Britain will face shortage of alcohol this Christmas unless Government acts on HGV drivers, drinks trade tells Grant Shapps
- 49 businesses put their names to a latter calling on the minister to take action
- Industry bosses say importing products taking 5 times longer than a year ago
- Freight costs have also increased by 7% due to soaring wages to attract drivers
Britain will face a shortage of alcohol this Christmas unless the Government steps up its efforts to address a shortage of HGV drivers, the drinks industry has told Grant Shapps.
The prospect of limited booze lines follows panic buying at fuel pumps, soaring heating prices and shortages of items ranging from consumer electronics to crisps and vegan sausage rolls.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) said 49 businesses, including Moët Hennessy UK, Laurent-Perrier UK, Pernod Ricard UK, C&C Group and Matthew Clark, had put their names to a letter to the Transport Secretary, calling on him to take urgent action.
Britain will face a shortage of alcohol this Christmas unless the Government steps up its efforts to address a shortage of HGV drivers, the drinks industry has told Grant Shapps
‘There is mounting concern amongst our membership that unless urgent action is taken, we will fall deeper into delivery chaos,’ said WSTA CEO Miles Beale.
‘We are already seeing major delays on wine and spirit delivery times which is pushing up costs and limiting the range of products available to UK consumers.’
The WSTA said its members had reported that importing products was taking up to five times longer than it did a year ago.
The association added that businesses which were previously able to fulfil orders in two to three days were now experiencing shipments taking 15 days to process.
It also noted that freight costs had increased by 7%, as delivery firms have had to increase HGV drivers’ wages to retain them.
The WSTA wants Mr Shapps to extend a temporary visa scheme for HGV drivers from February 28, 2022, to a minimum of one year, to ease the burden on industry and allow for a sufficient increase in domestic drivers.
It also wants his department to facilitate better routing of freight from ports and smaller UK-based driver networks for short-haul journeys.
The Department for Transport had no immediate comment.
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