Suez and virus spark garden gnomes crisis

A BOOM in gardening during lockdown and the Suez Canal blockage has caused Britain to suffer a shortage – of garden gnomes, experts have warned.

The popular figures are in short supply because of a lack of raw materials and the canal problems.

Existing gnomes were snapped up by people turning to gardening during the pandemic, garden centre bosses say.

It means there is a now a nationwide shortage of the ornaments in garden centres across the UK.

The warning has been issued by garden centres – who are desperately trying to ship them in from China.

Ian Byrne, of Highfield Garden World in Whitminster, told the BBC there had been a “massive upswing” in sales during early lockdown.

Mr Byrne said garden centres had experienced a boom which has caused a lack of availability. He said: “We haven’t seen a gnome in six months now, unfortunately.

“There aren’t any [gnomes]. There’s definitely a shortage.

“It’s a combined thing with garden centres being so busy. I looked at some figures based on March which said garden centres were 97 per cent busier than they were in 2019.

“Every day has been like a Bank Holiday. That’s good but it’s definitely causing some issues because it’s not just

English garden centres that are booming, it’s all across Europe, so it’s causing issues with supply.”

The garden centre has been looking for anyone who can provide gnomes, contacting suppliers across Europe and China.

He said: “Raw materials are becoming a bit of an issue and unfortunately gnomes are a victim of that. Gnomes of any type, plastic, stone or concrete, are in short supply.”