Ipswich pubs and breweries are trying desperately not to put beer prices up as they face a "perfect storm" in costs.

Inflation, Brexit, Covid, fuel increases and a shortage of CO2 - which makes the fizz in beer - have all been blamed for added costs for pubs and craft brewers in the town.

St Jude's Brewery Tavern in St Matthew's Street has seen the cost of foreign imports like bottles of Erdinger, and Budweiser increase by around 50p, and barrels increase by £10.

It's trying not to pass on these costs to customers but has been forced by the CO2 shortage to increase the cost of its own bottled beer.

Frank Walsh, brewer and landlord at St Jude's Brewery Tavern, said: "It still seems to be okay to carry on as we are.

"We keep going and we're really not trying to put prices up.

"It's a perfect storm with coronavirus and political decisions on things like Brexit for us."

Chirs Mapey, who runs the Crown in Woodbridge, the Duke in Ipswich and the Elmswell Tavern, is also worried to pass on the cost of beer from Brexit, inflation, fuel increases, an increase in staff hospitality wages and brewers putting their prices up to customers.

He said: "Local brewers are going to charge more for beer and the cost of hops is going up so it's logical.

"My cost price for beer is still the same but I'm expecting a price rise in January.

"We're going into survival mode across our three pubs and we're entering the Christmas period which is always quiet."

Steven Long of Hopsters in St Nicholas Street thinks there has been some exaggeration from the news on beer prices.

Mr Long said: "I don't think they've rocketed.

"There has been a small increase but not much more than expected.

"We work mainly with small breweries so it might be the bigger ones."

Dan Lightfoot of the Greyhound in Henley Road has had to put a few pence on pints but thinks with Covid there will soon be a "rise" as well.

He said: "It might be scaremongering.

"There has been a few pence increase though."

Adnams is also expecting price increases, due to their costs on glass, aluminum and CO2 shooting up, Fergus Fitzgerald of the Southwold brewer, said.

Mr Fitzgerald added they've been "absorbing the cost" for now but they are expecting it to get "worse".

"There's very little that can be done," he added.