Storm Ciarán: Government confirms 'adequate reserves of food' in Jersey

Jersey's government says there are "adequate reserves of food" on the island, despite recent panic-buying ahead of Storm Ciarán's arrival.

Red weather warnings for coastal flooding, winds up to around 100mph and thunderstorms have been issued by Jersey Met for the coming days, which residents were warned could lead to disruption to the island's supply chain.

Shoppers reported being greeted by empty shelves and grid-locked car parks at local supermarkets, with lines of traffic backing up out onto nearby roads.

A government statement issued on Wednesday 1 November said: "As Storm Ciarán approaches, with significant disruption expected on Thursday 2 November, we ask islanders to be respectful of others when purchasing products and to buy responsibly in the shops and supermarkets.

"Jersey’s supply chain has built-in resilience, which means that retailers have adequate reserves of food and we have been liaising with supermarkets to ensure minimal short-term disruption."

It went on to confirm that Jersey's regular scheduled freight ship, the Commodore Goodwill, arrived as normal on Wednesday morning.

The government says retailers have confirmed extra supplies have been ordered ahead of Storm Ciarán's arrival, saying: "Supermarkets expect to be well stocked, including with fresh food for Wednesday."

However, supermarkets including the Co-op, Iceland, M&S, Morrisons and Waitrose have confirmed they will not open on Thursday.

In a statement, a Waitrose spokesperson said: "This isn't a decision we've taken lightly but it's the right thing to do to protect our customers and partners."

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