Wetherspoons has apologised to customers over a shortage of beer in its pubs.
The JD Wetherspoon pub chain has become the latest casualty of the UK’s supply chain crunch.
In recent weeks, lorry driver and factory staff shortages attributed to Brexit employment rules, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, have impacted supplies at food firms including McDonald’s, Nando’s and KFC.
Now, Wetherspoons has confirmed that supplies of Carling and Coors beers have also been hit by the disruption.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are experiencing some supply problems with both Carling and Coors, which means that some pubs do not have the products available.
“We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused. We know that the brewers are trying to resolve the issue.”
The firm did not provide further details about the cause of the supply issues but it is understood it is directly related to a shortage of HGV drivers.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) warned last week that there is currently a shortfall of around 100,000 drivers, with bosses saying the shortage has been driven by thousands of European drivers leaving during the pandemic and not returning.
The RHA called on the government to add drivers to the Shortage Occupation List to make it easier for overseas workers to address the shortfall.
Shortages have hit several retailers and restaurant chains in recent weeks.
Last month, Nando’s saw a shortage of chickens due to a combination of not enough drivers and fewer staff working in meat factories, while McDonald’s said it had run out of milkshakes and bottled drinks as it prioritised deliveries of other products.
