Ripon cafe owner's tearful appeal after shop vandalised

A North Yorkshire cafe owner has made a tearful plea after her shop window was smashed ahead of one of her busiest trading days of the year.

In a video on social media, Helen Slater, who runs Ripon's Cathedral View cafe, said she was "heartbroken" at the discovery early on Friday morning.

Appealing for witnesses to get in touch, she added: "It's a struggle to make money and now I can't open."

Ms Slater has since praised the "wonderful" response from "team Ripon".

North Yorkshire Police confirmed officers were investigating the incident.

The window of the Cathedral View cafe in Ripon was broken overnight

In an emotional recording made soon after arriving for work early on Friday morning, Ms Slater said: "Someone has very kindly smashed my window.

"If anyone knows who it is, please let them know how heartbroken they've made somebody."

"This really, really, hurts," she added.

However, a few hours later Ms Slater posted a second video thanking local people for their "amazing" help.

"Everybody's jumped in. I'm being boarded up," she said.

"It was a shock and I blubbed my eyes out, but thank you everybody for all your kind words and help."

The cafe, which sits directly opposite Ripon Cathedral, would reopen as soon as it was "safe to do so", Ms Slater said.

"Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."

Ms Slater said the community response to the incident had been "amazing"

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: "We received a report this morning that the window of a cafe on Bedern Bank, Ripon, had been smashed with a rock."

The vandalism was believed to have taken place some time between 18:00 GMT on Thursday and 06:15 GMT on Friday, they added.

Officers appealed for anyone with information about the incident to get in touch.