THE search for the entrance to a 'secret military tunnel' said to run under Fishergate has had to be postponed - because one of the participants has been 'pinged' by the NHS test and trace app.

A search, led by the York Civic Trust, was due to take place tomorrow in and around the Tower House business centre on Fishergate, which used to be the HQ of the Army's Northern Command.

But Tower House manager Harry Gillam has been 'pinged' by the NHS app and told he must self-isiolate until Friday. So the search has been postponed for a couple of weeks.

"It is very frustrating!" Mr Gillam told The Press. "I feel right as rain!"

The business centre remains open for business - he must have been pinged because of a social contact, Mr Gillam believes, because nobody else at the business centre has been affected.

The delay should at least give a bit more time to do some extra research into the tunnel, he added. "So we will be even better prepared!"

Dr Duncan Marks of the York Civic Trust, who will be leading the search, added: “It’s a great shame that the research site visit planned for this week has had to be postponed until early August due to one of the team being told to isolate by the track & trace app.

“It is very frustrating to be so close to resolving the tunnel mystery. But, given the tunnel has been such a well-kept secret for many decades already, another few weeks will do no harm! We look forward to reporting back with what we find in August.”

There have long been rumours of a tunnel under Fishergate linking the Northern Command HQ with another former Army building - Fishergate House, across the road.  

Most recently, interest was re-ignited in the tunnel by research done by some students from the University of York. They have been working with York Civic Trust and the Fishergate, Fulford and Heslington history society to delve into the history of Tower House.

The blocked-up entrance to the Fishergate House end of the tunnel has been discovered - but not the Tower House entrance.

Last week, former Army clerk turned hospital finance officer John Powell, who worked at Northern Command as a clerk for two years from 1959, came forward to say that, as a 17-year-old, he was shown through the tunnel in his first week at work.

He says it opened off a post room beneath Northern Command and ran through to a basement beneath Fishergate House, which was used as a secret military communications room.

The layout of the building has changed since then. But Mr Powell will be joining the search for the Tower House entrance to the tunnel once the 'expedition' has been rearranged.