Pubs and cafes slash hours over rising costs

More than a fifth of UK pubs, restaurants and cafes have cut their hours over the past three months to tackle rising energy costs.

New analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that food and drink service firms were more likely than any other sector to cut trading to deal with mammoth increases in energy bills.

It revealed that 21% of firms in the sector have cut their trading hours as a result, even if they were still operating for the same number of days.

Meanwhile, 6% of businesses in the sector said that they have cut trading by two or more days a week. These companies were also the most likely to say energy prices were their main concern for November.