Supermarkets stop taking delivery orders due to cold snap

SUPERMARKETS have had to stop taking some home delivery orders from customers because of the cold snap, it emerged today.

Plummeting temperatures and heavy snow saw parts of the country cut off during the last few weeks and drivers stranded on motorways.

Tesco Direct said they had stopped taking orders from customers in Scotland due to the cold weather.

A Tesco spokesman said: "Every delivery company operating in Scotland has been affected by the recent severe weather.

"We don't want to cause disappointment to customers and have taken the decision to suspend new Tesco Direct orders in Scotland. We are working hard to ensure that orders already placed with us are delivered."

Food orders from Tesco.com have not been disrupted, the spokesman added.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said: "Despite our best efforts the adverse weather conditions mean we have had to suspend our non-food deliveries in Scotland. We would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this has caused."

"Our grocery deliveries are continuing as normal."

The bad weather has also disrupted postal deliveries.

Royal Mail said today it had made a 20 million investment with "significant extra resources" being deployed in the North East of England, the Midlands and Scotland.

The Royal Mail in Scotland is recruiting an extra 380 staff, hiring 140 more vehicles and using additional aircraft and trains into the Scottish Distribution Centre in Wishaw.

Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson said: "We are pulling out all the stops to deliver this Christmas. The worst December weather the UK has seen in almost 30 years has had an impact on our services to some parts of the country.

"With this additional 20 million investment, we are committed to ensure we deliver letters and packets as quickly as possible."