Craft beer giant Brewdog has announced it is closing six bars in the UK - including its Motherwell Hop Hub.
The company, based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, said it was left with "no option" due to spiralling energy costs.
James Watt, co-founder and chief executive of the company, took the decision as he believed it would “be simply impossible to get these bars even close to financial viability” in the foreseeable future.
Calling the decision “heartbreaking,” he fired a warning shot at the UK Government: “Reality in the hospitality space is starting to bite and bite hard - the government needs to get a grip, now.
“If nothing happens, the UK looks set to lose half of its pubs and bars and all the millions of jobs these locations provide, as well as the vital role they play in local communities.”
A spokesman for the company said staff at the affected pubs had been redeployed in other venues, and no jobs would be lost.
It comes a day after industry bosses warned that thousands of pubs and restaurants could go bust in the coming months.
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