Fish and chip shops in Bournemouth "worried about survival"

Many shops across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have been feeling the pressure as costs of supplies have “gone through the roof”. 

The war in Ukraine has affected supplies of white fish, widely used in the UK and 40 per cent of which is caught by Russian vessels, and sunflower oil - the majority of the crops are grown in Ukraine.  

Here in the UK even the costs to cover home grown potatoes has gone up thanks to diesel prices going up for the lorries needed to transport the goods around the UK. 

Tina Root, the co-owner of Tina’s Fish and Chips in Palmerston Road, said: “Financially we’re only just scraping through. 

“At the end of every month, we’re either just down or just breaking even. We are not earning anything and I don’t know how long this can last.” 

In a bid to entice customers through the door, Tina offers all her customers a 10 per cent discount on all sales every Wednesday.

Tina is offering 10 per cent off all orders every Wednesday

She added: “This is to make people think they could come out and get a takeaway. It’s to try and help the customers as well as help ourselves. 

“We’re doing the business for love, we’re just lucky if we make any money from it.” 

Read more: Fish and chip shops on how energy prices are hitting costs

Tina said the cost of buying supplies has “gone through the roof”. She said since April 1, fish has gone up 25 per cent, potatoes have gone up 30 per cent and packaging has increased by 25 per cent. 

She added: “Even tomato sauce has gone up. Two weeks ago, it was £1.99, now it’s £2.49. The only thing which hasn’t gone up is chicken nuggets.” 

Sunny, the owner of Sunny’s Fish and Chips in Christchurch Road, said: “The costs are going too high. We’ve had to put up our prices, not by a lot, but by 10p or 20p to cover the costs.  

“We have to pay a lot more now for oil and fish and it’s a struggle.”