A lawnmower, an oven and power tools have been seized by police from the back of a van in Starbeck.

Road policing officers stopped the white Mercedes Sprinter van at 8.35pm on Friday.

According to a statement from North Yorkshire Police, the items “could not be accounted for” by the occupants of the van, who were from Leeds.

Police are now asking local residents to check if they’re missing any of the items.

Two more of the items found in the van on Friday.

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Have you noticed anything missing or see something suspicious? You can contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option1 and speak to the Force Control Room quoting reference number 12210146727.

Or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Harrogate behemoth Luke Richardson’s bid to become the youngest ever World’s Strongest Man has been ended by injury.

Luke, who weighs 330 lbs and will be 24 years old on Sunday, tore his biceps on the first day of heats yesterday in Sacramento, America.

He finished ninth last year and had high hopes of improving after good preparation.

But he was injured in the first event, a loading medley, which involved lifting and loading numerous heavy items.

He told his 71,000 Instagram followers:

“Unfortunately my World’s Strongest Man appearance this year was pretty much over before it even started with what seems to be a distal bicep tendon rupture.

“Obviously gutted as I felt in a really good position to improve on last year’s performance but it was not to be this time.

“Just a bump in what is going to be a long road but excited to test myself against a new challenge and grow closer to the athlete and person I am destined to be.

“Thank you all for your show of support and especially my loved ones and the guys here at WSM, you’re proper gents.”

Luke, a former lifeguard at Starbeck Baths, was crowned Europe’s Strongest Man last year and he will be hoping to defend his title in Leeds on September 4.

He has also been invited to compete at the first strongman event at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 120 years on July 24.

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A post shared by Luke “The Future” Richardson (@lukeerichardson)

Pubs, bars, and hotels in Harrogate have reacted with disappointment tonight to the prime minister’s announcement that the end of all lockdown restrictions will be delayed.

Alison Griffiths, landlady of the Prince of Wales pub in Starbeck, said she understood the “safety first” approach, especially as 10 of the pub’s regulars have lost their lives to covid.

But with a busy month of Euro 2020 fixtures ahead, she expects many customers will now prefer to watch the matches at home rather than in the stilted, socially distanced confines of the pub.

She added:

“People would rather be in their houses where they can stand up and shout”.

Andy Burrows, co-owner of District Bar on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate, said he understood the rationale behind the delay but said he’d grown weary of the restrictions.

“It just drags on, but it is what it is.

“Everyone has to be safe. We won’t complain and we’ll do what’s best”.

Mr Burrows said social distancing guidelines and masks dampened the bar experience and made it hard for staff to understand what customers were saying.

“But we’ve been lucky to have an outside area where people feel more comfortable.”

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Wayne Topley, managing director of Cedar Court Hotel, said the hotel faced a busy summer ahead with banquets, weddings and charity events booked in.

He said he awaited further details, adding:

Harrogate strongman sensation Luke Richardson is set to compete in the World’s Strongest Man in America this week.

Luke, who turns 24 on Sunday, is one of 25 men in Sacramento vying for the right to be called the strongest on the planet.

If he wins he will be the youngest man ever to hold the title.

This year’s event is expected to be broadcast to 500 million people in 70 countries. It will be shown on Channel 5 in the UK over Christmas and on CBS Sports Network in the United States next month.

Britain has a great pedigree in the event, with former winners including Geoff Capes, Jamie Reeves and Gary Taylor, but endured a 24-year wait until Eddie Hall triumphed in 2017.

Luke Richardson

Luke, who is 6ft 3 and weighs 330 lbs, took the sport by storm last year when he won Europe’s Strongest Man in Knaresborough and finished ninth in the World’s Strongest Man in his first full season of strongman.

This year he has been drawn in a group with Canadian JF Caron, American Robert Oberst, Iceland’s Eythor Ingolfsson Melsted and Russian Mikhail Shivlyakov.

The heats, which begin on Wednesday and last three days, include events such as the train pull, deadlift and pickaxe hold.

The two-day final will culminate, as ever, with the Atlas stones.

Luke went to Starbeck Community Primary School and Harrogate High School and now trains at Absolute Fitness in Boroughbridge and LR Strength Shed in Wetherby, which he and training partner Richard Parish opened.

A Harrogate sex offender who groomed an underage teen girl on Snapchat has been jailed for over three years.

Stefan Antonio Slack, 27, contacted the girl on the social media site and tried to entice her into meeting him for sex.

The Harrogate man was on a court order at the time designed to limit his contact with children following previous similar offences, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Mike Greenhalgh said the new offences occurred in October 2018 when Slack was aged 24.

After adding the 15-year-old girl on Snapchat, he began sending sexually charged messages. In one message he asked to meet the girl and her friend for “group sexual activity”.

He then asked to meet her on a specific day for sex. The message read:

“Meet me Tuesday. Just me and you and maybe (the other named girl) if she’s game.”

Slack then told the girl in gratuitous sexual detail what he wanted to do to her. She duly blocked him on Snapchat and took a screenshot of the messages.

Her mother reported the matter to the police. Slack was arrested and brought in for questioning.

Previous conviction

He told officers he knew that the girl was under-age but “sought to excuse his behaviour, saying he was heavily in drink (at the time) and couldn’t recall sending the messages”, although he admitted it must have been him, added Mr Greenhalgh.

Slack, of Avenue Street, Starbeck, was charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching a sexual-harm prevention order by deliberately contacting an under-age girl. He admitted both offences and appeared for sentence today.

The court heard that Slack received a suspended prison sentence in 2012 for a “very-similar” offence involving an 11-year-old girl. Slack was 17 at the time of that offence.

Abbi Whelan, for Slack, said her client was immature but had “very much turned his life around” since the offences in 2018.

Recorder Dafydd Enoch QC said Slack had “developed an unhealthy interest in minors”.

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He told Slack he had failed to take heed of the “warning shot” when he received the suspended sentence and sexual harm order.

“That order should have left you with no illusions that you would face prison if you were to commit these (kinds of) offences again.

“Once again…you allowed yourself to be tempted into communicating with (an under-age) girl. You took complete advantage of that situation.

Mr Enoch said Slack’s behaviour was “totally unacceptable” and amounted to “extremely serious conduct which could lead to much worse scenarios”.

As well as the three-and-a-half year jail sentence, he was subject to a new, five-year sexual harm prevention order for the protection of children and will remain on the sex-offenders’ register for an indefinite period.

Police have appealed for information after champagne and spirits worth more than £800 were stolen from a supermarket in Harrogate.

The theft took place at Morrisons on Hookstone Road in Starbeck at about 10.30am on Thursday April 22.

Officers have released CCTV footage of two men they would like to speak to. They believe the men “hold information which would be of assistance to the investigation”.

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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:

“While it’s recognised that the men in the images are wearing face masks, officers are appealing to anyone who may recognise them by their hair or clothing to get in touch.”

Anyone who has information can call the police on 101 and quote reference 12210103291.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.

Update: This missing man from Starbeck has been found safe and well. The police have thanked residents and said their calls were “crucial”.

North Yorkshire Police has appealed for help locating a missing man from Starbeck.

Andrew Macleod, 54, is described as white, 6ft tall, slim build, having short grey hair and tattoos on top of his arms.

He was last seen wearing pale blue jeans, a blue puffa jacket and possibly brown suede leather boots.

Police issued the appeal this afternoon. No photo of Mr Macleod has been released and it is not known how long he has been missing.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and quote reference number 264.

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Residents of Shaw’s Trailer Park in Starbeck have signed a petition against a 66 per cent increase in car parking fees.

The site, which has 140 permanent park homes, has also hiked the cost of renting porches by 78 per cent.

The weekly parking increase from £3 to £5 amounts to an extra £104 a year.

The cost of porches has also increased from £1.40 to £2.50, meaning an extra £57.20 a year.

Those who pay for both, including bus driver Chris Taylor and his wife Maxine, will therefore have to pay an extra £161.20 a year.

Mr Taylor, who moved to the park from Bilton four years ago, said about 30 residents had signed the petition opposing the “blatantly unfair” level of increase. He added:

“We can pay it but there’s a lot of people here who are old and not well off who will struggle. It has caused a lot of ill feeling.

“I would accept the increases if they were by an appropriate amount, such as in line with inflation, but a 66 per cent increase in parking is outrageous.”

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The Stray Ferret called the park, on Knaresborough Road, and was told the owners did not wish to discuss the matter.

According to Companies House, the three current directors are John-Barry Noble and Anthony Shaw, both of Harrogate, and Nicholas Shaw, of Scarborough.

The site warden wrote to residents on April 27 notifying them of the increase. The letter, seen by the Stray Ferret, said:

“As you are aware there have been a lot of changes in the running of the park in recent months.

“Having gone back over our previous records we realise there has been no increase in the cost of your car parking and porch fee for many years. However, the running and maintenance costs of the park have continued to rise year on year.

“With this in mind, we feel it is necessary to increase the fees for your car parking and porch from June 1.”

‘They shouldn’t have to pay’

Not all residents pay for car parking and porches so those that do — including Mr and Ms Taylor — feel it is wrong that they are having to pay extra for the running and maintenance costs. Mr Taylor said:

“We absolutely love living here. It’s like being on holiday all year round. It’s a lovely little community that nobody knows much about unless they visit but this is unfair.”

Ken Bell, who has lived on the site for eight years, does not rent either a porch or parking space but he said he supported the move to oppose the price increases.

“It’s absolutely unfair. They should not have to pay it.”

Joanne Sadler, who has lived on the park for nine years and also doesn’t pay the charges, also showed support.

“I just think it’s wrong. They shouldn’t have to pay it.”

It doesn’t look like anyone will be jumping into Starbeck Baths anytime soon, as there is still no news of a reopening date.

Starbeck Baths is one of five pools run by Harrogate Borough Council.

Harrogate Hydro and Nidderdale Pool reopened when government guidelines permitted on April 12.

Ripon Spa Baths opened last Friday but Starbeck Baths and Knaresborough Pool remain closed.

Last month Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said he hoped both Ripon and Starbeck pools would reopen in May, with Starbeck “very soon after”.

But with less than a fortnight of May remaining, there have been no further updates.

When the Stray Ferret asked the council for an update on Starbeck yesterday, a spokesman said there was no further news.

The uncertainty is frustrating for local residents, including Chris Watt, who said:

“After being told in April, following pressure from local residents, that our pool would re-open this month, it’s really disappointing that no date has yet been confirmed.

“It feels like the council are backtracking and in the meantime children are missing out on their swimming lessons and adults losing the physical and mental health benefits of a swim.

With Knaresborough pool also closed, there is nowhere with easy access via public transport for Starbeck people to use.”

The Starbeck Residents Association previously told the Stray Ferret the pool “should be kept open at all costs” and that it feared covid was being used as an “excuse” to keep it closed.

The 150-year-old building is often used by local schools and residents.

Maintenance work at Knaresborough Pool, due to be carried out by specialist engineers from Spain, has been halted by travel restrictions.

However, the council has said it was trying to find a UK-based firm to fix the problem. No date for its reopening has been announced.

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Police arrested three men on suspicion of drug offences in Harrogate yesterday as part of a crackdown on county lines drug dealing.

According to a statement today by North Yorkshire Police, plain cloth officers on patrol in the Avenue Grove area of Starbeck had their suspicions raised by the activity of a man.

He was stopped and searched and found to have class A drugs on him.

Officers then searched a nearby property where they found three other men who were also searched.

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A police statement said:

“Officers recovered more drugs stashed in a mattress, £200 in cash from one of the men and other suspected drugs paraphernalia including three mobile phones. A fourth man was also arrested on suspicion of theft offences.”

A 39-year-old Harrogate man was arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs. Another man from Harrogate, aged 38, was arrested on suspicion of theft, possessing class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

A Leeds man, aged 50, was arrested on suspicion of possessing heroin with intent to supply. He has been released on bail while enquiries continue.

A fourth man, aged 26, from Harrogate, was arrested on suspicion of a number of theft offences.

The three men arrested on suspicion of drug offences have been released while under investigation as further enquiries are carried out.

The police statement added:

“Members of the public are urged to report any suspicious activity about drug dealing in their neighbourhood to the police on 101. Or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency.

“Police are also urging people to report any signs that someone they know is being exploited by criminals and forced to work for them. 

“This can include what is known as ‘cuckooing’, where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person – who are often drug users themselves – and use it to store and sell drugs.”