Toilet roll "could run out in hours" if there's panic buying (Image: GETTY)
Andrew Large, Director General of the industry association Confederation of Paper Industries, made his worrying prediction in an interview with Germany’s Spiegel newspaper days before MPs are due to vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement. Mr Large said the toilet paper supply of the British is "not quite just in time", the phrase applied to industries where items are created to meet demand, not created in surplus or in advance of need. However, he warned the supply could run out rapidly in the event that Britain crashes out of the bloc on March 29 without a deal in place.
Mr Large said the country’s stocks of toilet roll were "significantly larger" than usual with the industry mindful of potential chaos just around the corner.
He said supplies were enough to last several weeks - if people kept calm.
But he added: “When people start panic buying, they could empty the shelves within hours.
"No system could keep up with that."
Denis MacShane has issued several toilet paper shortage warnings (Image: GETTY)
In a conclusion which is likely to come as scant consolation, Mr Large also said in the event of a no-deal Brexit “Britain would run out of pretty much everything", including food and medicines.
He added: “The condition would become critical long before we run out of toilet paper."
Mr Large’s words echo similar warnings issued by former Labour Secretary of State of Europe Denis MacShane last month.
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