'WE'RE IN CRISIS' - UK'S CHIPPIES BEING BATTERED BY RISING COSTS

ONCE a dependable British favourite, fish and chips is fast becoming a luxury meal, with prices for a regular cod and chips now topping £13 in some towns.

- LOUISE SANDER and CATHY OWEN

"We are in crisis," warns Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, which represents independent fish and chip businesses across the UK.

"We'll lose shops, we'll lose operators, and we'll end up with fish and chips being a national brand rather than a collective of individual businesses, which in my view, is what makes it special."

From Cardiff, Swansea and up to Porthmadog and Llanberis, the story is the same - escalating fish prices driven by reduced fishing quotas, global demand and economic pressures are putting immense strain on Wales' fish and chip shops.

Hiks, an award-winning fish and chip shop in Swansea known for long queues of loyal customers, is feeling the pinch. Owner Emir Hikary said cod prices from suppliers had "more or less doubled" in just a few months.

"At the beginning of the year, we were paying around £150 to £160 for a three-slab box of cod, about 20 kilos. Now it's about £277," he says.

"Our supplier is saying that within the next month or so, it's going to reach £300 or more."

Hiks has been in business for 15 years, but for Mr Hikary, it's reached a tipping point: "I'm considering taking cod off the menu. We are trying to put as little as possible on the price - we just want to break even."

The business has held off on increasing prices for April despite the rising costs, but a large cod and chips to take away will already set customers back £13.80.

"The worrying thing is, if we keep putting our prices up, it's going to have a knock-on effect customers may stop coming," says Mr Hikary.

Mr Hikary said customers had been understanding about the price increases, and Hiks has put up signs explaining why the cost of a large cod has risen from £8.20 at the end of February to £9.30.

He also points to UK tariffs as a factor, explaining that merchants are increasingly selling to China and the USA, as it's more cost-effective.