The owners of a North East Indian takeaway have said they are 'gutted' to be announcing they are closing.

Spice Club, on Easington Lane near Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, announced the decision on social media saying they have 'no other choice' because of the 'crisis' they were facing.

Read more: Energy Bill Support Scheme: How will the £400 energy payment be paid?

Paying tribute to their customers, the owners said it had been 'one heck of a journey' and they ad 'loved spending every minute making each of our customers smile and laugh'.

In a statement posted on social media, a spokesperson for the takeaway said: “I am gutted to announce that from today, we will be closing the takeaway.

“It has been one heck of a journey, seeing our customer base grow and evolving as a business during some of the most difficult times we have all faced.

“We have loved spending every minute making each of our customers smile and laugh, cooking up the food they love and brightening their night. That was our highlight of our job – the customers. Food really does bring everyone together.

“However in a crisis like these where we simply have no other choice, we will be closed until the foreseeable future.

“Thank you all for the endless love and support you have given us from the moment we reopened as Spice Club – some of you may remember us as Shahjalal – it wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

Read more: All the government support for energy bills as cost of living continues to soar

It comes as Government announced a new package of energy bill support, but business groups warned it is just a “short-term fix”.

Ministers said the new scheme could roughly halve the price paid for wholesale gas and electricity by non-domestic customers, which include schools and charities.

The Government will foot part of an organisation’s bill if the wholesale price of gas and electricity stays above a set level.

The support will work differently depending on what kind of energy tariff an organisation is on.

Ministers said the support will approximately match the per-unit price households will pay to cover the wholesale price of their energy from the start of October.

But unlike the two-year household support scheme, businesses will only be helped for six months from the start of October.

Trade groups welcomed the support, but many worried that it would not be enough or last long enough.

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