Shoppers told to plan ahead for Christmas amid port delays

The boss of a global shipping agent has told shoppers to plan ahead for Christmas because of UK ports delays.

Peter Wilson, from Cory Bros, said people should order items in a "timely fashion" to ensure they arrive in time.

Shop shelves would stay stocked, but there may be less choice, he said.

Meanwhile, the UK's biggest commercial port Felixstowe said shipping container congestion had been easing in recent days after ships were diverted from the port because of bottlenecks,

Mr Wilson said; "I can say completely, categorically that supply chain will not fail and that goods will be on the shelves through Christmas.

"There just may not be that absolute choice we're all used to," he told the BBC's Today programme.

The problems come at the busiest period of the year for retailers, when most goods are imported from Asia to sell during Christmas trading.

Mr Wilson added that there will be "considerable strain" on the UK's supply chain this Christmas, unlike what he is seeing elsewhere in Europe.

He said the supply chain industry has been working "extremely hard" for the last 18 months "through Covid, Brexit and the transition" and will continue to do so.

But he urged shoppers to "be sensible, think ahead, plan appropriately" to get items such as toys in time for Christmas.

Officials at Felixstowe said the continuing shortage of HGV drivers was one reason for the backlog.

Felixstowe is the UK's largest commercial port and handles 36% of the country's freight container traffic.

This week, the Danish shipping giant Maersk diverted some of its larger ships to Dutch and Belgian ports to avoid delays at the port.

Tom Holder from the British Retail Consortium said that while the port congestion and the driver shortages will cause "some disruption this Christmas," the impact on shoppers should be limited.

"It is a concern but retailers are really adept at making sure they prioritise the things people want and making sure people's Christmas favourites are available to buy."