MORE than a fifth of restaurants and bars have cut their hours over the past three months in a bid to save money on soaring energy bills, according to new figures. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) business insights and conditions survey, published on Monday, found that the hospitality industry, which employs around one in 14 British workers, has been particularly affected by rising energy prices. 

More than one in 20 firms in the sector (6 per cent) said that they planned to stop trading for two or more additional days a week.