CO-OP stores across Scotland have been left with empty shelves following a cyber-attack on the company.
The food store is the main retailer in parts of Scotland such as the Western Isles, where there have been reports that the chain’s stores are running low on fresh food supplies.
Pictures from the supermarket’s shelves in Portree and Skye show row upon row of sparse and empty shelves, with some people even reporting some Co-ops in Glasgow having similar supply issues.
The disruption comes after the retailer said there had been an attack on its systems on Friday, which resulted in “significant” amounts of customer data being stolen.
A Co-op spokesperson said deliveries to its stores were also impacted by the "sustained malicious attempts by hackers to access our systems", and staff were working around the clock to reduce disruption.
There have been reports of stores also being affected across other parts of the UK.
One shopper who visited the Co-op's Dennistoun store said the store was barren of any fresh fruit or vegetables.
They said: “I was shocked to see the empty shelves on Monday night.
“It honestly looked worse than during Covid.
“There was no fresh produce, and I had to resort to the clearance section to find anything for my dinner.”
Adam Gordon said that milk had to be rationed at the Portree supermarket before it all sold out.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: “It's a boorach (mess) here at the Co-op.
“There's no fresh milk, all fruit and veg is gone, there's no meat and no dairy.”
Gordon said there were similar situations at Co-op stores in Broadford and Kyle of Lochalsh, adding that staff at the stores said deliveries were expected to arrive in “dribs and drabs”.
On Monday, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warned that criminals launching cyber attacks at British retailers were impersonating IT help desks to break into organisations.
Marks & Spencer and Harrods were also targeted by hackers in the last two weeks, with the anonymous group telling the BBC there will be more attacks soon.
NCSC, the government agency responsible for cyber security, has also issued guidance to organisations urging them to review their IT helpdesk “password reset processes” to reduce their chances of getting hacked.
