Nearly 10,000 pubs and restaurants have cut trading by at least two days per week to cope with rocketing energy bills even before the start of winter.
A fifth of food and drink firms have reduced their trading hours while 6pc have closed for two days a week – more than any other sector, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Hospitality industry experts warned that pubs and restaurants could choose to shut their doors temporarily for weeks early next year to counteract a period of slower trade and heavy energy usage.
