Council could sell Harrogate district grass verge cuttings

North Yorkshire County Council will trial collecting the grass it cuts from verges, saying cuttings that have for years been left to rot away are “a potential revenue-earner”.

The council will examine the commercial demand for harnessing energy from the cuttings to boost the country’s electricity supply while also improving the biodiversity and appearance of its road network.

The authority has approved investigating the benefits of taking grass cuttings to one or more anaerobic digesters as it continues trials of alternate rural grass cutting regimes to identify ways it can help to enhance flora, while ensuring changes grass cutting regimes do not impact on highway safety.

It comes days after Harrogate Borough Council said it intended to repeat last year’s experiment of leaving parts of the Stray to grow wild to encourage biodiversity.

Three-year trial

The trials at about 20 locations across the county are set to last three years.

Following the authority significantly reducing the amount of verge mowing in 2015 to save an annual £500,000 as part of austerity cutbacks, grass cutting and verge management has continued to be one of the leading issues raised by residents.

With county council-funded cuts in urban and rural areas reduced to five and two per season respectively, the authority has been approached by several town councils seeking to enhance biodiversity in their communities.

Read more:

An officer’s report states while cut grass is currently left on the verges to decompose, the authority is preparing a proposal for funding from its Beyond Carbon programme to allow for a commercial cut and collect operation to be assessed, alongside identifying the “wider appetite for verge cutting material” from anaerobic digestion firms.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, the authority’s executive member for access, said although collecting the cuttings would cost more, the grass could be used at the Allerton Waste Recovery Plant near Knaresborough to generate electricity and make money for the authority.

He said:

“If you remove the grass cuttings, the advantage to the environment is it makes the soil much less fertile which would encourage the growth of the sorts of wildflowers, such as buttercups, poppies and cornflowers that people would like to see on their verges.

“Leaving the grass cuttings on the verges tends to encourage only the growth of nettles and course grass.”

The authority’s leadership believes that with the relatively simple change of collecting the cuttings they could see what was a lose-lose situation transform into a win-win one.

Cllr Mackenzie said:

“You get criticism from both sides of the spectrum. Certain people say because some verges have been left uncut they look untidy while others question why the verges are being cut as it doesn’t encourage biodiversity. While we get criticism from both sides, if we are in the middle we are just about getting it right.”

Partially sighted Harrogate man says it’s ‘shameful’ that many crossings don’t beep

A partially sighted Harrogate man has said it’s ‘shameful’ that many pedestrian crossings in Harrogate town centre do not make a beeping noise to let blind or visually impaired people know it is safe to cross.

John Raho, 80, relies on the noise to help him cross the road safely when vehicles stop and the green man appears.

But from the top of Cheltenham Parade up Station Parade and to the Victoria Avenue junction, 9 out of 10 crossings did not make any noise at all when the Stray Ferret tested them yesterday.

Similarly, the crossing by the Odeon cinema does not make a beeping noise.

Mr Raho said:

“I rely on the beep as a reassurance but I noticed that so many of them are not working.

“They are an essential bit of kit. It’s not big science.”

This crossing on Station Parade does not currently make a beeping noise.

Read more:

North Yorkshire County Council, which is in charge of highways in the district, is not legally obliged to add beeping noises to pedestrian crossings.

To avoid confusion, it might not have two machines beeping that are close together.

Some crossings may also have a small plastic or metal cone that can be touched. It turns when the green man lights up to indicate it is safe to cross.

This pelican crossing is the only one that beeps on Station Parade.

‘A reassurance’

However, Mr Raho said the beeping noise should be essential to improve town centre access for visually impaired people.

He said:

“It’s a reassurance for me, for others with worse eyesight it’s absolutely essential. You have to be careful.”

Mr Raho said he can just about make out a blurry green man on the other side of the road, but without a sound to guide him, he tries to take his cue from other people.

“It’s alright if other people are crossing, but people do rush across the road. 

“If someone gets knocked down, then it is bad news.”

A North Yorkshire County Council spokesperson asked Mr Raho to report any machines that are not working correctly via its website. They added that until he did so it was unable to comment.

Whole of Harrogate’s Bogs Lane now to be resurfaced

North Yorkshire County Council has agreed to resurface the whole of Bogs Lane.

Previously, the council said it would only lay fresh tarmac on the stretch of road from the Forest Lane junction of Knaresborough Road to Henshaw’s College. Work began last week.

The road, just off the main A59 Knaresborough Road, is in a busy residential area that has been affected by numerous new housing schemes.

However, following requests from resident Malcolm Binks and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank, the county council has now agreed to resurface the whole stretch of road.

Cllr Broadbank said that this will now include the section from Henshaw’s College to the low bridge that connects Bogs Lane to Kingsley Road.

He said:

“The road’s been in a very poor condition for a long time. It beggared belief the county council didn’t decide to do it until now.”

The councillor said the resurfacing work should be completed by the end of this week.

Read more:

 

Coming soon! New pothole machine to improve Harrogate district roads

North Yorkshire County Council has said it will use two new state-of-the-art machines to blitz potholes across the county this month.

The machines are able to fix the potholes through a technique called spray injection patching.

With this method, the machines clean and dry the holes then fill them with a cold bitumen compound to seal cracks. Finally, an aggregate is used to fill the hole.

The county council said in a press release yesterday that acquiring the machines would enable it to undertake “an extended programme of pothole repairs across many North Yorkshire neighbourhoods during March”.

It added “local communities will be informed of locations and anticipated dates for the work very shortly”.

The council was encouraged by a recent trial of the machines and believes they are a cheaper and quicker way to fill in potholes. It also said repairs can last longer.

Read more:

Conservative councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for highways, said:

“The trials carried out were very successful and this is a great opportunity to repair more roads.

“This is good news for residents of North Yorkshire, spray injection patching is a much quicker process of repairing potholes and the repairs tend to last a lot longer.

“It offers a cost-effective way of repairing potholes whilst reducing the inconvenience to the travelling public. We have also secured the services of this specialist equipment later in the year.”

Swift action to tackle Sharow’s pothole plight

Village campaigner James Thornborough, who highlighted the “shocking state” of roads in Sharow, has had a swift response from North Yorkshire County Council.

Mr Thornborough contacted council chief executive Richard Flinton on January 30 to raise concerns about the uneven and dangerous road surfaces in the village, near Ripon.

He said fear of damage to wheels and tyres was preventing motorists from ‘going green’ by swapping sturdy SUVs for smaller vehicles with less environmental impact.

Mr Flinton promised the condition of the roads would be investigated by the council’s highways team and within a matter of days, council workmen identified 38 potholes and a temporary tarmac fix was applied.

Photo of potholes in Sharow

Before … Some of the 38 potholes in Sharow and after … with temporary tarmac patches in place (pictured below)

Patched up roads in Sharow

Following a site visit by members of the council highways team, Nigel Smith, the county’s head of highway operations, sent Mr Thornborough a detailed email. It said:

“Sharow Lane and New Road are at a stage where preventative maintenance is not an option and a more substantial maintenance scheme will be considered for inclusion in our Forward Capital Programme, which presently means that the earliest a planned maintenance scheme could be delivered would be during the 2023/24 financial year.

“By way of further information, it is anticipated that a full ‘plane out and resurface’ scheme is required at this location, which will require funding of up to £200,000.

“In the meantime we will continue to do the annual safety inspections and reactive inspections to keep these carriageways in as safe a condition as possible and keep the matter under regular review.

“To that end I have asked the local area team to keep you apprised of matters with a further update at the end of March 2022 when we are reviewing our delivery programme for 2022/23.”

Mr Thornborough told the Stray Ferret:

“It was refreshing to receive such rapid and positive responses from senior county council officers and I just hope for the sake of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, that we will eventually see a more permanent fix for our patched-up roads.”

Read more:

 

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone, it’s Connor back with you to take you through to Christmas with traffic and travel updates on this cold Wednesday morning.

If you spot anything, let me know on 01423 276197. Let’s help everyone have a smooth journey today.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is all from me this morning but I will be back with updates from 6.30am tomorrow.

Roads

The roads are starting to become busy but seem to be quieter than usual. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to become busy but seem to be quieter than usual. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are starting to become busy but seem to be quieter than usual. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running well so far early this morning with not many out driving so far. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running well so far early this morning with not many out driving so far. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running well so far early this morning with not many out driving so far. Keep checking back for more updates but here is a list of places to avoid.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning everyone and welcome to the start of a new week with the Stray Ferret’s traffic and travel service.

Make sure to keep an eye on this blog throughout the morning.

If you spot anything, let me know on 01423 276197. Let’s help everyone have a smooth journey today.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

Roads

That is all from me this morning, I will be back from 6.30am tomorrow. The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas. Here are the hot spots to look out for:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas. Here are the hot spots to look out for:

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

8am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are getting more busy this morning as more people head out to work for the last week before Christmas.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

7am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are running smoothly so far this morning, but keep checking back as things will likely get busier as the morning goes on.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

Storm Arwen: More than 700 Harrogate district homes still without power

Storm Arwen’s impact is still being felt with more than 700 homes still without power, some since Friday.

According to a live map organised by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, more than 700 homes are without power.

The areas most affected are the HG3 and HG4 postcode, particularly Birstwith, Hampsthwaite and Spofforth.

We will keeping this live blog full of updates as we get them.

Have you been affected by the storm? Please send updates on the situation where you live to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with a description of what has happened, where and any pictures.

1.50pm – Phone signal drops in Summerbridge

Reports of a loss of phone signal are still coming from outlying villages such as Summerbridge.

One Stray Ferret reader got in touch to say she lost phone signal around midday today, her colleagues are also without.

Similar reports came in after Friday night’s bad weather, the situation with signal and power to homes looks to be ongoing.

7.15am – Local resident books in to hotel due to lack of power at home

A Stray Ferret reader has got in touch to say after having no heating or hot water and being unable to cook since Friday evening left her choosing to book into a hotel.

She has called on Northern Powergrid to make updates more specific so she can see the progress on works affecting her.

November 29

7.05am – Northern Powergrid said it is still working to restore power to homes 

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, tweeted overnight to say its engineers were working through the night to try and restore power to homes still without.

Our teams are working into the night and engineers from across the UK are ready to support our continued response to #StormArwen

Read more – https://t.co/1rrcpUqWAs

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 29, 2021

Yesterday, it told customers they may be “off supply for long periods” due to some areas needing intensive work. It has said all planned work has been postponed so teams can focus on getting customers back on supply.

3.17pm – North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum update

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which coordinates the country’s emergency response to incidents, says “emergency services, councils and utilities services continue to work together across North Yorkshire to deal with the aftermath of Storm Arwen”.

The update adds:

“Whilst the strong winds have dropped, some homes and business are still being affected and there remain issues with snow and ice across much of the county.

“Northern Powergrid continues to work to restore power to homes and businesses in the area.  We know, however, that some homes in parts of North Yorkshire continue to be affected.

“The Northern Powergrid website has details of when affected areas are likely to have power restored – www.northernpowergrid.com – using a live interactive map.”

Speaking on behalf of the forum, Neil Irving said:

“With an issue like this storm and the wintry weather that’s followed, it’s really important that we work together closely to make sure that those who need help are able to get it.

“Our joint response across emergency services, organisations delivering important infrastructure, and local councils providing support to people, mean that we’ve been able to combine and target our help more effectively.”

2.29pm – Weather warning for ice begins at 3pm

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice in the Harrogate district.

The warning comes into force at 3pm today and ends at 10am tomorrow.

Temperatures are forecast to fall to about freezing tonight in Harrogate but in remote areas, such as Greenhow Hill, it will feel like minus eight degrees centigrade.

The Met Office says:

1.51pm – Northern Powergrid update: 40,000 homes still affected

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, has issued another update saying this is the largest storm to affect its network for 15 years.

It says power has been restored to 200,000 of 240,000 homes that suffered loss of supply. It is drafting in engineers from Northern Ireland Electricity and UKPN to resolve outstanding problems.

In a statement, it said:

“All resources available are deployed, including contractors, and the network operator, as part of an industry mutual aid agreement, has also secured additional teams from other UK network operators to bolster its response and assist with the complex permanent repairs needed following the impact of the storm.

“With more than 700 (of 1,100) incidents still to address, there is a huge amount of work to be completed. Many of the faults will require intensive work and are localised with smaller numbers of customers associated, which means some customers will remain off supply for long periods as the network operator works through this programme.

“Northern Powergrid’s teams are identifying those at risk of being off supply for more than another 24 hours so customers can make alternative arrangements.”

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s major incident manager, said:

“The storm was well forecasted and despite being prepared, Storm Arwen resulted in damage of a scale and intensity not seen for 15 years.

“We’re sorry that some customers are still without power despite the huge effort by our colleagues. We understand the impact this has on peoples’ lives particularly at this time of year.

He said the company was unable to keep pace with requests for info, adding:

“We pride ourselves on being able to keep our customers informed and we are doing everything possible to keep people updated using all available channels including social media. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address this.”

1.46pm – Power problems persist in Beckwithshaw

Reader Katharine Thompson informs us power has not returned to some homes in Shawfield Head in HG3

“We are only getting pre-recorded messages from Northern Powergrid when we ring their number despite being told we will get text updates.

“The last message said there were 54 houses in this postcode and 2 Leeds postcodes still without power. They estimate supply will be returned by midnight tonight but we are not holding out much hope.”

Storm Arwen: More than 700 Harrogate district homes still without power

Storm Arwen’s impact is still being felt with more than 700 homes still without power, some since Friday.

According to a live map organised by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, more than 700 homes are without power.

The areas most affected are the HG3 and HG4 postcode, particularly Birstwith, Hampsthwaite and Spofforth.

We will keeping this live blog full of updates as we get them.

Have you been affected by the storm? Please send updates on the situation where you live to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with a description of what has happened, where and any pictures.

1.50pm – Phone signal drops in Summerbridge

Reports of a loss of phone signal are still coming from outlying villages such as Summerbridge.

One Stray Ferret reader got in touch to say her and her colleagues lost phone signal around midday today.

Similar reports came in after Friday night’s bad weather, the situation with signal and power to homes looks to be ongoing.

7.15am – Local resident books in to hotel due to lack of power at home

A Stray Ferret reader has got in touch to say after having no heating or hot water and being unable to cook since Friday evening left her choosing to book into a hotel.

She has called on Northern Powergrid to make updates more specific so she can see the progress on works affecting her.

7.05am – Northern Powergrid said it is still working to restore power to homes 

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, tweeted overnight to say its engineers were working through the night to try and restore power to homes still without.

Our teams are working into the night and engineers from across the UK are ready to support our continued response to #StormArwen

Read more – https://t.co/1rrcpUqWAs

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 29, 2021

Yesterday, it told customers they may be “off supply for long periods” due to some areas needing intensive work. It has said all planned work has been postponed so teams can focus on getting customers back on supply.

3.17pm – North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum update

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which coordinates the country’s emergency response to incidents, says “emergency services, councils and utilities services continue to work together across North Yorkshire to deal with the aftermath of Storm Arwen”.

The update adds:

“Whilst the strong winds have dropped, some homes and business are still being affected and there remain issues with snow and ice across much of the county.

“Northern Powergrid continues to work to restore power to homes and businesses in the area.  We know, however, that some homes in parts of North Yorkshire continue to be affected.

“The Northern Powergrid website has details of when affected areas are likely to have power restored – www.northernpowergrid.com – using a live interactive map.”

Speaking on behalf of the forum, Neil Irving said:

“With an issue like this storm and the wintry weather that’s followed, it’s really important that we work together closely to make sure that those who need help are able to get it.

“Our joint response across emergency services, organisations delivering important infrastructure, and local councils providing support to people, mean that we’ve been able to combine and target our help more effectively.”

2.29pm – Weather warning for ice begins at 3pm

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice in the Harrogate district.

The warning comes into force at 3pm today and ends at 10am tomorrow.

Temperatures are forecast to fall to about freezing tonight in Harrogate but in remote areas, such as Greenhow Hill, it will feel like minus eight degrees centigrade.

The Met Office says:

1.51pm – Northern Powergrid update: 40,000 homes still affected

Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, has issued another update saying this is the largest storm to affect its network for 15 years.

It says power has been restored to 200,000 of 240,000 homes that suffered loss of supply. It is drafting in engineers from Northern Ireland Electricity and UKPN to resolve outstanding problems.

In a statement, it said:

“All resources available are deployed, including contractors, and the network operator, as part of an industry mutual aid agreement, has also secured additional teams from other UK network operators to bolster its response and assist with the complex permanent repairs needed following the impact of the storm.

“With more than 700 (of 1,100) incidents still to address, there is a huge amount of work to be completed. Many of the faults will require intensive work and are localised with smaller numbers of customers associated, which means some customers will remain off supply for long periods as the network operator works through this programme.

“Northern Powergrid’s teams are identifying those at risk of being off supply for more than another 24 hours so customers can make alternative arrangements.”

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s major incident manager, said:

“The storm was well forecasted and despite being prepared, Storm Arwen resulted in damage of a scale and intensity not seen for 15 years.

“We’re sorry that some customers are still without power despite the huge effort by our colleagues. We understand the impact this has on peoples’ lives particularly at this time of year.

He said the company was unable to keep pace with requests for info, adding:

“We pride ourselves on being able to keep our customers informed and we are doing everything possible to keep people updated using all available channels including social media. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address this.”

1.46pm – Power problems persist in Beckwithshaw

Reader Katharine Thompson informs us power has not returned to some homes in Shawfield Head in HG3

“We are only getting pre-recorded messages from Northern Powergrid when we ring their number despite being told we will get text updates.

“The last message said there were 54 houses in this postcode and 2 Leeds postcodes still without power. They estimate supply will be returned by midnight tonight but we are not holding out much hope.”

1.24pm – Yorkshire Water update

https://twitter.com/YorkshireWater/status/1464946526707453952

 

1.13pm – Power returns to Washburn Valley

Victoria Oldham, the Conservative councillor for Washburn Valley, has messaged to say that power has returned to Washburn Valley.

It had seemed like a long, cold, snowy day was in store for residents after Northern Powergrid advised power was likely to be off all day so this news will be most welcome on this bitterly cold November day.

Is anywhere in the Harrogate district still without power? Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

11.51am – Northern Powergrid deploys customer support vehicle

Unfortunately the vehicle is in Wooler town centre in Northumberland. Many people are struggling for updates on the situation where they live so as welcome as this is for people further north, it means the waiting continues for local people still without power.

Our Customer Support Vehicle is outside the Black Bull in #Wooler.
Joe and John from Team Powergrid are providing hot drinks, bottled water, flasks with hot water and winter warmer packs for those with out power.

'

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 28, 2021

 

10.18am – Washburn Valley expected to be without power until midnight

Victoria Oldham, the Conservative councillor for Washburn Valley, has tweeted that her ward is likely to be without power until midnight.

This is bad news for people in Dob Park, Norwood, North Rigton, Low Snowdon, Fewston, Blubberhouses and the villages in between.

Please keep us informed with the situation in your area by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

So the latest news from @Northpowergrid is that electricity will be restored by midnight in the Washburn Valley. It has been off since 10p.m. on Friday.
The landline has died, but at least the mobile signal is back. Happy Sunday everyone.

— Victoria Oldham (@VictoriaOldham4) November 28, 2021

 

 

 

9.47am – Power restored to another 8,000 homes

Northern Powergrid has just issued another update. That means about 50,000 homes are still affected.

We've restored power to a further 8,000 customers. Our teams continue to do all we can to safely restore power following significant damage to our network by #StormArwen pic.twitter.com/6d0YkZRO0R

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 28, 2021

9.16am – 58,000 homes still without power

An overnight update by Northern Powergrid revealed it had restored power to around 182,000 of some 240,000 homes and businesses whose supplies were affected by Storm Arwen. It added it hoped to “restore power to the 58,000 customers still affected as soon as we can”.

It is not known how many of those affected are in the Harrogate district, with many people reporting on social media they have been unable to get through to Northern Powergrid for further information.

The company’s update said it was responding to 700 of some 900 instances of damage. It added:

“Today has been one of the most challenging we have seen in over a decade with our teams being unable to safely climb for over 24 hours, due to the storm force winds.  Although this has been frustrating, safety of our people is paramount. We have focused our efforts on work which could be completed to assess the scale of damage and response needed to repair the network.

“The storm has caused varying degrees of damage across the whole of our operating area, with the North East region taking the brunt of the storm. Fallen trees and flying debris have damaged electricity infrastructure in numerous locations and travel conditions remain challenging in some places.

“Our customer support vehicles have been deployed in communities, wherever possible, to support customers and we continue to work with the British Red Cross and multi-agency partners to support those most vulnerable.

“If weather conditions remain as forecasted, from first light we will use our helicopter to spot damage locations and inform its teams on the ground.

“Please remember that anyone who spots any damaged cables or equipment must not approach the area as equipment may still be live and pose a risk of electrocution but should contact us immediately by calling 105.”

8.26pm – Northern Powergrid urges people without power to ‘seek alternative accommodation’

It is still unclear how many people in the Harrogate district are without power but those that are have been told not to expect it to return tonight.

Northern Powergrid has said problems are expected to persist ‘through the night and into tomorrow’. Not the best news with temperatures in the district forecast to fall to minus three degrees centigrade tonight.

If you are still without power, it is very likely that you will be off through the night and into tomorrow.

If you can seek alternative accommodation with family and friends it is recommended to do so – or if you know someone without power, consider if you can offer support. pic.twitter.com/ppQnxCl4ra

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 27, 2021

 

8.19pm – Sun Inn at Norwood forced to close

The pub said on social media:

“We have currently no electric or phone line . We will be unable to serve food this evening as all the staff have gone home after a very long four hours waiting patiently for it to come back on . Hopefully we will be up and running tomorrow.”

7.16pm – No water or low water pressure in HG4

We have received an email from a reader saying there is no water in North Stainley because of power problems at a pumping station. Yorkshire Water has said in a message to residents:

“You may have no water or low pressure in HG4. We will restore supplies as soon as possible. Water may return cloudy or discoloured for an hour or two but this will pass.”

Let us know what the latest situation is there and elsewhere as the Harrogate district recovers from Storm Arwen.

5.50pm – Another fallen tree, this time at Felliscliffe

Reader Alan Peel took this photo at lunchtime today of a fallen tree on Tang Road, between Whitewall Lane and Birstwith Hall. Are many roads still affected by the storms? Please keep us informed of the situation across the Harrogate district by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk/

fallen tree Tang Road

3.45pm – Harrogate district residents urged to look after each other

The body responsible for responding to emergencies in North Yorkshire has urged residents to pull together in the aftermath of Storm Arwen.

Emergency services at local councils have been working together during the high winds to clear roads and keep people safe.

However, thousands across the Northern Powergrid region remain without power as the storm moves on and temperatures plummet.

North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum has asked for neighbours to invite those vulnerable without power into their homes or make arrangements for alternative accommodation.

Avoid the seafronts. At least one person has been swept out by the waves and rescued off the North Yorkshire coast today.

Inspector Amy Hunter from North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Due to the high level demand in calls for service there may be a delay when calling the police on 101.

“We ask members of the public not to ring 999 if you can’t get through on 101, please leave the lines free for genuine emergencies.”

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has attended around 50 incidents. The majority of these incidents included falling trees, power lines and dangerous structures.

Neil Irving, on behalf of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, said:

“County and district councils and emergency services continue to pull out all the stops to keep highways clear and our residents safe and we are calling on all our residents to help us in this endeavour.

“Travel only if you need to and remain vigilant. Above all please look out for neighbours and friends particularly those who are elderly and frail who may be without power for a prolonged period in very cold weather, especially as nightfall approaches.

“We are calling on friends and neighbours and people without power to consider making arrangements together to move people into warm accommodation until power is restored.”

2.45pm – Homes will be without power today and into tomorrow

Homes across the Harrogate district that have been without power since last night may not get the supply back until tomorrow.

While it is difficult to get a hold of the impact on the district specifically with Northern Powergrid’s outage map down, we have received a number of complaints about the issue.

More than 108,000 properties are still affected. Here is what a spokesperson for the power company said:

“Storm Arwen, which continues to hit the region, has brough windspeeds of up to 100 mph and is the largest storm to impact our network since 2005.

“More than 219,000 homes and businesses have been affected and we have restored power to some 111,000 customers.

“With 108,000 still affected, and as a result of the ongoing situation, many customers will be off supply for the majority of the day and into tomorrow or when it is safe to carry out repairs.”

2pm – Storm Arwen starts to relent

Storm Arwen is beginning to relent after battering the Harrogate district over the last 24 hours.

The Met Office has said that the strongest of the winds have now passed but there are still severe weather warnings in place across the UK.

A yellow warning for wind is still vald until 6pm. However, the storm is now moving southwards.

The worst of the winds may have passed but there is a cold night ahead with a yellow warning for ice in place between 5pm and 11am tomorrow.

Chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale, said:

“Storm Arwen has delivered some dangerously strong winds overnight, with gusts in excess of 90mph recorded and sustained windspeeds of over 60mph.

“The strong winds will move south across the UK through the day, gradually weakening.

“Warnings are in still in force through the day and there has been widespread disruption so check and follow advice from local authorities before you head out.

“There is a chance of snow in some locations, particularly the higher ground in Scotland and Northern England where we have already seen some accumulations.

“Any snow falling at lower levels is likely to be short lived.”

12.55pm – Tree down on Jenny Field Drive

Thanks to reader Jacci Stephenson who sent us this photo of a tree down on Jenny Field Drive in Harrogate today.

Storm Arwen Jenny Field Drive

We also received this tweet about trees down in Bilton.

Two trees down on Bilton cycle path, one just north of Bilton lane easily avoided , the other just beyond the railway line bridge much harder to get round.

— terribletim (@terribletim6) November 27, 2021

We also understand many homes are still affected by the severe weather. Have things improved in Fewston since we received this tweet?

We have no electricity in Fewston and no mobile phone signal. We’ve phoned National Power Grid from the town centre to determine what is happening and they’re not taking calls and their website is down. We’re truly in the dark!

— steven (@Mincemoosemeat) November 27, 2021

Let us know the latest situation where you are by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

12.45pm – North Powergrid struggling to restore power

Northern Powergrid says Storm Arwen is the largest storm to impact network since 2005.

Parts of Yorkshire and the north east of England have significant damage to power network and although it has managed to restore power to many homes a significant number remain without power.

Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s Major Incident Manager, said:

“Our contact centre is very busy and our website is experiencing issues due to the volume of customers using it.  Our teams are doing everything possible to resolve this and we are continuing to provide updates on our social media channels which we encourage customers to share”

Continued storm force winds mean it is currently unsafe for teams to climb and repair any damage caused to overhead power lines by fallen trees and flying debris.

Northern Powergrid warned that customers maybe off supply for the majority of the day and into tomorrow, or when it is safe to carry out restoration and repairs.

11.45am – Cancelled Christmas events across Harrogate district

(Closed) RHS Harlow Carr: Due to weather warnings & high winds, RHS Garden Harlow Carr is closing today (Sat 27 Nov) & this evening’s Glow event is cancelled. If you have booked for the garden or Glow you’ll automatically be refunded within the next 14 days. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.

(Closed) Harrogate Theatre: Harrogate Theatre has now confirmed that it has been forced to cancel the whole weekend of scheduled panto performances. Storm Arwen has left the building with a leak.

(Closed) Brimham Rocks: National Trust has closed Brimham Rocks today due to high winds. The site said it is not safe for visitors or staff.

(Closed) Fountains Abbey: National Trust has closed Fountains Abbey near Ripon today due to high winds. The site said it is not safe for visitors or staff.

(Closed) Stockeld Park: The Christmas Tree Shop will be opening from 1pm today when winds are forecast to reduce to safe levels. The Adventure Park remains closed today as the storm through the night has caused some damage and the team are spending the day clearing up the debris and ensuring the site is safe.

Rides in Harrogate: Due to the anticipated high winds, the attractions in #Harrogate (Ferris wheel, carousel and helter-skelter) may not be running this weekend. The situation will be monitored throughout.

11.30am – Train disruption on Harrogate lines

Train commuters have faced lots of disruption this morning due to the strong winds caused by Storm Arwen.

Northern Rail has said that services will either be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.

On the Harrogate board, the 11.45am to Leeds and 1.05pm to York are cancelled.

11am – Tree falls on moving car in Sharow

A clean up operation has just begun after a tree fell on a moving car with a driver inside in Sharow.

The incident occured this morning on Dishforth Road. We understand that the person inside suffered minor injuries.

We asked both North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for more information but received no reply.

10.30am – Weekend of pantos cancelled at Harrogate Theatre

Harrogate Theatre has now confirmed that it has been forced to cancel the whole weekend of scheduled panto performances.

The theatre is currently undergoing a roof replacement. However, Storm Arwen has left the building with a leak.

It means that the 12pm and 5pm performances both today and tomorrow will not go ahead.

10.15am – Harrogate Theatre cancels panto over leak

Harrogate Theatre has been forced to cancel its performance of Cinderella at 12pm today due to a leak caused by Storm Arwen.

It is unclear at this stage whether the 5pm will be able to go ahead.

https://twitter.com/HGtheatre/status/1464536490273394698

9.50am – Power out in areas across the Harrogate district

Storm Arwen has left some people in the Harrogate district without power this morning.

A Stray Ferret reader in Fewston called Steven has told us they are currently without power and mobile phone signal this morning.

Northern Powergrid has said 112,000 of its customers are currently without power with more than 550 instances of damage on the network.

#StormArwen is continuing to batter our region and causing ongoing damage to our network.

We have restored power to 88,000 homes and businesses. We currently have 112,000 customers without power and we have more than 550 instances of damage on our network. pic.twitter.com/QvPLADIDAg

— Northern Powergrid (@Northpowergrid) November 27, 2021

9.15am – An update for the roads across the Harrogate district

Some trees have been cleared from main roads but there is still plenty of disruption across the Harrogate district.

Pennypot Lane and Jennyfield Drive are now clear after fallen trees have been cleared

8.30am – Parkrun cancelled due to weather conditions

Organisers of the Parkrun in Harrogate have cancelled the event this morning due to Storm Arwen.

Harrogate Parkrun tweeted a picture of a downed tree and said it was just not safe to go out.

Nobody wants a tree on their head so we are cancelled today.

Sorry folks it’s just not safe for our runners or volunteers to go ahead this morning.

Stay safe, have a wonderful weekend and we’ll see you soon. pic.twitter.com/cR19KzhX4G

— Harrogate parkrun (@Hgateparkrun) November 27, 2021

8.15am – Buses are still running across the district

The Harrogate Bus Company is running its services across the Harrogate district this morning with a couple of exceptions:

Transdev CEO Alex Hornby tweeted:

“This morning has been challenging. Our teams are doing a tremendous job to get buses moving in the storms and snow (and around many fallen trees!). We are doing our best to update you on our social channels.

“Thanks to everyone for doing their bit – and for your patience today.”

8am – Fallen trees causing issues on the roads

We have seen several reports overnight and this morning of fallen trees causing issues on the roads across the Harrogate district.

Have we missed anything? Get in touch so we can add it to our live blog and let others know.

 

Live: Harrogate district traffic and travel

Good morning, it’s Connor back with you this morning to update you with travel alerts to keep your journey moving.

I’ll let you know about roadworks, delayed trains and any traffic hotspots that could cause you delays.

If you spot anything, and it is safe to do so, give me a call on 01423 276197 and we can help other commuters too.

These blogs are brought to you by The HACS Group.

9am – Full Update 

That is all from me this morning, I am heading over to the news desk now. Hopefully you have found the blog helpful. I will be back from 6.30am tomorrow.

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8.30am – Full Update 

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8am – Full Update 

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7.30am – Full Update 

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7am – Full Update 

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The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses

6.30am – Full Update 

Roads

The roads are looking quiet so far this morning, with no build ups of traffic yet.

Road closures:

Temporary lights:

Trains

Buses