McDonald's runs out of milkshakes in England, Scotland and Wales

McDonald's says it has run out of milkshakes at its restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales.

The fast-food chain said it some supply chain issues had affected availability of a small number of menu items.

These products also include some bottled drinks, which are temporarily unavailable in its 1,250 outlets in England, Scotland, and Wales.

The problems emerged because of low stock distribution caused by the continuing shortage of HGV drivers.

Firms from a number of sectors in the UK have been battling with a supply chain crisis due to a shortage of lorry drivers.

The industry body has said some 30,000 HGV driving tests did not take place last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that a "historic" shortage in drivers had been exacerbated by changes to rules following Brexit.

More recently, drivers being told to self-isolate after being notified by the NHS Covid app have also added to the problem.

Tesco has been offering lorry drivers a £1,000 joining bonus amid a chronic shortage of drivers in the industry.

Other companies are also understood to be offering similar incentives for HGV drivers after disruption to supply chains led to product shortages. Morrisons said it was working on schemes to train staff to become lorry drivers.

Other leading businesses have reported problems caused by driver shortages.

Last week, Nando's was forced to close about 50 of its restaurants after running out of chicken.

Rival KFC also warned recently that supply chain issues meant it was unable to stock some menu items.

Dairy giant Arla has had to cut back on milk deliveries to supermarkets because of a shortage of drivers, while sweet producer Haribo also reported problems resulting from a shortage of drivers.

Oil giant BP temporarily closed a "handful" of its UK sites because not enough unleaded petrol and diesel had been delivered.

A McDonald's spokesman said: "Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products. Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.

"We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience. We are working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible."

Business groups representing the retail and transport sectors have been calling for the government to reverse its decision not to grant temporary work visas to drivers from the EU.

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