New garden centre burgled shortly after opening

Bloom opened in former pub The Craven Heifer in Skipton in the summer

A break-in at a new garden centre in Skipton has left its owners facing a repair bill of thousands of pounds.

Bloom only opened for business in August in the former Craven Heifer pub on Grassington Road, but was burgled during the night of 19 September.

The thieves stole tools and ornaments and ripped out copper piping, causing the building to flood.

Owner Andrew Tapsell discovered the break-in on Friday morning and it prevented the opening of a cafe area that weekend.

Shelves were left ransacked and products taken from the garden centre

Mr Tapsell’s son Rebby, 35, who ran Bloom at its previous site on Broughton Road, said the intruders caused extensive damage.

“We’d just got it all set up and ready to go and this is a major setback," he said.

“They’ve stripped several different areas, so we’re still exploring the true extent of the damage but I wouldn’t be surprised if the repairs came in just shy of £10,000 including the stock that’s been taken.”

North Yorkshire Police are investigating the burglary, which took place between 16:30 BST on 19 September and 09:30 BST the following day.

The Craven Heifer was empty for around a year after the pub's closure in summer 2023 and has suffered repeated break-ins, resulting in the installation of CCTV and security fencing. However these measures were bypassed by the thieves, who cut the power to the building.

While work is under way to restore the café in time for opening on Thursday 3 October, the staff at Bloom are feeling the effects of the crime.

Mr Tapsell said: “We have some ladies working for us who have expressed concern about being in an isolated location with the nights drawing in, so it could be an issue.

“The support we’ve had from local people has been brilliant though. The Craven Heifer was a landmark, it’s trying to get back to that and restore it to its former glory.”

The building was sold by the trustees of the Tarn Moor Estate.

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