Keelham Farm Shop, currently known as Keelham Food Hall, has closed until further notice.

The firm's online store also appears to have been closed down. Searches for food and drink return a 'no products found' message.

Two people who went to the shop, in Gargrave Road, Skipton, adjacent to the A65/A59 Gargrave Road roundabout, to buy products on Thursday morning were told by staff there that the business is closing down and that workers only learned their fate that morning.

One unnamed source said: "My wife came back from the food hall and said she was shocked to learn the business was closing at the end of the day. Apparently shocked staff were informed only this morning whey they got into work that the food store, restaurant and cafe would be closing and that they would not be paid unless they worked their full shift. No reason was given."

Another shopper said: "It is a disgusting way to treat staff. I went in this morning and one of the staff said they had been there several years and only found out this morning they were going to be out of a job.

"Before Christmas I was trying to buy a voucher as a gift for a family member and the company kept coming up with excuses that the system was down, or something like that, so could not issue a voucher at the moment. I know now what that was all about."

Skipton town councillor Brian McDaid, who is also assistant general secretary for the union, AEGIS, which looks after Skipton Building Society, Computershare and Yorkshire Building Society employees across the country, said he was happy to offer any advice from his union background to staff at Keelham Food Hall who were losing their jobs. He can be contacted on: cllr.brian.mcdaid@skiptontowncouncil.gov.uk

North Yorkshire Councillor Andy Solloway, whose ward adjoins the boundary of Skipton North & Embsay-with-Eastby division in which the food hall sits said: "It was sad to hear this news and I feel very upset for the staff there, some of whom live in my ward. I have heard they are a great team of people and this is distressing news just after Christmas."

The company was originally opened and run by Victoria Robertshaw and her brother, James, on June 24, 2015. The site had previously been home to Nicholas Smith's garage, petrol station and car showroom which went on the market in 2010. Victoria and James resigned as Keelham directors in 2019 while James continued to run the family's original Keelham Farm Shop, in Thornton, Bradford.

Current directors according to Companies House are: Gerard Downes, Alistair Wellock, Josephine Wellock and James Worrall.

The farm shop is situated opposite a site which has planning permission for a filling station, shop and car wash. The plans had been refused by the former Craven District Council in October last year. In August this year the decision was overturned following a successful appeal by Brookfield Property (Holdings) Ltd to the Planning Inspectorate.

Keelham Food Hall owners have been asked for a comment.

A post on the halls's Facebook page, which appeared to be written by a staff member, read: "Unfortunately due to financial situations the decision has been taken at least for the moment to close Keelham Food Hall, Keelham Kitchen, Kind at Keelham and Knead Pizzeria.

"There is hope that a new buyer will step up and continue the shop and re employ a great deal of the staff but these things don't happen overnight unfortunately so please bear with us. I'm sure further details will be released as they become available.

"On a personal note as an employee of Keelham and a local.... it is a shop and brand I would like to see continue as I'm sure many of you feel the same, its been with us for many years now and albeit changed management / ownership a couple of times its a place that offered produce and products not found in other shops in the area. I've enjoyed working there and working alongside the other staff members."