28, according to NHS England statistics.

Covid: infections fall but hospital admissions hit new high

The Harrogate district’s seven-day covid rate of infection has fallen below 200 people per 100,000 for the first time this year — but the hospital is now treating a record number of patients.

The infection rate now stands at 189 people per 100,000. It had not been below 200 since December 28.

But the number of patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has increased to 57.

The figure is an all-time high since the pandemic started although no further deaths have been reported today at the hospital.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the hospital’s covid wards, tweeted today it had been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas and urged people to stay at home.

David Mattinson, Medical Registrar on one of our covid wards and pictured below (second from left, said the hospital has been "exceptionally busy" since Christmas. Picture: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

David Mattinson, medical registrar on one of the covid wards (centre of the photo), said the hospital has been “exceptionally busy” since Christmas. Picture: Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

Health bosses said yesterday hospitals across the county were treating more people than in the first wave.

A further 43 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Harrogate district today by Public Health England. It takes the total number of cases since March to 6,517.

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Social media campaign to defy lockdown raises concern

Harrogate district businesses will be fined if they defy the national lockdown to take part in the ‘Great Reopening’.

Those leading North Yorkshire’s coronavirus response have picked up on a growing movement on social media. Organisers encourage people to approach shops and restaurants in their area with posters.

They are concerned of the impact on coronavirus infection rates and the NHS if people take part this Saturday.

Ten thousand people have joined the national group called the ‘Great Reopening’ on messaging app Telegram.

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Richard Webb, director of adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum meeting that the council, police and other agencies would not hesitate to take action.

He said:

“Yesterday we were made aware of a campaign doing the rounds across the north of England which urges business to have what they’ve called a great reopening on January 30.

“First of all, can I thank all North Yorkshire businesses for complying with the closure requirements during lockdown. I know how tough it is for so many businesses both economically and on your health and wellbeing.

“My plea to all businesses is to ignore this campaign. There will be no great reopening on January 30. I would ask that you continue to act as you have been doing throughout this lockdown and before that and that we fight together this deadly virus.

“My warning to those who choose to take part in this campaign, the enforcement authorities the police, trading standards, environmental health and others will have no choice but to take enforcement action against you.”