A Harrogate traffic constable has revealed photos of “a horrendous shed of a car” that was stopped by police near Ripon.
Traffic Constable David Minto said a colleague pulled over the Audi at Baldersby, near Ripon.
He then requested support from TC Minto, who said on his Twitter account:
“It wasn’t a difficult decision for me. All four tyres had defects. The rear offside in particular was in a dreadful state
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TC Minto added two different size tyres were fitted to the front axle and all the tyres were below the legal tread depth.
He added:
“It was a horrendous shed of a car. The driver has been reported and a court date looms.”
One person responded on Twitter to say Baldersby was an apt place for such an incident to occur, judging by the state of the tyres.
1 of 2 My colleague stopped this today on #A1M near #Baldersby #Ripon He requested support in relation to examination for a possible #PG9 #Prohibition It wasn’t a difficult decision for me… All four tyres had defects. The rear offside in particular was in a dreadful state … pic.twitter.com/s9zHTGDWxJ
— David Minto (@174DM) March 16, 2022
2 of 2 …Two different size tyres were fitted to the front axle and all were below the legal tread depth. It was a horrendous shed of a car. The driver has been reported and a court date looms #DangerousCondition #SaferRoads #RoadSafety #RoadsPolicing #ProtectingOtherRoadUsers pic.twitter.com/uwkjtSzL87
— David Minto (@174DM) March 16, 2022
Ripon Canal to feature on BBC TV tonight
The historic Ripon Canal will be featured on BBC Four this evening when Robbie Cumming completes the last leg of a 170-mile journey aboard his boat, Naughty Lass.
On Monday, viewers of Canal Boat Diaries saw the YouTube vlogger and TV presenter set off from Wigan in the first episode of the new series.
In tonight’s final episode, which starts at 730pm, he takes in the sights along the route from Knottingley to the Ripon Canal basin at the outer reaches of the English inland waterways network.
The water-borne journey, via a navigable section of the River Ouse, also features Boroughbridge Canal
Almost 250 years of history
At the time of its opening in 1773, Ripon boasted the most northerly canal basin in England at the city end of its 2.5 mile stretch.
But that claim to fame came to an end in 2002, with the opening of the Ribble Link section of the Lancaster Canal.
Just 71 years after its opening, Ripon Canal became virtually redundant overnight with the arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1841.
Ripon provides the final entry in Robbie Cumming’s Canal Boat Diaries. Picture BBC
Barges could not compete with the new rapid delivery service for coal and other goods and with the loss of trade, the canal’s fate as a commercial enterprise was sealed.
The railways that caused the canal’s demise soon became its owner, as the waterway was purchased by the Leeds and Thirsk Railway in 1844, which subsequently become part of the North Eastern Railway in 1855.
Decades of dereliction followed and at one stage Ripon City Council mooted the idea of filling in the canal to create an extension for the Dallamires Lane Industrial estate.
Prior to this suggestion, the British Transport Commission had obtained Royal Assent for the abandonment of the Ripon Canal in 1956.
Calls for the canal’s regeneration
However, growing calls to regenerate the canal to realise its potential as a leisure and tourist asset for local residents and visitors proved successful, gaining momentum through the formation of the Ripon Canal Society.
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It reopened for navigation as far as Littlethorpe Road Bridge in 1986 and was officially reopened right into the centre of Ripon in September 1996, with the assistance of the society and local authorities and with funding from English Partnerships.
Further improvements have been brought about through a programme of work carried out by Ripon Motor Boat Club, which has its marina and clubhouse on a section of the canal near Littlethorpe.
The waterway is now managed by the Canal and River Trust, which is the charity that succeeded British Waterways. It was awarded a Green Flag for its water quality in July 2018 and the improvements have brought more wildlife to its banks. Otters are regularly spotted hunting for fish.
Previous episodes of Canal Boat Diaries can be seen on BBC iPlayer.
Traffic and Travel Alert: Melmerby Green Lane road closure starts this morning
A road closure on Melmerby Green Lane near Ripon starts this morning.
Between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Thursday and Friday, a section of Melmerby Green Lane, between the A61 and Barker Business Park, will be shut for carriageway repairs.
As previously reported by the Stray Ferret, the road is being closed for works carried out by North Yorkshire County Council.
North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team, said:
“Drivers will be able to follow a diversion route to avoid Melmerby Green Lane while the work is in progress and there will also be advance notifications on the A1.”
The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.
We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.
The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.
Ripon Arcade signs contract on final two unitsRipon Arcade signs contract on final two units
Ripon Arcade is now fully occupied after Yorkshire Physio and Gladrags Ripon signed contracts on the final two units.
The arcade, in the heart of the city, recently underwent a £100,000 refurbishment. The 16,484 sq ft arcade was bought by Bradford-based property development and investment company Frank Marshall Estates off a guide price of £2.2m from the Westcourt Group in 2019.
Other occupiers of Ripon Arcade include North Yorkshire County Council and retailers, such as Scriven Opticians, Home Bargains, the British Heart Foundation and Westwood’s Barbershop and Social.
Edward Marshall, director of Frank Marshall Estates, said:
“It gives us great pleasure to welcome our two new tenants to the arcade and to announce that the arcade is full. We believe our sensitive refurbishment has given the arcade a new identity, making it much more visible and more of an attraction.
“Ripon is a sleeping giant and we are delighted that our attractive, new-look development has given the city centre the game-changing regeneration boost it needed.”
“Retail has suffered the worst period in history over the last two years but we are now seeing a strong recovery, especially in the smaller towns and cities like Ripon. People want to shop locally and, in a place like Ripon, this means in the Market Square and the Arcade.”
Harrogate law firm offers free wills in return for charity donations
Harrogate law firm LCF Law is offering people the chance to make a will for free in exchange for a donation to a local charity.
Throughout April, the law firm will draft wills in support of Saint Michael’s Hospice. It is part of the charity’s ‘make a will month’ fundraiser, which LCF Law has supported for the past four years.
The law firm hopes to raise a significant amount for the hospice. Head of personal law, Neil Shaw, said:
“According to various polls, around 60% of adults don’t have a will, so we hope that our offer to draft a will for free will help those who haven’t got one, as well as supporting the wonderful work that Saint Michael’s Hospice does. So many of us have family, friends and colleagues who have been supported by the hospice and we are more than happy to play a part in raising vital funds.”
The fundraiser also give people the opportunity to leave a donation in their will to Saint Michael’s Hospice. One in five of the charity’s patients are cared for thanks to gifts left in wills.
There were celebrations at Ripon’s Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre this month when a multi-million pound swimming pool opened after months of costly delays.
It was hailed as a “major development” by Harrogate Borough Council, which invited the city’s three-time Olympic medalist to officially open the new facility that proudly displays his name above the main entrance.
The opening on March 2 was also welcomed by residents who were left without a pool for months after the closure of Ripon Spa Baths in November.
Jack Laugher holds his Olympic gold medal at the opening.
But attention is now turning to the outcome of an investigation into ground conditions beneath the older half of the leisure centre where an underground void was discovered in 2020.
The investigation by engineering firm Stantec could end next week and will be followed by a report setting out what reinforcement works will be required ahead of the completion of the venue’s redevelopment project, which is nine months overdue and £4million over budget, and included the new pool.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“These investigations began in February and should be finished in the coming week.
“Once they have been completed, we will have a comprehensive understanding of what is required to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come.
“Should remedial work be required, the final stages of the investment project – predominantly to the ground floor of the existing leisure centre – will be completed once this work has been carried out.”
The underground void was discovered in 2020, but only became public knowledge last May when the £110,000 investigation was agreed by councillors.
Read more:
- Swimming club ‘mortified’after Harrogate council hikes fee for new pool
- Sinkhole experts urge councillors to consider new site for Ripon pool
- Ripon Leisure Centre: Harrogate council plans 3D soil map amid sinkhole fears
This was followed by an initial report from Stantec last November which was described as “sobering reading” by council leader Richard Cooper.
‘Significant deterioration’
The report suggested there had been a “significant deterioration” of the ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre, which was built in 1995 and like much of Ripon sits on gypsum deposits.
It also said piles were not driven deep enough into the ground during the initial construction and that it remained unclear why this happened as “many critical records” were missing.
The report added strengthening works could include steelworks, thickened floors and grouting where mortar is pumped into the ground – the same method “successfully” used to stabilise the new pool.
However, it said strengthening alone is “unlikely to mitigate risks to acceptable levels” and that other measures would be required, including long-term monitoring.
The new Ripon swimming pool.
The council decided to build the pool next to the leisure centre in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” about ground stability at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.
‘Safe to use’
The council has continually insisted that professional advice has made it clear that the site is “safe to use”.
But what remains to be seen are the crucial conclusions of the ongoing investigation, which is likely to stretch the project further into this year.
Ripon Independents councillor Pauline McHardy said while she and many residents were “delighted” with the new pool, it was now key that any extra costs and delays were kept to a minimum.
She said:
Drivers heading to Melmerby business parks braced for ‘crazy’ road closure“We must remember that a sinkhole appeared on the land prior to the work starting, so Harrogate Borough Council knew the risk they were taking of building on that land rather than elsewhere in Ripon.
“I hope the remainder of the work can be completed quickly and with minimal further cost to deliver the combined leisure and swimming facility that Ripon was promised.”
Traffic problems are expected this week when the principal route to and from two of the Harrogate district’s busiest business parks is closed for two days.
Between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Thursday and Friday, an eight-tenths of a mile section of Melmerby Green Lane, between the A61 and Barker Business Park, will be shut for carriageway repairs.
The daytime work on those days presents a huge headache for heavy goods vehicle drivers because the so-far un-signed detour route from both business parks will inevitably mean drivers will have to turn left towards the village of Melmerby on a road which has a 7.5 ton weight limit on it.
The weight limit sign on the approaches to Melmerby
HGV drivers making deliveries at both business parks were scratching their heads when the Stray Ferret visited. One said:
“I haven’t a clue where the diversion route will take me, but if I have to turn left and head towards Melmerby, the size of my lorry means I will have to break the weight limit.”
Another HGV driver said:
“This is a crazy situation, Thursdays and Fridays are two of the busiest days of the week for deliveries.
“Why couldn’t they have planned the roadworks at night, like they did with the work on the Ripon bypass bridge?”
North Yorkshire County Council’s highways team, says:
“Drivers will be able to follow a diversion route to avoid Melmerby Green Lane while the work is in progress and there will also be advance notifications on the A1.”
Within 100 yards of the Potter Space business park is the weight limit sign
NYCC’s highways area manager Melisa Burnham, said:
“We appreciate there will be some disruption involved and have done everything possible to minimise that, with a fully-signed diversion and advance warnings on the A1, particularly aimed at HGV drivers who may be heading to the business park.
“We are pleased to be carrying out work on Melmerby Green Lane and the road will be safer and better to use when it is complete.
More information is available on the roadworks map at www.northyorks.gov.uk/roadworks-map
Read more:
- Night time working to minimise disruption on Ripon bypass
- Double delay for Kirkby Malzeard road users
Ripon pub set to close this weekend
The Black A Moor Inn near Ripon is to close on Friday after six years under the current landlords.
The inn, based in Bridge Hewick, announced its impending closure on social media today.
In a Facebook post, it said:
“To all of our lovely supporters, it is with a heavy heart that we have to announce that we have made the very hard decision to close.
“We’ll be open for a few drinks on Friday evening at 7pm for a last hurrah and we hope to see as many of you as we can. We’ll be in contact with upcoming reservations over the next few days.
“Thank you to everyone for all your support over the last 6 years.
“Love from all of the team.”
The inn’s website is no longer live but on its social media, it describes itself as a “relaxed, family-run pub and restaurant”.
The inn also has five en-suite rooms and hosted functions.
The Stray Ferret has approached the inn for a comment but hadn’t received a reply by the time of publication.
Read more:
- Proceeds from the sale of Ripon’s Spa Baths ‘must not go to Harrogate’
- Ripon man auctions 255 bottles of whisky for Falklands veterans
Harrogate district unemployment continues to fall
The number of people receiving out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district has fallen again.
Latest monthly figures by the Office for National Statistics show 2,080 people were claiming the benefits on February 10, falling by 55 from January’s figure of 2,135.
The figure, however, remains considerably above pre-pandemic levels. In January 2020, 1,410 people claimed the benefits, which includes Universal Credit.
Universal Credit can also be claimed by people who are in work but on low incomes.
Across the UK, 4.3% of all adults are claiming the benefits. In the Harrogate district, it is 2.3%.
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In a boost for jobs in the district, a 600,000 square feet business park approved was approved last week by Harrogate Borough Council.
The business park will be called ‘Harrogate 47’ because it will be built at Flaxby close to junction 47 of the A1 (M). The developer Opus North believes it could support 2,000 jobs.
It is allocated as the main strategic employment site in the council’s Harrogate district Local Plan 2014-35, which identifies where development can take place.
Harrogate still a ‘top priority’ for bus improvements despite funding warningHarrogate will remain a top priority for bus service improvements, a council official has said despite warnings the region could be left with little or no funding from the government’s Bus Back Better scheme.
Michael Leah, assistant director for transport and environment at North Yorkshire County Council, told an executive meeting today it was “unlikely” the authority would receive all of the £116million it bid and there was a possibility it could get no funding at all.
This comes after the government wrote to councils in January highlighting how its £3billion budget to “transform” bus services had more than halved to £1.4billion.
Mr Leah told today’s meeting:
“The overall availability of funding has reduced and therefore expectation has dampened across the county.
“If we are to get a number, it will unlikely be £116million.”
Mr Leah explained that any funding received would be prioritised to areas where the county council believes it is needed the most, including Harrogate which has the worst traffic congestion in North Yorkshire.
Ripon and Masham also ‘high on list’ for support
He said the on-demand bus service, YorBus, which allows app users to book and track journeys in Ripon and Masham, would also be high on the list for financial support. He added:
“If we were to not get any funding, there are still parts of our enhanced partnerships scheme which we could see through, such as better bus timetable information and more coordinated work with operators.
“It’s not just about the money.”
The county council unveiled its Bus Service Improvement Plan in October with proposals for more bus lanes, cash support for existing and new services and a simpler ticketing system.
Crucially, the aim is for services to cover the whole of North Yorkshire – something which has been described as an “enormous challenge” for England’s largest county.
It is hoped these targets will be also met through so-called enhanced partnerships where the county council will agree to infrastructure improvements in return for better services from bus companies.
Electric buses
Separately, the county council has also bid for £8million of government cash to make all of Harrogate Bus Company’s fleet electric.
If successful, the company’s parent firm Transdev would contribute £11.5million towards the costs of buying 39 zero-emission buses.
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The different plans are all part of the overall aim to solve Harrogate’s congestion woes by encouraging people out of their cars and onto public transport.
But the scale of the challenge can be seen in figures which show just 6% of short commuting trips within Harrogate before the pandemic were on a bus – and that this was decreasing year-on-year.
And while Harrogate is the most populated area in North Yorkshire and is being seen as a priority for investment, the county council has been urged not to forget other parts of the county, particularly rural communities.
Councillor Don Mackenzie, executive member for access at the county council, responded to say improvements to rural bus services have formed the “backbone” of the Bus Service Improvement Plan:
Wheelchair lift installed at Ripon Arts Hub“There are huge challenges in providing affordable transport to a county as large as our own.
“But without question, one of the priorities we have is to improve bus services in rural areas, whether by traditional or more modern means as has been the case with YorBus.”
Accessibility to Ripon Arts Hub has been dramatically improved with the introduction of a wheelchair lift.
For David Suddards, this means that he can now watch performances at the hub’s downstairs studio theatre with his wife Josie.
Mr Suddards, a wheelchair user, played a key role in raising awareness of the need for access for disabled people at the Allhallowgate building
This in turn led to successful applications for funding, which enabled purchase of the £12,000 lift and its installation, plus another £2,000 for associated building works.
The wheelchair lift means that disabled people can access the hub’s downstairs theatre.
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The lift was officially opened by Mr Suddards, when he became its first passenger.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s great to know that I can come to enjoy performances here and accompany my wife. Up until now I hadn’t been able to attend the studio theatre and the same applied to other people in wheelchairs.”
The opening was attended by Jeremy Dunford, a trustee of Ripon Disability Forum and also a wheelchair user.
He said:
“I’m pleased to know that disabled people now have access to watching theatre and other performances at the Arts Hub.
“They have the same right as an able-bodied person to be given access to facilities in the city and if you provide access for people with disabilities, you also make a building more accessible for other people, such as parents with prams and pushchairs.”
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Hub committee member and fundraiser Hannah Ruddy said:
“Improving accessibility for visitors and performers was a top priority when we drew up plans to reconfigure the building, to turn it into a flexible space for use by all elements of the arts community, as well as other visitors.
“In addition to the lift, we have an accessible toilet on the ground floor and have widened doorways to the green room and studio which also helps people with impaired sight.
“Once we’ve raised more funds, the next stage is to introduce a toilet for people with access requirements on the lower ground floor.”