With temperatures in the UK reaching as low as -20 degrees Celsius, and traffic across the country paralysed by snow and ice, the harsh winter has seen many supermarket chains reporting food shortages.

The Sidney Street, Cambridge branch of Sainsbury’s was forced to put up signs warning customers of a shortage in industry-sliced bread due to the adverse weather conditions.

The trend has been reflected across the country, as a shortage of salt and grit has lead Highway Agencies to stop gritting hard shoulders, making it extremely difficult for lorry drivers to transport fresh stock to supermarkets across the country.

Fears of increased snow fall in the coming weeks have also lead many consumers to “panic buy”, leading to further shortages in areas of the UK that have already been badly affected by large amounts of snow and ice.

When questioned, a spokesman from the Sidney Street Sainsbury’s added that “The weather has also lead to a notable fall in the amount of ‘fresh lines’ such as vegetables, (in particular potatoes and cabbages) that were available for customers to purchase in store” due to the fact that the frozen ground had made it almost impossible for farmers to lift vegetables from the soil.

Fears over the supply of fresh milk has also lead the government to relax EU limits on working hours for truck drivers, as many farmers were concerned that thousands of gallons would have to be dumped because of the delays in milk tankers reaching dairies after the snow and ice.

Caroline Spelman, the Shadow Local Government Secretary, accused the Government of rapidly “loosing control of the situation” by failing to safeguard national grit supplies amidst the already widespread concern that businesses and the economy will suffer if more grit is not received.

“Businesses have had a hard enough time as it is in the recession so their recovery must not be put in further jeopardy through the national rationing of salt stocks” remarked Colin Barrow, leader of Westminster City Council.

However both the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, have defended the rationing, insisting that it will help to keep “major road networks open”.

Brown has also dismissed claims that supplies were running out, assuring the public that supplies could be accessed in Norway and the Netherlands if necessary.

Despite the shortages that have been imposed by the weather, Cambridge Sainsbury’s have urged customers not to panic, claiming that business had not been “too badly disrupted”.