Hampsthwaite volunteers clear-up after tree falls in churchyard

Volunteers arrived at a Hampsthwaite churchyard today to clear debris left after a tree was urgently felled.

The centuries-old tree splintered during Storm Malik on Friday night, luckily avoiding graves in the cemetery at St Thomas a Becket Church.

But with some of the tree remaining, and Storm Corrie approaching, the decision was taken yesterday to fell the rest of it urgently in case it was blown over and damaged the graves.

Fortunately Darley tree surgeon Ross Hanley was able to fulfil the task before the winds picked up last night.

The clear-up operation of the fallen tree began today.

Today about 15 volunteers including a group from Community Payback, an initiative whereby offenders help with projects in their local communities, joined the clean-up operation.

Lead volunteer and Hamspthwaite resident Geoff Howard said:

“Ross Hanley was here to look at a tree that fell during Storm Arwen only a few weeks ago and he saw how close this one was to falling.

Luckily the branch that came down on Friday night fell between graves but if the full tree had fallen it could have caused damage to dozens and dozens of graves.”

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The graveyard has over 3,000 plots. The church also has a public right of way running through it.

Mr Howard said it would have been too dangerous to leave the tree in such a precarious position because of the risk it posed to people and the churchyard.

He thanked volunteers for dealing with the debris today and hoped the clean-up operation would be completed by the end of the day.

140 homes in Harrogate district without power after storm hits

Northern Powergrid has reported that about 140 homes are without power this morning in the HG3 postcode area.

Homes near Darley and Stainburn appear to be the worst affected.

The electricity provider said it was “working hard to restore power” to 130 homes near Darley but is currently unaware of how long residents will be without power.

Near Stainburn Forest, there are fewer than 10 homes affected, according to the Northern Powergrid live power cut map, and again the company was unable to say when power would be restored.

The map also indicates some homes may have been without power since Saturday, with the first reports coming in Saturday morning.

Over the weekend the district was hit with high winds following Storm Malik. It caused multiple trees to fall and block roads as well as power cuts in areas such as Hampsthwaite and the Bubblerun Hand Car Wash had to close due to a collapsed roof. It has now reopened.

Damage to the roof of Bubblerun car wash, Harrogate Road. Picture: Sarah Tayan.

Damage to the roof of Bubblerun car wash, Harrogate Road. Picture: Sarah Tayan.

The Met Office has removed its yellow weather warning for the district but Storm Corrie is still expected to bring winds of around 30mph throughout the morning.

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Northern Powergrid said on its website:

“We are still responding to the extensive damage caused by Storm Malik. There is a lot to do and the work involved is often not fully known until our teams get on site. So, we regret that in some cases we cannot yet give precise estimates of when power will be restored because the work involved in one job has a knock on effect on the timing of others.

“We are still working to get your power back on at some point today, but there is a possibility that it runs beyond Monday night.”

Is your home without power? let us know by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Harrogate district braced for Storm Corrie

The Harrogate district is braced for another wild night of weather as Storm Corrie approaches.

A Met Office yellow weather warning is in place until midday tomorrow, with gusts of up to 45 mph predicted.

Winds are expected to strengthen at about 8pm and peak overnight from 2am to 3am.

The district is still recovering from yesterday’s Storm Malik, which uprooted numerous trees and led to venues and events being cancelled. Some areas, including Hampsthwaite and Birstwith, also experienced power cuts.

The Met Office has warned further power cuts are likely, along with travel problems and damage to trees and buildings.

https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1487847531459526660

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