Dad orders four 99 ice cream cones and price leaves kids 'crying'

A father who paid nearly £20 forjust four ice creams has been left "fuming" by the state of the nation and the prices being charged to people during a cost of living crisis.

Frank Krzyzanowski, 38, bought for him and his family the four ice creams from a Royd Ices ice cream van in Burnleyon Monday (August 4). He purchased the cones for his partner Asya, 30, and his three children, daughter Aneta, 16, and sons Frank Jr, eight, and nine-month-old Adrian.

Frank said that upon first approaching the van in the Lancashire town he saw the menu, but the prices had been in tiny writing on a A4-sized card.

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Frank explained that it was only after he went to pay that he realised the financial cost he was about to feel and how much it reminded him of the cost of living crisis.

He said: "Families are being charged up to £4.50 for a basic cone. It’s extortionate for a public park especially when cash is refused as it’s card only, so kids with pocket money can’t even buy one.

“It’s embarrassing seeing kids cry because parents can’t justify paying £15 to £18 for a round of ice creams.

"I ordered four standard 99 cones with a flake and sauce. It wasn’t until the card machine flashed up the total that I realised how steep the price was. My heart sank.

“There was only a small A4 sign with prices. It’s still ridiculous. I was too embarrassed to say anything, with my kids already holding the cone, so I just paid, but inside I was fuming. It wasn’t about the money, it was the principle.”

Frank added: “You feel trapped. You’re standing there with your children, the ice creams are already made, and suddenly you’re cornered into paying extortionate prices in a public park. It’s humiliating and feels like you’re being taken advantage of.”

“Local families are being exploited in a cost of living crisis. The park’s cafe doesn’t sell ice creams so there are no cheaper options.

“It’s a blatant scam hidden in plain sight and families are being forced into it because there’s no alternative."

Frank isn’t the first family man to feel fed up with the UK, with others going a step further.

Father-of-two Dale Smith said the situation had become so bad he was moving his family from the Midlands to Thailand because of the cost of living, reports BirminghamLive.

The HGV driver explained: "We just want to break out of this routine, I feel like life is just flying by.

"You wake up on a Monday, you’re fed up and you can’t wait for the weekend – you’re wishing the days away. The prices of everything are going up and the streets are a state.”

A spokesperson for Royd Ices said: "We are already aware of this complaint and have been in contact with the local authority.

"We are very aware of the social and economic impact on the public at this moment in time. At this location we offer a wide and varied range of products available to suit a range of budgets.

"Transparency is key to our retail operations and like many other retail outlets our prices are on display at the serving counter/display cabinet.

"Burnley Borough Council have a very strict consumer pricing policy which is very fair to the general public, which we completely adhere to."

Burnley Borough Council have been contacted for comment.