Shocking video shows teens ripping up trees on Harrogate Stray

A group of teenagers have been filmed ripping trees from the ground on the Stray last night.

Sara and John Scott were walking home from town along the footpath adjacent to the railway line when they saw the group of teenagers ripping the trees from their roots.

The pair were so angry they chose to film what was happening. The video shows a small group of three teens tearing the trees down at 7.30pm.

Ms Scott said:

“There was a lot of them down there earlier, as I think it was the last day of the exams but at the time of this video, there was about 10 left. They were all drunk and doing this. Playing music, drinking and they ripped down 2 different trees that we saw.”

The couple live close by and often walk through the Stray, they said it was “infuriating” to see people treat it in such a way.

The Stray Ferret visited the area today and could see two young trees on the ground with just a stump remaining.

These images, taken today, show the remaining stumps of the two trees reportedly torn down last night

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, said the actions of a few young people were “appalling”. She said the Stray is respected by thousands of people young and old and the actions of a few were a huge disappointment.

She said:

“Why did they feel the need to do that? We are blessed with the Stray so why is it deemed a celebration to destroy nature? It’s appalling to be actively destroying the Stray like this.”

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Harrogate Borough Council, which is the caretaker of the Stray, said:

“Our parks and grounds maintenance teams work year round to ensure we have a beautiful district to live or work in and for visitors to enjoy.

“To see this pointless destruction and disregard for our lovely natural environment is shocking. Unfortunately the individuals don’t seem to realise that their behaviour doesn’t just impact on them but the enjoyment of others.

“We urge anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet reported it to North Yorkshire Police, to do so.”

The Stray Ferret also spoke to North Yorkshire Police, it said the incident had been reported at 7.40pm last night. In a statement the police said:

“We would advise anyone who witnessed the incident but has not reported it to the police to get in touch.

“Incident number 12220108383.”

DPD charged £374 for van driver’s Stray detour

Parcel delivery firm DPD has been charged £374 plus VAT for one of its vans damaging the Stray in Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret reported last month that a DPD van had got stuck in the mud when it attempted a shortcut over the public parkland

Tyre tracks indicated the driver had tried to bypass the recent road closure on Beech Grove by mounting the snow-covered Stray but was unable to complete the manoeuvre in the wintry conditions.

The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 made Harrogate Borough Council protector of the 200 acres of land.

A council spokesperson said:

“Following the damage caused in February, DPD have been charged £374 plus VAT to cover the costs of repairing The Stray.

“The ruts will be levelled and area seeded. Bulbs will also be planted to replace any that have been damaged.”

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Beech Grove closed to through traffic just over a year ago on an 18-month trial basis.A DPD spokesperson said:

“I understand from the local depot that the team have been in contact with the council and that arrangements are being made to pay for repair work.”

The Stray Ferret asked the spokesperson if DPD had taken any action against the van driver, but has yet to receive a response.

A Twitter user called Helen was among those who uploaded photos of the beached van.

https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201?s=20&t=6_0_UnvruN9Y_DdG8wRA9w

Judy d’Arcy-Thompson, chairman of the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to safeguard the Stray from encroachment, said she hoped the van driver had not lost their job.

She added:

“However, it was a very daft thing to do.

“Taking short cuts in bad weather almost inevitably ends in disaster of some sort. Taking one in snow across the Stray was foolish in the extreme and also caused a great deal of damage, plus being illegal.

“Let’s hope that others take note and a lesson has been learned.”

Flooding reveals ‘major unresolved problem on West Park Stray’

Large swathes of The Stray in Harrogate remain flooded today after heavy rainfall from Storm Franklin.

The Stray underwent major repairs two years ago to improve drainage in the area near the Prince of Wales roundabout.

But that area, and many others, is under water, raising questions about what, if anything, can be done to improve matters.

The Stray Defence Association, which has campaigned to safeguard the Stray since the 1930s, posted on its Facebook page:

“Clearly there is a major unresolved problem on West Park Stray, whatever certain people say.

“Looking at the dire state of West Park Stray today this has never been the case over decades past … when in winter we often had 5/6 feet of accumulated snow melting on a regular basis as well as heavy rain.

“Tree roots are standing in water much of the time now, not just over this weekend. This is an environmental disaster in the making.”

£160,000 repairs ‘not money well spent’

Judy Darcy-Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association told the Stray Ferret.

“£160,000 was spent on repairs in 2019 and it was not money well spent since we’re still seeing flooding of this level.”

“There is also a concern about the number of trees being cut down around the area … these were protecting the area from floods, and the situation is only getting worse.”

Harrogate Borough Council, which is the protector of the Stray, was forced to repair the Stray in 2019 after the UCI World Championships caused extensive damage.

We reached out to the council for comment but did not receive a response.

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Locals also expressed their concerns over vehicles causing damage to the Stray after a van got stuck in the grass on Saturday afternoon.

https://twitter.com/HellyR1/status/1495077805964595201?s=20&t=wkvUuA4vc2wJodk1iPXEIA

Ms Darcy-Thompson said:

“These images have gone to the council and I have suggested that the driver pays for the damages they have done.”