Local News

A man has avoided a prison sentence after being seen with a machete on the streets of Guisborough;

A local council has criticised “vandals” who interfered with information boards at a seafront car park;

...and vets are being urged to help after a mystery illness was found to be impacting dogs that have walked on the beach and inland.

A man has avoided a prison sentence after being seen with a machete on the streets of Guisborough.

36-year-old Stephen Petch was captured on CCTV leaving his home on Wilson Street on the morning of December 4, 2020.

Minutes later the footage showed Petch running to the rear of the street, carrying something under his jacket.

Separate footage then picked up Petch going into some bushes for less than a minute, and coming out without anything under his jacket.

No weapon was found despite police searches.

Members of the public called the police and an emergency response was sparked, with armed police and a dog unit in attendance.

Petch, now of Newton Grange in Stockton, pleaded guilty to the possession of the bladed article at a hearing last February, and was given a 12-month community order, involving 100-hours of unpaid work.

A local council has criticised “vandals” who interfered with information boards at a seafront car park.

Redcar and Cleveland Council said stickers containing information about a new charging policy which came into force at the Majuba Road car park, in Redcar, had been removed causing confusion for motorists.

Charges previously only applied at the car park between May and September, but in April there was a change, with a charge being levied all year round in order to cover the local authority’s maintenance and security costs.

The council says that staff have had to continually re-covered any incorrect wording and reissued stickers containing the right information.

Vets are being urged to help after a mystery illness was found to be impacting dogs that have walked on the beach and inland.

In recent weeks, there has been an increasing number of dogs suffering with sickness and diarrhoea across Teesside and North Yorkshire.

The cause of the illness, and the locations it appears to be linked to, are currently unclear.

It was initially thought to be impacting pets on the coast, however there have also been reports from owners that the same symptoms are affecting dogs which have only walked at inland locations away from beaches.

Authorities are now working with partner organisations to investigate possible causes.