Concerned Indian restaurant owners fear closure if they do not get significant help from the government soon amid the cost of living crisis.

Saif Islam, who owns Sundar Rachana in Rainham, says he could be forced to rise the price of a curry by 25% but knows his customers will not be able to afford it.

He says there has been a 40% increase in food costs and if it continues, restaurants will have to change their prices accordingly, meaning a three-course meal for two with drinks could rise from around £60 to £90.

"It has been very difficult at the moment," he said. "Prices are rising scarily high, everything has gone over the roof. If we do not get any help from the government we will have to shut down.

"If we change the menu to reflect the rising prices there will not be people in the restaurant as no one can afford it. Everyone is in the same boat. People will not be able to come out.

"Right now we are surviving but when the gas and electricity bills come through I will see what we are going to do."

He is already spending approximately an extra £115 a week on oil alone as a 20-litre bottle jumped from £18 to £41.

"It is affecting us but if they keep rising then I will have to think about my decision of what to do next. We are preparing for it," he added.

Saif has been running the eatery in Lower Rainham Road for five years and has around 15 members of staff but worries without any government support he will have to shut down.

He added: "If all businesses close, hundreds of people will lose their jobs. We are very concerned about it.

"If one restaurant closes, one owner will lose their business and around 15 people will lose work.That is hundreds of people losing their jobs if we are all forced to close."

And Raj Abedin has already fallen victim. The owner of The Prince of India in Preston Street, Faversham, has decided to sell the premises he has had since 2005.

It will not close, however, and will be taken on by new owners who will continue to keep it open under the same name.

Raj said: "It is a beautiful town and I love it, but I have to let it go.

"There is no way we can afford it. People are cutting down too. Instead of ordering two rices they are ordering one."

The businessman also owns Tarana in High Street, Rainham, and said with the rising costs he cannot keep running both.

He added: "It is very, very concerning. I am very unsure about what is going to happen when the price rises hit the gas and electricity bills.

"All the prices have really, really gone up but we cannot reflect this in our menu prices otherwise people will not afford it. It is getting so ridiculously expensive. We are not going to survive.

"I have never seen tough times like this.

"How long can we duck and dive when we cannot balance the books?"

Having already received his electric bill, owner of The Kennington Tandoori in Faversham Road, Ashford, Ash Miah needs to find an extra £10,000 to pay it.

He said: "I heard so much on the news about bills going up exponentially so I thought I better check my meter. My meter is a conventional meter, not a smart meter.

"I took a picture of the reading and I rang them and when I gave them the reading, I read them the numbers twice.

"The letter came through my door two days later and when I opened it I was absolutely shocked I nearly fell off my chair.

"It was like I had a panic attack, I had a tightness in my chest and I could not fully breathe. I looked at the bill again and it was shocking, it is nearly £11,000 a month.

"I thought it must be a mistake, the increase is ten-fold, that does not make sense. There is no way a business of this nature could survive in this current climate.

"It is frightening because it was not based on an estimate, it was the real numbers. I could not sleep that night, even the clock ticking affected me.

"Our restaurant has been here for 17 years, we have redecorated it so it is beautiful and is a nice environment, people have memories here and I am afraid we are going to lose our business.

"Labour shortages, energy costs, and inflation, it is not normal for businesses to have this much pressure, they will eventually close because the liability is too much."

Ash – who also owns shops Burger Boys and Cinnamon Spice in Ashford – said the energy company is investigating his bill.

Curry house owners across the county are now calling on the government for urgent help otherwise they fear they will not survive much longer.

Tipu Chowdhury, of the Spice Hut in Brewer Street, Maidstone, added: "We cannot put our prices up every week, we are all struggling.

"I do not know how we will survive the winter with the electricity prices. We have never faced this before and harder times are coming.

"We had help from the pandemic but this time we have not received anything. We are waiting until October to see how much the bills are but we might have to let people go."

Shabul Muhith, who runs Maharani in West Street and Empress of India in East Street, Sittingbourne, has already cut back the places' opening hours to conserve gas and electricity.

"We are really struggling," he said. "I have never had a problem paying bills but the last six months we have been struggling. It is going to have a long-term impact."

To help every single household cope with the escalating costs of gas and electricity, a £400 energy bill credit will be given to every home from next month.

Despite fresh plans by new PM Liz Truss to freeze energy bills, as part of efforts to make them more affordable this winter, the £400 planned cash credit remains in place.

Speaking on the announcement, Ash Miah said: "The business side of things is very vague, they have not set a plan out.

"She [Liz Truss] is supporting residential which is good, she has a plan to cap the annual consumption, but what about businesses?

"It does not do anything for businesses, it is a grey area and nobody understands it, it is not clear. The government has been very slow to react but we need urgent help."

The government is expected to make a further announcement on what it is doing for businesses this week.

Additional reporting by Liane Castle.