Appeal for information after plaque stolen

Councillors in Dringhouses & Woodthorpe ward are appealing for information to help find a brass plaque that has been stolen from a much-loved statue.

Chalfonts, off Tadcaster Road, is home to a statue of a bear that was installed when the homes were built in the 1960s. Beneath the statue sat a brass plaque which marks the ‘Award for Good Design’ granted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 1969.

Image used with kind permission of Richard Burrows
Image used with kind permission of Richard Burrows

The plaque was stolen sometime on the evening of Tuesday 5 November. Local residents reported the theft to the Police, who were not interested and instead suggested that the residents contact Shepherds, who built the houses.

Cllr Stephen Fenton is appealing for information to help find the stolen plaque and have it reunited with the statue.

“It’s desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away like this. The plaque was small and so won’t be worth a lot, assuming that it was stolen by metal thieves hoping to make a few quid.

“The Police have said that they won’t be investigating this theft, which is disappointing but sadly not surprising. So it looks as though it will be up to the local community to try to track it down. If anyone has any information about who stole the plaque, or where it might have ended up, please contact me on 07751 963215 or email cllr.sfenton@york.gov.uk “

There is an interesting article about the statue and plaque on the York C20 website, which is an architectural gazetteer of 20th century York – https://www.yorkc20.york.ac.uk/vignette/one-of-the-finest-examples-of-speculative-housing-in-york-but-who-is-the-bear/

Travellers move on – but leave trail of destruction

The large group of travellers who were camped on playing fields to the south of York College departed on Wednesday 25th July, but there is now a big clean-up and repair job to do,

Fencing has been damaged, playing fields have been churned up, cut vegetation has been flytipped and there is evidence of the nature reserve having been used as a toilet.

Local councillors have requested a meeting with York College, All Saints School and Council officers to discuss what steps can be taken to reduce the risk of further traveller incursions.

Police Commissioner to hold road safety online meeting

North Yorkshire Police, Crime & Fire Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe is to hold an online public meeting on Thursday 25th May on the issue of road safety.

Residents of York and North Yorkshire are invited to join the online meeting which will include allotted time for the Commissioner to ask questions of the Chief Constable that have been sent in by the public.

Questions relating to road safety are encouraged but questions for any area of policing and crime are welcome and should be submitted using the online form on the Commissioner’s website: https://www.northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk/YourVoice/

The purpose of these regular online public meetings is to hold the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police to account for their delivery of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, to ensure the force is achieving its objectives and generating positive outcomes in the interests of the public.

The online public meeting will be streamed live on Thursday 25 May at 14:30 and can be accessed via:

  1. Commissioner’s website https://bit.ly/OPM-May-2023
  2. YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Vl-EHowLfUdwI3GN-wubw/live
  3. or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/1985748441770374

The meeting will also be recorded and become available to watch on the same channels.

Arson attack at refurbished playground

Arsonists have badly damaged play equipment at the Leeside playground, which recently benefited from £14,000 of investment.

The damage was done on the evening of Saturday 30 April and the Fire Service were called to extinguish the blaze.

Cllr Stephen Fenton has asked council officers to repair or replace the damaged equipment and surfacing.

Arsonists hit Acomb Wood

Just a day after local volunteers had spent time and effort cleaning up Acomb Wood, a group of arsonists decided to start a fire in a ‘den’ that had been constructed in the wood. Luckily, a resident living nearby saw what was happening and called the emergency services, who attended.

From the charred remains, it appears that the arsonists were putting canisters on the fire which then exploded.

It is desperately disappointing that some people have such little care or regard for the local environment. In order to reduce the risk of a repeat performance, this den – and any dens subsequently built in the wood – will have to be dismantled.

New bench hit with graffiti

One of the new benches installed along the footpath beyond the southern end of the Revival estate in Dringhouses has been attacked by a graffiti ‘artist.’

Thankfully the painted metal construction of the benches makes it relatively easy to remove the graffiti, using paint-removing wipes. On his daily exercise, Cllr Stephen Fenton took the opportunity to get some more exercise by scrubbing off the graffiti.

Concern over dumping of clinical waste

For the second time in recent weeks, a bag of clinical waste has been dumped next to a litter bin in the Nelsons Lane / Little Hob Moor area of Dringhouses.

On 26 August volunteers from the Mayfield Community Trust found a bag next to the bin near to the Nelsons Lane playground. This was reported to the council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement team who undertook to investigate the matter.

Waste dumped on 26 August at Nelsons Lane

Then on 18 September Cllr Stephen Fenton was contacted by a resident about a bag of clinical waste that had been placed on top of the litter bin on Little Hob Moor at the entrance to the railway underpass. On further inspection, items including used incontinence products and a urine bottle had been placed in the bin itself.

A local resident has also reported that used incontinence products have been found dumped on Hob Moor in recent weeks.

This latest incident has again been reported to the council’s Neighbourhood Enforcement team to investigate.

One possible scenario is that a resident is being cared for at home and is struggling to safely dispose of clinical waste, leading to it being disposed of inappropriately. They may be unaware that the council can offer help with clinical waste collection – further information HERE.

Dog fouling concerns in Woodthorpe

Incidents of dog fouling in Woodthorpe seem to be on the rise, despite additional litter and dog waste bin having been installed across the ward.

One resident has made their feeling very clear on one snicket footpath.

City of York Council is asking local communities to get involved in tackling the problem. Set out below is a briefing note which sets out details of a project that groups of residents can get involved with. Ward funding would be available to cover the costs of the project.

Aim of the project

To combat the growing incidents of dog fouling around York, to equip stakeholders and members of the public with information to help raise awareness and the means to report incidents and help tackle the problem at a local level.

Why do we want to do this?

There has been an increase in reports of dog fouling to Neighbourhood Enforcement both from members of the public and via Public Realm.

There is insufficient resource to carry out the amount of patrolling necessary to cover all problem areas and offences often take place at unsocial hours when officers will not be available to patrol. 

In addition, patrols alone are not the most effective tool to deter people from allowing their dogs to foul; more local ownership of the problem is required – to be the eyes and ears of the community and make the offence socially unacceptable.

Scope of Project

  • The project will revolve around a package of information, guidance and free materials for dog owners, aimed at ward councillors, Parish councils, Resident Associations and community groups.
  • The package will include:-

Advertising Materials and guidance

  • 100 “Its not a game” flyers for door to door delivery
    • Bespoke flyers/postcards for targeted campaigns by street
    • Information on School engagement to design a poster
    • Information on designing their own
    • Pricing and information for A4 lamp-post mounted aluminium signs

Free Merchandise

  • Supply of dog poo bags
    • Supply of hand sanitiser
    • Spray Paint

Intelligence Gathering

  • Monitoring report forms for information gathering
    • Local Maps – on request
    • Incident reporting booklets
    • Comprehensive instructions to help identify perpetrators and/or problem locations and times
  • The pack will provide a six-week campaign brief to help groups take a step by step approach to educating, engaging and enforcing the anti-dog fouling message.
  • Updated CYC webpages with dedicated info and downloadable resources, links to Keep Britain Tidy website, RSPCA…..

What is required?

  • Agree budget
  • Order merchandise
  • Order spray paint
  • Complete campaign pack information
  • Design intelligence reporting form
  • Design bespoke flyer / postcard
  • Design bin sticker – any bin will do
  • Design school poster brief
  • Create webpage
  • Decide on Twitter account #tag
  • Promote use of social media – Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness

Police appeal for information about Woodthorpe burglaries

North Yorkshire Police have issued the following call for information via their ‘Community Messenger’ service after two daytime burglaries in Woodthorpe.

“We have received the following two reports of burglaries in Woodthorpe in York. Between 13.15pm and 18.15pm on Wednesday 20th November a property has been broken into on Deepdale and items taken. If you have any information that could assist officers with their enquiries can you please call 101 and quote incident number 12190213779.

Between 10.20am and 14.20pm on Wednesday 20th November a property on Ryecroft Avenue has been broken into and items taken. If you have any information that could assist officers with their enquiries can you please call 101 and quote incident number 12190213583.

Can we ask you to please be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour straight away. If you need further security advice please visit our website https://northyorkshire.police.uk/staying-safe/home-security/