Britain might experience food shortage near Christmas: Reports

The last few days before Christmas are somewhat chaotic in British supermarkets every year, with sharp-elbowed shoppers anxiously charging their way around the aisles to finish happy shopping.

It’s a time when things that ordinary people rarely buy at various times of the year — Brussels sprouts, parsnips and Christmas puddings — fly off the rocks in vast quantities.

But fears that customers may resort to panic-buying for non-festive ideas have resurfaced after France decided to shut its border with the UK over the weekend temporarily.

British supermarkets depend heavily on the English Channel route for fresh produce, especially in the colder months of the year.

One major retailer, Sainsbury’s, warned on Monday that the border closing could cause gaps in its stocks imminently. Lettuce, salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit, could all run out within the week, it said.

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There were queues of lorries waiting at the Port of Dover in southeast England after France closed its order Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

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Thousands of lorries ordinarily cross the English Channel by sea and train carrying goods every day, but the route is currently closed to vehicles travelling from the UK to France.

He said retailers had already taken cares ahead of the Christmas period, but that any continued closure would be a problem.

That would explain why one growth of Tesco, another retailer, was mostly showing the signs of a classic pre-Christmas rush on Monday evening, with shoppers crowding about for fresh produce.

The superstore in Tottenham, north London had vast amounts of fresh food to sell, including 2.5kg sacks of vegetables for 29p (€0.32) and carrots for 19p (€0.31).