MARLBOROUGH business owners are worried they are going to have to close down if nothing is done about soaring energy costs.The average household in Wiltshire could spend more than £3,500 per year on their energy bill when the new price cap comes into effect.

Including standing charges, the average household's energy costs on a variable tariff in the UK are set to go up by 80 per cent from £1,971 to £3,549 per year.

This will be even more for businesses such as restaurants and cafes.

Giuseppe Caruso from the Italian restaurant Pino's, on New Road in Marlborough is worried that he won't be able to keep up with the costs.

Giuseppe told this newspaper: "The bottom line is the number of people coming in is getting less and less because of the rising cost of everything.

"I'm determined to keep it open but my electricity contract runs out in February and I've been told that the best new one I can get will be three or four times what I'm paying at the moments so it's an extra £20,000 a year and so we'd have to strongly think about closing some days or how we can continue."

A pub in Overton, the Red Lion is also fearing that they will have to close.

Victoria Harber scaled down from larger pub recently but is now paying twice as much for electricity to keep up with the costs.

Her young daughter also asked her which grandparent she'd have to live with if they were to have to close down for good.

Victoria said: "We've to switch off the ice machine to save energy and put it in the freezer overnight, making sure lights are all switched off when we're in different rooms and hope summer lasts as long as possible, not put the outside lights on when it's really dark.

"My electric bill is double what I was paying in somewhere twice the size of this place last year."

Kat Holman, of the Food Gallery, High Street, is also feeling apprehensive about what the next few months will hold for her coffee shop.

She said: "We are definitely worried about the future and I think our customers are feeling that as well.

"But we've had a really good summer as people have come out of lockdown but we're all wondering what will happen in October.

"We've had a shadow over our heads knowing it's going to change, especially with the colder months meaning people won't go out as much."