THERE'S SNO(W) FREEZE ON BREAD DELIVERIES THANKS TO WARBURTONS

Delivery drivers from Warburtons have battled through extreme weather conditions this week to deliver bread to retailers across South Wales.

Employees from the family baker, which has a bakery in Newport and a depot in Port Talbot, have been working tirelessly around-the-clock during the ‘Big Freeze’, with many going the extra mile in order to keep the region’s supermarket shelves stacked with fresh bread.

Gareth Beynon, a 42-year-old driver from Hirwaun, made sure that one store in Abertillery didn’t miss out on its bread delivery. Road closures meant that Gareth was unable to get to the Somerfield store on Somerset Street but he parked up on the nearest road and made numerous trips on foot to ensure that customers got their daily bread – approximately 300 metres each trip!

And, with demand increasing as the big chill takes a hold on the country and more bad weather is predicted, their efforts are set to continue.

Paul Hutchell-Lias, who is responsible for distribution for Warburtons in South Wales, said: “It has been a challenging couple of days for deliveries across the country, but we have been bowled over by our employees’ dedication, determination and commitment to getting products to our customers.

“On an average day our drivers leave the depot at 4.30am, due to the snowfall this week some of our vehicles have not left till 6.30am and journey times have at least trebled in many cases due to the conditions on the roads.”

With bread orders on the increase due to the conditions staying put across the country the company is gearing up for a busy week ahead. Paul added: “We will do everything within our power to ensure the conditions cause as little disruption as possible.”

Warburtons serves customers from the Scottish Islands and Highlands in the North to Southampton in the South. On an average weekday it delivers 2,200,000 bread products to multiple and independent retailers across the country. On 6 January, despite the extreme conditions across the country, over three million products were delivered nationwide.