A bar in North Belfast has been forced to reduce its opening hours due to rising costs.
Fitzpatrick's Bar on Great George's Street first opened in May 2021 and is operated by brothers John and Gerard Fitzpatrick.
The family-run bar announced earlier this week they would be reducing their opening hours to save costs, after receiving combined energy and water bills of almost £20,000 for the latest quarter.
Read more: Derry business owner on bills 'shooting through the roof'
In a post on social media, they said this was a "sad measure we have to take but one which is necessary in order for us to survive".
They stressed the importance of looking out for the livelihoods of both their staff and customers, and said they are focused on ensuring staff stay in jobs with Christmas just around the corner.
"We were left with two choices - reduce the hours, or close up. We have a heavy enough rent to pay before we turn the lights on," Gerard told Belfast Live.
"A week and a half ago, we received an electricity bill for over £11,000 which was based on 93 days of electric. It's not like we're a big multi-million pound company, we're a family run business.
"We had to make that decision to reduce our hours to cut our overheads. We still don't know from one week to the next whether it's going to be our last week.
"We have five people employed in here, if we have to close, that's five families impacted with Christmas right around the corner.
"The last three months before we'd even paid an electricity bill, it cost us between £6,000 to £7,000 just on paying our staff, our rent, and our stock. Our gas bill was £3,500 for the last quarter, when we very rarely had our heating on, it would've been our hot water on just.
"You can't justify it. Then there's no help from government at all. You're hearing stories about them freezing electric prices at a specific unit, that they're going to subsidise it; but in reality they're going to do nothing for us. Businesses are being left out in the cold."
Gerard said another factor impacting their decision is the fact their regular customers are struggling to be able to afford a night out due to rising costs.
Noting that Fitzpatrick's is a "hub for the community", the brothers said they're trying to keep the doors open for those who visit to keep warm and have a chat.
Gerard said: "People just don't have the money to go out at the minute, people can't get money in their pockets because of how high the cost of living is.
"We were talking to students who are based at the bottom of the street and they were telling us they can't afford to go out. Now students will find a couple of pounds to go out, but they're telling us it's cheaper for them to get a carry out.
"It's heat or eat for a lot of people. There was a punter in here who said he was either going to get a curry chip or put money on his gas. That's the sort of reality people are facing at the minute - am I going to eat or am I going to stay warm?
"It's not just a few business, there's a few punters who come in here every day for a bit of company. There's a couple of older men who don't have family, they come in for a few pints and a conversation, to just socialise.
"We're a family business, we don't want to become millionaires, as long as we can get by that's all. We have other businesses too which we're taking money from to try and look after the bar. We don't know what way the future's going to go with the bar and what it could look like."
Niall added: "It's like one thing after another, we're straight out of Covid thinking we're gonna get an even footing, now into another crisis. It's like there's no let off. It's getting worse, it's not getting any better.
"There's people leaving their houses to go to bars or restaurants as a way to stay warm. The bar is a hub for the community, people in the houses around here come in to socialise, for a conversation.
"If it was sadly to close, people lose that connection, and our staff lose a wage."
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