The owner of a popular Indian restaurant is using his own wages to still provide free meals for people in need due to the cost of food increasing.

Hasnath Miah, who runs Indian Dream in Didcot, said it’s a “very difficult time” but he’s determined to keep helping people who need it.

He has given away almost 9,000 free meals since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and also donated £500 to food banks in Didcot and Abingdon after the community reimbursed him for a phone that was stolen from the restaurant.

Mr Miah said: “It’s very tough at the moment as food prices have increased and I’ve had more people asking for help as a result but I’m doing what I can.

“I do it mostly from my wages because I don’t want to stop and medically I’m very ill. I had a heart attack, a kidney infection and my eyesight is very bad so life is short for me and I don’t want to save money I just want to help people.

“It’s very difficult. All the chicken and lamb has doubled and it’s difficult to get any profit because any profit I do get I give back - I don’t touch it.”

Mr Miah had a heart attack in September 2020 and customers raised £705 so he could take time off work to recover.

However Mr Miah is struggling to make a full recovery from a kidney operation a few weeks ago as he needs to work seven days a week to keep the business afloat.

He said: “I went to the hospital this week and they said I was falling apart and not looking after myself but I have to go to work otherwise I can’t afford things.

“I think small businesses are struggling to survive and in the next six to seven months I don’t think they will survive because all the profits go back into the food prices.

“People can’t put their prices up too much otherwise they won’t get any customers so there’s no balance at all.”

Mr Miah said he needs to “think twice” about to do with his business going forward due to a decline in customers.

“My customers are very supportive,” he said. “But I used to see customers once a week but now I see them once a month because takeaways are now a luxury.

“We’re a lot of business down and people are being supportive on Facebook but they just can’t afford it. This is why I don’t think local takeaways will survive.”

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