ADVENTURE Island bosses have taken aim at the “energy company Mafia” after being forced to cut opening hours due to soaring costs.

The seafront business will reduce opening times across the year and on eighteen days in June, according to minutes of a Southend Tourism Partnership meeting.

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Owners Stockvale, which runs the business and others in the city, blames this on the rising energy bills, the living wage increase and Southend Council proposals parking charge.

The inside of Three Shells café - also owned by Stockvale - is shut during the week and only open on weekends due to spiralling costs.

The bosses also say that they are considering plans to install solar panels for Sealife to help rising costs.

Philip Miller MBE, executive chairman of Stockvale, said: “There is no doubt the hospitality industry is suffering tremendously only the canniest will survive.

"Between the bonkers council upping the parking charges yet again and the idiotic chancellor raising taxes left right and centre, throw in the energy company Mafia screwing us into the ground what chance have we got.

“We are being forced into making unpleasant choices to ensure we ride the perfect storm of disaster heading our way.

“Many good judges agree that Liz Truss was spot on with her programme of tax cutting we would have been cooking with gas by now.

“One must ask oneself whose side is Hunt actually on, why are this council so anti-business, why are energy costs at such an eye watering level.

"I’m sure we all have our theories just most of them are unprintable.”

It comes after the Chancellor announced his spring budget on Wednesday and extended the support for household energy bills, but did not announce support for businesses.

Steven Wakefield, Independent councillor for highways, transport and parking, said: "The reason councils are having to consider measures like this is because we have endured over a decade of Government cuts.

"No one wants to raise charges, but these factors are affecting the costs we face to maintain our city and highways and the reality is we must deliver a balanced budget. 

“We appreciate that raising parking charges is not popular, but there are no easy choices this year and we would remind residents and visitors that we offer the Southend Pass, allowing vehicle owners to park for up to three hours in each of the four zones every day."