The owner of a Norfolk bistro has expressed her delight after being let free of a utility contract amidst soaring costs which she believed could have left her bankrupt.

Michelle Czarnecki owns Shelly’s Bistro in Swaffham and was fearful for her future after being told by BES Utilities that her unit rates were going up - from 17p per unit to £1.33 for electricity.

She did expect her rates to go up and did see a jump up to 25p, which she thought was the rise, before the spike in November.

Eastern Daily Press: Inside Shelly's Bistro in Swaffham.

Ms Czarnecki said she had agreed to a five-year contract with BES 18 months ago for her gas and electricity but was left with an almighty shock after seeing energy bills jump from anywhere between £200 to £300 a month up to £1,200 in November.

However, after speaking to this newspaper, BES offered Ms Czarnecki the chance to walk away from the contract - which she accepted.

Joel Chapman, group head of external affairs, at BES Utilities said: "Ms Czarnecki agreed to our electricity Market Tracker product and has been supplied under this contract for some time. 

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"The product is designed to track wholesale and other costs, and customer prices are reviewed every April and October.

"Unfortunately, global events beyond our control including the conflict in Ukraine have had a significant and well-publicised impact on wholesale energy prices, and we have had to pass this increase through to customers in line with the terms of their contract. 

"We would much rather be reducing our customers' prices and we have done in the past, on numerous occasions when costs have allowed us to do so."

Eastern Daily Press: Shelly was fearing bankruptcy from the soaring energy costsShelly was fearing bankruptcy from the soaring energy costs (Image: PA)

The bistro owner said that her bills were soaring despite the business having support from the government’s energy bill relief scheme.

“It's got to the point where I was not turning the heating on and switching off anything because I’m so scared of what the next bill was going to be,” Ms Czarnecki said.

“I felt that I was going to end up bankrupt within months, and in serious debt - I was so worried, it's making me so ill," Ms Czarnecki added.

"When they offered to cancel it, it felt like all my Christmases had come at once."