Temporary lights on Harrogate’s Wetherby road and Knaresborough road will remain in place until Thursday, Yorkshire Water said this afternoon.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair pipes near Harrogate Town AFC on Wetherby road and near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop on Knaresborough Road.  Both have caused traffic delays.

The work comes as the problem was first identified by the company yesterday, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

The company issued a statement:

“Both bursts caused significant consequential damage to the road surfaces, which will need to be repaired before the roads can reopen.

“We are expecting both roads to reopen on Thursday.

“We apologise for the inconvenience and are working hard to keep the disruption to a minimum with manned operation of the lights throughout the day”.

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Work on the water main on Wetherby Road.

North Yorkshire’s first permanent knife surrender bin is set to be installed in Harrogate as part of a drive to tackle rising crime and take deadly weapons off the streets.

The county saw an 80% rise in reported knife crimes from 2020 to 2021 – and police have linked the increase to peer pressure, gang culture and cross-border criminals moving into the area.

In the Harrogate district alone, there have been more than 2,700 knife-related incidents since the start of 2020.

This included two murders on Mayfield Grove, and a man being left with life changing injuries after an attack near the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Other incidents included a man being arrested with 10 knives and a sword on Skipton Road, and three young people pulling a knife on a milk man in Knaresborough.

The increasing trend is being mirrored across the country and knife surrender bins are used by police forces during week-long campaigns.

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But not every area has a permanent drop off point where people can discard knives or any other bladed weapons.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council have proposed to install a permanent knife surrender bin at the Dragon Road car park as part of a 12-month pilot which if successful could see more bins rolled out across the county.

A joint report from the authorities said “early prevention is key” and that “every knife deposited in the bin is one less that could cause injury to others”.

The report said.

“There is an increasing need for an all year round facility to enable people to safely, and anonymously, discard any knives/weapons found, not just during police campaigns at police stations.

“The vast majority of police intelligence submissions are in relation to young people carrying knives for protection from other young people with whom they are ‘feuding’, to protect themselves from being attacked whilst carrying drugs and also to ‘tax’ known drug dealers or those in debt to drug dealers.

“North Yorkshire Police’s aim is to roll out the bins across the entire force area subject to their evaluation of the pilot project.”

Harrogate has been chosen for the pilot because it makes up for more than half of knife-related incidents in the local command area which also includes Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire, the report added.

It also said the proposed knife bin was designed to prevent break-ins and that residents in the Dragon Road area had been contacted about the plans.

A decision to proceed with the pilot is due to be signed off by the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, at a meeting next Tuesday.

Temporary lights on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road continue to cause delays for drivers as work enters a second day.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair a pipe in the area near to Harrogate Town AFC and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The work comes as a problem was first identified by the company yesterday, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Temporary lights were also in place on Knaresborough Road, but the company said it expected to complete work in the area by today.

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The Stray Ferret asked Yorkshire Water for an update on the works, but has yet to receive a response.

Last night, the company issued the following statement:

“We’ve experienced two burst water mains in the centre of Harrogate over the last few days.

“Our teams are working hard to minimise disruptions, but to allow them to work on the repairs safely, traffic management will be in place on Knaresborough Road and Wetherby Road.

We apologise for the inconvenience while we carry out the work.”

No trains will run from Harrogate to Leeds and York as rail staff stage a mass walk out on Wednesday.

More than 40,000 Network Rail staff are set to strike on July 27 over jobs, pay and conditions, the RMT Union has confirmed.

The move comes as the UK saw one of its biggest industrial actions by rail workers in June, which saw no trains run through Harrogate and Knaresborough for two days.

On Wednesday, no trains will run between Harrogate and Knaresborough to York and Leeds.

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Meanwhile, Network Rail has confirmed that a reduced timetable will be in force elsewhere.

Leeds station will close at 7pm due to the industrial action. Only 14 train services will run in and out of the station each hour on Wednesday compared with the usual 50.

Matt Rice, North & East route director for Network Rail said: 

“Unfortunately, ongoing industrial action will once again cripple train services for passengers in Yorkshire and the North East on Wednesday.

“I can only apologise for the impact this will have on people’s plans and on their daily commute. I’d urge those who absolutely need to travel by train to plan ahead, check their journey and expect significant disruption.”

Last week, Northern urged passengers not to travel due to the industrial action.

LNER has also confirmed its direct service to London King’s Cross will not be running. A limited service to London will be in place from Leeds.

More than 130 Harrogate hospital staff were absent due to covid last month.

A report from Jonathan Coulter, acting chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, has revealed that the increase in spread in the community had led to staff being off sick.

The figure peaked at more than 130 in June amid the spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant.

Currently, 80 hospital staff are absent due to covid.

Mr Coulter said in a report, which will be presented to the trust board on Wednesday, that the spread of covid has put “additional pressure” on staff.

He added that “a small number of staff” would now be affected due to sick pay changes, as the virus is treated like “any other sickness”.

Mr Coulter said:

“The guidance in respect of sick pay for people off with covid has now changed, and covid sickness is now treated and managed in the same way as any other sickness.

“This will have an impact upon a small number of colleagues who continue to suffer with long covid, and who will now move into our usual sickness management arrangements with the risk that after a defined period of time, their pay is reduced or ultimately ceases altogether.

“We are in dialogue with all colleagues affected by this change, but we need to recognise that this will be a difficult time for some.”

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Meanwhile, Mr Coulter confirmed that the trust is currently treating 35 patients who have tested positive for covid.

He added that while the severity of the disease remains low due to vaccine uptake, it has had an impact on flow through the hospital.

He said:

“During the month of June and into July, we have experienced a significant spike in people in hospital who are covid positive. 

“We have currently over 35 people in hospital with CoVid, and whilst the severity of the illness is reduced due to vaccine uptake, the infection control measures that we have had in place result in flow through the hospital being more difficult.”

Temporary lights have been put up on Wetherby Road and Knaresborough Road in Harrogate this evening after burst water mains were reported in both locations.

Yorkshire Water is working to repair both pipes and said it has to put up the temporary lights in order to do so.

The Wetherby Road lights are outside Harrogate Town’s Envirovent Stadium, while on Knaresborough Road the affected stretch is near Drake’s Fish and Chip Shop.

The works are likely to cause some delays during this evening’s rush hour.  Yorkshire Water said it expected Knaresborough Road to re-open tomorrow morning.

A problem was first identified by the company earlier today, when it said customers in the area could be experiencing low water pressure as a result.

Tonight Yorkshire Water issued this statement:

A parade featuring music, dancers and colourful costumes is set to wind its way through Harrogate this weekend with the return of the Carnival.

The free event on Saturday will see flag-waving crowds line the streets for the procession, which will snake its way through the town centre and down to the Valley Gardens.

It will include performers from Leeds West Indian Carnival, who will be joined by Houriat Belly Dancing, Sweep of Swallows kite puppets, Chinese dragon dancers, the Bare Brass Band and more.

The party will then continue throughout the day and will feature street theatre, interactive workshops, international street food and two stages hosting music and dance performances.

The event, which was previously held in 2019, has been paid for by Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body, Destination Harrogate, and will be delivered by Harrogate International Festivals.

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Sharon Canavar, chief executive, Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“The Carnival is free for everyone to attend and celebrate the diversity, colours, costumes, sounds and flavours from the four quarters of the world, right here in Harrogate.

“With global music and dance stages, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre, this family-friendly day is a true party in every sense of the word.”

The Carnival Parade starts at 11am at St Peter’s Church, On Cambridge Road, it will head up Oxford Street, along Station Parade, down Cambridge Street, past the Cenotaph and along Montpellier Hill into Valley Gardens.

Within Valley Gardens there will be family-friendly craft workshops, which will include chalking art, spray art graffiti, environmental craft, bunting making, mask making with the Leeds West Indian Carnival, and a dance workshop.

There will be a Global Music Stage, featuring DJ Trev, the Leeds West Indian Carnival, Bare Brass Band, Ajay Karmic Blues, Buffo’s Wake and Fernando Brazil.

And a Global Dance Stage, will feature Annapurna Dance, Houriat Belly Dancing, St. Aelred’s Irish Dancers, and Anonymas Dance.

There will also be a food zone featuring food from around the world.

A campaign has been launched to help a business organisation get a better picture of how crime affects Harrogate town centre.

Harrogate BID‘s Report a Crime campaign is calling on businesses, residents and visitors to report all crimes and anti-social behaviour via North Yorkshire Police’s website.

The organisation’s manager, Matthew Chapman, said:

“First and foremost I want to say Harrogate is a safe, welcoming and clean town. However, we hear regular stories from town centre traders of anti-social activity, including shoplifting, vandalism and drug abuse.

“In order to get a true picture, we are asking those who are either victims of a crime, or witness incidents, to report it online.

“Unlike calling 101 and then hanging up after several minutes, this means every incident is logged. This way, we can get a true picture of what is happening in the town.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe with Harrogate BID manager Matthew Chapman

The new campaign is being backed by Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, whose chief executive David Simister said:

“Harrogate is a fantastic town to live and work, but when it comes to crime it’s not immune.

“However, the fear of crime is often worse than perception, but it’s important we get a proper understanding of what is happening – or not happening – in our town centre, hence us giving our backing to this campaign.

“In the past I’ve called 101 and after waiting many minutes I’ve simply put the phone down. And by doing this, an incident has gone unreported. In future, report it online and that way it is logged and recorded.”

It follows a meeting between Mr Chapman and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, when he raised BID members’ concerns about a lack of visible policing.

Mr Chapman said the commissioner told him police chiefs rely on statistics in order to prioritise resources and, if crimes go unreported, police are unable to give the right resources to the affected areas.

She urged him to encourage all BID levy payers and others to use online reporting to ensure all incidents were being passed to police.

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Among the levy payers backing the campaign is Justin Sutter, business manager at John Atherton’s, which trades at McDonalds on Cambridge Street, who said:

“We are backing the report a crime campaign because the safety and security of our people and customers is of the utmost importance to us. We hope that we can continue to support North Yorkshire Police with this campaign and be a part of creating safer communities.”

The campaign not only runs during daytime hours, but extends to evening and night-time trading. Alan Huddart, secretary of Harrogate Pubwatch, said:

“Thanks to the BID’s support of Pubwatch and the introduction of the app, we are able to alert those in the scheme immediately to any issues.

“At the same time, I would also ask not just our members, but all licensed premises, to register any incident online, ensuring the police have a proper record of it.

“Harrogate is a great night out, and we want to make sure it stays that way by having adequate policing.”

Three men have been arrested and four weapons seized after a knifepoint robbery in Harrogate.

Three 18-year-olds from Leeds and Sheffield were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and robbery.

One was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.

The robbery happened on Knaresborough Road near to Empress roundabout on Saturday, July 23, at 3.30pm.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police found the three men on Parliament Street after viewing council-run CCTV.

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The 18-year-olds had initially attempted to flee from police, but were stopped and arrested.

The men were found to be in possession of a glass ball in a sock and three blades.

A spokeswoman for the force said:

“Thankfully, incidents like this are rare in our county but tackling violent crime and taking horrific weapons such as these off our streets is a priority for us.

“We are absolutely committed to doing all we can to prevent this and to prosecute those who commit or attempt to commit such offences.

“If you have any information that could assist our investigation, including any dash-cam footage that may have captured the robbery, please email cidharrogate@northyorkshire.police.uk or call 101 quoting reference 12220129010.”

The three men remain in custody.

North Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into a robbery at the Empress roundabout in Harrogate.

Officers are investigation after three men threatened and robbed a victim on Saturday, July 23, at 3.30pm.

Police have appealed for witnesses in the area to come forward with more information.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Three males have approached the victim, who has been threatened and forced to hand over some property.

“One of the males has punched the victim before the three males have walked off towards Harrogate town centre.

“We are looking for dashcam footage / CCTV / witness accounts from anyone in the area at the time.

“If you have any information that could assist us with this investigation, please call us on 101 and quote reference 12220129010.”

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