Tense political divisions emerged during a meeting of the Skipton and Ripon Area Committee, where civic leaders heard that an isolated Yorkshire Dales community was left entirely without protection. Local representatives revealed that residents experienced a wave of anti-social behaviour from travellers transiting through the region en route to the Appleby Horse Fair. Despite multiple urgent calls routed to police dispatchers, no operational patrols were deployed to the village site, leading to a formal demand from councillors for an emergency review into rural policing resource allocations during seasonal transits.
Deep Frustration Voiced as Police Fail to Respond to Traveller Anti-Social Behaviour
26 June 2026
A Dales area committee has heard that residents feel completely let down by the police, after officers failed to respond to emergency reports of anti-social behaviour from travellers heading to Appleby