Greater Manchester's oldest family run bakery faces staggering quarter-of-a-MILLION pound energy bill

Manchester's oldest family run craft bakery has been warned by its supplier it faces a £250,000 increase on its yearly bill. Robinson's bakery, based in Failsworth, has survived two World Wars, the Covid-19 pandemic, and many Prime Ministers since first being established in 1864 - but the energy crisis and cost-of-living crisis threatens to wipe it off the map.

David Robinson, who, while semi-retired, still helps with the running of the bakery with his daughter, Grace, describes the potential hike in the businesses energy bills as a 'suicide note', with one of their business customers already going bust. The dramatic rise in energy bills comes at a time when the cost of ingredients is rising on a weekly basis and customers have less money to spend due to the cost of living crisis.

'Serious intervention' from the government is needed if many similar businesses are to survive the winter, David believes, with the current projected increase in bills 'completely unsustainable'. He told the M.E.N how their energy bills currently stand at £18,000 per year, but as their contract is up for renewal at the end of October, he has been told they will rise to at least £72,000 - a rise of 400 per cent.

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However, he was subsequently told that if he didn't immediately sign up to this six month increase his bill would be put up even further to an eye-watering £270,000 - an increase of 1,400 per cent. "It's totally unsustainable," David said.

"It can't possibly go on like this, it's ridiculous. We're just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping the next Prime Minister and Chancellor will get together and do something to stop the prices going up to these levels,