Fourth generation Wolverhampton butcher closes over energy bills

Dan Bates said he had hoped to continue working in the shop for another 20 years before retiring

A fourth generation butcher said he has "shed a lot of tears" after rising bills forced him to shut up shop.

Dan Bates runs Bates Butchers in Wolverhampton which was set up by his great grandmother in about 1930.

After his energy bills shot up from £900 a month to £2,000, he said he has no other option but to close the shop.

"It's probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," Mr Bates said. "There's nothing, absolutely nothing, I can do."

After losing his father a few years ago, Mr Bates said there were a lot of memories tied up in the shop where they worked together for 30 years.

"It's not just a shop, that's the thing," he said. "It's been our life since I can remember.

"Everyone knows about the energy prices, our energy bills have doubled. Our customers' energy bills have gone through the roof so they're struggling," he said.

"Normally I'd be able to put the prices up a bit to outlay the cost but they haven't got it, that's the problem."

The family butchers was opened almost 100 years ago by Mr Bates' great grandmother

Rising prices have put pressure on businesses across the country as the cost of gas and electricity soar.

Businesses are also facing rising interest rates amid warnings from the Bank of England that the UK is expected to fall into its longest ever recession.

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Although the government has announced some support for businesses' energy bills, Mr Bates is unable to see a future for his butchers' shop.

"Your heart tells you to carry on but your head tells you [that] you just can't," he said.

"We got through Covid and then something like this, you don't see it coming and there's nothing you can do to get over it."