Large groups of young people partied on the Stray in Harrogate yesterday, leaving council workers and volunteers to clean up this morning.

Many people enjoyed the first day of warm weather since lockdown restrictions were eased.

But some broke social distancing rules and left a huge amount of litter.

Under current rules, people can only gather in groups of six.

But for much of the afternoon yesterday there were groups of about 40 in the Tewit Well area of the Stray.

Police officers engaged with those breaking social distancing rules but were unable to disperse the crowds.

Although many people left rubbish lying around, some was left by the bins.

Takeaway boxes, leftover food, beer bottles and cans were among the items discarded.

Some residents were left with a sense of deja vu, as the scene on was almost an exact replica of what happened on the Stray on various occasions last summer.

A lone council worker does his best to clean up the mess.

Many residents have inundated the Stray Defence Association with complaints about the mess left behind last night.

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the SDA, told the Stray Ferret:

“Wonderful that people are enjoying the Stray, however what a great shame that so many have left their mess, litter and bottles etc behind.

“It is very simple to take it to a bin or home. Clearly they have no consideration for other Stray users or the wildlife on the Stray for which litter can be a lethal hazard.

“Our Stray was a very sad sight this morning.”

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A photograph of a nurse found on the Stray has prompted a search to find the owner of the image — and discover who the mystery woman is.

Harrogate resident Dawn King found the black and white image, which she thinks could date back as far as the 1950s, lying in the grass at about 2pm on Monday.

Ms King said she found it on the West park Stray near to Beech Grove.

Ms King, who trained as a nurse in the 1980s, said:

“When I trained we had exactly the same uniform but the pinafore had gone, which makes me think the image must be dated either in the 1970s or before.”

The photograph was quite damaged when Ms King found it lying in the grass.

But there was no water damage, which suggests it hadn’t been on the ground for long.

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Ms King has posted her appeal on various Facebook groups in the hope it will solve the mystery and reunite the image with its owner. She said:

“It’s obviously precious to someone.”

If you are the owner of the photo or have any information, email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk and we will forward the information to Dawn.

Bars, cafes and restaurants keen to take advantage of the Stray for alfresco-style dining this summer face opposition from its guardians.

Harrogate Borough Council is in talks with the Duchy of Lancaster, the freeholder of the Stray, ahead of a public consultation.

The Blues Bar, The Empress and Fashion House Bistro are all hoping to put tables and chairs on the Stray when they reopen outdoors on April 12.

But ahead of a public consultation, the Stray Defence Association has today made its opposition to the plans clear.

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• Land on Wetherby Road set to become part of the Stray

Judy d’Arcy Thompson, chair of the SDA, told the Stray Ferret:

“The tendency for both HBC and NYCC to ignore or try and overrule the Parliamentary Stray Act is disturbing. Indeed, the Stray Act was formulated and put in place to prevent such misuse.

“No one is against people having fun or enjoying the Stray, that is what it is there for, and how blessed Harrogate has been to have it for the benefit of everyone during the past traumatic year.

“However, as with many things, the few could well spoil it for the rest of Harrogate.

“In fact, a few years back when HBC wanted to levy a charge on the footballers using the Stray and make them pay to play, it was the SDA who argued that this could not be done as the Stray is an open and free space for the benefit of the people of Harrogate.

“Without going into too much detail, Section 6(2) of the 1985 Stray Act also precludes anyone making profit from the use of the Stray.

“We are not aware of any time, other than by explicit and limited dispensation given by Parliament as a result of a specific detailed application, when the council has been empowered with a general discretion to consent to inclosures and our history confirms this.

“After all, the Stray is protected by law for the free use of Harrogate’s people, not businesses.”

The SDA has raised further questions about the types of businesses which would be able to use the Stray and also asked where such a scheme would begin and end.

Crowds flocked to sunny spots in Harrogate today as temperatures reached 20 degrees.

The warm weather arrived at the perfect time after lockdown restrictions eased yesterday allowing up to six people, or two households, to enjoy the sun together.

Many local residents donned their sunglasses and applied sun cream to get the most out of this sunny Tuesday.

We sent our photographer into Harrogate today to see what people got up to.

Skateboarders showing off their skills in Valley Gardens.

Lunch on the Stray? Why not!

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People weren’t the only ones enjoying the warm weather today.

Who doesn’t love an ice cream in the sun?

Bowlers in Harrogate today.

Valley Gardens looked particularly inviting in the sun today.

Perfect timing – the sun came just as lockdown restrictions eased yesterday.

The owners of three Harrogate bars have teamed up to call on Harrogate Borough Council to approve their request to put tables and chairs on the Stray.

Outdoor dining will restart under the government’s roadmap on April 12 but three Harrogate bars are still unsure if they can use much of their space outside.

Harrogate Borough Council approved the use of tables and chairs on Stray land last summer but is yet to decide whether to give the bars the green light this time around.

Simon Colgan, who runs the Blues Bar and The Empress with his wife Sharon Colgan, told the Stray Ferret:

“It makes a massive difference for our capacity, when we have the tables on the Stray it more than doubles for both of our bars

“We will still open if we can just have the six tables on the pavement. We will fight it because we have got customers who are desperate to come back.

“Without a doubt I would say this is critical for our business. It really is important, especially after another of three months of lockdown.”

David Dresser, who owns Fashion House Bistro, also told the Stray Ferret:

“It would be disappointing for us if we were not able to have outdoor dining back on the Stray land.

“That is on the basis that if we have some bad weather days then those days are right offs. This would help us on good days to make sure that business is stable.

“So it would affect our turnover but if we got those tables and chairs on the grass it would give us a boost.”

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Both Simon Colgan and David Dresser approached Harrogate Borough Council with their request when Boris Johnson set out his roadmap last month.

However, a spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council told the Stray Ferret:

“We are currently awaiting feedback from the Duchy on the proposed approach, prior to a consultation starting.”

The Duchy of Lancaster owns the Stray and Harrogate Borough Council are its custodians.

We asked the council about its timeline for a consultation but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

A ‘no motor vehicles’ sign has gone up on the Stray to stop drivers using the land to avoid the new road closure on Beech Grove in Harrogate.

Harrogate Borough Council granted a request by North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, to put up the sign even though it is on Stray land.

Beech Grove closed to through traffic last week but some motorists have been mounting the kerb to avoid the newly-installed planters.

The decision to allow the sign has angered the Stray Defence Association, which was set up in 1933 to prevent building and encroachment on the Stray,

The Harrogate Stray Act 1985 says it is unlawful to erect items on the Stray without the permission of Harrogate Borough Council, which is the protector of the 200 acres of land.

Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chair of the association, said it could pave the way for more signs, which would harm the Stray’s appearance. She said:

“It might seem like a quick fix solution but if they put one sign up they might put up others.

“In any case, people could still drive round it.”

Ms D’Arcy Thompson said North Yorkshire County Council, which has closed Beech Grove to through traffic for six months on an experimental order, had made a mistake by not consulting adequately on the proposal. She said:

“They rushed into this without consulting local people and are now adding to the problem by including Stray land.”

Read more:

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Melisa Burnham, North Yorkshire County Council’s highways area manager, said:

“We consulted on these measures in line with statutory legislation and guidelines.

“Consultation was initially undertaken with emergency services representatives, local members and other statutory bodies in December with no concerns raised.

“During engagement with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the need for designated emergency standby parking to aid ambulance responses in the town was identified and provided as part of the scheme on the nearby Trinity Road.”

Ms Burnham added the six-month experimental order allowed residents and road users to take part in the ongoing live consultation that is being held in conjunction with the road closure measures. She said:

“We will consider all feedback received during the consultation period.”

A Harrogate Borough Council report that recommended approving the sign on the Stray, which was approved on Friday, said:

“The proposal seeks to enhance the experience of people using the Stray for public access and recreation therefore the officer recommendation is that under the Harrogate Stray Act 1985 the proposed schemes for the road safety signs be approved.”

Harrogate motorists have been avoiding the closure of Beech Grove by driving over the Stray.

The road closed to through traffic yesterday but already some vehicles have taken the law into their own hands by mounting the kerb and cutting across the Stray, leaving behind mud and tyre tracks.

A chaotic first night saw most motorists, confronted by road blocks for the first time, performing u-turns. But the Stray Ferret has photographic evidence, as well as verbal reports by witnesses, that some engaged in illegal manoeuvres.

Besides driving on the Stray, motorists also drove through the car parks attached to the residential apartment blocks on Beech Grove. They also drove the wrong way along the one-way street that connects Beech Grove and Victoria Road to avoid a detour.

North Yorkshire County Council, the highways authority, is now considering ways to prevent motorists taking the law into their own hands.

Cllr Don Mackenzie, executive member for access, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am very sorry that motorists have decided to drive across the Stray to avoid the road closure on Beech Grove.

“That is extremely poor behaviour. They are also committing a driving offence.”

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Judy D’Arcy Thompson, chair of the Stray Defence Association, told the Stray Ferret:

“It is outrageous that cars are being driven onto the Stray. We understand drivers’ frustrations as they are probably unaware of the closure until they have actually entered Beech Grove.

“However, this does not excuse angry and potentially dangerous driving.

“The hideously ugly planters appear to have been placed well into the route to avoid the increased flooding which now occurs on West Park Stray, spreading as it does across the road.

“As always our concern is for the protection of the Stray and we are engaged in conversation with both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council about this.”

Beech Grove will be closed to through traffic for six months before North Yorkshire County Council, which is consulting on the scheme, decides whether to make it permanent.

It is hoped the move will encourage pedestrians and cyclists. It will link to the new Otley Road cycle path, work on which is due to begin in spring.

Residents, refuse collections and emergency services will still have access to the area.

A plot of land at Wetherby Road has been recommended to be exchanged for grass verges on Otley Road and designated as Stray land.

Harrogate Borough Council carried out a 12-week consultation over three plots of land to replace the verges, which will be removed for a new cycle route.

A majority of those who responded backed the council’s preferred option to designate land on Wetherby Road next to the war memorial as Stray land in exchange.

As part of the Stray Act, a suitable plot of land must be offered in exchange. It follows lengthy discussions between the council and the Duchy of Lancaster over land to designate to the Stray.

The responses to the consultation are due to go before the General Purposes Committee this week. Councillors will be asked to recommend that the authority’s cabinet approves the land proposals.

In total, the authority received 443 responses to its consultation.

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Of that number, 214 respondents (49%) strongly agreed with the proposal to exchange the Otley Road verges to one of the three options outlined by the council.

However, 161 (36%) strongly disagreed with the plan.

Some agreed with the options, but felt the proposal “should be put back to residents once a decision has been made”. Others said they supported the move “as long as there is still enough pavement to walk down with a pushchair”.

As part of the exchange, the council outlined three plots of land for the exchange:

• Wetherby Road land next to the war memorial (preferred option)
• St James Drive verges
• Arthurs Avenue verges

The area of land outlined in Harrogate Borough Council documents earmarked to be exchanged as part of the Otley Road cycle route.

In the responses, 246 (81%) agreed with the council’s preferred option of land at Wetherby Road next to the war memorial.

Those who agreed with the Wetherby Road plot felt it was “the most logical reason to form a continuous community resources” and “seems already part of the Stray”.

However, 14 agreed with the second option of verges at St James Drive and 45 supported the verges at Arthurs Avenue.

Some disagreed with the options outlined and said they did not want the Otley Road verges removed. Others said “the Stray should not be disrupted for cyclists” and questioned the need for a cycle route.

Residents were also asked whether they agreed with the council’s plan to amend the Stray bylaws to permit cycling on the Otley Road route.

A total of 235 strongly agreed (54%), while 162 (36%) strongly disagreed.

Councillors on the committee have been recommended to submit the proposed bylaw change to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

It comes as North Yorkshire County Council looks to press ahead with the cycle route on the stretch of road between Harlow Moor Road and Beech Grove.

The project has already been delayed and the negotiations over the Stray land have been a further stumbling block for the second phase of the scheme.

More than 300 people have signed a petition calling on Harrogate Borough Council to make the Stray more bee-friendly.

Harrogate and District Green Party wrote to the council last month urging it to plant native wildflowers rather than its stick to its current plan to plant 60,000 crocuses on West Park Stray.

Rebecca Maunder, chair of the Harrogate and District Green Party, has now set up a petition after the council wrote back to say it did not intend to change its plans.

A week later the online petition, which is on the 38 Degrees website, has reached 327 signatures.

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Ms Maunder hopes that, with enough support, the petition will sway the council’s decision and lead to a more bee-friendly Stray,

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said it had nothing to add to its previous statement on the matter, which said:

“We are also looking at biodiversity as part of our wider horticultural plan for the future. We understand the need to encourage biodiversity and already manage a number of native wildflower meadows across the district. The thousands of plants and flowers in our numerous parks and gardens also support this.”

The council called for volunteers last month to dig 60,000 holes in the hope that the crocuses will bloom better than ever next spring.

The Stray Defence Association has urged people using the Stray to respect the new six person limit on gatherings.

During the summer crowds gathered on the Stray, breaking social distancing rules.

The association hopes there will be no repeat of this from Monday when groups of more than six people will be forbidden from gathering, except in exceptional circumstances.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday this would “stop the spread of the virus and save lives”.