A MAN was seen wandering the streets with a machete.

North Yorkshire Police say on Sunday (January 31) at about 9.30pm, they received a report of a man with what is believed to be a machete in Bondgate in Ripon.

Around the same time, they say they received a separate report that a man was threatened by another male with a knife in Bondgate.

These are just two of a string of incidents being investigated by the force, who, as The Press reported yesterday, are looking in to a separate incident that happened in King Street in Ripon at about 6.30pm the same night, when a 23-year-old man was attacked by two or three young men. The victim’s mobile phone and watch were stolen during the incident and he sustained injuries to his face.

In another reported incident, four teenage boys and one teenage girl entered McColl’s in Bondgate at around 8.30pm and left with items of alcohol without making an attempt to pay for the items.

At around 9.10pm the same night a report of antisocial behaviour was received involving a group of approx. 15 teenagers on Southgate. They were wearing dark clothing and shouted abuse at local residents after been asked to move away from parked cars.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Alex Langley said: “I’d also like to reassure the local community that we are investigating all of these reports which we are taking very seriously and I can assure people that we will be taking robust action against those responsible.

“Did you see what happened or do you have any CCTV, dash-cam or doorbell camera footage that may have captured something? We’d also like to hear from anyone who has any information that could help us to identify those involved.

“Our extensive enquiries are ongoing, including officers trawling through CCTV footage and speaking to local businesses and we have also stepped up our patrols. Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 or email lucymills@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”