Bottled water and tinned food sales surge after UK government issues emergency stockpile advice

Retailers also report jump in purchases of wind-up radios and torches to deal with extreme weather and cyber-attacks

Sales of tinned foods, bottled water, wind-up radios and torches have surged after the UK government advised households to prepare for emergencies.

Retailers have reported a jump in sales of items linked to preparation for emergencies such as extreme weather or cyber-attacks. The Be Ready campaign was launched last week with the aim of persuading households to lay in supplies to last 72 hours.

Maplin said sales of torches had almost quadrupled and sales of power banks and radios had doubled. One brand of emergency wind-up radio sold out on Friday.

The specialist technology retailer said sales would have been higher but it was low on stock, particularly for power banks after a summer of heatwaves and the fallout from the Iran war. Home security camera sales were up 130%.

Ollie Marshall, the managing director of Maplin, said: “Within hours of the Be Ready announcement we saw people reach for the basics – a torch, a wind-up radio, a power bank.

“These are simple, affordable products that keep a household connected and informed when the power goes out, and it’s encouraging to see people taking the advice seriously.”

The grocery chain Iceland said sales of tinned products were up 40% over the weekend and it had also seen strong sales of bottled water. A spokesperson said: “It’s clear consumers have listened to the government’s message. Our supplies of these products remain healthy.”