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Office for National Statistics data shows 315 businesses closed in the town during 2021 – up from 260 in 2020 and 300 in 2019.

Nationally, 327,000 businesses closed in 2021 – a nine per cent increase on the year before and the highest number since 2017.

In Hartlepool, 275 new firms started trading – among 360,000 national start-ups – meaning there was a net loss of 40 businesses across town in the first full calendar year since the onset of the pandemic.

Kevin Blenkinsop, owner of The Blue Cow Butchers and Deli, in Oxford Road, Hartlepool, which is due to close on December 31 following a rise in costs during 2022.

A further loss in numbers is expected for 2022 following the onset of rising energy prices and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Blue Cow Butchers, in Oxford Road, Hartlepool, is set to close its doors on December 31 due to “never ending rising costs”.

Owner Kevin Blenkinsopp made the difficult decision to close the business after 17 years after not being able to make a living from the shop for months – despite “trying all sorts” to turn the situation around.

While the Institute of Directors (IoD) accepted that businesses open and close all the time, its chief economist, Kitty Ussher, said: "The picture is then complicated by the impact of the pandemic, which not only led to a temporary increase in unemployment and so increased the number of people looking for freelance work, but also caused a change in consumer spending patterns.

"All of this led to particularly high churn rates as the economy adjusted in 2021."

Official figures reveal how many businesses Hartlepool is losing per year