Chippy warns prices could increase with gas hike

A Guernsey chip shop has warned prices will likely increase after the island's gas provider announced a 10% rise to bills in the new year.

Kim Ashplant, co-owner of Beetons chip shop, said gas is one of their biggest outgoings and the increased costs would have to fall on customers.

Island Energy announced the "unavoidable" rise on Tuesday, due to what it called "geopolitical events in Europe" affecting wholesale prices.

Mrs Ashplant said the business would try to absorb as much of the costs as possible but the gas increase was a "worry".

"We will try to keep everything down as much as we can, but we've heard that fish is going up from the first of January and now the gas is going to go up as well," said Mrs Ashplant.

"The gas price does worry us, our big range is gas.

"It's something that we can't just let go and there will most probably be an increase."

The owners said they would review prices in the new year but were being realistic about where people would spend money.

"We don't want to push ourselves out of the boundaries of people coming to get their fish and chips," said Mrs Ashplant.

"But what's going to go first? It's not going to be their weekly shop, it's going to be their takeaway.

"Maybe they won't have one every week, maybe it will be every month."

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