Two excavators have been stolen from a building site just off the A59 at Knaresborough.

The machines were taken last night from Swallowtail Way, which is near the Trinity Fields development and Aldi supermarket.

North Yorkshire Police today appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The machines are both yellow — one is five tonnes and the other is nine tonnes.

A police statement said:

“We are requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“In particular, we are appealing for sightings of any suspicion people or vehicles in the vicinity of this location, or any sightings of the stolen excavators following the offence.”

Anyone with information can email Hazel.Simms-Williamson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Hazel Simms.

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

Quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12220185371.

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A Harrogate man has been given a community order after stealing a £24,000 Rolex watch from Rudding Park Hotel.

Jake Perks, 32, of Jennyfield Drive, pleaded guilty to theft when he appeared before Harrogate Magistrates Court yesterday.

The court heard how Perks had visited the hotel on a spa day with his girlfriend on April 22 this year.

The named victim, who owned the Rolex GMT Master II watch, had left it in the changing rooms to go in the shower.

On his way out of the hotel sometime later, he realised he did not have his watch on and could not find it in the hotel.

The Rolex was reported stolen to police and Perks later made a full admission to taking it after noticing it in the changing rooms.

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The prosecution said he handed the watch into police after it was in his possession “for a number of weeks”.

His defence lawyer said it was “an offence committed on impulse” and that he had no previous criminal history.

“He accepts that he has taken the watch and it was out of character.”

The defence added that Perks had been going through a long divorce with his ex-wife and had personal issues.

The magistrates said they accepted that the matter was “an unfortunate lapse in judgement”.

However, the court issued Perks with a community order and ordered him to carry out 60 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £95 and £85 court costs.

North Yorkshire Police has warned homeowners to lock their windows at night after four burglaries in four days were reported on the east side of Harrogate.

The first burglary took place in the early hours of Thursday morning when a handbag was stolen from a property in Queen Parade.

On Thursday night, three bags were stolen from a property on Pearl Street.

Police said on Friday morning between 5am and 11am, two homes on Woodlands Grove were also targeted when thieves stole a wallet, a tobacco grinder and some cash.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:

“In all incidents access has been gained through insecure windows and doors. Opportunistic thieves have gained access to properties and stolen valuable items.

“Our neighbourhood teams are patrolling in the area to deter thieves, but there are some simple steps homeowners can take to protect their property.

“Please ensure you don’t leave valuable items on display near windows and doors and if you are not in the room, or before you head to bed, run a quick check that all windows and doors are closed and locked. Similarly with your garden, any valuable toys, bikes or tools are best kept in a locked shed if possible and consider fitting a house alarm, external lights or a video doorbell or CCTV camera to deter thieves.

“Anyone who was in the area of the properties which were targeted, at the time and dates mentioned, who saw anything or has information which would assist the investigations is asked to call 101, select option 1 and pass the information to our Force Control Room.”

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A man has been jailed for over three years after he admitted stealing an MBE medal, jewellery and cash during a burglary at a woman’s home in Harrogate.

Shane Bainbridge, 31, broke into Patrycia Scott’s home in Wayside Avenue, Harrogate, and stole a “considerable quantity of personal items” including her MBE medal, prosecutor Brooke Morrison told York Crown Court.

Bainbridge, of King Edward Road, Ripon, was arrested nearby with a “couple of sacks containing (the victim’s) property”, she added.

He was charged with stealing jewellery, cash and the MBE medal during the burglary, which occurred on March 8.

Bainbridge denied the offence right up until the day of trial today (Monday, August 22) when he entered a last-minute guilty plea.

Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, jailed Bainbridge for three years and three months.

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Quick-thinking traffic management staff averted a highly dangerous situation on a main road outside Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show this morning.

Staff at SEP Events, which is based in Boroughbridge, discovered 450 cones and 25 signs were missing when they arrived for work shortly before 6am this morning.

The items, worth thousands of pounds, are believed to have been stolen either by another firm or by thieves looking to sell them on. Several sources have confirmed the details to the Stray Ferret.

The cones and signs were taken at the Kestrel roundabout, which has been the busiest point for traffic during the show, and at the nearby junction of Wetherby Road and Rudding Lane.

An SEP van at the Kestrel roundabout.

The stretch of Wetherby Road between the two locations usually accommodates two-way traffic but a one-way system has been operating from 6am until 8pm each day of the show to improve traffic flow.

The cones and signs have played a key part in enforcing this.

But with the items missing, and 6.30am approaching, there could have been chaos with traffic heading towards the show from the Kestrel roundabout in both lanes meeting head-on vehicles travelling in the other direction that should have been diverted off Wetherby Road.

SEP employees had to stand in the road in high visibility jackets and use their vehicles to direct traffic while colleagues went back to Boroughbridge to get replacement cones and signs.

Shortly after 7am traffic measures were back in place and no accidents had occurred.

Traffic cones cost several pounds each and weigh about 6kg so whoever was responsible is believed to have had a trailer with a high load-bearing capacity.

North Yorkshire Police has issued an appeal for information. It said in a statement:

“The cones and signage were installed as part of traffic management for the Great Yorkshire Show and the theft led to significant disruption for motorists and showgoers.

“It is believed the items were taken between 9pm on Tuesday 12 July and 4am on Wednesday 13 July so police are appealing for anyone who might have seen anything which could help the investigation.”

The Stray Ferret has contacted SEP Events about the incident.

A Ripon man has been jailed for 26 weeks for stealing two bikes in Harrogate.

Dwain Carl Layton, 31, of King Edward Road, appeared before York Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with stealing the bikes from a garage on Kingsley Road on June 28.

The bikes were estimated to be worth £1,000.

Layton pleaded guilty to the charge and was jailed.

The magistrates said the sentence was handed down after Layton had failed to comply with requirements of post custodial sentence supervision.

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It added that the offence was aggravated by “the defendant’s record of previous offending”.

Layton was also ordered to pay compensation of £100 and a victim surcharge of £154.

An 18-year-old man from Harrogate has been fined for stealing four Canada Goose coats, worth £2,040.  

William Davey, who appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court, denied the theft.  

But at Monday’s hearing he was found guilty of stealing the coats from a flat on Swan Road in Harrogate on September 4 last year.

Davey, of Malden Road was sentenced to 125 hours of community service.

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He will also ordered to pay £680 compensation, a surcharge of £95 to fund victim services and costs of £620 to the Crown Prosecution Service. 

Davey was also charged with driving an uninsured vehicle that he was not authorised to drive on Leyland Road, Harrogate, on February 1 last year.

He pleaded not guilty to these charges, and the cases were adjourned until September 5.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after a tractor theft in Weeton.

The tractor was stole from Weeton Lane at 2.10am on May 12. According to police, a vehicle entered a farm and stole the orange Kubota Compact b7100 tractor.

Officers are asking for the public to come forward with information, particularly sightings of vehicles on Weeton Lane at the time of the incident.

You can contact the police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chloe Kinnear. Or email chloe.kinnear@northyorkshire.police.uk.

The crime reference number is 12220081066.

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Police have arrested three men after reports of a trailer theft from a compound near Boroughbridge.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police were called at 9.20pm last night after suspects were seen breaking into the compound and making off with the trailer.

The force used number plate recognition to locate the Land Rover Discovery off the A1(M).

The car was stopped by police off junction 45 after it attempted to make a U-turn.

A North Yorkshire Police statement said:

“Security cameras at the premises picked up a partial registration number of the vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, and within minutes it was located by police on the A1(M) heading south. The Land Rover began to make a u-turn in the carriageway, but officers quickly managed to bring it to a stop just after junction 45.

“Three occupants, all men in their 30s, were arrested at the scene, on suspicion of theft, dangerous driving, and failing to stop for police. They remain in custody at this time. The trailer will be returned to its rightful owner.”

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A Harrogate resident is appealing for information after their beloved dog, Biscuit, was stolen during a burglary at their home on Branham Drive.

Biscuit the dog is a white and tan American Bulldog and has a white-tipped tail.

The burglary took place on Wednesday, May 4 between 9.30pm and midnight when the owner was away.

North Yorkshire Police said several other items were taken during the break-in and has asked anyone with information on the burglary or Biscuit’s whereabouts to contact the police.

The police said Biscuit is considered one of the family and is keen to reunite it with its owner.

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If you have information call 101, select option 2, and asking for PC Craig Brogden on extension 30116 or email craig.brogden@northyorkshire.police.uk.

Or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The reference number is 12220075872.