Shoppers told to avoid panic buying as supplies of milk and bread run low

Shoppers are being asked to be “sensible” when buying food and supplies as stocks run low in some areas.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney urged the public to remain patient until the situation returns to normal.

Social media has been full of pictures of empty shelves at stores across the country.

In Eaglesham, a village tenmiles south of Glasgow, a number of shops had run out of fresh milk by yesterday afternoon – a situation which brought out the enterprising best in Thorntonhall Farmhouse, a business in nearby Waterfoot which usually enjoys a roaring trade with its home-made ice cream during summer months.

With the snow still causing disruption, the working dairy farm decided to pasteurise extra bottles of its milk from its herd overnight, providing people with a reliable supply.

A corner shop in the west end of Glasgow told a story repeated in many places.

The shopkeeper in Broomhill said: “There was panic buying – it was manic. When the bread delivery came in, it didn’t last a minute.

“There was no milk anywhere until we finally found more supplies, but the rolls never came.”

Mr Swinney said: “Shop deliveries in some local areas may be affected in the short term, so I would also ask that people are patient and sensible when purchasing food or fuel, as the situation gradually returns to normal.”

A spokesman for the Co-op said: “Our stores have experienced high demand as shoppers walk to their nearest convenience store, avoiding any unnecessarytravel.likeother retailers we have experienced some localised disruption, and we are restocking stores as a priority whenever it is safe and the roads are passable.”