Supermarket shoppers urged to buy bread and milk before Friday

More snow is set to hit the UK this Friday according to two new Met Office snow warnings, and with it comes the risk of shortages, especially in remote and hilly areas where snow is likely to have the most impact.

Supermarket shoppers in England and Scotland are being urged to buy milk as well as bread as a shortage caused by snow caused chaos in one part of the UK a few weeks ago - and more snow forecasts are on the way.

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings for snow from Thursday evening. In Scotland, a snow warning takes effect from 4pm on Thursday until 12 midday on Friday. In England, the snow warning begins at 6pm and lasts until 12 midday on Friday too.

Areas set to be affected include Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Sunderland, York, Carlisle and parts of Derbyshire and Staffordshire as well as almost all of Scotland. 

According to reports in local newspaper The Press and Journal, shoppers struggled to buy milk or bread in Aberdeenshire on January 6, when heavy snow fell in that part of Scotland, with one local quoted as saying: “There was no bread or milk in shops yesterday”, following six days of snowstorms.

There, local business Forest Farm - The Organic Dairy posted that it was giving away emergency milk supplies in the local community hall as shops struggled to stock the key staple.

It said: “Please help yourself, but we would be grateful if these could go to those who most need [them].

“The milk is whole (full fat) and freshly pasteurised on our farm.”

Another site, Evening Express, reported that shoppers faced ‘empty shelves’ in stores in Aberdeenshire, with fresh bread and milk supplies quickly wiped out.

And this week, the Met Office is forecasting more snow with as much as 10cm possible in affected areas. It said: "Outbreaks of rain will fall as snow over higher hills initially, before the snow starts to fall to lower levels through Thursday evening.

"Any settling snow will mainly be confined to high ground, above 200 metres 2 to 5cm is possible, and above 300 metres, a few locations may see as much as 10cm.

"The rain and snow is expected to clear south during the early hours of Friday with temperatures expected to fall quickly as skies clear, leading to ice on untreated surfaces."

Those in the affected areas should not panic buy, but making sure you have fresh food supplies like milk and bread in the house is good preparation.

British Gas says in its guide on preparing for heavy snow: “It’s a good habit to have at least three days’ worth of food and essentials stored in an easy-to-reach part of your home. That’s things like medicines, drinking water, non-perishable food and snacks, and extra blankets. You should also keep a torch, batteries and a phone charger close by too.”