A Chinese takeaway is only opening three nights a week as soaring energy bills add to existing financial pressures.

The Four Seasons Cantonese Takeaway in Powick is currently only opening on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays as a takeaway and isn’t opening at all as a sit-down restaurant.

Owner Frankie Tsang said there are a number of reasons for this, adding: “This is the worst I have known things to be in 40 years in the industry.

“Not only do we have fuel prices going up, we also have the devaluation of the pound,” he said.

“As a Chinese restaurant and takeaway, a lot of our ingredients come from southeast Asia, China and Thailand - things like pineapple, bamboo shoots and rice - and the price is going up and up.

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“But we can’t keep putting our prices up - we usually review our prices once a year, we can’t do it every week.

“There’s also the staff situation - the combination of leaving the EU and government policy has made it very difficult to bring in skilled staff.

“This is an extremely worrying time for everyone, but there is nothing we can do about it.

"I’ve been in this business a long time and have seen recessions come and go, we just have to hope for better times ahead.”

'The government knew about this but nothing has been done'

The Golden Sun Chinese takeaway in Worcester has also been hit by increasing energy bills.

Owner Mr Ye said he was expecting prices to rise again, and has also been hit by the rising cost of ingredients.

Takeaways are far from the only businesses being affected.

Aquatics and Reptiles, a pet shop in Swanpool Walk, St John’s, is closing at the end of the month after 14 years in the city.

The store’s owner, Clive Longstaff, said his monthly electricity bill had gone from £883 to £2,190 in April. The steep increase, coupled with a lack of spending money in customers’ pockets, had forced the shop to close.

“The government knew this was happening in February - they knew that prices would be going up in October and again in January - but nothing has been done,” said Mr Longstaff.