Shop shelves across the north-east were left barren yesterday and fuel ran out at petrol stations as freezing cold conditions prevented deliveries across Scotland.
Supermarkets were left low on supplies – with many running out of essentials such as milk and bread entirely – as the country continued to battle the worst of the Beast from the East.
Farmers said milk was having to be ditched because it was not being collected from them – but an MSP urged people not to panic-buy.
As the extreme cold spell continued to cause chaos, motorists were also warned petrol was running low, with at least one 24-hour facility closing down after exhausting supplies.
Schools were again closed all across the region, and flights from Aberdeen to the Netherlands, France, Ireland and England were all grounded.
Shoppers visiting the Co-op on Union Street struggled to find bread and milk, and customers at the Marks and Spencer in the St Nicholas Centre were faced with severe potato shortages.
The fruit and vegetable aisles at Tesco’s Lang Stracht branch were mostly empty, and entire sections were devoid of fresh food at Asda in Garthdee.
In Aberdeenshire, customers in Stonehaven reported being unable to buy milk in any of the town’s main stores.
Meanwhile the 24 hour Shell garage on North Anderson Drive had to close last night after running out of diesel during the evening rush hour with supplies of petrol expected to finish before 10pm.
And the Sainsbury’s Garthdee filling station had run out of diesel by 3pm with other fuel also expected to be done by the time it closed at 10.30pm.
Food delivery delays have also had an impact on businesses in the hospitality sector.
Jamie Wilson, the duty manager of the Revolucion de Cuba bar at the Academy shopping centre in Aberdeen said: “As both a bar and a restaurant, it’s been an absolute nightmare.
“We’re having to shop locally which can, at times, mean you are paying full retail price rather than getting a bulk discount.
“When you’re trying to stick to strict cost lines and budgets, it’s not ideal to be overspending.”
However, a number of local businesses have not reported problems receiving deliveries.
John King, the owner of the JK Fine Foods butcher and food shop in Aberdeen’s west end said: “The weather conditions this week and the red alert in the central belt has clearly caused major issues for deliveries to larger supermarket chains, however, since the majority of our stock is locally sourced we haven’t faced any issues with our deliveries at all.”
A spokesman for Co-op said: “Safety is our number one priority, and we continue to closely monitor the weather.
“Our stores have experienced high demand as shoppers walk to their nearest convenience store – avoiding any unnecessary travel.
“Like other retailers, we have experienced some localised disruption, and we are restocking stores as a priority whenever it is safe and roads are passable.”
An Asda spokesman said: “Despite the weather creating some pretty difficult conditions, our colleagues are working hard to get deliveries through and keep our shelves stocked for our customers.”
Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart said: “It’s understandable that folk are a bit worried because of the mass disruption to the transport network, but things are gradually getting back to normal now.
“It might feel sensible to stock up on some food to avoid having to go out in the snow, but there is a real concern for wastage.
“I sincerely hope people only buy what they need and don’t find themselves with fresh food going to waste.
“I will of course seek assurances that supermarket deliveries are back to normal soon, and in the mean time I hope folk don’t take home more food than they need, and if over the coming days you realise you have too much please drop extra food to your nearest foodbank.”
