London Defender

The Daily Mirror of the Great Britain

Rock and a hard place! Gibraltar’s shelves so bare Britons heading to Spain for food

Items including meat and vegetables have been in increasingly short supply in recent months as it has been hit by a combination of Brexit and Covid, one resident told Express.co.uk. They revealed that Brexit made things “10 times worse” and the global supply chain crisis has just added to this.

This is because a lot of its produce is shipped in from abroad rather than passing through mainland Spain.

As Express.co.uk previously reported, things have got so desperate that supermarkets have started putting toys and barbecues in freezers to make them look full.

And as the crisis shows no signs of disappearing, it emerged that many of the Rock’s 33,000 residents venture into Spain for their weekly shopping.

One said: “There’s nothing in the shops and that’s not an understatement.

READ MORE: ‘This is why UK doesn’t trust EU’ Fury as Germany funds China warships

“It’s not an issue bringing stuff back across.

“But if you want to take things the other way it’s a nightmare.

“I’ve heard of the Spanish border guards confiscating food since Brexit.”

The source also reported that crossing the Frontier can take much longer now – even for foot passengers.

What do you think about the news? Click here and tell us below.

“In the past, you could just walk across and they’d barely look at your passport,” they explained.

“That still happens but if you catch them on the wrong days they check everyone’s documents and everyone’s bags on both sides.

“It adds a huge amount of time on to something that used to take a couple of minutes and is a massive inconvenience to everyone.”

The news emerged as the UK prepares to begin three days of talks with the EU in London on Wednesday over Gibraltar.

They are seeking to iron out any issues that the current post-Brexit arrangements have created.

It has been claimed that the EU is proposing that for the next four years, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency – or “Frontex” – would control the border during the transitional period.

It could then be decided whether to make it a permanent arrangement.