SHELVES laid bare at a town supermarket which is struggling with 'disruption' to deliveries and stock supplies.

Customers visiting the Co-op in Market Street, Dalton this week were shocked to discover shelves were completely empty at the town's only supermarket.

The refrigerated aisle containing ready meals and pizza laid empty on Monday, leading to shoppers visiting other retailers for their every day items.

However, Co-op is not alone in their issues with stock supplies. More than a quarter of food and hospitality firms have been hit by low stock levels in recent weeks as Britain’s mounting supply chain crisis takes it toll, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A recent business survey found that 27 per cent of food and accommodation firms have reported lower than normal stock levels – the worst-hit of all the sectors.

It comes amid a mounting supply chain crisis, which is increasingly leaving supermarket shelves bare and leading to a shortage of materials and higher prices across a raft of sectors, from housebuilding to car production.

Fast food chain McDonald’s had to pull milkshakes and bottled drinks from its menu last month as it battled against supply problems amid a shortage of lorry drivers.

The latest ONS fortnightly business poll revealed that firms across the UK have been struggling to get hold of materials, goods and services.

A spokesman for Co-op said: “We are sorry that we are running low on some products.

"Like many retailers, we are impacted by some patchy disruption to our deliveries and store operations.

"But we are working closely with our suppliers – and recruiting up to 3,000 temporary colleagues - in order to keep depots working to capacity and to get stores re-stocked quickly."

Pictures also shared last week by The Mail showed shelves completely empty at Tesco in Hindpool Road, Barrow.

Shelves usually used to display vegetables were bare amid national problems with food supply chains.