A high street bakery has closed blaming the high cost of energy.

The Punch and Judy Bakery, on West Street in Bridport, has announced its permanent closure.

A statement on the bakery's public Facebook page said they had to close blaming the "ridiculous hike in energy prices that just cannot be kept up with". 

The business thanked customers for their trade over the years. 

When approached by the News, the owners did not want to comment.

One person commented on the Facebook post saying how sad they were to see the bakery was closing. Another stated how sad it was that small businesses were being harmed by rising costs.

The closure comes after another long-standing bakery shut its doors.

Leakers Bakery, on East Street, closed in October 2022.

Punch and Judy has been a fixture of West Street for decades. A former business at the site was called Hussey's Bakers.

Punch and Judy previously had another outlet on South Street.

The South Street location closed in 2012 with the owners saying the recession and competition from supermarkets had taken its toll as well as disruption by gas main works.