Irish Independent

‘People are starting to panic’ as shoppers leave supermarke­ts bare of bread and milk

- Ian Begley

SHOPPERS left supermarke­ts bare yesterday as they stocked up on milk and bread before the arrival of Storm Emma.

Fearing that a Status Red weather warning could be issued imminently, shoppers began preparing for the worst and stockpilin­g their groceries.

Just as the first wave of snow began to fall, shoppers outside Tesco Airside in Swords, Dublin, ran to their cars with trolleys overflowin­g with essential food supplies.

Vanessa Storey, from Swords, told the Irish Independen­t she bought whatever few items were left.

“It’s really empty in there, there’s not much left at all. I went in for bread but there’s none,” she said.

“People are just scared they will run out and are starting to panic.

“I bought what I could and will be back tomorrow.

“My husband works for the county council and he’s heard it’s going to get very bad, so I want to make sure I’m fully prepared for a code red.”

Stuart Grant, from Malahide, Dublin, said his biggest concern was water.

“I’ve tried about three supermarke­ts around my locality, but they have hardly anything left,” he said.

“My family goes through a lot of bread and milk but they’re clean out – I give up.

“I suppose at times like these the most important thing is water, so I’m buying loads in case my pipes freeze.”

Hazel Murphy, from Holywell, Swords, said she didn’t stock up at all.

“There is a lot of hype with this storm.

“However, I was surprised that you can’t buy bread or milk anywhere – all you have to do is look inside any of the supermarke­ts to see how much they’re struggling to keep up with the demand.”

Tesco Ireland said three times the normal amount of bread deliveries were distribute­d yesterday.

 ?? Photo: Caroline Quinn ?? Fiadh Conway, left, and sister Maisie, from Swords, at the empty bread shelves in Tesco Airside, Dublin.
Photo: Caroline Quinn Fiadh Conway, left, and sister Maisie, from Swords, at the empty bread shelves in Tesco Airside, Dublin.

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