The landlord behind a North Yorkshire hotel pub-restaurant which unexpectedly appeared on the market weeks ago has explained his reason for leaving.

The Fox Hall Inn on the A66 appeared on Rightmove with business estate agents Christie & Co for £15,000 after the team decided to take a step back due to financial issues.

The venue is up for sale for the second time in several years after Landlord Chris Daley and Chef Scott Fisher took over the popular venue in October 2023.

The Fox Hall Inn.The Fox Hall Inn. (Image: RIGHTMOVE) The Fox Hall Inn is still open and operating as usual.

However, the team have now taken a step back, citing money issues and more.

A statement on the pub's social media reads: "Just a quick update to say that unfortunately, I’ll be vacating this lovely country inn and my lease in the next couple of months.

"Obviously this has not been an easy decision. This is basically down to finance. You need deep pockets for this business and I’ve reached my line in the sand.

"My teenage daughters missing me and I then didn’t help as it proved a lot harder to visit them in London as the beast of an operation here got into gear.

"My lack in marketing, social media and administration skills also didn’t help as a colleague/business partner who was meant to assist with those got her dream job in the city a fortnight prior to us starting up here!

"There just simply weren’t enough hours in the day to plan and prepare events, etc. All other incompetence is mine.

The Fox Hall Inn.The Fox Hall Inn. (Image: RIGHTMOVE) "It remains for me to thank Claire and her team for giving me the opportunity. As such, the Fox Hall Inn continues to operate as before and remains fully operational.

"I will thank my team and regulars in a later bulletin. Thanks for all the company and laughter."

This statement also comes months after the venue received a one-star hygiene rating during an inspection that took place on April 19.

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The owners of the venue put the food hygiene rating down to fridges and freezer issues, caused by consistent power cuts.

Within the inspection, 'hygienic food handling', which includes, hygienic handling of food including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage, was ranked 'major improvement necessary'.

Meanwhile, the 'management of food safety' category, including system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future, was ranked 'Generally satisfactory'.