A group of teenagers have been filmed ripping trees from the ground on the Stray last night.
Sara and John Scott were walking home from town along the footpath adjacent to the railway line when they saw the group of teenagers ripping the trees from their roots.
The pair were so angry they chose to film what was happening. The video shows a small group of three teens tearing the trees down at 7.30pm.
Ms Scott said:
“There was a lot of them down there earlier, as I think it was the last day of the exams but at the time of this video, there was about 10 left. They were all drunk and doing this. Playing music, drinking and they ripped down 2 different trees that we saw.”
The couple live close by and often walk through the Stray, they said it was “infuriating” to see people treat it in such a way.
The Stray Ferret visited the area today and could see two young trees on the ground with just a stump remaining.
These images, taken today, show the remaining stumps of the two trees reportedly torn down last night
Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the actions of a few young people were “appalling”. She said the Stray is respected by thousands of people young and old and the actions of a few were a huge disappointment.
She said:
“Why did they feel the need to do that? We are blessed with the Stray so why is it deemed a celebration to destroy nature? It’s appalling to be actively destroying the Stray like this.”
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Harrogate Borough Council, which is the caretaker of the Stray, said:
“Our parks and grounds maintenance teams work year round to ensure we have a beautiful district to live or work in and for visitors to enjoy.
“To see this pointless destruction and disregard for our lovely natural environment is shocking. Unfortunately the individuals don’t seem to realise that their behaviour doesn’t just impact on them but the enjoyment of others.
“We urge anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet reported it to North Yorkshire Police, to do so.”
The Stray Ferret also spoke to North Yorkshire Police, it said the incident had been reported at 7.40pm last night. In a statement the police said:
DPD charged £374 for van driver’s Stray detour“We would advise anyone who witnessed the incident but has not reported it to the police to get in touch.
“Incident number 12220108383.”
Parcel delivery firm DPD has been charged £374 plus VAT for one of its vans damaging the Stray in Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret reported last month that a DPD van had got stuck in the mud when it attempted a shortcut over the public parkland
Tyre tracks indicated the driver had tried to bypass the recent road closure on Beech Grove by mounting the snow-covered Stray but was unable to complete the manoeuvre in the wintry conditions.
The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 made Harrogate Borough Council protector of the 200 acres of land.
A council spokesperson said:
“Following the damage caused in February, DPD have been charged £374 plus VAT to cover the costs of repairing The Stray.
“The ruts will be levelled and area seeded. Bulbs will also be planted to replace any that have been damaged.”
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Beech Grove closed to through traffic just over a year ago on an 18-month trial basis.A DPD spokesperson said:
“I understand from the local depot that the team have been in contact with the council and that arrangements are being made to pay for repair work.”
The Stray Ferret asked the spokesperson if DPD had taken any action against the van driver, but has yet to receive a response.
A Twitter user called Helen was among those who uploaded photos of the beached van.
https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201?s=20&t=6_0_UnvruN9Y_DdG8wRA9w
Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to safeguard the Stray from encroachment, said she hoped the van driver had not lost their job.
She added:
“However, it was a very daft thing to do.
“Taking short cuts in bad weather almost inevitably ends in disaster of some sort. Taking one in snow across the Stray was foolish in the extreme and also caused a great deal of damage, plus being illegal.
“Let’s hope that others take note and a lesson has been learned.”