Look inside Evesham's new reptile store and rescue centre

Axolotl and Reptile Rescue officially is the brainchild of Gareth and Cara Costellow.

The husband-and-wife team from Moreton have decided to open the store, on Waterside, to fund their rescue efforts.

For the last two and a half years, the pair have rescued upwards of 2,000 animals from across the country.

This new venture in Evesham offers them a place to sell supplies and host animals which are up for adoption.

Mr Costellow said: “We will run a bit differently to other pet shops. We are not going to stock animals but will instead have some that are up for adoption. People won’t just be able to show up on the day and decide to buy an animal.

“To be honest the whole thing started by accident almost. My wife was poorly, and I was working from home when we saw a post on Facebook from someone needing help with an animal.

“Since then, it has just grown and grown. Now we’ve appeared on shows on the BBC and were interviewed by the New York Times last week.”

The store will have act as a rescue centre for animals seeking adoption

He added: “We never knew how many animals were in need of help

“Until now it has been funded from our own pocket, so by setting up this shop we hope to fund the rescue side of things so we can help even more animals.”

On why they chose to set up shop in Evesham, Mr Costellow added: “Evesham is just a bit busier and cheaper than Moreton.

“We did a lot of research and because we specialise in exotic animals and reptiles, we found there is nothing really like this round here. The closest one is probably Birmingham.”

The shop opens seven days a week, 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

At the moment, the store stocks food, bulbs, thermostats and more equipment for caring for reptiles but there are plans to stock aquatic products too.