A Flintshire pub looking forward to the first Christmas out of lockdown will now battle to keep its door open as energy bills continue to rise.

The Red Lion in Penyffordd says they are facing their biggest challenge as the cost-of-living crisis hits an industry looking forward to recovering from Covid restrictions, which saw their doors shut at the busiest time of the year for two years.

Energy bills are set to go up by 80% for UK households this October, but for businesses those bills can triple or quadruple because they operate without a regulated price cap.

This means that across the country many pubs and bars may have to shut their doors after already surviving a tough two years.

The Red Lion said that Welsh hospitality was one of the hardest hit sectors during the lockdowns.

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A spokesperson said: “The fact that we, along with other Welsh pubs and restaurants, are still open and trading is amazing given the lack of support that we received from the Welsh government during that time. 

“We were looking forward to a decent summer of trade followed by a fruitful Christmas, the first proper Christmas since 2019 - now with the looming energy price increases this means that our Christmas trade is expected to be hit hard.  

“The average consumer will be feeling the pinch in the coming weeks and luxuries such as a Christmas meal out with friends and family at their local pub will no longer be a casual treat when they have the choice of food or fuel to choose from!”

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They added: “The Red Lion in Penyffordd has been open and trading for 205 years, even through World Wars, and now after successfully fighting to stay open through a global pandemic we are faced with one of the biggest challenges of our life. 

“Of course, we will do everything that we can to ensure that our staff and customers are well looked after even if that means taking a financial hit ourselves - as long as the windows and doors are not boarded up when this fiasco comes to an end, that is all that matters to us.”

The Campaign for Real Ale, or CAMRA, an independent voluntary consumer organisation that promotes real ale, cider, perry, and traditional pubs is calling for action to save the industry.

Nik Antona, CAMRA Chairman said: “Pubs goers and beer drinkers want to see urgent action to save our pubs, social clubs and breweries which are vital community meeting spaces, bringing people together and helping to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

"It would be a travesty if businesses that did everything they could to survive the pandemic were now forced to close for good because of the crisis with the cost of energy bills.

READ MORE: Call for Wrexham Council to help with cost of living support

“CAMRA’s figures show that in 2021, 11 pubs in Wales were demolished or converted to another use, with a further 24 being classed as a long-term closure where a premises is not currently trading. I fear that these statistics will be much higher in 2022 if pubs don’t get urgent help with rocketing energy bills and rising costs.

“The new Prime Minister and Chancellor need to take urgent action to introduce an energy price cap for hospitality businesses, cut VAT for food and alcohol served in pubs and quickly introduce a new, lower rate of duty for draught beer and cider. 

“The Welsh Government also needs to change the planning system to make sure that pubs have better protection from being converted into houses, shops or takeaways without local people first having a chance to save the pub as an asset for their local community.”

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