A tree crashed down on Fulwith Mill Lane in Harrogate today as strong winds continued to affect the district.
Yesterday’s warmest day of the year so far was accompanied by Storm Kathleen.
Although the worst of the winds hit Scotland, there was widespread disruption in England as flights were cancelled at Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham.
The Harrogate district has been relatively unscathed and winds are expected to abate this afternoon.
Besides the fallen tree, Little Bird Markets cancelled artisan markets in Knaresborough yesterday and Harrogate today because of the weather.
Further gusts of over 40mph are forecast on Tuesday afternoon.
Photo: The tree blocking Fulwith Mill Lane at about noon today (April 7).
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Road reopens in Ripon after Toyota crashes into tree
A section of one of the main roads in Ripon closed this afternoon due to a crash.
Bondgate Green was blocked between Farmison & Co and the Ripon bypass after a black Toyota car collided with a tree.
No other vehicles were involved.
North Yorkshire Police said the incident happened at about 11.50am.
A spokesperson added:
“A black Toyota Yaris car ended up crashing into a tree. The driver was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. Her dog was also checked over by a vet.
“The driver reported a small dark car, possibly a Fiat, had caused her to take evasive action. The driver did not stop as they headed to Ripon city centre. They are urged to contact the police as soon as possible to assist the investigation.
“There was only limited traffic disruption while the ambulance was in attendance. The car was recovered at 1.10pm.
“If you are the driver of the small dark car, you possibly witnessed the incident or have dash-cam footage, please email Adam.Deacon2@northyorkshire.police.uk quoting reference number 12230175042.”
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Felled Harrogate oak tree defaced with graffiti
A felled oak tree in Harrogate has been defaced with graffiti which inaccurately claims it was killed for cyclists.
The tree at the junction of Bilton Lane and Woodfield Road was taken down due to its decaying condition last month.
At the time, the council said it was “regrettable” that the 300-year-old oak had to be felled.
The tree has now been defaced with graffiti, which says “killed 4 cyclists”.
It is unclear who is responsible for the graffiti or when it was carried out.
However, the message is inaccurate as council officials confirmed to the Stray Ferret that the tree had been assessed in June and its decaying roots meant it was a “risk to the public”.
North Yorkshire Council also claimed it is possible that work carried out by Northern Powergrid in April near to the oak on Woodfield Road in Bilton “would have accelerated the death of the tree”.
Jonathan Clubb, the council’s head of parks and grounds, said a “thorough examination” would now be carried out into the tree.
He said:
“It is always regrettable when we have to remove a tree and we do not do so lightly. However, after a detailed assessment of the risks posed, a decision was taken to remove this specimen due to its condition.
“Oak trees can live for centuries and this particular tree was around 300 years old.
“However, the extent of the root decay meant the stability of the tree may have been affected. Because of its location on a main road, the risk to the public was considered too great to allow it to continue to stand.”
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One of the last ancient trees of Knaresborough Forest falls
One of the last veteran trees of the Royal Forest of Knaresborough crashed to the ground yesterday, further shortening the dwindling list of ancient survivors.
The oak tree, in a field off Hall Lane at Blubberhouses, is believed to be around 400 years old, meaning it was mature even when the royal hunting forest was dismembered and sold off in 1770.
Hollowed out and rotting at its base, it is thought to have fallen victim to the recent dry weather.
The tree is included in the Ancient Tree Inventory, which is maintained by the Woodland Trust, and is listed as measuring 5.67m (18ft 7in) around its trunk.
David Rhodes, a local historian who has studied the Royal Forest of Knaresborough, said:
“The only trees I know of that are older than this one are at Ripley, where some are over 700 years old. So it may not be the oldest tree, but it certainly is – or was – one of the oldest remaining from the ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough.”
Fallen giant: the collapsed oak tree.
The Royal Forest of Knaresborough lasted for over 600 years. Created in the 12th century, it was used as one of the monarch’s many hunting grounds and was a favourite of Henry II and King John. It stretched from Knaresborough, right across what is now Harrogate, and up well into the Washburn Valley.
The tree, a common or pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), stood on land owned by Yorkshire Water and leased to a tenant farmer. Contractors rerouting the A59 around Kex Gill had fenced it off to ensure that its roots were not disturbed by digging, and it is not thought that the roadworks affected it.
The Stray Ferret contacted Yorkshire Water to find out its plans for the remains of the tree, but has not yet received a response.
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‘Regret’ after 300-year-old oak tree felled in Harrogate
North Yorkshire Council has said it is “regrettable” that a 300 year old oak tree in Harrogate was felled yesterday due to its decaying condition.
The authority has also claimed it is possible that work carried out by Northern Powergrid in April near to the oak on Woodfield Road in Bilton “would have accelerated the death of the tree”.
The council carried out an assessment of the tree at the junction with Bilton Lane in June.
It concluded that due to decaying roots the “risk to the public” was considered too great for it to remain in place and it was destroyed yesterday.
Cllr Paul Haslam, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge on the council, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the tree.
Northern Powergrid, which manages the electricity network, carried out emergency work to repair a cable fault in the area in April this year.
The work included excavation of the roots of the tree to dig a trench.
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Council officials said although the work did not contribute to the tree’s decay, it is possible that it would have accelerated its death, which led to the authority’s decision to remove it “earlier than we would have otherwise”.
Jonathan Clubb, North Yorkshire Council’s head of parks and grounds, said a “thorough examination” would now be carried out into the tree.
He said:
“It is always regrettable when we have to remove a tree and we do not do so lightly. However, after a detailed assessment of the risks posed, a decision was taken to remove this specimen due to its condition.
“Oak trees can live for centuries and this particular tree was around 300 years old.
“However, the extent of the root decay meant the stability of the tree may have been affected. Because of its location on a main road, the risk to the public was considered too great to allow it to continue to stand.”
Mr Clubb added:
“We were aware of the decay as the tree has been regularly assessed over the years as part of our active tree surveys.
“While the work undertaken by Northern Powergrid did not contribute to this decay, it is possible that it would have accelerated the death of the tree, leading to our decision to remove it earlier than we would have otherwise.
“Now the tree has been removed it will be subject to a thorough examination and if experts confirm this view then we will look to take the matter further.”
The Stray Ferret approached Northern Powergrid to ask for a response to the claim that the work carried out contributed to the council’s decision to remove the tree.
A spokesperson said:
Lucky escape as tree falls outside Harrogate school“Our engineering team attended Woodfield Road in Harrogate in April 2023 to repair a low voltage cable fault.
“Northern Powergrid’s remit was to repair the low voltage fault, which our teams did safely, to keep our customers connected.”
A Harrogate resident has spoken of her relief that nobody was hurt today when a tree from her garden fell outside a school.
The 50-foot beech tree crashed across Oatlands Drive at about 1pm, glancing the wall of St Aidan’s Church of England High School opposite.
Fortunately it happened out of term time. However, Oatlands Drive is still a hive of activity at that time of day, with numerous pedestrians and vehicles passing by but fortunately nobody was doing so when the tree came down.
It fell from a garden belonging to Rowena Wright, who said:
“I’m just so grateful nobody was hurt.”
Pedestrians navigate the fallen tree.
Ms Wright said she was working upstairs when she heard a noise and assumed it was caused by a workman next door.
Minutes later a motorist, who ironically turned out to be a tree surgeon on his way to a job, knocked on her door to tell her what had happened.
Oatlands Drive was blocked to traffic and pedestrians had to climb over the tree.
The tree looked healthy and Ms Wright, who has lived in the house for 30 years, thinks a combination of heavy rain weakening its roots and the weight at the top may have contributed to the incident.
The roots of the tree.
She added:
“We have regular tree care. If it had looked like it was dying we would have had it cut. It’s quite bizarre.”
See the Stray Ferret’s Facebook page for a video of the scene shortly after the incident.
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Tree that crushed Porsche on Harrogate street is felled
A large tree that damaged a Porsche in Harrogate during recent storms has been felled.
Zenya Dunn, who lives on Granby Road, told the Stray Ferret her partner Michael woke to find his car beneath a large splintered branch during February’s Storm Otto.
Speaking back then, she said it was the second time the Porsche had been struck by falling branches from the tree.
Ms Dunn added her Range Rover, parked nearby, and the house front window had narrowly escaped being damaged by the tree during storms. She said the couple had alerted the council to the danger numerous times.
Zenya Dunn, standing next to her partner’s Porsche in the aftermath of Storm Otto.
North Yorkshire Council has now pruned the tree to little more than a stump.
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Jon Clubb, acting head of parks and environmental services at the council, said:
“Storm Otto caused considerable disruption to parts of North Yorkshire in February. Our parks and grounds maintenance team acted swiftly to remove a large branch on Granby Road which had fallen during the storm.
“Unfortunately, damage to the tree was so severe that it needed removing and the work was recently carried out. We will be carrying out replacement plantings this winter in line with our trees and woodland policy.
The splintered branch being removed in February.