Cost of Living: Village pub forced to shut as energy costs treble

The White Hart will close its doors for the winter on 24 October

A village pub has been forced to shut for the winter due to the soaring price of energy bills, its owner has said.

Stella Coulthurst said The White Hart in Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire would close its doors on 24 October.

The pub's electricity costs have gone up three-and-a-half times, she explained.

"My summer bill - my lowest point - was £17,500. We would have expected £4,000 or £5,000 for the period," she said.

Over the winter months, Ms Coulthurst said she expected that bill to go up even further as the lights would be staying on for longer.

"We are going to try to sit it out over the winter and see if something changes and allows us to open in the spring," she said.

The pub, which also has nine guest bedrooms, is an old building, she explained, that uses gas, oil, logs and electricity.

"The price of all of it has soared, she said. "Oil is twice what is was, the logs are nearly twice what they were, but the electricity - I genuinely had to sit down and take a breath when I saw £17,500."