Supplier insists stocking up is ‘widespread sense’ amid stockpile recommendation

An owner of a survivalist shop insists stocking up is ‘common sense’ amid panic buyers flocking to the emergency ‘prepper’ after ministers urged Brits to stash three days’ worth of stock. 

Leigh Price has noticed a steady increase in customers heading to his shop The Bug Out, in Wales, since the Government launched a ‘preppers’ website. 

It warned families should gather an ’emergency kit’ of tinned food, batteries and bottled water for use in a crisis. 

Mr Price says some of the influx of people are panic buying with many worrying about whether they can ‘live as normal as possible’ when ‘disaster strikes’. 

Oliver Dowden today advised people to make contingency plans for dealing with potential emergencies to help build ‘national resilience’ and ease pressure on emergency services. 

It led to supermarkets issuing a warning out of fears panicked shoppers could flock to stores and strip bare shelves.   

The Deputy Prime Minister wants to encourage families to stock up with enough food and water to survive for three days in the event of an emergency like a flood. 

Mr Price, who served in the army between 1991 and 1996, opened his store during the pandemic and told MailOnline most of those coming to his store ask for advice.

Asked about sales, he said: ‘Its been a steady incline. It goes up and down so when there’s like something on the news you have some who panic buy but others that know their bread and butter come throughout the year.

‘We see a broad range of the population up here.

‘It’s just common sense [to stock up]. You’re making sure no matter where you are in the country that you’ve got enough supplies whatever happens. It’s an insurance policy.’

His store sells anything from pouched and self-heating meals, such as chicken casserole and all day breakfast, to water purification tablets and bad weather bags.  

‘When there’s something like this in the news you do get an influx of customers mainly who come in for advice,’ he said. 

‘[Customers ask] What about clean water? So ways of purifying water or cleaning in water if your normal water means stops or there’s a failure somewhere. We’ve got freezer food or army rations here. The next thing is if the lights go out for a period of time, what can they do to keep things running?

‘People’s mains concerns are how can I live as normal as possible at any period of time when a sort of disaster strikes.

‘It’s pretty timid up here we get a bit of bad weather but not like other parts of the world. What I’m preparing for up here is external factors whether it’s an impending financial crash or what looks like World War Three. It’s what people can do to make sure their family’s safe.

‘One of the main things is having a plan B like a Bug Out grab bag so if you house has flooded or you have to vacate because there’s a problem, a gas leak or a fire, then you can just grab a bag at a moment’s notice.’

Whitehall sources insisted that the plan was not designed to create a nation of US-style survivalists. One said Mr Dowden’s intervention was not meant to be ‘alarmist’ and was simply ‘common sense’ advice. 

Retailers warned shoppers to take time building their supplies instead of resorting to Covid-style panic buying, which saw shelves cleared of essentials such as toilet paper and pasta. 

Andrew Opie, director of food & sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, told MailOnline: ‘Retailers did an excellent job ensuring the country had access to food and other necessities throughout the pandemic, and we are confident they will rise to future challenges.

‘While it is sensible to have some additional food at home, most households will find they already have sufficient non-perishables sitting in the cupboard.’

Ministers believe preparations by individual households will help take pressure off the emergency services when dealing with a crisis. 

The most common risk to people according to the Government’s risk register is flooding, causing power and water outages.

Other threats that people should prepare for include a pandemic, a cyber-attack, disruption to space systems that affect GPS signals or, in extreme cases, a nuclear attack.

The website, prepare.campaign.gov.uk, aims to make sure people are aware of the risks in their local area so they can plan appropriately.

As per the advice, households should put together emergency kits at home.

Last year Mr Dowden said people should stock up on ‘analogue capabilities’, such as candles, torches and wind-up radios, to boost their ‘personal resilience’.

He has been inspired by similar preparations in countries such as Finland, which operates a ’72-hour concept’ for coping in situations where ‘society’s services are disrupted or even discontinued’. 

Finns are encouraged to stockpile food and water and be prepared to ‘shelter indoors’ by taping up gaps in windows and ‘waiting calmly for instructions’ on the radio.

Mr Dowden has previously introduced an ’emergency alert’ system, which allows authorities to trigger an alarm on millions of mobile phones to inform people of a potential crisis.

The Prime Minister warned last week that Britain had ‘some of its most dangerous years’ ahead and was at a security ‘crossroads’. 

Describing the threats on the rise, Rishi Sunak highlighted a new axis of anti-western states including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. 

Among other challenges were rising immigration and artificial intelligence. 

A similar public information campaign was launched by the Government in 2004, advising British citizens on what to do in the event of a natural disaster, an accident or an act of terrorism.

It began in the wake of several major disasters, including the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, the SARS epidemic and the Madrid train bombings of 2004.

The campaign was mocked with a satirical website, preparingforemergencies.co.uk, which was created by University of York student Tom Scott. 

The Home Office originally objected to the website, but eventually conceded on the issue and it was allowed to remain.

While British ministers believe it is wise for people to take precautions, they will be keen to avoid imitations of the elaborate preparations for ‘doomsday’ scenarios made by US survivalists.

Rowan MacKenzie, from Missouri, recently hit the headlines after revealing she had spent more than $90,000 on her hidden bunker stockpile.

The 38-year-old began stocking up her cupboards 13 years ago and, initially, bought lifelong essentials, such as beans and rice, which she taught herself to preserve through trial and error.

She said: ‘I’ve always said that if you didn’t help build it, then hard decisions will have to be made.

‘My door won’t be open to anyone, family or not, as I’ve prepared for my own home. I feel bad, but hard times call for hard knocks – and a harsh reality.’

As her stock grew, the homemaker spent more than $10,000 on having the underground space built into the basement of her home, where she keeps food and water, as well as weapons.