Emergency services are dealing with a crash on the B6164 at Knaresborough.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was dealing with a crash involving two cars on the junction with the A658.
North Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service are also at the scene. Drivers are urged to avoid the area.
#Knaresborough & #Harrogate crews dealing with a 2 vehicle road traffic collision at the junction of #B6164 & #A658 at Knaresborough. Hydraulic cutting gear in use. @NYorksPolice & @YorksAmbulance also on scene.
— North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (@NorthYorksFire) February 23, 2022
The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.
We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.
The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.
Arsonists attempt to set fire to Ripon CathedralArsonists attempted to set fire to Ripon Cathedral this morning.
North Yorkshire Police, which was alerted to the incident at 10.40am, is appealing for information.
Nobody was injured and no damage was caused. No further details have been released.
A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said:
“We were alerted to a suspected attempted arson incident at Ripon Cathedral at around 10.40am today. Thankfully there were no injuries and no damage caused.
“An investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Read more:
- St Aidan’s Chamber Choir marks 30 years with Ripon Cathedral concert
- Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to host spectacular fire and light show
The cathedral, which is celebrating its 1,350th anniversary this year, was open as normal this afternoon.
A spokesperson confirmed firefighters were called this morning after smoke was smelt inside the building. The spokesperson added:
“We have been asked not to give any more details while investigations are ongoing.”
Inside the cathedral, pictured this afternoon.
Police asked anyone with information to email sarah.hargreaves@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101.
Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously via its website or by calling 0800 555 111.
Quote reference number 12220031515.
Pedestrian hit by van on busy Harrogate road
A man was injured as he crossed a busy Harrogate street this morning.
The man was crossing Bower Road when he was struck by the vehicle, which had just turned left from Franklin Road.
The pedestrian was on the ground for several minutes, causing traffic to be diverted, but remained conscious. It is not known how serious his injuries are.
Several police cars attended the scene but North Yorkshire Police has not responded to requests for information.
Eyewitnesses described the man, whose name is not known, as elderly and said a large crowd gathered to offer help.
Retail staff on Commercial Street opposite also came to the man’s aid before paramedics arrived.
The incident happened at about 10.40am this morning.
Read more:
- North Yorkshire Police pledges to improve dire freedom of information response
- Calls for police in Bilton to tackle ‘yobs on bicycles’
Man jailed for dealing crack and heroin in Harrogate
A man has been jailed for 20 months for dealing crack cocaine and heroin in Harrogate.
Tyler Walton, 20, from Northallerton, was stopped by officers on January 18 this year in a vehicle on Parliament Street in Harrogate.
Officers found cash and a set of digital scales on Walton so arrested him for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
Once in custody, officers found 14 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin in his mouth.
Walton appeared in court on Monday and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison at York Crown Court.
Read More:
- Harrogate hospitality businesses call on council to release £6,000 covid grants
- Plan to convert Harrogate town centre building into 11 flats and shops
Constable George Frost from Harrogate’s Expedite Team, which tackles county lines drug dealing, said:
Man exposes himself at Harrogate’s RHS Harlow Carr“Tyler Walton was actively involved in selling potentially lethal drugs to vulnerable users and preyed on them in order to further his own financial gain.
“I hope that our communities are reassured by the swift police action taken in this case. We will not accept this sort of activity on the streets of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.
“We are continuing our efforts every day to ensure that the vulnerable people who fall victim drug addiction are safeguarded and that the dealers who exploit them are targeted and prosecuted.
“Please can I take this opportunity to encourage members of the public who concerned about drug dealing activity and those affected by it to contact North Yorkshire Police or contact Crimestoppers.”
Police are appealing for information and witnesses after a man exposed himself at Harrogate’s RHS Garden Harlow Carr.
According to a statement by North Yorkshire Police today, the man exposed himself to members of the public in the gardens at about 2.40pm on Tuesday last week.
The gardens are frequently used by children and families.
Police described the man as white, in his 40s and having a pale complexion. They added he has an athletic build with dark/grey cropped hair. They said:
“On the day of this incident the man was seen wearing a tight fitting baseball cap, blue baggy trousers or short and dark shoes.”
Read more:
- Calls for police in Bilton to tackle ‘yobs on bicycles’
- Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in Jennyfields
If you saw the man or have any other information, you can contact the police by emailing ryan.rudd@northyorkshire.police.uk or calling 101, pressing option 2 and asking for PC 791 Rudd.
If you’d rather remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Quote reference number 12220022840.
Four released on bail after Jennyfields drugs raidFour people have been released on bail after police seized a “large amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs in Jennyfields.
North Yorkshire Police arrested two men and two women on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs and handling stolen goods.
Officers executed a drugs warrant at a property on Newby Crescent in Jennyfields on Wednesday.
In a statement, the force said a “large amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs were seized alongside items officers believed to have been stolen.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police added:
“The officers executing the warrant were from the Expedite team, the operational support unit and the neighbourhood policing team.
“A large amount of suspected class A and class B drugs were located at the property alongside items believed to have been stolen.
“Two men and two women were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and handling stolen goods. They have been released on bail while the investigation continues.”
Read more:
- Thieves threaten man then steal his car in Starbeck
- Drug pushers jailed after £140,000 cannabis seizure in Boroughbridge
- Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in Jennyfields
Man suffers serious injuries after Harrogate car crash
A man in his 60s suffered series injuries after a crash at Buttersyke roundabout at Pannal in Harrogate yesterday.
Emergency services were called at 7.20am after two cars, a blue Seat Ibiza and a black Volkswagen Golf, crashed near to the A658 roundabout and the A61.
The incident caused long delays at rush hour yesterday.
North Yorkshire Police said a man from Leeds in his sixties, who was driving the Seat Ibiza, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Leeds General Infirmary. He remains in a serious but stable condition.
The passenger of the Ibiza was unharmed and the driver and passenger of the Volkswagen, a couple from Harrogate, sustained minor injuries
Read more:
- Bid to break Ripon’s ‘wall of silence’ protecting criminals
- Man denies murder at flat on Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove
Officers are now appealing to anyone who may have information or dashcam footage of the crash.
A police statement added:
North Yorkshire Police pledges to improve dire freedom of information response“Officers are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dashcam footage of either the collision itself, or either vehicle prior to the incident.
“Anyone with information which would assist the investigation is asked to dial 101, select option 2 ask to speak to Traffic Constable Steve Wright. Alternatively you can email steve.wright1@northyorkshire.police.uk – please quote reference 12220023352.”
North Yorkshire Police has pledged to improve its freedom of information performance after the amount of responses handled on time fell as low as 9%.
The Information Commissioner’s Office included the county’s force in a list of police forces whose FOI responses was deemed under-performing.
Now the force has referred itself to the ICO over its timeliness of responses, its backlog of requests and its low performance.
Organisations are required to respond to requests promptly and within 20 working days. North Yorkshire Police has a target of meeting this 95% of the time but its performance in recent years has fallen woefully short.
It fell as low as 9% in April 2020 and the highest it has reached is 59% in August the same year.
The ICO said in a report dated October 2020:
“Although significant progress has been made to improve NYP’s performance, the Commissioner’s analysis of the performance statistics has led her to issue this practice recommendation to ensure that the trend of improvement continues and NYP achieves satisfactory levels of timeliness.”
Read more:
- ‘God help us!’ — fears over need for £31m to fund North Yorks fire service
- Chief constable says maximum council tax rise will enable crime prevention
A total of 365 FOI requests were outstanding in April 2020. Of that figure, 309 requests were overdue and 193 were over six months old.
North Yorkshire Police revealed last week it had created an action plan to tackle the problem.
It said the reason for its lack of response was “mainly caused by increased volumes of FOIA requests, subject access requests and Family Court Order request”.
North Yorkshire Police’s FOI response performance as submitted to the Information Commissioner. Table: ICO.
The police action plan has set a target to respond to 85% of requests within 20 working days by September 2022.
The plan recognised its compliance rates had not been met. It said that this was down to “reduced staff resources” and “continued demand for disclosure”.
Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in JennyfieldsNorth Yorkshire Police seized a “substantial amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs in Jennyfields today.
The force said in a statement that officers executed a drug warrant at an unspecified address in the area and several people are currently in custody.
There has been an increased police presence in Jennyfields since this morning and NYP said officers will continue with patrols to offer reassurance to residents.
Read more:
- Thieves threaten man then steal his car in Starbeck
- Drug pushers jailed after £140,000 cannabis seizure in Boroughbridge
Thieves threaten man then steal his car in Starbeck
Thieves threatened a resident then stole a white Ford Focus from the Fairways Drive area in Starbeck.
The man heard his car alarm go off at about 7.30pm on Monday and when he went to investigate he was threatened by suspects who then made off with his vehicle.
The car was a white Ford Focus RS with blue puddle and interior lights.
Read more:
- Drug pushers jailed after £140,000 cannabis seizure in Boroughbridge
- Thief jailed after ramming BMW to steal £7k caravan in Masham