Government insists no need for public to stockpile supplies amid sale of £300 'Brexit boxes'

The boss of a Leeds-based firm says he is selling around 25 'Brexit boxes' every day, as trade concerns rise ahead of the UK's departure from the EU.

James Blake, whose company specialises in providing emergency supplies for adventurers, said he created the product "to help prepare people".

"If the predicted chaos happens," he said, "it could cause issues with supplying food to shops. And if that's the case, a little bit of preparedness is really useful."

The pack contains approximately 60 freeze-dried meals, plus water filters and firelighting gel. Mr Blake said it is designed to see customers through in case of a temporary hiccup to trade supplies.

Professor Tim Benton, an expert in population ecology and resources, said there was "no need to panic". However, he said the "just-in-time" nature of the UK's food delivery network could prove problematic in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.

Professor Benton said: "It doesn't take a lot of friction in a 'just-in-time' system, if something goes wrong, for that rate of delivery to go down remarkably.

"If something blocked the ports just for a day, we would certainly notice it."

The government has insisted that personal stockpiling is unnecessary.

A spokesperson said: "The UK has a strong level of food security built upon a diverse range of sources, including strong domestic production and imports from third countries.

"This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal."

But Lynda Mayall, a counsellor, is not convinced by the government's promises of food security. She said she bought one of the Brexit packages so she could allay her fears ahead of the March 29 withdrawal date.

Ms Mayall insisted she was "not panicking", adding: "I've taken action, and there's no need to panic if you take action".