The owners of a popular Surrey country pub have revealed they are walking away with £200,000 of debt and no money in their pockets after rising costs forced them to close.

Chelsey and Shaun Hayter, who ran The Cyder House Inn for eight years, said soaring bills had turned what was once their “golden goose” into a “never-ending cycle of debt”.

The closure came as a shock to the local community, with the pub often busy. But even with customers continuing to come through the doors, rising costs became too much and the couple reached the point where they would need to take out a further £200,000 loan to continue.

Chelsey and Shaun Hayter, who have been left with £200,000 of debt after closing The Cyder House Inn following eight years at the pub.
Chelsey and Shaun Hayter, who have been left with £200,000 of debt after closing The Cyder House Inn following eight years at the pub. (Chelsey and Shaun Hayter)

Their electricity bill alone had soared from around £800 a month before the war in Ukraine to £3,600, Chelsey said.

She said: “We haven’t been paid for a long time and we have kids at home and we’re now walking away with not a single penny in our pockets.”

The couple have launched a fundraiser to help them rebuild their lives after putting everything into the business.

The final Sunday was packed, with not a single seat spare, while one customer wrote the couple a letter about what the pub meant to them.

Customer Catriona Wiles said: “Very sad to hear that yet another country pub has had to close its doors! I personally will miss the beautiful setting, comfortable ambience and quality homemade food. Times are changing and not in a good way!”

The Hayters are now launching a mobile hospitality business, Champagne Jelly, while hoping the pub will reopen under new ownership.

Chelsey said: “We really hope that it reopens because we would love to go back and have a roast.”

She added that donations would mean “absolutely everything” as the family faces starting again after “giving everything” to the pub.