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.
A spokesperson said staff are “working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible”.
But Maccies fans desperate for a drink to wash down their burgers and fries have been left furious.
One customer said on social media on Monday: “I just went on McDonalds – they’ve got no milkshakes and the fizzy drinks ‘might be flat’. What is going onnn?!”
Another posted: “McDonald’s you don’t do bagels any more or breakfast wraps, you now have no milkshakes, Tropicana or bottled water.”
While one disappointed fan shared an image of her attempted online order, with ‘sold out’ showing next to every milkshake flavour.
A shortage of lorry drivers due to new EU immigration rules and Covid restrictions is thought to be behind the supply problem.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s told The Independent: “Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products.
“Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.
“We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience.”
McDonald’s is the latest company to be hit by supply shortages.
Nando’s was forced to shut around 50 restaurants after a supply chain crisis left them running out of chicken.
Seventy staff members were sent to factories to help suppliers hit by a crippling shortage of workers, Trending In The News first revealed.
KFC also had to close some outlets and alter its menu due to the poultry problem.
It was thought to be triggered by the Covid app ‘pingdemic’ on top of already depleted work levels and a lack of delivery drivers.
‘DESPERATE’ SHORTAGES
The British Retail Consortium and the freight trade group Logistics UK have written to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warning of the shortfall of 90,000 truckers.
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.
“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.
Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, said last week that the problems at the peri-peri chicken maker were just “the tip of the iceberg”.
He added: “I think we’re going to see more and more [closures].
“It’s certainly Brexit-related, but it’s also the immigration decisions our politicians are making since Brexit.”
McDonald’s fans were left disappointed in June when the hugely popular Chicken Selects vanished from menus.
Big Flavour Chicken Wraps and the Chicken Deluxe Burger, both of which contain Selects, also disappeared amid a nationwide shortage.
McDonald’s confirmed at the time that the problem was “temporary” but its restaurants might completely run out for a time.
