A pub landlord fears he may have to charge customers an eye-watering £16 for a pint as energy bills continue to rise.
Stephen Hey, 74, has been running The Wickenham Arms Hotel in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, for 32 years but is now worried about the impact the ongoing cost of living crisis will have on his pub.
His bills are expected to rise to £1,000 a week and he fears he may have to choose between charging customers much more or closing down without government help.
Mr Hey said: "£1,000 a month is affordable but £1,000 a week is not. You can't push that rise onto the customers, if I was to do that I would be charging £16 a pint.
"By next year, the costs may come down but it will be too late.
"Local pubs can simply not compete with the Wetherspoons and Lloyds. It will soon be a monopoly."
After working in the industry for 48 years, the pub landlord said he has never experienced a similar crisis - and added the cost of bills will be "unsustainable" for small businesses from October.
He explained: "We cannot plan for anything. 12 of my staff could be without a job because of my electric bills going up."
Mr Hey added: "I go to sleep every night afraid and I wake up every morning afraid.
"This crisis is far more urgent than the government is aware of.
"We’re frustrated and helpless because no one in power understands our predicament."
Local Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said she fears the rocketing costs could have a massive impact on people's mental health.
She said: "From the messages I receive and all the conversations I have had it is clear that local people and businesses are facing an unprecedented crisis.
"The impact on individuals and families is already severe and it's not just the worst off and most vulnerable who are suffering.
"The worry over how to meet these eye-watering bills is causing terrible distress and affecting people’s physical and mental health.
"Businesses like pubs are not just significant employers, they serve a really important social purpose.
"I met some fantastic women at the Wickham Arms who told me their weekly bridge club sessions there are often the only contact they have with other people.
"I’ve spoken to gyms, shop owners and many others who genuinely fear that they will go out of business if they don’t get urgent help.
"These places are the glue that hold our communities together."
It comes after an expert warned the price of a pint will need to rise to a whopping £15 - £20 to keep pubs afloat.
Tom Stainer, the chief executive of real campaign group CAMRA, said the increase in energy prices will cause running costs at pubs to increase by 500-600%, putting an enormous amount of establishments at risk of closure.
He said: "How much would 500% be on a £5 pint - you’re talking ridiculous amounts of money, 15 or 20 quid for a pint."
The cost of living crisis is also having an impact on other sectors, including education.
This morning, we reported that schools could be forced to lay off teachers as energy bills continue to rise around the country.
The sector is experiencing one of the worst crises it has ever faced and, despite classroom vacancies, schools may be forced to make "difficult decisions", the chairman of the Kent Headteachers Association said.
Mike Walters, who is also headteacher of St Anselm's Canterbury, said that due to a £100,000 leap in energy bills, some schools will run with vacancies rather than employ more staff.
