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Storm Babet: Aberdeenshire supermarket shelves empty as road closures make deliveries impossible

Supermarkets across the region have been unable to receive fresh products amid road closures due to Storm Babet

Empty shelves at Inverurie Tesco
Empty shelves at Tesco in Inverurie on Friday due to Storm Babet. Image: Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson.

Supermarkets shelves lay bare without essentials such as milk and vegetables as companies struggle to get deliveries amid chaos caused by Storm Babet.

The issue comes as a red ‘danger to life’ weather warning has been extended until 11.59pm on Saturday for parts of Aberdeenshire.

Roads all across the north-east and further south in Angus have been left underwater, with more torrential rain expected to cause further disruption in the coming days.

The A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven – which is the main route for drivers from central belt – remains closed 48 hours on following sever flooding at the Brechin bypass.

Sign on fresh produce aisle at Tesco supermarket in Aberdeenshire that reads: 'Unfortunately, due to the adverse weather conditions, we have not received deliveries of fresh food, milk or bread from our suppliers. We will act immediately on delivery of these products to get them back on sale for our customers. Thank you very much for shopping with us.'
Supermarkets have not been able to receive fresh groceries due to Storm Babet. Photo Charlotte Thomson/DC Thomson

This has caused widespread disruption to public transport and a range of other services, with all trains to and from Aberdeen cancelled due to Storm Babet.

No fresh food deliveries due to Storm Babet

As a number of roads across north Scotland remain impassible, supermarkets across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire appear to be left without supplies.

Photos from our newsletter producer Charlotte Thomson who visited the Tesco Extra in Inverurie show the vegetable shelves and the bread aisle completely empty.

Rows of empty shelves at Tesco in Inverurie due to flooding and road closures caused by Storm Babet.
Vegetable shelves at Tesco in Inverurie are completely empty. Image. Charlotte Thomson/ DC Thomson.

This is not the first time such shortages plague shops across the region, with companies having similar problems during Storm Frank in 2015 and Storm Arwen in 2021.

At the time, dozens of food vans and rest centres were made available for support to help thousands of people without electricity get some warmth and a meal.

A Tesco spokesman said: “We are doing everything we can to keep our stores in Aberdeenshire stocked, but our first priority is to ensure everyone’s safety, which may mean some temporary impact on deliveries.”

Empty shelves at Morrisons supermarket in Aberdeenshire due to the storm.
The shelves in Morrisons laid empty as Storm Babet continued to rage on. Image: Supplied.

The P&J has also contacted Lidl, Aldi, M&S and Morrisons press offices for updates.

Aberdeen supermarkets also hit by vegetable shortages due to Storm Babet

A concerned customer from Aberdeen also shared photos of the empty shelves in the city’s supermarket Morrisons.

The chain appears to also be bearing the brunt of the harsh conditions, with meal staples such as potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli not in supply at all.

Bare fruit and veg aisle at Morrisons in Aberdeen due to fresh produce shortage caused by Storm Babet.
Most of the fruit and vegetable – usually staples on families’ tables – were not in supply. Image: Supplied.

Milk also doesn’t appear to be in abundance at Morrisons, which usually offers a range of different brands.

Empty milk shelves at Waitrose due to the storm.
Shortages could be noticed even in the milk shelves, that are usually filled to capacity. Image: Supplied.

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