A long-standing Harrogate business has had its Christmas lights vandalised for the first time in 14 years.

The display at Dangerfield & Keane hairdressers has become an annual highlight for families walking along Cold Bath Road.

It went up on Monday — and on Wednesday night was damaged.

A video of a man, appearing to rip the lights off the shopfront, has been shared many times on the shop’s Facebook page.

An image from the Dangerfield and Keane CCTV footage.

Gerri Dangerfield-Keane, who owns the business, said:

“I’m just dismayed – why would anyone do that? It’s senseless.

“This is the 14th year of doing the same thing and it’s never been touched or vandalised before.”

Mr Dangerfield-Keane said the electric circuit had been destroyed but he was determined to get it fixed and restore the display to full power.

He has also offered to give a free set of Christmas lights to the perpetrator:

“Whoever did it must be so bereft of Christmas lights we will give them a free set.”

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Bereaved families have accused dog owners who let their pets off the leash at a Ripon cemetery of being disrespectful and causing distress.

Jeanette Behan has visited the grave her husband Brian in Ripon’s Kirby Road Cemetery twice a week since 2014.

Mrs Behan, told the Stray Ferret:

“I’ve had to remove dog dirt from my husband’s grave on a number of occasions and I’m getting sick of it.

“It is disrespectful as well as distressing, but Harrogate Borough Council, who I contacted weeks ago, don’t appear want to know.

“I’m sorry to say that over the years, this place has gone to wrack and ruin, while Stonefall in Harrogate where I have family and friends buried, is kept neat and tidy by a team of gardeners.”

In the same section of the cemetery, the last resting place of Michael Hogan, who died in 2012, is looked after by his partner Tracey Bland.

Ms Bland said:

“The thought that some people are so disrespectful that they are happy to let their dogs run free in a cemetery, is beyond belief.

“When they are challenged, the say that they haven’t seen any signs to say dogs are not allowed, but why would anybody need to see a sign, when it’s a matter of common decency.

“I’ve got a dog and there is no way that I would let it run free across people’s graves.”

Some owners are ignoring this sign at the main entrance to the cemetery and letting their dogs run free

Ms Bland at her partner Michael’s grave

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• Ripon Cemetery headstones daubed with graffiti

Seeking action from Harrogate Borough Council

With a lack of response from HBC, Mrs Behan called for intervention from independent councillor, Pauline McHardy, who also has relatives buried at the cemetery and has voiced concerns about the management and maintenance of the site.

Cllr McHardy, said:

“I raised the matter with council officers, saying that there was a need for signage on all entrances to the cemetery to be improved and positioned where it can be seen by everybody.

“I also asked for the appropriate action to be taken to enforce the rule, which only allows people with assistance dogs to enter the cemetery.”

In an email response seen by the Stray Ferret, Alison Wilson, HBC’s head of parks and environmental services, said she has asked a colleague:

“to look at the signage options for the site to advise that only support dogs are allowed and also raised the issue with the dog warden service in Safer Communities requesting they undertake some patrols of the site. “

Cllr McHardy, added:

“I will be monitoring the situation.”

Harrogate businessman Guy Tweedy has offered to pay for new trees on the Stray to replace the ones vandalised.

The Stray Ferret published a video last week showing teenagers ripping up two young trees.

They were part of a batch of 55 cherry trees paid for by Mr Tweedy to commemorate thalidomide victims, two babies and a local headteacher. They were planted six or seven years ago.

Mr Tweedy, who is also a thalidomide campaigner, has emailed Harrogate Borough Council offering to pay for replacement trees. He said:

“I wonder if whoever did this realises the significance of the trees and how upsetting it is to people.

“Sadly this is not the first time this has happened. How do we stop people from doing it? I don’t know what the answer is.”

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Policing in Ripon came under a barrage of fire last night at a packed public meeting at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre.

Insp. Alex Langley, who heads Ripon’s neighbourhood policing team, chaired the hour-long meeting and faced a potent mix of concerned residents and newly-elected city councillors.

The councillors came fresh from weeks of pre-election doorstep meetings where thousands of voters put Ripon’s recurring problem of anti-social behaviour top of the agenda.

Among the attendees were residents who have suffered violent attacks at the hands of young thugs and witnessed their property being destroyed in incidents for which nobody appears to have been prosecuted.

Youths with iron bars attacked this car in a residential street, as the owner rang 999 and waited for police to arrive.

A taxi driver, who has both suffered and witnessed violence while on the rank in Market Place East, has also been threatened and seen hooded youths using iron bars to smash cars and house windows in the street where he lives.

He asked Insp. Langley:

“How many people have been identified, arrested and prosecuted after being caught on city centre cctv or reported by somebody who has rung 101?”

When Insp Langley said he did not have that information, the taxi driver responded:

“It is clear to me that the CCTV cameras are not being monitored by anybody. In the past you could see the cameras moving, showing they were in use, but that doesn’t happen any more.”

City centre CCTV failings

The Mayor of Ripon, Councillor Eamon Parkin asked:

“With the CCTV all around Market Square, why has nobody been arrested and prosecuted for any of the four attacks on the Cabmen’s Shelter?”

No arrests have been made or prosecutions brought against the vandal or vandals who have targeted the Cabmen’s Shelter

Insp Langley replied:

“You can have the best quality CCTV images, but if the vandals are wearing hoodies and have their faces covered — it’s difficult to identify them.

“The latest attack on the Cabmen’s Shelter was reported three days after the vandalism was noticed.

“Do you want officers to spend their time looking through three days’ of CCTV footage?”

There was a resounding  response of ‘yes’ from the floor.

Cllr Pauline McHardy said:

“The shelter is a rare building that belongs to the city and was refurbished at a cost of £22,000 and we want to catch and prosecute the vandals”

Cllr Andrew Williams said:

“When charges were brought in by Harrogate Borough Council for parking on Market Square, the money raised was supposed to be used to pay for the CCTV cameras and monitoring, so what is happening with that money now?

“It looks as if the cameras covering Market Square are not fit for purpose and footage being captured by them  is not being monitored.”

Police and Crime Commissioner did not attend

Cllr Williams said that this and other matters impacting on the effectiveness of policing in Ripon had been raised with North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, to whom a formal complaint had been made by the city council.

He said:

“We are still awaiting a response from her and it is very disappointing to say the least that she is not in attendance tonight to hear the concerns raised by Ripon’s residents.”

Cllr Barbara Brodigan, who is newly-elected to serve on the North Yorkshire unitary authority as well as the city council, said:

“We were told by former commissioner Julia Mulligan that the money raised from selling the police station on North Street would be used to pay for more police officers, but there is no evidence of this and people are not receiving the high visibility policing that they want.”

Unanswered 101 calls

In addition to use of CCTV and police resources, concerns were raised throughout the meeting about the delay in getting a response to 101 calls.

A resident told the meeting:

“When I rang up to report a gang of youths causing trouble near my house, I got no reply and after the same happened on another occasion, I just gave up, thinking that I was wasting my time.”

That feeling of frustration was echoed throughout the meeting and heightened when Councillor Tony Duncan was told by Insp Langley that he would need to submit a Freedom of Information request to find out how many 101 calls to Ripon police go unanswered.

An estimated 80 people attended the meeting, many of them standing.

At the start of the meeting when Insp Langley showed a graph indicating a downward trend over the past 22 month of recorded anti-social behaviour incidents in the Minster Ward, his presentation was interrupted by Cllr Williams, who said:

“I’m sorry, but I have to stop you there. These statistics are flawed, by virtue of the fact that so many people who try to get through on 101 give up after being kept waiting for so long.

“Showing a graph like this and presenting it as fact, does not reflect the actual experience of thousands of people that I and other councillors were told about on the doorstep before the election.”

The 101 problem

Insp. Langley accepted that there is a problem with the 101 system that needs to be resolved and throughout the meeting, pointed out that he and fellow officers are doing their best for Ripon, often ‘with their backs against the wall.’

Clllr McHardy said:

“We appreciate you coming here tonight and answering our questions and would like to point out that comments made here are not aimed at you, but are for those senior to you who make the decisions and need to provide you with the resources that you need to do your job.

“There has been a sizeable increase in the precept that we pay through our council tax for policing in Ripon, but the commissioner is nowhere to be seen this evening to tell us what she is going to do to support you and your officers.”

Police: meeting ‘highlighted real challenges’

After the meeting, Insp Langley in an email to the Stray Ferret, said:

“It was a really good meeting and highlighted some of the real challenges that Ripon face. There is a real balance to be had around national type challenges and those wider issues such as 101, recruitment, funding and HBC CCTV that it’s really important that we discuss.

“Equally there is limited scope and control that I have on those topics but it’s good to discuss them.

“I hope at the next meeting that we can spend less time on those wider issues as we have discussed them and focus more on local Ripon issues. I would have liked to have focused more on the today problems and areas that I can direct my teams towards. The next meeting we should be able to get more into that level of detail and discuss other issues.”

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Vandals have drawn a swastika, ‘Z’ and ‘IRA’ on the front and back of a gravestone in Ripon Cemetery.

North Yorkshire Police said today the attack was particularly shocking for Ripon’s military personnel.

It added it will be stepping-up patrols in the Ripon area “to prevent further incidents of this nature”. The cemetery is based on Kirby Road, close to Ripon Grammar School.

‘Z’ has appeared on the side of some Russian military vehicles in Ukraine.

Inspector Alex Langley, from the Ripon neighbourhood policing team said:

“Members of the public are quite rightly shocked by these instances of vandalism. This is particularly upsetting for the large military community that we have in Ripon.

“Incidents of this nature will not be tolerated, and I would urge anyone who has any information to contact us “.

Police urge anyone with information to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Katie Bell. Alternatively you can email katie.bell@northyorkshire.police.uk

Quote reference number 12220048095.

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

Vandals have smashed shop and car windows and a local bus shelter in Starbeck overnight.

Two windows at Pets Corner near the level crossing were shattered.

Windows were also destroyed on a bus shelter next to the shop and on several cars on nearby residential streets, including The Avenue and further down the High Street.

One employee at Pets Corner said that staff arrived at work this morning to find their workplace had been vandalised.

They added they were still in a state of disbelief that somebody had done it apparently for fun.

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North Yorkshire Police said in a statement:

“We’re investigating a spate of incidents of criminal damage in the Starbeck area overnight.

“Officers have received reports that five cars have had their windows smashed, and damage has been caused to the windows of two shops on High Street, overnight between 16 and 17 March 2022.

“Enquiries are ongoing today. Anyone with information about the incidents, or who might have relevant CCTV, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12220045092.”

Last week vandals pulled up 20 trees on Belmont Field.

The trees had previously been damaged so many times at the other end of the field that Starbeck in Bloom, the community group that aims to make Starbeck more attractive, decided to move them.

Val Young, a local resident, described it as “disgusting” and “absolutely diabolical”.

Two shop owners on Harrogate’s Bower Street have said they feel a sense of helplessness in the face of anti-social behaviour and vandalism that is blighting trade.

Doe Bakehouse and Jarfull have both called the police multiple times to report vandalism, fighting and anti-social behaviour.

They say the empty shop in between their premises is often full of people drinking, playing music and sometimes getting violent. Litter is common too.

Doe Bakehouse had its front seating area covered in mud and concrete last weekend.

The shop has previously had its door smashed and often has litter thrown into the seating area.

Owner Evie Jackson said after the incident it had become a “frequent target” and that she planned to close the shop and just fulfil online pre-orders from the premises. She said:

“We deal with antisocial behaviour constantly due to issues on the street and we are at a loss with what can be done.”

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The shops are situated between the One Arch tunnel and Harrogate Homeless Project.

Rebecca Lodge, who owns Jarfull, which promotes sustainable shopping, said she had called the police many times to report fights and anti-social behaviour. She said:

“Next door is empty so people just hang around, drinking and being a bit rowdy. I’ve not had any issues as such but it’s caused issues in that people are put off coming because it can be quite intimidating having eight people sat there drinking. I’ve had to call the police a few times for fighting but generally it’s just drinking.

“Being in here can be intimidating and it’s tricky because sometimes I think it would be better off if we had the shop somewhere else because I’m in no doubt people are put off coming this end of town but then customers love that they can park right outside.”

Doe Bakehouse in Harrogate is to close its cafe for the foreseeable and run a pre-order only service after it was targeted by vandals again last night.

The cafe, on Bower Street, was left with mud and concrete in its outdoor seating area after it was trashed overnight.

The owner, Evie Jackson, posted on Facebook today to tell customers they had been forced to close after becoming a “frequent target”.

She said the shop will now serve as a base for customers to collect their online pre-orders every Saturday, starting next week. Talking to the Stray Ferret she said:

“We feel we have to shut the cafe due to concerns from staff and customers too.”

Previously, the shop has had its door smashed and often has litter thrown into the seating area. The incident is now being dealt with by the police.

The Harrogate shop is one of four in the sweet treats chain. Others are based in York and Clitheroe, Lancashire.

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Harrogate Borough Council has vowed to replace missing and damaged signs that warn drivers not to park on the Stray.

The signs went up in September in response to concerns that parked cars were regularly straddling the cycle lane and the Stray on Oatlands Drive.

The signs say this is a breach of the Stray Act and could result in a £100 fine.

Harrogate District Cycle Action welcomed the move and the council and the Stray Defence Association hoped the move would prevent tyre damage on Stray land.

However, soon after the signs appeared the Stray Ferret published pictures of motorists ignoring them and cars have continued to line the Stray as before, most commonly at weekends when activities like football take place.

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Despite the evidence, the council told the Stray Ferret it had not yet handed out any fines for breaches.

A council spokesperson said:

“The signage on Oatlands Drive, that reminds people not to park on the Stray, will be reinstated as we continue to work with the county council to try and find a more permanent solution.

“To date, no fines have been issued.”

It is unclear if the signs have been vandalised or fallen over. But some of the dozen installed are damaged and strewn on the other side of the road.

Some of the signs are damaged.

The chair of Harrogate International Partnerships has called for damaged statues in the town’s Valley Gardens to be removed.

Vandals ripped out chunks of wood from the Kiwi bird and the carved Maori bench in the New Zealand garden section of Valley Gardens last year.

Dennis Richards, chair of the HIP, a charity that supports twinning groups, told the Stray Ferret the sculptures needed to be removed in order for the charity to come up with proposals to replace them.

The section of Valley Gardens commemorates Harrogate’s twinning with Wellington and the country’s airmen being stationed in the town during World War Two.

However, Mr Richards said the council needed to remove the statues. It follows concern about the condition of them ahead of a visit to Wellington by the HIP.

He said:

“All we are asking for is the wooden statues to be removed forthwith. That is what is causing this disconnect.”

Mr Richard added that once the structures are removed, the HIP will put forward proposals with what could replace them.

Read more:

• How can Harrogate achieve a net-zero carbon economy?
• State of Harrogate’s New Zealand gardens ‘dishonours’ airmen

Last week, Kate Spencer, the HIP’s representative who has travelled to New Zealand as part of the twinning arrangement, raised concern that the conditions “dishonoured” the airmen commemorated in the gardens.

Valley Gardens development plan

Harrogate Borough Council said in a statement previously that the sculptures had “already started to rot independent of any vandalism that has taken place”.

It added:

“We would welcome any support or fundraising ideas from Harrogate International Partnership for the replacement of these with something more sustainable and robust for the location.

“Equally if there is anyone who would like to help with maintenance of the space we would be happy to arrange volunteering sessions in conjunctions with our own team or the Friends of Valley Gardens who provide fantastic support in maintaining this space.

“More widely we are in the process of agreeing a Valley Gardens development plan to continue to improve these spaces over the coming years.”

The garden dates back to 1954 and chainsaw sculptor Mick Burns carved the Marlin, Kiwi, and bench in 2010.