‘One death was enough’: South Stainley woman’s plea for A61 speed reductionThree arrested following police chase between Harrogate and Ripon

Three people have been arrested following a police chase involving dogs and a helicopter through several villages near Harrogate this afternoon.

North Yorkshire Police said in a statement officers attempted to stop a VW Golf on the A61 at Ripley at about 1.45pm.

The statement added the vehicle raced off and was pursued through Bedlam, Bishop Thornton and Shaw Mills before coming to a stop on a country lane in Markington.

Police and dogs searching for the suspects

It added:

“The occupants ran from the vehicle and a significant amount of resource was sent to the area.

“A police dog was involved in the search and a police helicopter was scrambled to assist with checking on a vast open area.

“A 17-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident.”

In an updated statement, the force said searches carried out by police drug dogs found a quantity of “what is suspected to be a class-A drug” was forensically recovered from the side of the road.

Police added the teenager and two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for the police and intent to supply a class-A drug.

All three were interviewed and released on conditional bail.

The Stray Ferret received reports of a large police presence on the verge of the A61 at South Stainley, which runs between Harrogate and Ripon, just after 2.40pm today.

A witness, who was a passenger on a passing bus, said the police appeared to be carrying out a “manhunt”.

Another witness on the same bus added:

“I saw police officers searching along a hedge line and in a field. There were two cars parked and a lady was talking to the police. I’m guessing the other car belonged to whoever they were looking for.

“There were two police vans and four police cars. One of them drove of at speed towards Nidd, behind South Stainley.”

The VW Golf 

A member of Markington Village Facebook group also said a car went “racing through” the village followed by “six police cars after it”.

Someone commented on the post to add the police had been “looking for someone on foot who has gone through the fields”.

The Stray Ferret was also alerted to a large police presence in Killinghall.

Reports say the A61 Ripon Road between Killinghall and Ripley is also closed.

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Speed limit could be reduced on A61 Harrogate to Ripon Road

The speed limit on the main road between Harrogate and Ripon could be reduced from 60mph to 50mph following recent fatal accidents.

Four people, including two children, were killed in two separate incidents in the space of eight days on the A61 at South Stainley in late August and early September.

Rebecca Brewins, who lives alongside the road and lost her parents in a crash at South Stainley 11 years ago, has led a campaign to make the road safer following the latest deaths.

She and other residents met Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, who subsequently urged North Yorkshire Council to act.

Now council chief executive Richard Flinton has indicated it is considering a speed reduction.

Police at the scene of the triple fatality on September 3.

In a letter to Mr Smith, seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Flinton wrote:

“The reports for the recent fatal collisions are currently being drafted, but I am able to advise that the road environment was not considered to have been a factor in the cause of either fatal collision

“Therefore, the recommendations are limited to small scale localised improvements, such as the cleaning of road signs and refreshing of white lines.

“Nevertheless, in recognition of community concerns, North Yorkshire Council is currently carrying out a series of speed surveys along the A61, with a view to reducing the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph.

“Whilst mean speeds are unlikely to be excessive, the intention here is to set the expectations of the motorist, of the lack of overtaking opportunities, bends and other hazards associated with a high speed rural road.”

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Mr Flinton added the council was expected to consult on introducing a traffic regulation order to reduce the speed limit from the national default speed limit of 60mph.

Mr Flinton also said engineers will undertake “a full route analysis of the A61” to identify what else can be done to make the road safer.

The short overtaking bend in South Stainley is a particular cause for concern, but Mr Flintoff indicated getting rid of it “has the potential at least, to increase driver frustration and hence collision risk” because it presented one of the few opportunities to pass slow moving vehicles between Ripon and Harrogate.

‘Time to make this road safe’

Responding to Mr Flinton’s comments, Ms Brewins said:

“Change is vital to the safety and welfare of the local community and indeed anyone who uses the A61.

“Over the years there has been resistance to reviewing the speed and layout of the A61, which has led to multiple accidents and sadly many deaths.,

“As well as the speed of the A61, the overtaking lane, where sadly three deaths recently occurred, is a major concern. Historically this lane allowed vehicles to overtake tractors but has become dated, leading to daily accidents, aggressive driving and many nbear misses. It is far too short to overtake safely, has a turning area into priovate dwellings and is in dire need of reviewing.

“I am glad to hear Mr Flinton is taking this seriously and looking at the necessary changes to avoid further fatal accidents.

“This has been overlooked and ignored for too many years. It really is time to male this road safe.”

The A61 at South Stainley.

Mr Smith said inadequate overtaking lanes, excessive speed limits, widespread use of the road as an impromptu racetrack by motorcyclists, and rat-running through Ripley village were among the concerns raised at his meeting with residents.

The Conservative MP said:

“A horrific crash took the lives of a fifteen-year-old girl’s mum, brother and sister.

“While I have been humbled by the astonishing generosity of friends, local residents and perfect strangers alike, raising nearly £50,000 for her since, we must also ensure that tragic accidents like this do not happen again.

“I’m grateful to North Yorkshire Council and North Yorkshire Police for their swift response to the recent spate of accidents on the A61, as well as those residents who met with me two weeks ago to share their concerns, as we continue to look for a solution.”

 

Masham woman sets up fundraiser for bus driver involved in fatal A61 collision

A woman from Masham has set up a fundraising page for the bus driver seriously injured in a fatal collision on the A61 Ripon Road this month.

Daria Bartienieva, 35, her son, Ihor Bartienieva, aged 6, and Daria’s step-daughter, Anastasiia Bartienieva, 15, died after a three-vehicle crash that involved a double decker 36 bus on the road near South Stainley on September 3.

It was the second fatal collision on the road on consecutive weekends.

Katie Sills, 23, told the Stray Ferret she had followed the fundraiser for 15-year-old Liza Bartienieva, who was orphaned following the accident.

It has so far raised more than £41,000 and Ms Sills decided to launch a similar appeal for the driver of the 36 bus known as ‘Bob’ because she had not seen anything being done on his behalf.

Ms Sills said she does not know Bob but wanted to help in any capacity she could:

“I just thought to myself ‘he’s a man with a family, bills and probably rent or a mortgage’.

“I’m not entirely sure what the money will be used for, but I imagine just everyday living if he’s not working.

“What he saw would’ve been absolutely horrendous and now he’s left with physical and mental trauma.”

After setting up the GoFundMe page on Sunday, which has now raised over £2,000, a friend of the bus driver reached out to Ms Sills.

“His friend said he’d seen my post about the fundraiser and that the man does not have social media, so he passed on my phone number and he text me not long after.”

The man told Ms Sills “I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and consideration”. She said:

“He told me in the text that the only reason he was working that Sunday was so he could take a day off to drive his son to university the following week.

“He also said he’d always be indebted to me.”

The initial target was £1,000 but now that has been surpassed, Ms Sills said she’d like to keep the page up to raise as much as she can.

A fun day will also be held at Ripon Bowling Club this Sunday to continue raising money for those affected by the collision – including the bus driver and Liza.

It will include cake stalls, a raffle, a live DJ and a magician.

The event will run from 1pm to 5pm.

It is free to attend but asks people to donate what they can.

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Calls for action after four deaths on main Ripon to Harrogate road

Residents and councillors have called for action after the latest spate of deaths on the main road between Ripon and Harrogate.

A mother and two children were killed on the A61 Ripon Road last Sunday, eight days after a 59-year-old man died.

Both incidents occurred near South Stainley — prompting calls for safety measures around the village, including a reduction in the 60mph speed limit.

South Stainley resident Rebecca Brewins lost both parents when their vehicle was hit by a lorry on the A61 at South Stainley 11 years ago.

Ms Brewins and husband Carl have contacted North Yorkshire Council, which is the highways authority, Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon and South Stainley-with-Cayton Parish Council to enlist support following the latest deaths.

The Brewins, whose house is directly off the A61, said they were aware of at least seven fatal crashes on the road around South Stainley in recent years and the “horrendous” death toll could no longer be ignored.

Mr Brewins said the volume of traffic and the wide range of A61 road users that include tractors, cyclists, lorries and cars created particular problems on the winding route.

The short overtaking lane on a bend.

The road is mainly single carriageway but a short overtaking lane on a bend near the Brewins’ home exacerbated problems by encouraging reckless manoeuvres and sudden bursts of speed, he added.

Mr Brewins said:

“The road is getting busier — we are getting more houses and more cars.

“If a strip of road a mile long outside your house has seven deaths, surely you have to do something.”

Ms Brewins said she was told after her parents died the accident statistics didn’t justify traffic calming measures.

But she said crashes were common on the A61, particularly between South Stainley and Ripley, where the speed limit is 60mph. The speed limit varies between 40mph and 60mph in the opposite direction towards Ripon.

Ms Brewins said the road was a constant source of worry:

“When my eldest daughter learned to drive I was a nervous wreck. She got an electric car so it wouldn’t stall when she pulled out on to the road.

“While the limit is 60mph it encourages people to constantly speed up and slam on their brakes.”

Traffic is allowed to drive at 60mph through the area.

Villagers ‘traumatised’ by fatal crashes

Jane Pickering, chairman of South Stainley-with-Cayton Parish Council, said villagers had been “traumatised” by the latest fatal accidents and frustrated by the lack of action.

She said villagers had tried to help victims while emergency services were on their way and were left overwhelmed by shock and grief.

Ms Pickering questioned why lower speeds were permitted in other villages along the route, such as Wormald Green, but South Stainley remained at 60mph. She said:

“We have been flagging this issue for years.

“I will be taking this up again on behalf of the parish until something is done about it.”

The 36 bus stop at South Stainley.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, a Liberal Democrat whose Masham and Fountains division includes South Stainley, pledged support.

She told the Stray Ferret on Tuesday:

“I have spoken to the chair of the parish council today, and assured her I will be doing all that I can at County Hall to support the introduction of as many traffic calming and speed control measures as are necessary to make the road safer and – I hope – to avoid any more tragic accidents.”

Speed review

The Stray Ferret asked the council for data on road accidents around South Stainley and what action it planned to take in light of the recent spate of deaths.

A council accident graph said there had been 10 fatal accidents on the A61 since 2007.

Barrie Mason, the council’s assistant director of highways and transformation, said road safety was a priority and his thoughts were with the families and friends of recent victims.

He said the council worked with road safety partners across the county to make the roads safer, adding:

“We recently committed to undertaking a series of speed limit reviews across the county and the A61, along with other routes, will be investigated to see whether existing speed limits are appropriate.

“We are liaising with North Yorkshire Police as investigations into the fatal accidents are carried out. We cannot comment further before these investigations are complete.”

A council spokesperson said signs indicating the number of casualties on the road were removed more than 10 years ago.

The spokesperson added:

“They quickly became out of date, and in that location deemed to be a potentially dangerous obstruction on the road.”

They added the council had received five complaints relating to road safety concerns on this stretch of road over the last year and “most” had been in the last week.

We also asked Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, for his views on what should be done but did not receive a response.

Police are still appealing for witnesses to last weekend’s crash and dashcam footage.

You can email Julie.brown@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and pass on information for incident 12230166439.

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Two children and woman killed in collision between Ripon and Harrogate

Three people, including two children, were killed in a collision on the main road between Harrogate and Ripon yesterday.

A silver Vauxhall Meriva, a blue Toyota Aygo and a double-decker bus were involved in the incident near South Stainley at 2.20pm yesterday.

It was the second fatal collision on the A61 Ripon Road between Ripon and Harrogate on consecutive weekends.

North Yorkshire Police today said a woman and two children from the same vehicle died and appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage. Their names have not yet been revealed.

The force said in a statement:

“The Vauxhall and Toyota were travelling south towards Ripley and the bus was travelling in the opposite direction.

“Sadly, all three occupants of the Vauxhall Meriva, a woman in her 30s, a teenage girl and a six-year-old boy, died following the collision. Their next of kin have been informed and are receiving specialist support.

“The driver of the bus was taken to hospital with leg injuries, some of the bus passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital, and the two people in the Toyota were not injured.”

The road was closed to allow all emergency services to attend to the collision and for investigators to examine the scene. It reopened at around 11.30pm.

Officers are appealing to anyone who saw any of the vehicles prior to the collision or witnessed the collision to get in touch if they have not already spoken to officers.

They are also appealing to anyone who may have dashcam footage of the vehicles travelling along the A61 prior to the collision or of the collision itself, to get in touch.

You can email Julie.brown@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and pass information for incident 12230166439.

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Man dies after crash between Harrogate and Ripon

A 59-year-old man has died following a collision on the A61 between Ripley and South Stainley last weekend.

North Yorkshire Police said the crash happened at 5.20pm on Saturday, August 26.

Three cars were involved in the collision, including a dark coloured Suzuki Bandit Motorcycle, a dark coloured Land Rover Discovery and a white Ford Transit Van.

The rider of the motorcycle, a 59-year-old man, died.

Police said the man’s family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.

The driver of the Land Rover Discovery and the Ford Transit both stopped at the scene to assist officers with their enquiries.

Officers believe that the motorcyclist was travelling with a group of unknown motorcycles immediately before the collision and he was at the rear of the group.

The road was closed for several hours to allow officers to conduct investigation work at the scene of the collision.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said:

“We’re appealing for information and witnesses following a fatal collision on the A61 over the weekend.

“We’re now appealing to anyone who may have seen the collision or who may have any dashcam footage of the collision or the vehicles prior to the incident, to come forward.

“Anyone with any information or footage is urged to preserve the footage and contact us on 101 quoting reference 12230161248.

“Alternatively, you can email ross.moralee@northyorkshire.police.uk.”

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Harrogate Restaurant Week: keep your tummy and bank balance happy

On Monday 5 February, Harrogate Restaurant Week will begin. Restaurants in and around Harrogate are taking part in a promotional week, serving up some tasty discounts and helping us enjoy the luxury of dining out for less.

Restaurant Week is running from Monday 6 – Friday 10 February.

To help you save your pennies, we have curated a list of six participating restaurants and their Restaurant Week offers.

The Fat Badger

The Fat Badger is offering a homemade pie with a pint of bitter for just £10 during the promotional week.

Customers can enjoy a hearty steak, mushroom and ale pie, washed down with Tetley’s Best.

For more information on the restaurant, visit here.

The West Park Hotel

The West Park Hotel is offering two courses for £15, or three courses for £20 during Restaurant Week.

Customers can choose their courses from the new Restaurant Week menu.

Click to find more information on The West Park Hotel. 

The West Park Hotel will have a specific Restaurant Week menu.

Cosy Club

Cosy Club is offering customers a main and dessert for £15.

The Restaurant Week menu includes buttermilk fried chicken with fries, coleslaw and smoked red pepper aioli, along with a vegan baked vanilla cheesecake with raspberries.

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William & Victoria

William & Victoria will also be partaking in Restaurant Week, offering customers two courses for £15, or three courses for £20.

Customers can expect to see dishes such as honey glazed goats cheese, fresh Moules Marinière and affogato on the promotional menu.

The menu will be available during both lunch service from 12pm – 2.30pm, and dinner service from 5pm – 9m.

Rudding Park Hotel

Rudding Park Hotel’s Clocktower Brasserie is offering two courses and a glass of Prosecco for £20 during Restaurant Week.

The offer will be available from 12pm – 5pm during the promotional week.

Customers can choose their courses from the Restaurant Week menu.

For more information, click here.

The Clocktower Brasserie will be participating in Restaurant Week.

The Inn, South Stainley 

The Inn, South Stainley between Harrogate and Ripon is also offering a starter and main course for £20.

The offer is available during lunch and dinner services.

The Restaurant Week menu includes a homemade soup and giant Yorkshire puddings.

Plans submitted for South Stainley solar farm that could power 3,000 homes

Plans have been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council to build a major solar farm in South Stainley that could power 3,000 homes.

The site north of Burton Top Farm covers 19 hectares of land and is also close to the village of Wormald Green.

If approved, it would be the second solar farm in the area, following the approval of Elgin Energy’s nearby Caton Solar Farm by HBC’s planning committee in August 2021. That site is larger and can power up to 15,000 homes.

Applicants Infraland and Boultbee Brooks say the reneweable energy facility would operate at a peak capacity of 10MW a year to help the UK meet its legal target of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Solar panels would be built on three grade 3 agricultural fields, which are currently used for arable farming and for pasture.

Construction would take around 12 weeks with planning permission sought for the farm to operate for 40 years.

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In a planning statement, the applicants said the farm would support HBC’s economic policies by encouraging the diversification of use for rural and agricultural areas.

The applicants set up an online consultation about the plans for residents living in South Stainley, Bishop Monkton, Burton Leanard and Markington with Wallterthwaite and sent out more than 1,000 leaflets to homes.

The web consultation garnered just nine responses, with four offering support or no objection and five against.

Caton Solar Farm

Irish renewable energy firm Elgin Energy was granted permission to build Caton Solar Farm on land the size of 70 football pitches last year. It will generate up to 48MW a year and power 15,000 homes.

The UK government sees solar as an important part of the energy mix as it attempts to reduce the country’s dependancy on foreign imports and fossil fuels.

However, applications to build solar farms on agricultural land have not always been popular with residents who might live near them.

South Stainley Parish Council is yet to issue its formal response to the Infraland and Boultree Brooks application, but last year it strongly objected to the Caton Solar Farm plans.

 It said:

“The area would become sterilised from an agricultural, environmental and recreational point of view.”

The Inn South Stainley introduces parking charges

The Inn South Stainley is to introduce parking charges for people who do not use the venue.

The pub, midway between Harrogate and Ripon on the A61, has a 36 bus route directly outside.

Some people going to Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds use the site as a free park and ride.

Meters and signs have been introduced explaining that it will cost £2 to park for up to two hours, £4 for up to three hours and £5 for up to 10 hours.

Inn South Stainley

Anyone using the pub, or the adjoining 12-bedroom accommodation, will be able to put their vehicle details into a touchpad screen when they enter to avoid the charge.

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Bar manager Chris Chapman said:

“Because the bus stop is right outside, people park and jump on the bus to go to Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds.

“We won’t be charging customers.”

The Stray Ferret revealed in February that parking meters had been installed in Ripley Castle Car Park.

The car park was also used for free by some people who then caught the 36 bus.