A village grocer has described how he has to be up at 5am every morning visiting other shops over a 10 mile radius - to buy up stock to provide for his own customers.

Jaimin Patel, 32, works with his dad and mum Shantu and Hansa running BK and Sons grocery store on the Green, in the village of Horton. The family has been there 35 years.

They get milk and bread deliveries from their wholesalers three times a week.

But since the Corona crisis flared up the family have seen the deliveries snapped up within minutes - along with many other items of stock.

Now Jaimin has started getting up at 5am and touring other stores within a 10 mile radius to keep his family's store stocked - occasionally getting as far as Wembley.

He said: "It is probably a grey area whether one trader ought to be visiting other stores to stock his own shop.

"Sometimes I know I'm paying over the odds and it is frustrating to have to go to these extremes but it is the only way to keep our own customers in the village served."

The family's wholesalers restrict them to 20 cartons of milk a day - usually more than enough. But because of current demand Jaimin has to frantically shop around every day for more - and pay what other shop owners demand.

He was hurt by a recent posting on social media accusing his family of greed, a loaf cost £2.50 in their shop one day.

Jaimin said: "I think £2.50 is too much for a loaf but that is what I was charged when I bought bread that day. It fluctuates - today a loaf here only costs £1.50 because that it is what I paid.

"I had to go to Southall to find Paracetamol that I could sell at a reasonable cost.

"Our regular customers know the difficulties and are being very appreciative. We want to do our best for our customers."