Thousands of Britain's fish and chip shops could be forced to SHUT amid rocketing oil and energy costs

James Saunders
Mon, 27 Apr 2026 01:00:23 +0000

Thousands of Britain's beloved chippies could be forced to shut thanks to surging oil, energy and fish costs amid the war in Iran.

With the Strait of Hormuz still strangled, the price of red diesel and cooking oil has skyrocketed - leaving trawlers stuck in ports and fryers turned off because the alternative is too costly.

Meanwhile, business rates, creeping energy bills and a drop-off in customers have all left the nation's fryers reeling.

Some 500 chip shops are closing every year, with around 9,000 left.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Meanwhile, the average cod and chips meal is thought to cost an average of £12, pushing the British staple further out of reach of punters hoping for a fish feed.

Now, the National Federation of Fish Fryers has blasted Labour for a lack of support.

Its president Andrew Crook has demanded Rachel Reeves slash fuel duty - and has accused Energy Secretary Ed Miliband of "lacking common sense" on his Net Zero crusade.

"Independent fish and chip shops are feeling the brunt," Mr Crook said.

"The price of cod has doubled and it's very difficult to turn a profit.

"We're seeing shops close. We've lost 1,500 in the past three years - and expect many more to shut."

Baris Orhan, 29, who runs the King Fisher chippy near Mr Miliband's London home, told The Sun: "Some weeks you just scrape by. It's not just the fish prices, it's everything. Oil’s going up. Energy prices are going up. It's depressing.

"The Government isn’t helping small businesses."

IRAN WAR HITS BRITAIN - READ MORE:

Labour warns Iran conflict will push UK prices higher for 'eight-plus months' after resolution

Britons warned of more flight cancellations as jet fuel prices soar

UK pint prices could reach £9 as Iran conflict pushes up energy costs

One fisherman, Andrew McLeod, said a week's worth of diesel had more than doubled from £10,000 to £20,500.

The Shadow Business Secretary weighed in last night, accusing ministers of being "all at sea" rather than supporting the UK's traditional takeaway.

And today, farmers, lorry drivers and tradesmen will descend on Westminster in the first "national fuel tax protest" in two decades.

The rally, organised by Reform UK, will see Britain's grafters demand a cut to fuel duty and a reduction of VAT in a bid to soften the impact of the crisis in the Middle East.

"Millions of people are suffering as a result of the cost petrol and diesel at the forecourts - care workers, cabbies, white van men - you name it," the party's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said.

"Yet, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Treasury... is doing nothing."

The threats to Britain's fish and chips industry and today's rally appear to vindicate the warning of Shadow Farming Minister Robbie Moore, who told GB News just over a month ago that food inflation was looming thanks to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

"This is deeply, deeply worrying," he said.

"And of course, the challenges with red diesel and fertiliser are an added increase on top of the cash flow pressures that this Labour Government has put on our farming community as a result of the choices that they have made in the last two Budgets."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it is doing "detailed work" to assess the food sector's exposure to rising fuel prices.