Brace for ‘nightmare’ Christmas with nut roast replacing turkey, beer shortages, and presents not arriving, Brits warned
BRITS have been warned to brace for a "nightmare" Christmas with nut roasts replacing turkey, beer shortages, and presents not arriving.
Experts have warned there will be a "distinct lack of choice" on supermarket shelves with some festive favourites likely to be in short supply.
Mums and dads may also struggle to get their hands on sought after presents like toys, bikes, and electronics due to the global shipping crisis.
Ministers today insisted the panic buying run on petrol stations is finally starting to ease and could be over "very quickly".
The number of empty forecourts has tumbled from 60% at the weekend to 27% with deliveries now outstripping demand from motorists.
But industry insiders have warned the fallout from a week of major disruption could take a month or more to fully repair.
And now some of Britain's biggest retailers are sounding the alarm about supplies of goods coming into the country for Christmas.
Clive Black, a retail analyst at Shore Capital, told The Times he expects the festive season to be "a nightmare for consumers".
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He said: "There will be food on supermarket shelves but there will be a distinct lack of choice.
"Shortages of labour have meant businesses have not laid down the same number of turkeys or planted the same number of crops.
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"And the HGV driver shortage is compounding the problem.
"A lot of people eating on Christmas Day will be asking 'what the hell is this?' It won't be traditional."
He predicted that other meats and nut roasts will replace turkey and carbonated drinks like beer may be scarce and expensive.
Toys, bicycles, sofas, and electronics are also likely to be in short supply because of delays at ports and pressure on global shipping.
Mr Black said Brits will face a "much pricier" Christmas but insisted the supply crisis is "nothing to do with Brexit" and was "totally avoidable".
Pointing the finger at ministers and civil servants, he added: "It's to do with mismanagement of the economy."
Leading clothes shop Next also warned prices may have to rise as the festive season approaches.
The fashion chain said: "We hope the Government will take a more decisive approach to the looming skills crisis in warehouses, restaurants, hotels, care homes, and many seasonal industries."
Xmas 'disruption'
Retail insiders said there is still "plenty of food available" but admitted shoppers are facing less choice.
Defra insisted the UK has a "resilient food supply chain which has held up in the face of unprecedented challenges and will do so over the festive period".
But industry experts warned the shortage of truckers is going to cause "disruption" for families this Christmas.
They said the Government's move to offer 5,000 temporary visas to foreign drivers won't be enough given Britain faces a 90,000 shortfall.
Andrew Opie from the British Retail Consortium said: "HGV drivers are the glue which holds our supply chains together.
"Without them we are unable to move food and other goods around the country.
"The new visa scheme is a step in the right direction but is insufficient in size and scope to prevent Christmas disruption".
Yesterday the business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng refused to rule out the supply crisis hitting family Christmas celebrations.
He said: "I'm not guaranteeing anything, all I'm saying is that I think the situation is stabilising."
But today Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the treasury, struck a more upbeat note and insisted the fuel crisis is "absolutely back under control".
He said: "We are in a situation where more fuel is being delivered to petrol stations than is being sold.
"I understand why people are unnerved by some of the scenes they've seen in petrol stations.
";But if people just shop normally this will very quickly correct itself."
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Mr Clarke said the army remains on standby to provide deliveries of petrol but ministers are now "confident" it won't be needed.
He added that the Government is "working flat out" to make sure more drivers are trained and got on the road.