BIG CHILL
Brits face bleak winter amid fears of soaring bills, bare supermarket shelves and a Christmas toy shortage
BRITS could be looking at a bleak winter of soaring bills, bare supermarket shelves, and toy shortages.
After families had Christmas hopes dashed last year due to Covid, this festive season is looking problematic as shops struggle to fill shelves.
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A catastrophic shortage of 100,000 HGV (heavy goods vehicle) drivers has resulted in nearly empty shelves in some supermarkets, with fears it's going to worsen.
Brexit, increased gas prices and the pandemic have all played key roles in the shortages.
Rising gas prices forced much of the country's commercial production of carbon dioxide to shut down.
Gas is fundamental to producing and transporting bread, meat, beer, fizzy drinks to supermarkets.
Two of the country's biggest fertiliser plants based in Teeside and Cheshire - both of which gas to produce ammonium nitrate, which is then used by farmers for their crops - have shut down.
Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processing Association, told the Times: "This could be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"It is potentially a massive challenge for the food industry when we are already facing huge issues."
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he added: "If we haven't got the CO2 supplies, on the packaging side that reduces the shelf-life of products going on the shelves at a time when we are really struggling because of all the transport problems.
"This has come as a huge shock, it has happened so quickly. I think everyone is outraged in the industry that these fertiliser plants can shut down without any warning whatsoever and suddenly take something which is so essential to the food supply chain off-stream just like that.
"We really need Government to step in now and actually do something."
As well as food shortages, the cost of living is said to be hiked up by around £1,500 a year per household.
Price and tax rises could cost average families an extra £132 a month in what is set to be the biggest rise in household costs in a decade.
Parents have panicked that they may not be able to buy their children toys this year after an expert warned "Christmas chaos" is about to hit Britain.
This Morning's Holly Willoughby said she was in a "cold sweat" after hearing popular toys are already running out.
Geoff Sheffield from toy chain The Entertainer warned parents should hit the shops NOW if they want to get the must-have gifts.
PANIC BUYING
Holly told him: "As you're talking I'm breaking out in a cold sweat here. I'm a parent of three kids, Christmas is just 100 days away.
"Is it good to buy now? Are we just going to bring the panic further is we all go out and panic-buy toys?"
The expert explained that containers from Asia had been commandeered to move face masks and other PPE out of China month ago - causing a toy shortage.
Toys expected to be in short supply this year include Lego sets, including its Elf Club House, at £84.99. Lego is also selling Advent calendars featuring and Marvel characters.
Batman vs Superman Scalextric cars for £39.99 are also expected to be in demand as well as the Ravensburger Planetary Solar System 3D jigsaw puzzle, at £39.99.
Soft toys such as the Hoppie Rabbit with Audio Play, at £29.99 could be at risk too.
Shoppers around the country have complained of shortages of food and goods - resulting in huge gaps on the shelves.
Customers were unable to buy popular soft and fizzy drinks, including Robinsons Fruit and Barley, kids' juice boxes and Fruit Shoots.
Litre bottles of fizzy drinks were also low in stock, as well as sparkling bottled water.
Everyday items that are vital such as washing machine tablets were also scarce.
reported that the most empty aisle of all was the cereal aisle with one large supermarket having just one pack of frosted shreddies left.
Condiments like mayonnaise were in short supply and baby essentials like nappies were completely gone.
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The current shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers is due to Covid and Brexit, as well as delays in approving haulage licences.
Before the pandemic, there were around 600,000 drivers according to a Road Haulage Association survey.
Covid created a large backlog of HGV driver tests, so it's been impossible to get new drivers up and running.
But even before Covid hit, there was still an estimated shortage of around 60,000 drivers.
In a desperate bid to tackle the crisis, lorry drivers are being offered up to £70,000-a-year and £2,000 joining bonuses in order to take up delivery roles for major UK supermarkets.
Recruiters from companies, such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s, are luring truckers with mega pay deals amid a national shortfall of 100,000 drivers.
EMPTY SHELVES
It has meant that those experienced in the profession have been offered astronomical pay rises for their services in order to keep supermarkets fully stocked.
In July Tesco was offering £1,000 bonus to lorry drivers who join the company before the end of September.
But, James Bielby, who is the Chief Executive of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, warned that the crisis will ultimately lead to higher prices for consumers.
FareShare, the UK's biggest foodbank network, said it is losing out on around 30 per cent of the food it normally receives each day because of the haulage industry crisis.
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Lindsay Boswell, FareShare's chief executive, told the the lack of food and products is having a huge effect on the charity and puts them at risk of "not reaching the vulnerable people we support".
The Sun has now launched a Keep on Trucking campaign to help get Britain moving again, which so far has seen applications doubled.
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Holly Willoughby panics as parents told to buy her kids' Christmas gifts NOW after toy shortage
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