This Morning co-host Eamonn Holmes is urging Brits to shop early for Christmas gifts as a shortage in lorry drivers could cause delivery delays over the holiday season.
While the loosening of Covid restrictions has allowed many of us to be home for Christmas, the same cannot be guaranteed for our packages, as petrol shortages have seen deliveries grind to a halt and panic buyers have cleared the shelves.
“I’m always of the opinion that, if you haven’t got your Christmas shopping started and finished in October, it’s going to be a tight squeeze,” said Eamonn, 61.
The Irish star continued: “This year, Santa and everyone else is going to be under pressure like never before.
(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
“If you haven’t started yet, then get your finger out – because a combination of lorry driver shortages, Brexit and the ‘pingdemic’ forcing people to self-isolate has absolutely wrecked the supply chain.”
Supermarket shelves have been left bare as a result of the massive ripple effect of the Covid lockdown.
Even popular chain Nando’s was forced to close over chicken delivery shortages, while more and more pubs have run dry and McDonald’s ran out of milkshakes.
(Image: Getty Images)
“On top of that, poor food harvests around the world are making the problem even worse,” added Holmes.
As the HGV driver shortage continues to cause chaos for supply chains across the UK, hitting everything from supermarkets to petrol stations, Christmas tree retailers have emerged as the latest industry to raise concerns ahead of the festive season.
(Image: WireImage)
The perfect storm of Covid, Brexit and the number of retiring drivers have all been cited as reasons for the problems, with the Road Haulage Association saying the 100,000 more HGV drivers are needed to meet demand in the UK
The National Farmers’ Union has also warned that panic buying could lead to empty shelves this winter, saying the food and farming sector is on a “knife edge” due to a shortage of workers.
The head of NFU has written to the Prime Minister to call on the government to introduce a Covid Recovery Visa to enable companies to recruit from outside the UK to combat a “crippling” shortage in labour.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
