Two people were taken to hospital following a three-vehicle collision on Skipton Road in Harrogate last night.
Harrogate firefighters were alerted at 7.02pm to the incident, which was also attended by police.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s incident log says:
“Crews liaised with police on scene and administered initial first aid to occupants whilst awaiting the arrival of ambulance crews.
“Crews stabilised one vehicle to enable the occupant to be assisted out. Occupants of two vehicles transported to hospital via road ambulance. Crews left the incident in the hands of the police to await recovery of the vehicles.”
North Yorkshire Police has not given any details about the incident, which was the second one attended by Harrogate firefighters in little over an hour.
At 5.49pm they were called to Menwith Hill Road to reports of a vehicle fire. The incident log says:
`’Crews extinguished the fire and dampened the vehicle down before isolating the battery and making the vehicle safe. Crews cordoned off the area and left the incident with the police to await recovery.”
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Don’t forget Wetherby Road and Skipton Road in congestion plans, say Harrogate councillors
Transport officials have been urged not to leave Harrogate’s Wetherby Road and Skipton Road out of long-awaited plans to tackle the town’s “chronic” congestion problems.
North Yorkshire County Council recently revealed it is exploring new proposals to ease traffic and improve safety on the A61/Leeds Road as part of its Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme.
This comes after calls to revert the Parliament Street section of the road to two-way traffic were last year rejected by the authority which said the costs would exceed £30 million.
The latest plans could now include bus lanes, junction upgrades and cycling and walking improvements.
Also proposed is a Harrogate park and ride service, as well as a bypass around Killinghall where residents say the existing roads can no longer cope with the area’s population explosion.
Louise Neal, transport planning team leader at the county council, told a meeting on Wednesday that the A61/Leeds Road presented the “greatest opportunity” to tackle the town’s traffic jams through the measures that are being explored.
But councillors frustrated with slow progress have questioned why there is such a great focus on the road when others are suffering from similar congestion woes.
Traffic queueing on Skipton Road.
Councillor Pat Marsh, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said Wetherby Road and Skipton Road needed to be given greater consideration as they are the “busiest” in the town. She said:
“You have only got to go to the Empress Roundabout to see that.
“On Wetherby Road the traffic tails back so far it is unbelievable. Why that road is not being looked at I do not know.”
Councillor Marsh also said the “biggest issue” in her Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone division was the decline of bus services as she also argued that there is potential for a park and ride scheme to serve passengers from the Great Yorkshire Showground.
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After looking at more than 100 possible park and ride sites, the county council is focusing on the A61 as it wants the scheme to link with the 36 bus service.
‘It just goes on forever’
Although more detailed plans could finally be revealed next year, there is still frustration that all the proposed measures to cut congestion could still be several years away despite the alarm bells ringing over climate change.
Fairfax and Starbeck Liberal Democrat councillor Philip Broadbank said:
“The number of reports, consultants and investigations we have – it just goes on forever.
“Skipton Road 30 years ago was the most congested road in North Yorkshire and there were all sorts of promises then.
“We now need to focus, get on and deliver.”
After launching in 2019, the Harrogate Transport Improvement Programme has been hit by recent delays because the work is “extremely time consuming and complex,” the county council said.
It added the latest data gathering stage will take several more months to complete, with a report on the next steps to be revealed “in the first half of 2023”.
Harrogate’s Nelson Inn on the lookout for recruits ahead of grand reopening
This article is sponsored by Brunning & Price.
When the opportunity to inject a new lease of life into an historic Harrogate pub arose, Sam Aston jumped at the chance.
The new manager has moved to the town from the Isle of Wight with her six-year-old Bouvier des Flanders dog, Bear.
She will be leading a new team at the 18th century Nelson Inn pub, near Hampsthwaite, which is set to reopen in November.
Sam brings with her a wealth of experience, having been in hospitality her whole life, and she is “chomping at the bit” to get open.
She said:
“I am so excited to take up my new role in this beautiful, historic inn, which dates back to 1776.
“Customers can expect a warm welcome, good cask beers, freshly cooked food, delicious and affordable wine and a good shelf of malt whiskies and gins. A gluten-free menu will also be available.
“I love to try to new food and local beers and gins and I can’t wait until we launch our fantastic new menu.
“I also really enjoy walking with Bear in the countryside, so the location of the inn is perfect as there are so many lovely walks to explore in the area.
“I’m really looking forward to opening in November.”
New pub manager at the Nelson Inn, Sam, with her dog Bear.
The Nelson Inn, just off Skipton Road, was first built in 1776 and was a private house until the early 19th century.
It was given its name following Nelson’s victory during the Battle of Trafalgar.
It has been taken over by Brunning and Price, which has a portfolio of 80 pub restaurants, including the Highwayman in Kirkby Lonsdale and the Bull at Broughton.
A major restoration and refurbishment of the inn is currently underway.
Join the team
The Nelson is now looking for staff to join Sam and the team, with a range of exciting opportunities available.
They include roles in management, as well as chefs, front of house, cleaners and gardeners.
Part time and flexible hours are available and full training will be offered.
Brunning and Price will be hosting recruitment days at Killinghall Village Hall on Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14.
A further open day will be held on October 20.
For more information on the recruitment day and jobs available, email recruitment@brunningandprice.co.uk.
Woman bids farewell to pub industry to open Harrogate tanning salonA Harrogate woman has swapped the bar for beds after leaving the pub industry and opening her own tanning salon.
Jade Lacey, 27, launched Be Bronze & Beauty…Ful, on Skipton Road, this week.
The new salon, which is above McCanns barbers, has three sunbeds and offers a range of beauty treatments, including lashes, brows and spray tans.
It has been completely refurbished, thanks to her “handy” dad, and she hopes to employ a nail technician in the coming weeks.
Ms Lacey decided to take the leap and open her own business after working in hospitality for many years.
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She was a familiar face at So! Bar and Eats in Harrogate and Knaresborough, as well as the Devonshire Tap House, on Devonshire Place, and the Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Scotton.
But after completing a number of beauty courses during the pandemic, she decided to launch the salon after her dad’s friend offered her the premises.
Inside the salon, which has been refurbished.
Ms Lacey said:
“This came up and I thought why wouldn’t you want to be your own boss? It was a bit daunting completely changing careers, but now I’m up and running, I’m really loving it.”
The irony of opening a sunbed shop on the hottest day of the year was not lost on her.
She laughed:
Swimming pool therapy for dogs set to launch in Harrogate“I had to close the sunbeds on Monday and Tuesday as it was too hot!”
An innovative new physio and hydrotherapy centre for dogs is set to open in Harrogate next month.
Veterinary physiotherapist Sophie Brook is hoping to launch the facility on Skipton Road at the end of August.
The first of its kind in Harrogate, it will offer physiotherapy, rehabilitation hydrotherapy, fun and fitness swims and puppy confidence swims.
Ms Brook, who owns The Harrogate Vet Physio, has been working on a mobile basis for the last two years, treating dogs and horses.
She has spent that time looking for a suitable location to be able to also offer hydrotherapy, which she currently practises at a centre in Brighouse.
And she finally found the perfect unit at Dragon Court Business Park, which will offer a 6m x 2.5m heated dog swimming pool and a physio room.
Ms Brook, who studied veterinary physiotherapy for four years, said:
“I always wanted a pool because hydrotherapy is so good for dogs. The pool is getting fitted next month and hopefully it will be open at the end of August.
“It can help with problems such as arthritis in older dogs and hip and elbow dysplasia. There are also things like cruciate injuries that be helped through physio and hydrotherapy.”
Ms Brook said the swimming sessions were aimed at helping puppies and dogs gain confidence in the water, as not all are natural swimmers.
She said:
“You would be surprised how many dogs can’t swim. For some it’s not a natural ability. It also helps puppies gain confidence around water so if they fall in, they don’t go into full panic mode.
“I’m really excited to launch the new centre. People in Harrogate are big dog lovers, so it is the ideal place to do it.”
A signed referral form is needed for all of the sessions, including fun and puppy swims, and can be found here.
Hundreds attend Harrogate fire station open dayHundreds of people visited Harrogate fire station today for an open day.
Children got the chance to sit in the fire engines and watch demonstrations while parents were able to receive advice on fire prevention.
There was also the chance to sit in police vehicles.
The station, on Skipton Road, has 40 firefighters operating on four watches.
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Families will get the chance to meet Harrogate firefighters and sit in fire engines tomorrow.
Harrogate fire station is holding an open day at its site on Skipton Road.
The station, which will be open from 11am until 4.30pm, will host activities, stalls and demonstrations.
Two fire engines and the aerial ladder platform will be on display.
Firefighters will give safety advice and take part in two rescue demonstrations using the ladder platform.
Police will also be present.
There will be tea and cakes and a bouncy castle, as well as a maze for children.
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Video shows lorry crashing into Harrogate traffic light
A video has emerged of a lorry knocking over a traffic light on Skipton Road in Harrogate.
The footage appears to show a bus being towed at the junction with King’s Road, outside Bilton Working Men’s Club on Monday morning.
The trailer hits the barrier and the traffic light, which is knocked over.
The incident was one of many to cause disruption on Harrogate’s roads on Monday.
You can watch the clip below.
Barry Robertson, from Middlesbrough, uploaded the footage, which was recorded as he was driving through Harrogate.
He said drivers beeped their horns to alert the lorry driver when his vehicle got close to the barrier and traffic light.
He added that an elderly man in a car in the opposite lane where the traffic light crashed was left bemused by the incident.
“It was quite bad.
“There was an old man in the car. I don’t think he realised what happened.”
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Police later attended the scene and the light was moved, but traffic was left queueing for miles in both directions.
The situation was made worse when resurfacing work outside the Leon drive-thru on Wetherby Road caused traffic to queue back onto Skipton Road.
Four-mile queues as traffic chaos descends on HarrogateMotorists are enduring misery on the roads in Harrogate today, with long delays on three of the main routes around town.
Wetherby Road, Skipton Road and Ripon Road have all been affected by incidents, bringing traffic to a standstill on the northern side of Harrogate.
Resurfacing outside the yet-to-open Leon drive-through close to the Woodlands junction is causing long delays in both directions on Wetherby Road and Hookstone Drive.
Resurfacing outside Leon
Traffic heading towards the Kestrel roundabout is backing up all the way from Leon to the Empress roundabout and all along Skipton Road to New Park roundabout – a distance of almost four miles.
The four-way traffic lights at the Woodlands junction, near the Leon site, brought tailbacks to Hornbeam Park.
Many vehicles were turning around in attempts to avoid the queues.
The fallen traffic lights.
The central reservation damaged by the traffic lights.
The situation was made worse this morning when a traffic light at the junction of Skipton Road and King’s Road, near Bilton Working Men’s Club, came crashing down.
That has now been removed but traffic was still queueing for miles in all directions when the Stray Ferret cycled around town at about midday today.
Queueing on Skipton Road
Motorists trying to avoid the delays on Skipton Road by heading into town on Ripon Road were hit by further roadworks outside Cygnet Hospital.
Roadworks on Ripon Road is adding to delays.
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Police appeal after motorcyclist seriously injured near Harrogate
Police today issued an appeal for witnesses following a crash near Harrogate in which a man suffered serious injuries.
The collision, on the A59 near Kettlesing, involved a white Transit van and a motorcycle.
Both were travelling in the direction of Harrogate.
The incident happened at about 2.30pm on Friday and led to the road being closed for several hours.
The motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries.
North Yorkshire Police are appealing for any witnesses to the collision, or anyone with relevant dashcam footage.
If you wish to do so you can call 101 and speak to the force control room, quoting reference number NYP-17062022-253.
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