A campaign to clean-up the River Nidd has received a £500,000 boost — from a penalty paid by Yorkshire Water for polluting Harrogate..
Yorkshire Water revealed last week it had agreed to give £1 million to charities for polluting Hookstone Beck in Harrogate.
The sum — to atone for an unauthorised sewage discharge that killed fish in the beck — was divided equally between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.
A meeting in Knaresborough yesterday heard Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, which is based in Pateley Bridge, will use the funding to lead the iNidd project to clean-up the River Nidd.
Charlotte Simons, senior project manager at the trust, told the meeting:
“The sad thing is we have the money because something went wrong.
“But we have been given a lump sum that can lead to long-term improvements on the River Nidd.”
Yesterday’s meeting in Knaresborough.
The trust, which runs improvement projects across the catchments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe and Ouse, will work with anglers, academics and wild swimmers as well as Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency on the iNidd scheme.
Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is also involved through his campaign to achieve bathing water status on the Nidd at Knaresborough Lido.
The trust previously led the iWharfe project to improve the River Wharfe.
Yorkshire Water’s iNidd funding will pay for water quality schemes and other initiatives, such as habitat improvements and tackling invasive non-native species.
Nidd Action Group organised yesterday’s meeting at the Centre on Gracious Street, which gave members of the public the chance to quiz those involved in the iNidd campaign.
It followed a previous meeting at the same venue in spring this year, which marked the start of the clean-up campaign.
David Clayden, chair of the action group, said:
“We have achieved a lot in six months. I expect to see plans come together in the next six months that are collaborative and will make a difference.”
Read more:
- Yorkshire Water begins £19m works in bid to improve River Nidd quality
- Yorkshire Water’s £1m pay-out to charities branded ‘pathetic‘
Council removes anti-speeding scarecrows in Nidd for ‘safety reasons’
North Yorkshire Council has removed several scarecrows created as part of an anti-speeding campaign in a village between Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Residents in Nidd put up about 16 scarecrows near the B6165 and Town Street this month as part of a campaign to reduce the speed limit after two recent fatal accidents.
Several were designed to look like police officers and some contained messages.
But North Yorkshire Council removed the ones immediately alongside the highways last week. Several on private land remain.
A council spokesperson said:
“Our highways team contacted festival organisers on Thursday requesting that scarecrows near the road were removed ahead of Storm Babet.
“They were not able to get hold of the organisers so officers were sent to remove scarecrows close to the road due to safety reasons.
“The scarecrows are being kept safe at the highways depot for collection. The organisers and parish council were informed of this.”
Several scarecrows have high visability jackets.
A police officer scarecrow.
The activists’ creative scarecrow stunt has divided opinion in Nidd.
Some villagers embraced the move to raise awareness of the campaign to reduce the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.
The B6165, which links Ripley and Knaresborough, has some sharp, narrow bends in Nidd, especially near Nidd Hall.
Villager and co-organiser Jayne Brown said the scarecrow festival served its purpose:
“It definitely had an big impact on reducing the speed and making the lives of the people in the village safer.”
Ms Brown added that less than 36 hours after the scarecrows were removed a car crashed into a wall.
But others thought the stunt was ill-advised.
The clerk of Nidd Parish Council, who asked not to be named, said although it sympathised with the cause it did not think the methods were appropriate.
The clerk reiterated her previous comment, which said:
“We are concerned that any distractions to drivers as they approach, what we all agree is a dangerous bend, is not sensible.”
Read more:
- Scarecrow festival to raise awareness of speeding in Nidd
- Artist and designer open gift shop in Harrogate
Flooding expected on Skell, Ure and Nidd as river levels rise
Flood warnings are active on low-lying areas alongside the rivers Ure, Skell and Nidd in the Ripon, Boroughbridge and Harrogate areas this morning. The Environment Agency issues flood warnings when flooding is expected and immediate action is required. One was installed in Ripon last night due to rising river levels. The Environment Agency said:
“Flooding is forecast to affect locations near the River Laver, River Skell, with low lying land expected to be most affected, particularly around riverside properties including Firs Avenue and properties either side of Alma Weir.”
Another warning is active for Boroughbridge camping and caravan site along the Ure. It says the river level is expected to peak at around 2.2m at Westwick Weir this morning, A separate warning was issued at 12.48am this morning for the nearby River Tutt in Boroughbridge where properties next to the river are expected to flood. The only part of the River Nidd with a flood warning is at Birstwith, where the Environment Agency said at 4.48am this morning:
“Areas most at risk include properties situated along Wreaks Road, Clint Bank and Broomfield Road.”
Less severe flood alerts, which indicate flooding is possible but not likely, are in place for the upper, middle and lower Nidd catchment areas A flood warning for the Lower River Ure was issued at 1.48am last night but was downgraded to an alert at 8.31am, with the Environment Agency now saying:
“Flooding is possible on low-lying land including agricultural land and local roads in the areas around Masham, Boroughbridge, Aldborough and Bishop Monkton.”
The River Crimple, Lower Dunsforth Access and the Nidd at Hunsingore also have flood alerts in place. Lighter rain is expected this morning before a 48-hour dry period proceeds more rain.
Read more:
- Hotel group boss confident multi-million investment in Harrogate district will pay off
- Final approval granted for 390 homes near Ripon
Scarecrow festival to raise awareness of speeding in Nidd
The village of Nidd between Harrogate and Knaresborough is to begin a scarecrow festival this weekend to highlight concerns about speeding.
About 16 scarecrows will line both the B6165 that passes through Nidd and Town Street. Many have been designed specifically with a speed theme and one will resemble a police officer.
Nidd resident Jayne Brown said villagers wanted the speed limit reduced from 40mph to 30mph after longstanding concerns had been heightened by two recent fatal accidents in the area.
A police scarecrow with a safety message.
Another of the designs
Ms Brown said the lack of visible houses on the B6165 encouraged motorists to drive faster than they should. She added:
“Most drivers are not even aware they are driving through a village with elderly and young children crossing the particularly dangerous part of the road between Nidd Hall hotel and Town Street.
“The corners after Nidd Hall hotel have seen numerous accidents. If the most recent had been seconds earlier it would have hit schoolchildren on the pavement.”
The B6165, which links Ripley and Knaresborough, has some sharp, narrow bends in Nidd, especially near Nidd Hall.
(left to right) Villagers Jayne Brown, Alan Lunn and Shirley Hudson
An eye-catching scarecrow
Ms Brown said cars sometimes scraped walls in incidents that weren’t reported to the police so the actual number of accidents was higher than statistics suggested.
The scarecrows are expected to remain in place for a couple of weeks.
However, Nidd Parish Council, which is working with North Yorkshire Council to tackle the traffic issues, does not support the scarecrow initiative.
The clerk said:
“We are concerned that any distractions to drivers as they approach, what we all agree is a dangerous bend, is not sensible.“They (drivers) should be concentrating on the road ahead and navigating the significant blind curves.“Secondly, the possibility of attracting people to stop and view scarecrows has several potential difficulties including parking and pedestrians.”
Nidd Hall Hotel has agreed to allow two scarecrows at its entrance.
Read more:
- The Chocolate Works closes in Harrogate after just six months
- Hydro project planned for River Nidd at Knaresborough