"I'm waiting for the gallows:" Doncaster butcher in tears over fears £4,200 energy bill will kill business

Zac Perry, who runs Yorkshire Family Butchers in Mexborough, choked back tears and looked visibly moved as he revealed how he has taken on extra jobs and works more than 200 hours a week as he battles to keep his business afloat in the midst of rocketing fuel bills.

He told BBC Radio Sheffield presenter Paulette Edwards: “It’s my life, I love it, I love my job, I love everything about it.

"I don’t sleep, I very rarely eat as much as I used to, I’m not training at the gym.

"I’m waiting to face the gallows.

"I know it’s on the horizon and I know it’s coming. It’s just a matter of time.”

He told the programme how before the energy crisis began, his monthly electricity bill was £600 – but now faces bills of up to £4,200.

He added: “I would literally have to live in that shop and get rid of all my staff just to pay for the electric and still have a little bit of a wage. It’s just not viable.

“We’re in an area where people are after a bargain. You know what Yorkshire folk are like.

"Now with this energy crisi and the cost of everything else going up, fuel, utilities, its getting more and more harder to keep this business afloat.

"I’ve had to get separate jobs on the night, so I’m doing 200 plus hours a week.”

The clip of Zac’s emotional interview has gone viral, with more than 22,000 views since it was uploaded following his appearance on the station yesterday.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss has promised to tackle the energy crisis with plans set to be unveiled in the next few days.

There have been some suggestions that fuel bills could be frozen at £2,500 for the next 18 months while previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged £400 to each household to stave off soaring energy prices.