BREAD ALERT: Beer lorries fail to reach city as shoppers stock up goods

DOZENS of supermarkets had their shelves stripped bare as city shoppers stocked up on essentials ahead of an uncertain weekend of weather with customers describing 'apocalyptic' scenes at checkouts.

Panic buying meant dozens of stores had empty shelves.

A combination of panic-buying consumers and freezing conditions stopping scheduled deliveries meant certain stores were left without supplies of basic products including bread and milk.

The majority of shops remained open, but images posted on social media showed depleted stock levels throughout the Capital.

Customers reported some supermarkets were limiting the number of loaves they could buy to two per person.

At the Tesco superstore in Dalkeith, one described the scene at tills as “chaotic,” with hundreds snaking around the aisles as they purchased

trolleys loaded up with food and drink.

A Tesco spokesman said: “Our distribution teams have been working hard to get deliveries into stores, although clearly the adverse conditions haven’t helped.

“It is fair to say we are monitoring the situation closely over the weekend.”

On the roads, snowy weather forced police to turn away two beer delivery trucks at the border due to “unsafe road conditions” as they attempted to deliver booze to one of the country’s largest distribution centres.

A source from Heineken UK said trucks travelling from the Tadcaster and Manchester breweries to the depot in Deer Park, Livingston, were unable to make it into Scotland over safety fears after police turned them round.

In East Edinburgh, The Barrel House Bar – at Jock’s Lodge – was helping to distribute kegs to other pubs in the area, including The Espy.

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