Other risks in North Yorkshire

Food supply contamination

Food contamination is when food is spoiled or tainted because it contains bacteria, parasites or a substance that makes it unfit to eat. Eating contaminated food can make you unwell and in more serious cases can lead to you needing hospital treatment.

In most cases, the City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council would expect to receive an alert for any human food contaminations. There is a food incident product recall plan to deal with any large-scale traceability exercises, product recall and investigations into criminal offences as required. We have trading standards and planning services officers who are responsible for checking and enforcing compliance with the Food Standards Agency.

Stay safe when dealing with food

wash your hands and work surfaces before, during and after preparing food
separate raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs from ready-to-eat foods
cook food to the right internal temperature to kill harmful bacteria
store your food correctly
consumers can check food hygiene ratings and food alerts, and businesses can read guidance about running a safe food business on the Food Standards Agency website

Air pollution

The most common sources of air pollution are:

gas boilers
wood burning stoves
open fires
gas or oil fired cookers
portable gas heaters
solid fuel heaters
vehicles
industrial facilities
forest fires

Stay safe and reduce air pollution in your home

always have heating appliances installed and serviced by a qualified engineer
keep chimneys and flues clear and clean
fit a carbon monoxide alarm near any combustion device
never block ventilation grills or air vents
if you smell gas or suspect a leak, call the emergency gas number 0800 111 999

Councils monitor and report on air pollution. Visit our air quality page and the City of York Council's air pollution page to find out more about local air quality, smoke control rules and how to reduce pollution.

Marine pollution

People who access the beaches across North Yorkshire's coastline or who work near the sea could be affected by marine pollution.

As a harbour authority, we have overall responsibility for the safety of marine operations on waters within our jurisdiction and to make sure the environment is safeguarded.

Oil is the biggest pollutant associated with port marine operations. An oil spill could cause significant damage to the environment.

How to help with water pollution

if an incident occurs, follow the restrictions imposed on fishing or using the beaches
report any pollution incidents to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or the Environment Agency
our harbour pollution team can help you with the rules on waste disposal and reporting pollution in the Scarborough and Whitby harbours - visit our harbour pollution page for details
for information about private water supplies, bathing waters, and contamination visit our water quality page or the City of York Council's water pollution page

Land movement

Land movement is a natural event which may damage buildings or cause them to collapse. The possibility of land slippage or an earthquake in the North Yorkshire area is relatively low.

When land is not stable it can sink several metres into the ground, taking everything on its surface with it. Sinkholes can be triggered by a variety of things such as:

heavy rain
surface flooding
a burst water mains

There could also be landslides, or rock falls.

In the event of a severe weather warning of saturated ground from the Met Office, we would provide guidance to residents and local businesses.

The North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum has a community risk register, which highlights the risks that could have an impact on our local communities and how you can be ready for these risks and stay safe.

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