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A tale of two Richmonds: Greggs confuses North Yorkshire market town with town in London

OLI CONSTABLE/BBC Image of sign post to London destinations, displayed in Greggs in Richmond North YorkshireOLI CONSTABLE/BBC
One of the pictures showed a signpost marking 19 miles to London landmark Tower Bridge

Scenic pictures of Richmond upon Thames in London have been displayed in a branch of Greggs in the North Yorkshire market town of Richmond.

In an apparent mix-up, the images showed a signpost to London landmarks Tower Bridge and Kew Gardens.

The black-and-white framed photographs have now been removed from the bakery, located more than 240 miles (386km) from the branch in south-west London.

Greggs has been approached by the BBC for a comment.

OLI CONSTABLE/BBC Boats on the River Thames in RichmondOLI CONSTABLE/BBC
Another of the photographs showed boats on the River Thames

Shoppers in the North Yorkshire town, which is the constituency of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, seemed amused by the confusion with its southern counterpart, which lies in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Close to the bakery in Market Place, one local resident told BBC Look North: "They have made a big boo-boo haven't they?

"It's somebody in head office, isn't it, who thinks they know more than the locals?"

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Another resident said: "I think there are enough photos of Richmond itself to warrant supporting the North Yorkshire town, as opposed to that lot down south."

Photographer and Richmond resident Mark Denton has offered to supply Greggs with photos of the correct town.

He said: "I've got thousands of pictures of Richmond that I've taken over the years so they're welcome to feature some of mine."

IAN KERSHAW/BBC Greggs in Richmond, North YorkshireIAN KERSHAW/BBC
The Greggs in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is more than 240 miles (386km) from its branch in south-west London

The 52-year-old quipped he would offer his photos in return for a free slice of pizza.

"I'm happy to give them the photos for free although if they did want to pay me I'd accept one piece of the pepperoni pizza, as I'm a fan."

Seemingly, the mix-up is not a one-off, according to Mark Smith, who recalls a similar problem he encountered while carrying out work at a business premises.

He said: "When I did some work there a year ago, a contractor who was meant to be at my site also got Richmond on Thames and Richmond confused.

"He ended up in Richmond, London, then had to get a train up to North Yorkshire. This meant he was five hours later than planned."

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