Food distribution in Gloucestershire is feeling the effects of a lack of lorry drivers, with one leading expert saying it's a situation that's likely to get worse.

The news comes as national fast food chain KFC has had to take items off the menu because of problems with the supply chain.

Chris Creed, CEO of Creed Foodservice, the Staverton-based wholesaler and catering supplier, told Punchline Talks! : "We're certainly suffering from that situation, as well as everybody is.

"We have to do something about that, and whether that's allowing more foreign drivers back in or increasing the number of tests and CPC [Certificate of Professional Competence] training that we have in this country we have to do something about that because it is becoming a really big issue."

KFC said some items would not be available because there's been "some disruption" over the last few weeks.

In a tweet KFC said: "Just a heads up that across our country, there's been some disruption over the last few weeks - so things may be a little different when you next visit us.

"You might find some items aren't available or our packaging might look a little different to normal.

"We know it's not ideal, but we're working hard to keep things running smoothly."

Last month Tesco announced it was offering a £1,000 joining bonus for HGV drivers to plug the gap.

It's estimated there's a shortfall of around 100,000 HGV drivers in the UK.

The shortage is blamed on the Covid crisis, Brexit and the 'pingdemic' of drivers self-isolating because of NHS app alerts.

Chris Creed said: "We have reviewed our pay structure and adjusted it accordingly, and I think that when you think the average age of an HGV driver now is 55 and the number of young people coming into it is very small, it's an issue that will become worse."