Food producers and road hauliers have warned the government that the supply of food and drink to supermarkets is “failing” due to a chronic shortage of HGV drivers.

Restaurants are also having to reduce capacity because they do not have the staff to open.

Shortage caused by Brexit and the pandemic, Road Haulage Association says.

"Overseas workers visas is something we need to be looking at. There's over 200,000 vacancies within hospitality up and down the country."

Industry bosses call for measures to bring back Eastern European drivers after Covid and Brexit worsen a long-running shortage.

Loss of 100,000 hauliers due to Covid and Brexit will cause food ‘rolling power cuts’, experts warn

Operators are both baffled and annoyed with the chancellor's supposed assistance. / "To conflate this with Brexit is complete nonsense. They either want to help the pubs or not. If you want a link to Brexit, the damage done is far worse than the freezing of some duty."