Police plea to call out drink drivers amid increasing Harrogate district incidents

North Yorkshire Police is urging people to alert the force to suspected drink drivers amid concern over increasing cases.

The force, along with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, today launched its Christmas drink and drug drive campaign.

Called ‘Save a life and call It In’, it encourages people to ring 999 if they suspect someone is behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs.

The campaign, which runs until January 1, will also see officers patrolling the county in marked and unmarked police vehicles and carrying out roadside checks.

Superintendent Emma Aldred, head of specialist operations for the force, told the Stray Ferret:

She said:

“We do drink drive campaigns throughout the year, but we do see an increase around the festive period because people come together a lot more and there are office parties, house parties and with the cost of living we are seeing a lot more home drinking.

“We are seeing increased drinking and people thinking they are okay to drive the next morning or that night, which is just not acceptable.”

‘We are seeing an increase’

During last year’s campaign – which ran from December 1 to January 1 –  there were 137 people arrested for drink or drug driving in the county.

From the 137 arrests, 120 were men and 17 were women. 72 people of the 137 were charged with an offence. A total of 25 of the arrests were made following a crash. 

Tony Peel, group manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

Tony Peel, group manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Tony Peel, group manager for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, also said that the service was now seeing an increase in drink driving incidents across Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

He said:

“We are starting to see a slight increase.

“I think with the messages we did many years ago, it [drink driving] did go down. But it does seem to be growing a little bit and we are seeing an increase.”

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The plea to call out drink and drug drivers has been endorsed by actor Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle in television soap Emmerdale.

Mr Charnock took part in a mock car crash at Harrogate Fire Station this week to demonstrate the impact that drink driving can have on someone.

Mark Charnock was cut from a car as part of a demonstration at Harrogate Fire Station.

Mark Charnock was cut from a car as part of a demonstration at Harrogate Fire Station.

The demonstration saw him cut out of a car by fire crews and put onto a stretcher before being lifted to safety.

Mr Charnock said:

“If this was real, if you add in real horror into the mix of what I’ve just been through, I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like.

“You just would not wish it on your worst enemy.”

The campaign against drink and drug driving will run from December 1, 2022, until January 1, 2023.

Firefighters called to sauna fire at Rudding spa

Firefighters using breathing apparatus were called to reports of a fire in a sauna at Rudding Park spa last night.

Crews from Harrogate, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough were summoned to the incident in Follifoot at sixteen minutes past midnight.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says:

“Crews used four breathing apparatus, two thermal imaging cameras, one hose reel and small tools to deal with the incident.

“The fire was caused by an electrical fault.”

The hotel’s managing director, Peter Banks, said the fire started after the spa had closed and was spotted by a night cleaner, who quickly raised the alarm – even before the smoke alarms had been activated.

The sauna has a system which releases nitrogen as soon as a fire is detected, taking the oxygen out of the room. Mr Banks said:

“By the time the fire service, arrived, the fire was pretty much out. The system worked exactly as it should have and it’s business as usual today.”

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Stray Views: Where is green energy in Maltkiln plans?

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.

Where is green energy in Maltkiln plans?

I read with interest your article regarding consultations over the proposed Maltkiln development. I’m concerned about sustainability, green energy and insulation standards.

With this in mind I went on the council website to see what is planned. I wasn’t able to see any detail about the standards for insulation, provision of solar panels and heat pumps or anything about district heating schemes.

We have thousands of houses being built in this area and elsewhere with no solar panels and they have gas boilers. A new town is the ideal place to incorporate the latest green technology to make new homes more comfortable and affordable to keep warm.

I tried to find a comments section which is not easy so I left my comments in one text box hoping they will be read.

It is awash with jargon and very little explanation or simple key points to aid understanding of what is proposed. I did notice that there is some provision for ‘affordable’ homes which is what we really need and also self build which would be good for those wanting the ‘passive house’ standards of insulation and very low energy costs which should be available to all.

Ralph Armsby, Harrogate

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One fire appliance is ‘useless’ at night

This proposal is sheer stupidity. If there is a nighttime fire to the local Harrogate area and then one breaks out in outlying areas how is one appliance going to cope. Even if an appliance comes from Knaresborough the journey time element means it’s useless.

The fire last night at a caravan storage site and a vechicle had to come from Malton a journey tine of well over one hour, useless.

Nighttime fires are not usually detected as soon as daytime ones so total loss and possible deaths can occur.

I never saw anything about this proposal as I live six miles to the west of Harrogate near Menwith Hill and the distance means that we are at greater risk anyway.

Allan Campbell, Nidderdale

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.

Harrogate pub evacuated due to fire

A Harrogate pub was evacuated late this afternoon after fire broke out in the kitchen.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service received two calls from the pub at 5.07pm today saying there was a fire in the kitchen.

The emergency service, which has not said which pub was involved, tweeted this evening:

“The venue had been evacuated and the fire had been extinguished using a fire blanket prior to our arrival but we ensured the area was safe.”

Less than an hour later, just before 6pm, fire crews were. also called to reports of six people stuck in a lift in Harrogate.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted at 6.18pm that “our crews are assisting with this”.

November 5 is one of the busiest nights of the year for firefighters.

The emergency service tweeted:

“We hope you are all enjoying yourselves this bonfire night but stay safe.”

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Firefighters and paramedics called to Pateley Bridge crash

Firefighters and paramedics were called to a single vehicle collision at Pateley Bridge today.

Fire crews from Harrogate and Ripon responded to an ambulance report of an incident on Old Church Lane at 11.45am.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:

“On arrival, driver was out of vehicle and in care of paramedics. Fire crew made the vehicle safe.”

About an hour later, Harrogate firefighters helped to remove two rings from a woman who turned up at the station unable to get them off.

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Questions over future of North Yorkshire and Cornwall’s ‘shared’ fire control rooms

Questions are being raised over the future of a partnership which sees North Yorkshire and Cornwall’s fire control rooms share emergency calls at peak times.

At more than 300 miles apart, the fire services joined forces in 2016 with each call centre able to dispatch crews in the two counties.

It has been hailed as a move to make services more effective as the geographic distance means they are less likely to be affected by major incidents at the same time.

But the partnership is now being brought into question after plans were revealed to close Cornwall’s call centre and merge it with others elsewhere in England.

Cornwall Council, which administers the service, said all options are being considered for the control room and that a final decision would be made next year.

However, it would not comment on what a potential closure could mean for the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

At a recent Cornwall Council meeting, the proposals were met with protests from dozens of firefighters after further criticism from the Fire Brigades Union, which said it is opposing the “ridiculous move” in the interests of public safety.

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The issue has also been raised by Chris Aldred, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Fairfax on Harrogate Borough Council. He was contacted by a member of staff at Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service who said the proposals have caused “huge upset and emotional strain”.

Councillor Aldred has since has called on North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to carry out a review into the “critical” service.

In a statement, Conservative commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said the agreement with Cornwall “remains in place with no change” and that she had been reassured that talks would be held about any potential change. She said:

“My chief fire officer, Jonathan Dyson, has provided assurance of the current and future resilience of our control room in North Yorkshire.

“Jonathan is in regular contact with the chief fire officer of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and the timescales for any decision and potential change to their control room allows North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to explore future resilience opportunities.

“As such, there is no current impact on our control room’s ability to handle 999 calls and to effectively mobilise our fire engines to emergencies.”

Firefighters rescue man from blaze in Ripon city centre flat

A man was rescued from a flat that caught fire above a Ripon restaurant today.

Ripon firefighters were called to the first flor flat on High Skellgate in the city centre at 2.59pm this afternoon.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log said:

“Crews rescued a male occupant inside the flat.

“He was left in the care of ambulance with smoke inhalation and burns.”

The incident log added that fire damaged the kitchen and the rest of the flat suffered heat and smoke damage.

Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to tackle the blaze.

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Firefighters rescue trapped sheep from rising Oak Beck

A sheep stuck in brambles on a steep bank of Oak Beck was rescued by Harrogate firefighters yesterday.

Sandra Schiendorfer spotted the animal when she was walking her dog at Oak Beck Park yesterday morning.

She reported it to the land owner but noticed it was still stuck in the afternoon and the water was rising.:

Ms Schiendorfer said:

“When I went back with the dogs in the afternoon the poor thing was still there, but now the beck was rising, because of the heavy rain.

“I rang 101 who in turn contacted the fire brigade. They turned up very quickly with the animal rescue unit.

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North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service‘s incident log says it was alerted to the incident, near Oak Beck retail park, at 3.20pm yesterday. It adds:

“Crews from Harrogate and Ripon responded to reports of a sheep stuck in wire by the horns, in distress.

“Crews used wading poles, water rescue equipment, an animal halter and a salvage sheet to release the sheep back into the field.”

The sheep back in the field afterwards.

Warning as fire reignites in Stainburn Forest five days after being put out

Firefighters have issued a warning about the dangers of fires in overgrown areas as a fire reignited five days after being put out.

Crews from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Stainburn Forest near Beckwithshaw last Saturday, where a campfire had spread to surrounding undergrowth and trees, causing damage to an area covering 20m by 20m.

Five days later, on Thursday morning, they were called back to the same spot, where the fire had reignited and spread to a further 20m sq of undergrowth.

Posting on Facebook, a spokesperson for Knaresborough Fire Station said:

“The reignition was caused by hidden residual heat in the undergrowth.

“The images just show how dry the undergrowth is and how deep the compacted forest bed goes – perfect conditions for hidden fire spread…

“All this fire damage was caused by one campfire on dry forest ground! This incident could have been a lot worse as fire would have easily spread to the surrounding trees if it was a windy day.”

Fire in Stainburn Forest. Photo by Knaresborough Fire StationPhoto by Knaresborough Fire Station

Two tanks of water were used to soak the area and prevent any further fire, while crews cut away the smouldering edges of the site with shovels.

The spokesperson said crews were able to locate the fire precisely because the person who called it in gave a location using the What3Words app. They urged people to download the free app in case they ever need to use it in an emergency.

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Fire service availability ‘incredibly concerning’ says North Yorkshire commissioner

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has called issues with fire crew availability in the county “incredibly concerning”.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire engine availability was classed as being at a “critical” level for 10% of the time during May this year.

That status refers to the service having fewer than 32 staffed engines and other appliances available across North Yorkshire.

The fire service said that “ongoing challenges” were affecting firefighter availability in the county.

The statistics were presented during the monthly public accountability meeting chaired by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

After the high in May, the period of time spent at the critical level decreased to 4% in June.

Ms Metcalfe said that the situation reaffirmed the need for the fire service’s risk and resource model consultation.

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The consultation, which closed last month, proposed upgrading Harrogate’s 24-hour tactical response vehicle to a full fire engine, but only during the day.

Harrogate Fire Station is currently one of only of five in North Yorkshire to have staff on a 24-hour basis.

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, the commissioner proposed moving some stations from full-time operation to being ‘on-call’.

That is where firefighters principally work in other jobs but respond to incidents when needed.

Ms Metcalfe said:

“That’s why… the fire service invests in the on-call model and that the service uses its resources in the very best way in the future.”

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Zoe Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

“Our availability is inverted to our demand”

The fire service’s director of assurance, area manager James Manning, told the meeting that the current method of employing staff on-call had led to some issues.

He said:

“Our availability is inverted to our demand.”

The data showed that fire crew availability was higher in the evenings and overnight but lower during the daytime when fewer firefighters were able to be on-call.

Roughly around double the number of incidents happen in the daytime compared to overnight.

Mr Manning added that May also saw “slightly higher than normal” levels of leave and sickness but that the service was working on becoming more flexible in its staffing arrangements.