Pubs, restaurants and hotels across Gloucestershire and the UK have warned that up to one in every three of their businesses was on the line in the first three months of this year, with their books revealing losses that spell out the risk of looming closure.

And as the hospitality sector braced for a further projected £3.4bn impact of NIC and minimum wage increases from the beginning of April, just over three in four bars hotels and restaurants have told industry lobbyists UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) that they've had to hike their prices in a race to stem losses and stay afloat.

Presenting their collective findings to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the trade bodies say some 60% of businesses have already had to cut jobs to keep solvent.

In a joint statement, they said: "Jobs are being lost, livelihoods under threat, communities set to lose precious assets, and consumers are experiencing price rises when wallets are already feeling the pinch."

The financial snapshot offered by the survey represents an early indication of potential devastation for the sector to come this year as budgetary changes take hold.

To head off the threat, both bodies want to see a reversal of the NICs increase and, alongside reform to business rates, a VAT cut on food and drinks sold in their venues.

Elswhere, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is also reporting that private sector confidence is at its most fragile since Liz Truss's mini-Budget, in September 2022.

Alpesh Paleja, CBI deputy chief economist, called for "decisive action to restore business confidence and boost growth".

TV chef and pub campaigner Tom Kerridge, who grew up in Matson and studied catering in Cheltenham, recently hosted the BBC TV series Saving Britain's Pubs, in which he highlighted the daily financial challenges that affected such pubs as the highlighted Prince Albert in Stroud.

Mr Kerridge said: "British pubs, known the world over, have been part of our way of life for centuries. At the neighbourhood 'local', generations have unwound after a hard day's work, toasted their victories and drowned their sorrows. To this day it remains the beating heart of our communities."

He added: "But this great British institution is in crisis. Between 2000 and 2019 over 13,000 pubs called last orders for the last time. That's one in four of our beloved boozers lost, never to return."