Riverdale star Camila Mendes is believed to be back in Harrogate today to film for an Amazon Prime production.

Upgraded Films UK has been unloading vans on James Street in preparation for filming this afternoon.

The American-Brazilian actress and singer, who made her debut portraying Veronica Lodge in the teen drama series Riverdale, was photographed filming on the Stray two weeks ago.

She and Archie Renaux are starring in a romantic comedy called Upgraded directed by Carlson Young, who could also be in town.

Camila Mendes filming on the Stray a fortnight ago.

Mendes’ Instagram story also showed her visiting Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, on her last visit.

Since then filming has taken place around West Yorkshire.

Several vehicles parked on the side of James Street this lunchtime and began unloading kit. Signs said filming was due to take place.

James Street is expected to stay open throughout the duration of today’s filming.

Read more:

• Riverdale actress filming in Harrogate today
• Comedian Alan Carr spotted filming in Harrogate today

Plans to build an extension at the back of the former Ali Raj restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent have been approved by Harrogate Borough Council.

The plans were submitted by the owners of the building, who also own the pub downstairs, The Little Ale House.

Richard Park and his wife Danni opened The Little Ale House in 2016 to recreate a rustic country pub atmosphere in the town centre.

The Ali Raj was a longstanding Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in Harrogate that closed in 2021. It was the first Bangladeshi restaurant in town when it opened more than 35 years ago.

A change of use application was approved in February to turn the restaurant into a bar.

The latest plans will create improved back-of-house and toilet facilities and a roof terrace to increase seating capacity.

Mr Park told the Stray Ferret that building work is set to begin next summer when he will say which business will use the space.

He stressed the new venue will not be an extension of the Little Ale House, which will remain a separate business downstairs.

A CGI image of how the extension will look

Read more:

• Knaresborough pub co-founder leaves after two years
• Four traditional pubs to visit in the Harrogate district

A 15-year-old Harrogate boy has been referred to a youth offender panel for 12 months for stealing a car and carrying a knife and bolt cutters.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also ordered to pay a £22 surcharge to fund victim services.

Magistrates in Harrogate imposed the sentence on Friday after the teenager pleaded guilty to three offences, which all took place on January 20 this year.

The first was stealing a car of unknown value on John Street, Harrogate.

The second was having a kitchen knife on West Park Stray on January 20 and the third was for going equipped to steal with bolt cutters at the same location.

The court took into account the boy’s guilty pleas when imposing the sentence.

Read more:

• Girls aged 13 and 14 admit setting fire to bins in Harrogate
• Man jailed for stealing MBE medal in Harrogate burglary

The owners of missing dog Molly have released a new poster today on the two-month anniversary of her disappearance.

Molly, a white bichon frise, was spooked by another dog and ran away in Nidd Gorge on June 23.

Her disappearance sparked a huge search involving search parties, drones and thermal imaging cameras.

A Facebook group devoted to finding Molly has 2,600 members.

Emily Watson, who lives in Starbeck, continues to oversee the hunt on behalf of her devastated family.

But so far the mystery remains unsolved.

The family hopes the poster will keep the search fresh in people’s minds. Emily said:

“We are now at the point where we have to hope for sightings, hope for good news.

Hundreds of people have given their time for free to help the Watsons. Emily said:

“I don’t know how I can ever repay everybody enough. The support we have had has been overwhelming.”

Read more:

• Search for missing dog Molly set to enter second month
• Calls to grit more Harrogate district roads set to be rejected

Plans have been submitted to convert a Harrogate guesthouse into nine holiday lets.

The proposal has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Leeds-based Maison Parfaite, which runs Shannon Court on Dragon Avenue.

It would see nine holiday apartments created, which include living and kitchen areas and bedrooms with en-suit bathrooms.

The developer, which also runs holiday properties in Pateley Bridge, said in documents submitted to the council that “the holiday industry is changing” and that visitors preferred “self-contained accommodation”.

It said:

“Although the proposal is for a change of use to a residential use, the proposal would be to provide nine holiday letting rooms which would enhance the tourist offer to the local economy. 

“The holiday industry is changing with visitors requiring an improved quality of accommodation and enjoy self contained accommodation rather than the communal dining facilities provided in the existing guest house.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Read more:

• Campaign to improve Knaresborough High Street
• 170-home plan ‘not right’ for Knaresborough, says town councillor

Update: Police have now identified the man pictured in the CCTV.

A teenager has been arrested following a serious assault in Harrogate town centre that left a man in hospital with multiple injuries.

It happened in the alleyway at the rear of Primark on Oxford Street at around 5.20pm on Friday (19 August).

Police want to speak to a man pictured by CCTV as officers believe he may have information about the incident.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital where he was treated for a fractured eye socket, black eye, lacerations to his face and cuts to his hands.

A 17-year-old male has been arrested following the incident.

A statement by North Yorkshire Police today said:

“Police are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident as well as identifying a second male pictured by CCTV.

“Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should email graham.truman@northyorkshire.police.uk. You can also call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for PC1563 Truman.

“If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220147511.”

Read more:

• Police plea to Ripon parents after anti-social behaviour complaints
• Police seize drugs, knife and machete from car near Harrogate

People in the Ripon area have woken up to a water outage for the second time in a week.

North Road in Ripon is flooded, with pictures of it on Blow Your Horn Facebook page prompting comments by people in Ripon, Melmerby, Dishforth and Sharow they have no water.

Ripon and surrounding villages were hit by an outage last Thursday after a pipe burst on North Street.

In Harrogate, a burst main in Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.

Follow our live coverage below.

5.45pm – Engineers ‘recharging the system’

The Stray Ferret asked a Yorkshire Water spokesperson if the burst main could leave some households without water into tomorrow.

He was unable to give any timescales but said engineers are working to ‘recharge the system’ which should restore the water supply. However, he said this needs to be done carefully to manage water pressure.

The spokesperson said he expects water will be ‘back on soon’.

5.20pm – Still no water for parts of Ripon

There is still no water for some properties in Ripon following this morning’s burst water main on North Street.

Yorkshire Water has arranged a bottled water station in Market Place, where anyone is free to come and collect bottles of water.

2.00pm – Yorkshire Water pumping water into Ripon network

Yorkshire Water is currently pumping water into its network via tankers. It’s so the city centre remains with water whilst engineers work to fix the burst main. No time has been given for when water will return back to normal.

The company is also looking for somewhere in the city for customers to collect bottles of water.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said:

“We are on-site fixing the issue and working hard to restore water supply as soon as possible.

“Our teams are delivering bottled water to customers on our priority service register, additional vulnerable customers and care homes. We’re also working with our partners to deliver bottled water to rural communities and set up a bottled water collection point for customers in Ripon. We will update as soon as we have a location for that.

“We’ve also put measures in place – such as tankering into our network – to make sure we can restore supply to as many customers as possible, as quickly as possible.”

12.05pm – Water restored in Harrogate, but Ripon awaiting a fix

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson has said the burst water main in Otley Road, Harrogate has now been fixed with customers back to their normal supply.

However, in Ripon engineers are still working to fix the burst pipe on North Street. It happened because last week’s burst, also on North Street, weakened another part of the pipe today causing it to burst.

Bottled water is being delivered to vulnerable customers and a bottled water station will be set up soon.

“Last week there was a burst on a 12-inch main on North Street, Ripon – we fixed the issue on the same day, but unfortunately it weakened another area of the pipe, which burst this morning. The new burst is around 20m away from the original burst.

“We’re on site working on the fix this morning – with temporary traffic lights and the same diversion still in place. We’re currently delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers, care homes and those on our priority services register. We will be setting up a bottled water station for other customers shortly.”

10.05am – Works on Otley Road

This is the current scene on Otley Road near to the junction with Pannal Ash Road where work is being carried out to restore water in the HG2 area.

9.55am – Ripon residents pitch in to prevent flooding

Barry Dolan, who helped to clear the drains.

A group of residents of North Road whose houses are beyond the clock tower junction when heading out of the city, ensured that their gardens and those of neighbours across the road, were not flooded for long, as they worked to unblock drains full of straw debris and fallen leaves. 

Barry Dolan (pictured) said: 

“The reason that the gardens were flooded by the water from the burst main, was because of the blocked drains (see photo) that get jammed up with straw that comes off passing trailers whose loads get caught by overhanging branches.

“When we woke to see what had happened a number of us joined in to clear the blockages and the water subsided.”

One of the blocked drains on North Road, Ripon.

Mr Dolan added: 

“Because the drains are not cleared out regularly, we also get flooding along this section when there is heavy rain.”

9.45am – Ripon retirement apartment manager hopes water can be restored quickly

Yvonne Mulholland, outside McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange.

For the second time in four days, Yvonne Mulholland, the manager of McCarthy and Stone’s Dawson Grange retirement apartments on North Street (pictured) had to call Yorkshire Water for an emergency supply of bottled water. 

She told the Stray Ferret:

“We have residents in 28 apartments, some of whom are vulnerable and needing to keep hydrated. 

“Yorkshire Water were very good last week and supplied us with 40 bottles to give to residents and I have spoken with them again this morning. 

“With the burst main immediately outside our premises, I just hope that the problem can be sorted out quickly and with the minimum of disruption to our residents and neighbours.”

9.40am – Temporary lights on Pannal Ash Road

Temporary lights have been put in place between the junction of Pannal Ash Road and Pannal Ash Drive.

Yorkshire Water said this morning that technicians were on site to carry out repairs and return water to residents.

8.45am – Water could be off for up to six hours

Yorkshire Water is reporting on its social media that water in Ripon could be off for between four to six hours.

The company added that it will “aim to get the water back as soon as possible”.

https://twitter.com/YWHelp/status/1561596914608619521?s=20&t=a4N3hfvun0oDwQWv6NjV-g

8.20am – Technicians on Otely Road

Yorkshire Water has confirmed that technicians are on site at Otley Road to try and get water back on for residents.

https://twitter.com/YorkshireWater/status/1561608712887930880?s=20&t=RJa7hFCYZHV6nTLeUeZ1tQ

8.10am – Pictures from North Street

This is the current scene at North Street in Ripon, where a burst pipe is causing a water outage for residents in the area.

7.55am – Yorkshire Water confirms burst pipe

Yorkshire Water has tweeted this morning to say a burst pipe on North Street is causing the outage in Ripon.

⚠️ #HG4 #Northstreet ⚠️ I am sorry to inform. Customers may have low pressure or no water due to a repair of a main needed due to a burst pipe. Apologies for any inconvenience. Updates to follow. -Laura pic.twitter.com/jAqfVMoKmr

— Yorkshire Water Help (@YWHelp) August 22, 2022

7.52am – Ripon resident: ‘This is ridiculous’

One resident in Ripon has got in touch with the Stray Ferret to report the outage.

They said:

“The burst water main in North Street has gone again, this morning it’s flooding the road again. We live on a residential park on Palace Road and had no information the first time.

“This is ridiculous, how are pensioners supposed to carry four litres of water to their homes.”

7.48am – Bishop of Ripon reports outage

The Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, tweeted to Yorkshire Water:

“No water in Ripon again. Any idea how long this time? Will more bottled water and information be forthcoming, especially to outlying villages please?”

7.45am – Reports of water outage

Reports have come in from Harrogate and Ripon of a water outage and low pressure in the areas.

Yorkshire Water said on its website:

“Customers may have no water or low pressure due to a burst main. We are working to restore supplies back to normal as soon as possible.”

In Harrogate, a burst main n Otley Road has cut water to some homes in HG2.

One person affected received the following response from Yorkshire Water:

“Our technicians are on site dealing with the repair, however it could be 4-6 hours before the water comes back on and when it does it may be a little cloudy and discoloured.”

Read more:

• Water returns to some properties in Ripon

• Ripon area hit by water outage

The Mayor of Harrogate borough and former presenters from ITV Calendar took part in jurassic golf in Harrogate town centre last weekend.

Duncan Wood and Christine Talbot joined Cllr Victoria Oldham to take on the nine-hole course.

The course has been set up outside the Victoria Shopping Centre until Saturday, August 28.

Alongside the course, a Dino Trail has been set up in the town centre.

As people complete the trail, they will also be collecting letters that form a simple, themed anagram. Users can then submit the anagram/answer via the LoyalFree app for an additional chance to win a prize draw.

Read more:

• Knaresborough shop owner’s appeal brings support after tough summer weeks
• The Farm Dairy takes main prize at Knaresborough Business Awards

Matthew Chapman, manager of Harrogate Business Improvement District, which has led on the initiative, said:

“In addition to coming into town to shop, eat and drink, visitors can now add mini-crazy golf to the list. The crazy golf in the Valley Gardens is incredibly popular, and we are confident our jurassic golf will be a roaring success.

“And once you have completed the challenging nine-hole course, there’s a dinosaur-themed themed trail to follow around town. A great way to spend an hour or two before or after visiting Harrogate’s great shops, bars and restaurants.”

Those wishing to play a round of golf can turn up on the day or book on the jurassic golf website here.

The cost is adults £3, children £2.50, family of four (two adults and two children) £10 and one adult and one child £5.

The cost of a county council project to realign the A59 at Kex Gill has increased to £68.8 million.

A North Yorkshire County Council report said the authority faces a £7.2 million shortfall on the cost due to a rise in inflation.

The project will see a diversion built west of Blubberhouses on the stretch of road, which has been blighted by a history of landslips. The A59 is the main route between Harrogate and Skipton.

County council officials originally estimated that the scheme would cost £61.6 million.

Of that figure, £56.1 million worth of funding has been granted by the Department for Transport and the remaining cost will be covered by the authority.

However, in a report due before an executive meeting on Tuesday, the council has now said it faces a further shortfall of £7.2 million in funding for the scheme.

Read more:

• £60m Kex Gill contract to be awarded
• Delayed A59 Kex Gill reroute now set to start next year and finish in 2025

It means the council has had to increase the funding it is allocating to the scheme to £12.7 million.

As a result, the council intends to use £7.2 million from its Brexit reserve account in order to fund the scheme.

It said:

“Should alternative funding resources be secured, whether in part or in full, the reserve provision will be relinquished.”

Council officials expect work to start on the scheme next year and continue until 2025.

North Yorkshire County Council previously said it hoped the reroute would start in autumn last year and take 15 months.

Ahead of appointing a contractor for the scheme, a full business case will be submitted to the Department for Transport.

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Starbeck should support KFC expansion

Thank you for your recent coverage of the KFC expansion. I’m saddened by the responses of Starbeck residents to the expansion of a successful business, and the demonisation of the industry as a whole.

Starbeck has rightly or wrongly become a refuge for the care system, the homeless, and people needing supported and sheltered accommodation. These people don’t have the incomes to support lovely deli’s and independent retail units that some residents loudly protest we should have. The businesses in Starbeck need to survive in a tough local environment. However, they can use the strategic location between Harrogate and Knaresborough to reach a massive local market and we should support them in doing so.

Empty shops bring disasters like McColl’s burnt out shell and feed a vicious cycle of crime and poverty. On an evening, our high street is a hive of activity and there is a real hustle and bustle thanks to our takeaways and food outlets. We should be leaning into this to create a real foodie destination to bring more jobs and improve Starbeck’s reputation.

Any one of us could take over these empty shops and start a business. If they believe there is a genuine demand for smaller retail shops, then I would challenge them to put their money where their mouth is.

William Powell, Starbeck

Read more:

• Stray Views: Noisy cars in Harrogate should be monitored at weekends
• Stray Views: Station Gateway ‘will degrade things’

Stonefall Cemetery deserves more care

Stonefall Cemetery has traditionally been kept beautifully and was always cared for. However it seems this year the grass cutting is rough, careless and damaging. 

I have noted now that the last five cuts have been made with heavy machines which aren’t really suitable for delicate areas. The cut grass is being left and is now preventing new growth, leaving the plots looking awful. I’m sure the council realises this is a graveyard and not a roadside verge. Our families deserve more care and respect.

I contacted Stonefall and they were sorry to hear my complaint but told me that the council had changed the garden team before Christmas.

I also frequent Harrogate Valley Gardens in Harrogate, which is beautifully cared for. Shouldn’t we provide the same care for our dearly departed?

Mark Anthony Taylor, Harrogate

Gateway correspondence response

In response to last week’s Stray Views letter regarding Station Gateway being “long overdue”, I note that the correspondent lives in Knaresborough.

Gillian Long, Harrogate

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.