Increasing electricity bills means the Knaresborough reptile rescue could face closure.

The Knaresborough Exotic Rescue Centre has 150 animals in its care but says only 20 are up for adoption due to the temperaments or size of others.

Centre owner, Daniel Holmes, said the hike in electricity prices has caused a "serious concern" for the centre. It is already taking on a further eight snakes from another rescue in Devon which is closing due to increased costs.

Mr Holmes said these snakes are from a big snake rescue so range from 17 to seven feet long. He thinks out of the eight, six will be with him indefinitely because they're too large to rehome.

Having these big snakes for a long time does mean he will be investing a lot of money in their care, something he said a rise in bills makes more difficult.

In 2020, his bills for the month were around £1,800 now electricity alone can be £1,500 before the proposed increases. He said:

The centre runs as a non-profit organisation and relies on public donations and adoption fees to survive.

Mr Holmes also said the increasing number of animals it is having to take in is also taking a strain. He said January had been "horrendous" with people already surrendering animals bought for Christmas and others choosing to do so before bills made them too expensive to keep.

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