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Many pubs and breweries in the UK could be on the verge of collapse in the coming year due to increased energy costs, a report said.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) announced on Monday that pubs and breweries could face an average drop of 20 per cent if the government scales back its support for utility bills by the end of March next year, as previously planned. This is evident from calculations commissioned by the association of consultancy firm Frontier Economics.

In addition, there is high inflation, which causes higher costs and also dampens customers’ desire to visit a pub, the statement said. “We struggle with our bills but so do our customers and so we are being constricted from both sides,” said Gemma Gardener, who runs a pub in the northeastern English town of Morecambe, according to the statement.

Association leader Emma McClarkin is demanding a long-term guarantee from the London government that energy costs and leases are “fair and reasonable”. Businesses are vulnerable to price increases throughout the supply chain, while at the same time under pressure not to increase costs for consumers so as not to lose customers, she said. (aeg/sda/dpa)