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

North Yorkshire Police issued a plea to parents tonight to keep an eye on their children after receiving complaints of anti-social behaviour in Ripon.

In a statement on social media, the force asked parents if they knew where their children were and what they were doing.

It added:

“We are getting calls of anti-social behaviour in Ripon city centre.

“This is in the form of large groups being disrespectful to members of the public.

“Ripon police are out and about but as you can imagine we cannot be everywhere at once.”

The post then urged parents to “get in touch with your children and help us by knowing where they are and what they are doing”.

Read more:

• Fears up to 3 million litres of water wasted during lengthy Ripon leak
• Older half of Ripon Leisure Centre ‘would have to close for good’ without £3.5m groundworks

There are fears up to three million litres of water went to waste in Ripon yesterday, after a Yorkshire Water mains pipe burst on North Street.

The pipe burst at around 5am and meant around 4,000 homes in Ripon and the surrounding area woke up to no water.

It wasn’t fully restored until 7pm later in the day, with the company setting up two emergency bottled water stations at Ripon fire station and Ripon Racecourse for residents.

Emergency bottled water stations were set up in the city.

The Bishop of Ripon was among those criticising Yorkshire Water’s response to customers, saying its lack of communication was “unacceptable”.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720

A source at the scene told the Stray Ferret that engineers working on the leak said 70 litres of water were lost every second before it was fixed.

In a 12-hour period, this would have meant over three million litres could have been lost in total.

We put this figure to Yorkshire Water. A spokesperson said the figure was “inaccurate” but was unable to say how much water had been lost.

They said as soon as the leak was located engineers managed to stem the flow.

However, according to the company’s Twitter account, the leak wasn’t identified until 12pm, seven hours after it was first reported.

This suggests between 1.5 million and 2 million litres of water could have been lost.

Engineers on the scene Pic: Paul Smith

Read more:

• Ripon residents collect thousands of bottles of water as taps run dry

• Water returns to some properties in Ripon

The burst main has come at a bad time for Yorkshire Water. The Harrogate district is now officially in drought and a hosepipe ban will come into force from August 26.

We asked Yorkshire Water what caused the leak and a spokesperson sent the following statement:

“Our pipework has been under a lot of pressure recently – with high peaks of water usage and the dry ground causing soil to contract, which causes pipes to fracture more easily. We’ve increased resource in our field teams over the last few weeks, so that we can catch more small leaks before they turn into bursts and fix the big bursts as soon as possible.

“It took a little bit longer than usual to locate the burst pipe and complete the fix yesterday, as it was underground and tricky to locate. We delivered bottled water to customers on our priority services register and updated our customers via the website, social media and text, as to where they could collect bottled water.

“We’re grateful to our customers for their patience whilst we fixed the issue – those eligible for compensation in relation to the water supply interruption will receive it automatically.”

Thousands of bottles of water were handed out in Ripon this afternoon after a burst water main left around 4,000 homes without water all day.

Yorkshire Water set up an emergency bottled water station at Ripon fire station for thirsty residents, which had a steady stream of people in cars coming to pick up bottles of H2O, helped by on shift firefighters.

Mike and Kay had only just returned to Thornborough, north of Ripon, this afternoon after a holiday in Krakow, Poland.  Mike said:

“We’re waiting for a decent cup of tea!”

Colin from Copt Hewick was there to collect water for his pets.

“We’ve got animals, four dogs, so you’ve got to think of them first.”

Ripon firefighters help out.

Ant, from Stockton-on-Tees, holidays at a static caravan at Riverside Meadows holiday park. He said:

“It was a shock to wake up this morning and not be able to flush the toilet! I’m taking plenty of bottles for my neighbours too.”

Whilst spirits were generally high, one woman gave a Yorkshire Water employee a hard time over what she said was poor communication. The company has been slow to tell the public when normal water supply will resume.

She said its website had barely been updated all day so had tried to find updates on Twitter.

Her opinion was shared by Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley, who described communication from the water company as “unacceptable”.

https://twitter.com/HartleyHAM/status/1560284278331678720?s=20&t=LM9oGeOd6ls30OEDNSuu6A

Read more:

• Water returns to some properties in Ripon

• Ripon area hit by water outage

The burst water main on North Street has caused more disruption than a typical water leak, with many homes now without water for 12 hours.

Supermarkets in Ripon ran out of bottled water earlier today.

A Yorkshire Water employee told the Stray Ferret that service was likely to return at around 7pm but similar promises earlier today did not materialise.

The stock of water was quickly depleted.

One woman who arrived at the emergency bottled water station said to make sure there was room in the boot for a wine delivery that she was going to collect afterwards. “I can’t turn water into wine!” joked the Yorkshire Water employee, as he carried some bottles into her car.

More bottles of water will be available from Ripon Racecourse until 9pm.

A level results are being handed out to students across the Harrogate district today.

It is the first time since 2019 that students have had an undisrupted exam period following a relatively normal academic year, thanks to the covid pandemic.

Nationally, the number of students achieving top grades has fallen, but the number of university admissions in the second highest on record.

The Stray Ferret will be sharing all the local schools’ results and stories as we get them today. Keep following our live blog for the latest news.

To submit your school’s news, email us with details and photographs by clicking here.

4.48pm ‘Remarkable’ year group complete A levels at Rossett School

Careers in medicine, law, architecture, physiotherapy and animation beckon as students at Rossett School in Harrogate receive their A level results.

The sixth formers were in school to collect their results today, after more than two years of disrupted schooling thanks to the covid pandemic.

Headteacher Helen Woodcock said:

“The resilience that our students have shown throughout the last two years since the cancellation of their GCSEs has been remarkable.

“They are all exceptional, inspiring, and talented young people and we could not be more proud of them.

“I would like to put on record my thanks to pupils, staff, and parents for what was an exemplary team effort over the two years of preparation for these outcomes – preparation that included learning remotely and, in many cases, overcoming challenging personal circumstances.”

The school has not published its overall grade percentages, but has highlighted the achievements of some students.

They include Lewis Ferry, pictured right, who will study maths at Durham University after achieving three A*s and an A, and Dan Jenking, left, who scored an A* and three As and will study medicine at the University of Manchester.

Zoe Hopkins, pictured centre, will study PE at Leeds Beckett University after being awarded two distinction* grades and a distinction.

3.48pm More celebrations as university beckons for A level students 

Pupils at Harrogate Ladies’ College have been celebrating together after receiving their A level results.

From medicine to graphic design, they’ll now go on to the degrees of their choice.

Jessica Jones

Chloe Foster

3.25pm Strong performance in STEM subjects at Harrogate Ladies’ College

Almost a quarter of A level grades at Harrogate Ladies’ College were A*s in today’s results.

As well as 22% of results being the top grade, 42% were A or above, and 69% were A*-B – and all further maths grades were A*.

Principal Sylvia Brett said the grades reflected the school’s efforts to ensure its pupils were able to follow the subjects they wanted.

She added:

“These are a fantastic set of results and a reflection of all the effort the girls, supported by our incredible staff, have put in.

“I’m particularly proud of our success in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), and that as an all-girls school we are leading the way in encouraging girls into careers in science and engineering.

“The most important thing for me though is that pupils are free to follow their own passions and aren’t restricted by their gender.

“We have girls going on to study an incredibly diverse range of subjects including politics, law and comic design. Our head of choir has also been accepted into the Royal Marines Conservatoire.

“This has been a long journey for these pupils who sat their exams in the aftermath of covid and all the challenges that surrounded that period, and today’s results are testament to their resilience and determination. They are incredible young people.”

Among the top achievers were Chloe Foster, who received three A*s and an A and will now study medicine at St Andrew’s. Jessica Jones, who also scored three A*s and will study medicine at Newcastle University, said:

“I am so pleased and I want to thank everyone who has given me so much support and made me believe I could do this. At times, we all faced a challenge with the rules around Covid but our teachers could not have done more to help us.”

Student Lauren Stott achieved two A*s, an A and a B to secure her place studying maths at the University of Nottingham. Ophelia Leyshon will go to the University of Bristol to study physics after gaining three A*s and an A, and said:

“The science and maths departments were fantastic and offered me so much help and encouragement, and I can’t wait to go onto study physics.”

Meanwhile, the head of the school’s chapel choir, Natasha Stevenson, who was awarded a music scholarship, has secured her place int he Royal Marines Conservatoire.

Students Anona Raphael and Laila Urquhart will study business management at the University of Liverpool and psychology at Lancaster University respectively.

2.51pm Celebrations after ‘year of unknowns’ at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher

Students at St Aidan’s and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form have been celebrating collecting their A level results today.

The sixth form’s leaders have praised the ‘remarkable’ way the students performed in their first formal exams, with their university places and other career plans on the line.

St Aidan’s director of sixth form Chris Kidman said:

“There can be no denying that this year was full of unknowns for our students.

“Not only is it the first set of results based on examination performance since the pandemic, but these students also didn’t get the opportunity to sit their GCSEs in the typical way two years ago. This was their first full and formal exam experience.

“Despite all of that, our students have performed remarkably. Their collective results stand shoulder-to-shoulder with outcomes achieved last year – despite a national picture that has seen results drop slightly.”

The associated sixth form has not yet released statistics for its results.

Jon Sharpe, St John Fisher’s director of sixth form, said there was a ‘buzz’ as students collected their results this morning:

“What is most exciting is where these results will take our students. This was our first results day in person since 2019, and I think it would be fair to say that we all loved listening to the buzz of excitement as students talked about their next steps.

“It is amazing to hear that so many will be heading off to the leading universities to study some incredible subjects.

“What we shouldn’t forget, however, is that every student has a story. They have worked tirelessly over the last couple of very difficult years and they deserve their success.

“They have achieved outstanding academic results, but they are impressive young people who we know will make a positive impact on the world.

“It would also be wrong not to acknowledge not just our dedicated staff but also parents, carers and wider family. This has been a real team effort.”

2.41pm Young Ripon carer set for medical degree

A young carer has her sights set on a medical career after receiving her A level results this morning.

Febe Elsayghe was inspired to apply to study medicine after helping to care for her sister Monica, who is autistic and has a learning disability.

The 18-year-old today found out she had gained three A*s in maths, chemistry and biology to secure her place at Newcastle University. She said caring for 23-year-old Monica had been particularly challenging over the last two years:

“It was definitely harder during lockdown as we were all inside and trying to balance that with online school was a hard task.

“Monica was taken out of her normal routine and wasn’t able to understand the unusual situation. It was difficult to deal with, but we all came together as a family to help.”

Monica has difficulty communicating and needs help with everything from dressing to feeding. as well as Febe, she relies on their 20-year-old sister Jessica and parents Reham and Joseph for support.

Febe praised the support she has had from Ripon Grammar School to help her through time in sixth form, achieving top grades while carrying out a part-time admin job in an estate agency and enjoying dancing in her spare time.

She added:

“When I was young, I was curious about my sister’s condition and would ask her care team questions as well as doing my own research. That’s when I began to get interested in a career in medicine.

“I found the genetics and intricacy of the human body really interesting, and I knew I wanted to help people.”

2.08pm In pictures: Delighted students collect results

Students have been calling in to collect results from Harrogate Grammar School, now knowing what their next steps will be.

Here is a selection from today’s A level results day at the school.

Elisia Spears and Betsy Martin

Head students Elena Blair and Ollie Martin

Oliwia Gorczynska celebrates her results

Gab Mosso Zolezzi

Alice Tolhurst and Perla Rhodes

1.58pm Harrogate Grammar School says results are ‘where we anticipated’

A level grades at Harrogate Grammar School have met expectations as many students sat formal exams for the first time.

Exam boards set grade boundaries to between the 2019 and 2021 levels, following two years of grades being marked in unusual ways, including by teacher assessment.

The school said it was “pleased that the results for our school are where we anticipated they would be between these years”.

Across 286 students in the sixth form, 32% of grades were A*-A and 59% A*-B. With 92 per cent of students applying to university, more students achieved their first choice place than before the pandemic.

Headteacher Neil Renton said:

“Our students started sixth form during one of the most challenging times with many restrictions in place due to the pandemic.

“When rates of covid were high, we had to close the year group. Students had to adapt to new online environments, learning remotely from home in the second lockdown.

“They faced covid tests and vaccinations in school, along with having to adapt to changing rules about wearing face coverings. In all of this, our students showed determination, patience, and positivity to complete their studies.”

1.13pm Students across county praised for ‘resilience’ 

Education authority North Yorkshire County Council has commended the area’s students for the way they have taken on unprecedented challenges in the run-up to today’s A level results.

This year’s A level students were due to take their GCSE exams in summer 2020 before the covid pandemic hit, cancelling exams and leaving a great deal of uncertainty for them all.

Since then, they have had their two-year A level courses interrupted by lockdowns and some of their lessons delivered online.

Councillor Annabel Wilkinson, NYCC’s executive member for education and skills, said:

“I would like to offer my congratulations to all young people in North Yorkshire who are receiving their A-level, BTEC and T-level results today.

“Our young people have work tirelessly for two years under challenging circumstances; their hard work and determination has been inspirational and they should be very proud of themselves. Well deserved credit also to their families and teachers for supporting them.

“I wish everyone the very best for their next steps and longer term futures.”

Stuart Carlton, director of children and young people’s services, said:

“Our students have shown great resilience in the face of significant challenge and deserve credit and every success as they move to the next stage of their education, employment or training.

“If you did not get the results you wanted, there are still plenty of options. Talk to your family and school about your next steps and explore the opportunities available through clearing.”

The county council’s assistant director for education and skills, Amanda Newbold, added:

“We recognise that for many young people this year has been their first experience of public examinations and so I would also like to thank our schools and colleges for their exceptional work and for the care and support they have offered to this cohort of students during a very challenging time for young people.”

12.23pm Best ever results at Harrogate’s Ashville College

Ashville College in Harrogate is celebrating its best ever set of A level results, again bucking the national trend.

With a 100% pass rate for the school overall, 23% of students achieved all A*s and 52% got all A*s and As. Meanwhile, 78% got all A*-B, while 94% got all Cs or above.

Ashville head Rhiannon Wilkinson said:

“We are delighted with our outstanding upper sixth results which are the best ever A level examination results at Ashville College: 52% of our grades are at A* or A in a year when the A* to A rate is lower nationally after the grade inflation of the last few years.

“I am extremely proud of our pupils whose results reflect their hard work and commitment. They are the first cohort never to have taken GCSE examinations and they have missed substantial periods of schooling whilst getting to grips with online learning.

“I am enormously grateful to every member of staff for their dedication and encouragement. I know our pupils will join me in thanking their teachers and, of course, their parents.”

Among the high achievers were Reuben Aston, pictured left,  who secured his place to study theology at Cambridge University, and Amy Brown, pictured right, whose two A*s, one A and one B will take her to Liverpool University to study psychology.

Meanwhile, life-long friends George Jackson and Dom Callister, pictured below, each got three A*s.  Their mothers met at maternity classes when their babies were just two weeks old and they have been at Ashville together since year 7.

Dom will now study aeronautical engineering at Sheffield while George heads to Edinburgh to study history.

Ashville student Rosa Dobson has more reason than most to celebrate her two A*s and an A.

Having missed much of the last three years of school due to illness, she has secured her place at Imperial College London to study biology. She said:

“I’m feeling really good about my results. It was a tough three years as I’ve been ill for most of it. I missed the entire lower sixth year, was in and out of upper sixth, and missed a lot of my mocks.”

Destinations this year’s leavers will be heading to include a range of Russell Group universities, such as Cambridge, Warwick, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, and Imperial College London.

11.18am Photos: delighted students collecting results in Ripon

Here are a few photographs as students pick up their results at Ripon Grammar School this morning.

11.02am Ripon Grammar School results

The number of top grades achieved by Ripon Grammar School students has risen today, against the national trend.

More than 83% of all grades were a A*-B, and 61% were A* and A, while not a single grade awarded fell below E.

In total, 153 A*s were handed out and 19 of the 157 students achieved A*s in all of their subjects.

Among the top performers were Eleanor Chaplin with four A*s plus an A* in her extended project qualification (EPQ) and Ellen McKeag who got four A*s.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said:

“This is a testament to their resilience and hard work after several years of disrupted education.

“I am incredibly pleased that so many have secured their first choice university destination. Despite the fact grading has been recalibrated to a mid-point between 2019-21, results at RGS have actually improved on last year’s record.”

Mr Webb said the results showed the integrity of the school’s grading when it was carried out by teachers during the pandemic, as well as reflecting the strength of online learning during lockdowns.

The school said the majority of students will now go on to Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, where they will study a wide range of subjects including medicine, law, veterinary science, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.

High grades allowed the majority of students to secure places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, to study a diverse range of subjects including veterinary science, medicine, law, politics, psychology, engineering and modern languages.

10.42am Teachers’ union says comparisons with previous years ‘inaccurate’

A union has urged people to resist comparing today’s A level results with any previous year.

The NASUWT said after years of disruption, it would be unfair to draw any conclusions about this year’s cohort of students.

It comes as the number of top grades has fallen across the country.

General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said:

“Congratulations must go to pupils and their teachers who have worked so hard in uniquely challenging circumstances to secure today’s results.

“These grades are a reflection of the circumstances in which exams were held and it would be wrong and wholly inaccurate to compare these results to previous years or make comparisons about performance in relation to previous pupil cohorts.

“It will be essential for higher and further education providers and employers to recognise the challenges pupils have faced this year and to act sensitively when considering their place offers or offers of employment to young people.”

Dr Roach praised teachers for ‘pulling out all the stops’ to get students the results they deserved as A level results are published today.

He also called for more money to help education recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“Young people due to sit qualifications next year have also faced substantial and relatively recent disruption to their learning that can and should be addressed in qualifications arrangements and in forms of wider support. This needs to include greater investment in education recovery.

“Government plans and funding for education recovery fall far below that seen in other comparable countries.

“The results achieved today were secured largely in spite of, rather than because of, the support received from Government for education recovery programmes.

“Teachers have pulled out all the stops for their pupils and after a decade of real terms pay erosion, deserve for their hard work to be matched with a restorative above-inflation pay award.”

10.30am Student’s tribute to late aunt after A level success

A grieving student has paid tribute to his late aunt as he collected top A-level grades, saying she inspired him in his work.

Bertie Wood has achieved A*s in maths and chemistry, an A in economics and an A* in his extended project qualification, despite the death of his aunt Jay Blundell as he studied for the exams.

The Ripon Grammar School student was mentored by Ms Blundell, who was a chemistry teacher and headteacher in Wokingham, and suffered from sporadic Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD). She died aged 55 just weeks after being diagnosed.

Bertie, who lives in Brafferton, said:

“She was a fantastic teacher and had a real passion for her subject and learning in general.

“My mum had to be with her for the final two weeks of her life and her death affected the whole family. It would be good if we could raise awareness about such a rare and horrible brain disease.

“She was always more than willing to help me with any problems, and I was very lucky to have her. I hope I can make her proud with my results.”

Bertie now plans to study law at the Universty of Leeds. he also hopes to join sports teams and try new hobbies, having already played badminton for Yorkshire.

He added:

“I would like to thank the amazing teachers and the school for their tireless work to help me achieve my results and guide me through such an important time of my life.

The older half of Ripon Leisure Centre would have to permanently close unless newly-approved groundworks costing £3.5 million are carried out, a council official has said.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at Harrogate Borough Council, made the statement at a cabinet meeting last night when councillors agreed to the remedial works on underground voids found at the site.

Mr Watson also stressed that the leisure centre’s new swimming pool – which opened in March – is unaffected by what is planned and will remain open throughout. He said:

“We really do need to seek to address the ground conditions.

“If we chose not to do the work, then the reality is we wouldn’t be reopening the leisure centre.”

Mr Watson added the underground voids are believed to have been present for several years and were not caused by building works for the new pool.

The discovery during the pool construction in 2020 prompted an investigation by an engineering firm which this month revealed the extent of the ground stability issues at the site.

Read more:

• Expert urges council to stop ‘pouring money’ into Ripon leisure centre
• Report reveals extent of ground issues at Ripon Leisure Centre

Stantec found “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre built in 1995 and also warned that not carrying out groundworks would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”.

The works due to start in December mean more costs and delays for the venue’s new pool and refurbishment project which is believed to have cost in excess of £18 million so far.

The original contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon was worth £10.2 million for the scheme originally due for completion in May 2021.

The project was approved in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

Cllr Swift speaking at last night’s meeting.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said it was “good fortune” that the underground voids were discovered before a more serious collapse could have occurred.

He said:

“As a result of the fact that technologies have improved over the last 25 years, we have learnt a lot more about what is under the leisure facility.

“This is actually good fortune as it is good to know now. If we hadn’t had the swimming pool, we wouldn’t have discovered this until a genuine incident.”

Cllr Swift also said it was “very exciting” that a temporary gym is planned for the leisure centre car park during the groundworks which will close parts of the venue for at least 10 months from November.

The temporary gym will cost an additional £300,000, while the pool will remain open.

The leisure centre is reported to now have more than 14,000 members since the pool opened, generating around £34,000 a month which the council said will help offset some of the groundwork costs.

After these works are carried out, the refurbishment is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

Water has returned to some homes in Ripon following a burst pipe on North Road this morning.

Many properties in the city have had no water or low water pressure all morning.

Some companies in Ripon were forced to close, including the coffee shop at Larkhill Nurseries and the Water Rat pub. The latter has now reopened.

The problem has also affected people in nearby villages Sharow and Littlethorpe, as well as further afield in Thirsk.

Residents on Lead Lane in Ripon told the Stray Ferret at about midday that water had come back on, as have residents living in Deep Ghyll Croft and Saint Marygate. However, one person living in Sharow says water is still off as of midday.

Yorkshire Water has been slow to tell the public when normal water supply will resume.

North Road will soon be closed to traffic whilst repairs take place.

A spokesperson issued the following statement.

“Our teams are dealing with a burst 12-inch water main on North Road, Ripon. We are currently working to rezone our network and return water supply to those affected.

“To allow our teams to complete the repair safely, traffic management will be required. We’re working closely with North Yorkshire County Council highways teams to minimise disruption.”

Read more:

• Ripon regeneration plans ‘paused’ amid contract talks

• Ripon area hit by water outage

Work on a masterplan for the regeneration of Ripon has been paused due to negotiations over a £85,000 contract.

Harrogate Borough Council awarded the contract to Bauman Lyons Architects last year to draw up a vision for the future of the city and help it win funding for infrastructure, planning and community projects.

However, there have been delays for the Ripon Renewal scheme, which was due for completion earlier this year.

And now the project has been halted while a contract variation is agreed with the Leeds-based firm.

Ripon Moorside councillor Stuart Martin told a meeting on Monday that he was concerned about the delays as he questioned whether the project would be completed before the council is abolished.

In response, Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at the council, said he did not know when the project would be done, but the aim was before the launch of the replacement North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.

He said:

“We are in dialogue with the consultants and it is very difficult to say when that conversation will be concluded.

“But it will be our intention to bring the project forward in that timeframe.”

Read more:

• Ripon gym Intrim closes for good after nearly 40 years
• Amazon driver found guilty of causing death of Ripon biker

The project started in February 2021 and was due for completion a year later. Bauman Lyons Architects has been contacted for comment on the delays.

Regeneration projects

The company was tasked with producing funding options and a business case for Ripon to bid for money for regeneration projects.

A consultation was held last year with residents, businesses and community groups which highlighted problems in the city.

These included not enough things for young people to do, traffic in the market place and a lack of affordable housing.

There were also calls for better traffic management on Low Skellgate and Westgate, and a new green route linking the Workhouse Museum and Ripon Cathedral.

The Ripon Renewal project is being funded by Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Separately, the borough council made a joint bid for £6 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund for regeneration projects in Ripon, Skipton and Masham.

This included cash for “high-quality place-making, improved cultural and community assets, and improved sustainable connectivity” across the three areas.

However, the bid was rejected by the government last year and the plans have been put on hold.

People in Ripon have woken up to no water in their homes this morning due to a burst main.

People took to social media to report the outage across the city.

The problem has also affected residents in nearby Sharow village and Littlethorpe.

Others said water pressure was low in their homes.

On its website, Yorkshire Water said it was working to restore its service to the HG4 area.

It said:

“We’re really sorry but customers may have low pressure or no water in the area. We’re working hard to get your water back to normal as soon as possible.

“Once it’s fixed, your water may be cloudy or discoloured – you can clear this by running your tap for a few minutes.”

James Thornborough. a Sharow resident, told the Stray Ferret the water company had been slow to notify customers of the problem and vague in providing details.

He also said the problem had led to a big demand on bottled water at Morrisons this morning.

We will update this story as we get more details.

Are you affected by the water outage? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

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• ‘Use water wisely’ plea as reservoir levels drop in Harrogate district
• No hosepipe ban for Harrogate district despite falling water levels

A Ripon gym that opened nearly 40 years ago has closed permanently following a dispute between the gym owner and landlord.

Intrim 24/7 opened in 1984 and was one of the longest running gyms in the Harrogate district.

It was based above discount store Yorkshire Trading Company, on Queen Street.

A notice on the building says the premises have been repossessed by the landlord due to non-payment of rent.

The gym closed its doors in June 2021 but Phillip McKay, who has owned the business since 2003, told the Stray Ferret he had hoped to re-open.

But Mr McKay said he has now been given until the end of the month to remove his equipment and has given up on hope of returning.

Intrim was based above Yorkshire Trading Company.

He said the gym initially closed following structural problems and there had been a subsequent disagreement over who was responsible for repairs. He added:

“My business has traded in Ripon for more than 38 years and I have run it for the last 20 years. It’s an important part of the community.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare. The members have lost memberships and there has been a lot of bad feeling about that.”

Phllip McKay with his son inside Intrim.

Read more:

• Plans to set up temporary gym at Ripon Leisure Centre
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Mr McKay has been driving a HGV for the past year while his business has been closed.

He plans to store his equipment until he can find new premises, but added he might be forced to sell it if the right property doesn’t become available.

He said:

“After covid we were doing really well and come June 24 last year, it was just gone. It has been a nightmare.

“Hopefully we will get the equipment moved and find another premises. I just don’t know what’s around the corner.”

The notice placed on the Ripon gym.

A notice on the gym says it was repossessed on June 28 for non-payment of rent.

Mark Johnson, operations and compliance manager at Yorkshire Trading Company, confirmed the landlord, Nicholls Property Partnership, had repossessed the property.

He added:

“The lease has been forfeit by the tenant for non-payment of rent owed. This information is displayed on the notice displayed on the property.

“All other matters are subject to ongoing legal proceedings, and we are not in a position to comment at this time.”