Two articles from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 31st July and 5th August respectively.<\/p>\n
Has time finally been called on Colne Valley real ale trail troubles?<\/strong><\/p>\n The sun and the heat were blazing down in Marsden.<\/p>\n It made it a perfect day for a trip along the\u00a0Colne Valley\u2019s real ale trail.<\/p>\n But scenes were more quiet than expected along the line, which over the last couple of years has became the focus of a co-ordinated police and community effort to put the brakes on unruly behaviour, which intensified after the show was given publicity on Oz Clarke and James May\u2019s television show in 2010.<\/p>\n The publicity led to a surge in stag and hen parties and those more interested in the prospect of all day binge drinking rather than appreciation of the ale itself, as well as increases in\u00a0complaints over noise, intimidating behaviour\u00a0and urinating and vomiting in streets and front gardens.<\/p>\n Neighbourhood PC Mick Dobbie and two special officers, Sophie Hanley and Martin Fishpool, considered whether the calmer night was due to it being the perfect BBQ weather and summer holiday season or a sign that last year\u2019s efforts were having a lasting affect.<\/p>\n They make up some of the team which patrols the\u00a0Colne Valley stretch of the route in Marsden and Slaithwaite\u00a0each weekend. In the past both villages have seen some of the rowdiest behaviour due to their position in the middle of the route.<\/p>\n PC Dobbie said: \u201cIt is quieter than expected, which could be down to the holiday season or it could be down to the co-ordinated response we and the community had last year.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So far this year he says they have not had to make any arrests and have considerably rolled back their presence from 2013,\u00a0when posses of mounted police became a common sight on Marsden\u2019s narrow lanes, alongside bouncers on the doors of pubs who refused entry to those too worse for wear.<\/p>\n PC Dobbie said: \u201cThere were mixed feelings amongst the community about how appropriate the level of response by the police was last year.<\/p>\n \u201cSome thought that the extra presence was good but some thought it was too much.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we listened to what they had to say and this time we have scaled our presence back, which we hope is creating the right balance and we\u2019ve not needed the mounted police unit so far.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to enjoy themselves but at the same time\u00a0protect the public from raucous behaviour.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The team walked up to Marsden rail station in time to meet a group of around 30 ale trail revellers who were making their first stop in Yorkshire after travelling from nearby Greenfield.<\/p>\n Many headed to the Riverhead pub, one of the busiest watering holes in the village. It was here last year that, along with other pubs along the line who signed up to the Real Ale Trail Licensees (RATL) scheme, that manager Gary Brammall placed a ban on serving lager, shots and spirit doubles between noon and 8pm on Saturdays.<\/p>\n The sight of dozens of people holding glasses of lager in their hands, however, proved that no such measures have been taken yet this summer.<\/p>\n Gary said: \u201cIt does seem to be getting busier with the time of year but it\u2019s still too early to tell if we will need to take more action such as putting the ban back in place, although at the moment we have no plans to.<\/p>\n \u201cTouch wood so far we have had no issues but it is our policy to use the ban should the need arise.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking as a united front with West Yorkshire Police, British Transport Police, residents and councillors worked well last year and it did start to quieten down, although I\u2019m not sure whether that was just because it was getting to the quieter season-these next few weeks of this summer will be the telling time to see if what we did last year has had a lasting effect.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think it\u2019s important not to rest on our laurels and still need to keep getting the message home to visitors\u00a0about respecting the village whilst having a good time.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Shouts and chants were heard from the paved beer garden outside as someone dropped a glass but they were more indicative of high-spirited groups, who were probably suffering more from sunstroke than an inability to make the short walk back up the hill to their next stop.<\/p>\n Richard Hirst, who was with friends and has done the trail previously, said:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not been too heavy-handed this time and the police are quite amicable- to me it seems to have calmed down from last year.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Paul Smith, from Stockport, who was out with friends to celebrate his birthday, said:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been great and there\u2019s a good mix of people, however, we did spot someone urinating in public at Slaithwaite train station earlier.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Another, Paul Henry, felt that there was no longer any need for the police presence at all.<\/p>\n But Off the Rails member Garry Johnson, who helped set up a neighbourhood watch with 52 houses, think that the police presence, along with the co-ordinated action, is still needed.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI don\u2019t think that we\u2019ve yet\u00a0won the battle with anti social behaviour-I think that we just have to keep managing it and of course, we don\u2019t want to stop it because it brings a lot of visitors into the pubs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think that so far this year there is a bit of a difference-I think that the numbers are less, especially in terms of stag and hen dos and not as many incidents yet as last year, such as those involving friends of mine who had their cars jumped on, but I think that there\u2019s still a problem with residents not ringing crimes in when they happen, which we need to encourage them to do.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Colne Valley MP, Jason McCartney, has also emphasised the need to keep up the engaged community response.<\/p>\n He took part in one of the several action days which have been put on by politicians, West Yorkshire Police and BTP already this year.<\/p>\n \u201cContinued engagement by these different parts of the community is what it is all about, at the end of the day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that we don\u2019t go off the boil and\u00a0accidently let the trail become a big problem again.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be an enjoyable trail but we have to keep trying to make sure that it doesn\u2019t disrupt local lives.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It seems that only time will really tell whether the community response has called lasting time on the more wayward aspects of the ale trail or not.<\/p>\n [and the follow-up article]<\/p>\n Colne Valley resident assaulted by Real Ale Trail revellers urges others to speak out to bring attacks to a halt<\/strong><\/p>\n A woman was sexually assaulted on\u00a0the Real Ale Trail\u00a0in the Colne Valley.<\/p>\n Now as police investigate,\u00a0Slaithwaite\u00a0woman, Jo Dyrlaga, has waived her right to anonymity to encourage more women to speak up and take action if they are attacked along the line or in popular trail stops.<\/p>\n She also wants more action to be taken to clamp down on the problem and help make the popular route safe for local people.<\/p>\n Jo, 33, said she was left feeling \u2018humiliated\u2019 after the assault, which occurred when she was on her walk home from the village train station one Saturday evening last month, the busiest time of the trail .<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI got off the train at around 8pm and walked down the slope past a line of about 25 people who were queuing up to take the train to\u00a0Marsden\u00a0to continue the ale trail.<\/p>\n \u201cSuddenly, one man grabbed my breast as I passed and started laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cI was mortified and told him off but no one else in the queue came to help. They all thought it was really funny and told me to calm down.<\/p>\n \u201cIn no way was it funny. It was sexual assault and it has made me so furious because everyone should have the right to be able to go about their life without being touched.<\/p>\n \u201cI have avoided the area in the past when the ale trail is in full flow but people shouldn\u2019t have to do that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n She alerted security staff at the bottom of the lane and later reported the attack to British Transport Police, who are now investigating the case.<\/p>\n Jo said: \u201cAt first I felt too embarrassed to contact them but realised I shouldn\u2019t feel like that at all because it wasn\u2019t my fault.<\/p>\n \u201cBTP have taken this really seriously which is good but I know that attacks like this aren\u2019t a one off occurrence on the line.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople can sometimes be frightened of reporting incidents straight away but they shouldn\u2019t be and doing so helps ensure that police continue to be given resources to help them patrol the line.<\/p>\n \u201cThose on the trail should have to wait in a separate area so that local people don\u2019t have to walk so close to them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n She is just one of dozens of people who have said they have had similar incidents or felt threatened by revellers along the route, including members of Slaithwaite youth club, The Basement, who highlighted their concerns at the last public ale trail meeting.<\/p>\n Colne Valley councillor, Donna Bellamy, said:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first time that I have been made aware of a sexual assault but have had lots of reports of anti social behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it is absolutely disgusting and these incidents shouldn\u2019t be happening.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone being too drunk does not warrant this sort of behaviour.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be holding more action days with BTP,\u00a0West Yorkshire Police\u00a0and others during the summer but would urge anyone who has an experience like Jo contacts the police as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n BTP inspector, Gary Ashbridge, whose team has been patrolling affected stations and trains along the route since 2011 and works with rail companies and local communities to minimise ale trail problems, said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe are aware of the recent report of inappropriate sexual touching at Slaithwaite station. We take incidents of this nature very seriously and we have launched a full investigation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a few whose behaviour, whether fuelled by alcohol or not, is unacceptable and we will not hesitate in taking action against anyone who commits a crime or behaves in a problematic manner.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile crime is not a big problem, with only a few offences recorded, anti social and dangerous behaviour of some of the revellers can be, although over recent years we have seen this improve. The good news is that offences have reduced on the route by 31% since 2012.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want people to have a good time on the Real Ale Trail but we also want to make sure that they people continue to stay safe and treat rail staff and other passengers on these services with respect.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n http:\/\/www.examiner.co.uk\/news\/west-yorkshire-news\/real-ale-trail-colne-valley-7559936<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.examiner.co.uk\/news\/west-yorkshire-news\/time-finally-been-called-colne-7540897<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Two articles from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 31st July and 5th August respectively. Has time finally been called on Colne Valley real ale trail troubles? The sun and the heat were blazing down in Marsden. It made it a perfect … Continue reading