One of the big supermarkets in Frome has conceded that they are lacking some products on the shelves, but they are working hard on refilling them as soon as they can.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson told Nub News: " We are working hard to ensure customers can find what they need. While we might not always have the exact product a customer is looking for in every store, large quantities of products are being delivered to stores daily and our colleagues are focused on getting them onto the shelves as quickly as they can."

Sainsbury's is not alone in struggling to keep its shelves stocked, with all the major markets suffering as staff isolate and deliveries are being hampered by a nationwide shortage of HGV.

The Sainsbury rival Tesco is among firms reportedly offering incentives of £1,000 or more to lure HGV drivers to work for it.

Meanwhile on Monday it was announced that the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales is being tweaked so fewer contacts will be advised to self-isolate following a close contact with a positive case.

The app will look for contacts two days prior, rather than five, when someone without symptoms tests positive.

That should hopefully address the so-called 'pingdemic' which hit general staffing numbers, and last week led the Frome bank NatWest in the market place to be closed.

However there is still a big shortage of HGV drivers, according to the Road Haulage Association, the profession is about 100,000 drivers short, in the main because European drivers formerly based in the UK have returned to their country of origin, either because of Brexit or because of coronavirus.

advertisement