MCDONALD'S has run out of milkshakes in all of its UK restaurants amid a nationwide shortage.
The fast food giant is also unable to sell any bottled drinks at its 1,250 outlets in England, Scotland and Wales.
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McDonald's has stopped serving milkshakes thanks to a supply chain crisis Credit: Alamy Why is there a shortage of McDonald's milkshakes?
The fast food giant has blamed a lack of lorry drivers — an issue affecting thousands of businesses.
In early August 2021, a survey by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimated there was a shortage of more than 100,000 drivers in the UK, out of a pre-pandemic total of about 600,000.
An insider said: “We had to prioritise our core items over heavier, bulky ones.”
McDonald’s has also pulled bottled drinks at its 1,250 diners in England, Scotland and Wales.
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McDonald's fans have been left upset by the shortage of milkshakes Credit: Alamy
The RHA has said some 30,000 HGV driving tests did not take place in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, adding that a "historic" shortage in drivers had been exacerbated by changes to rules following Brexit.
The British Retail Consortium and the freight trade group Logistics UK have written to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warning of the shortfall.
The group said "increasingly unsustainable pressure" has been placed on retailers and suppliers, adding: "While there was a shortage of HGV drivers prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, these two events have exacerbated the situation.
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"The pandemic halted driving training and testing for over 12 months, while an estimated 25,000 EU drivers returned home during the pandemic and following the end of the transition period."
They want a review of plans not to grant temporary work visas to drivers from the EU.
Other food manufacturers and restaurants want to recruit prisoners to ease a "desperate" worker shortfall caused by the pandemic and Brexit.
They hope to use a scheme which allows inmates to undertake paid work on day release.
Has there been a milkshake shortage before?
MacDonald's has had shortages before but never specifically milkshakes and to this scale and time length.
In June 2021, Chicken Selects and Big Flavour Wraps were taken off the menu due to a nationwide shortage of chicken.