Sales of hand sanitiser, bottled water and batteries surge after Government warns people about potential cyber attack

Detailed summary

Shoppers in Britain responded to the public awareness drive encouraging households to prepare for up to three days in the event of disruption to essential services.

Published: 09:47 GMT, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 10:11 GMT, 12 November 2026

Sales of essential supplies in Britain's supermarkets from hand sanitiser to bottled water have jumped after the launch of the Government's 'Be Ready' campaign.

Shoppers responded to the public awareness drive encouraging households to prepare for up to three days in the event of disruption to essential services.

Ministers have urged the public to be ready for the possibility that businesses could be hit by increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks that may knock out supply chains.

Sales of hand sanitiser increased by 83 per cent in the ten days after the campaign was launched on October 22, compared to the corresponding period last year.

Bottled water sales rose 67 per cent, while batteries were up 63 per cent, dried rice rose 53 per cent, according to the data from Worldpanel by Numerator.

Tinned and jarred fish increased by 46 per cent, general tinned and jarred goods were up 37 per cent, while tinned and jarred pulses rose 36 per cent.

The number of people buying tinned meat each day after the launch of the campaign rose by 43 per cent – equivalent to an extra 400,000 shoppers a day.

However the typical amount of tinned meat bought remained at about 500g in terms of pack size, suggesting households are gradually stocking their cupboards.

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