A fish and chip shop in the heart of the community has closed its doors for good.
The owners of Lowford Fish Bar said closing the takeaway was the “hardest decision” they’ve ever had to make.
Victor Figueira and Karen Whitlock say making a living from the shop on Portsmouth Road was no longer sustainable as the cost of supplies rocketed.
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Victor, who worked at the shop for 13 years and was the owner for six, said the pair tried everything.
The 39-year-old said: “Everything is going up, it’s gone crazy.
“We tried to do everything, by increasing our variety, doing events, but unfortunately the overheads were too much.
“Our prices should have been 20 per cent more than what they were, so we could have made some more money.
“But, we thought it was also hard for customers, so we didn’t increase the prices.”
Karen, 42, added: “It’s the economy.
“Our prices have gone through the roof and it’s difficult to put that cost across to the customers because obviously, the prices of things for them are going to go up too.
“Fish prices have more than doubled.”
Victor and Karen announced the closure of the fish and chip shop on February 23.
They bid farewell to their customers weeks later on March 4.
In a post on Facebook, they said: “The cost of living crisis, energy bills going through the roof, and the prices of just about everything that makes a chippy means that, like many other restaurants and catering businesses recently, it is no longer viable for us to stay open.
“It is down to all of you, our loyal customers, and community, which has made this decision so unbearably difficult to make.”
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According to Victor and Karen, the shop was struggling to stay afloat for two years but the recent spike in food costs was the final nail in the coffin.
Karen said: “People just can’t do it and they are shutting down.
“It’s the hardest decision we had to make in our lives.”
Victor said: “I would like to thank our community for their support, and I am sorry we closed.
“I wanted to keep going but I couldn’t.”
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