Crane failure leaves Alderney short of food

Friday 16 August 2019

There are warnings of a shortage of some fresh foods in Alderney this weekend, after the crane at the harbour broke.

Channel Seaways Ltd advised customers living in Alderney yesterday that it can't offload cargo into the island because of the faulty crane.

In a post on social media, the firm said:

"Due to a failure with the harbour crane in Alderney this week, we are unable to offload cargo in Alderney. At this stage Alderney Harbour Authority have advised that the crane will not be fixed before Monday 19th. We will continue to update as we hear more."

Alderney usually receives two food deliveries per week, meaning this cargo would have included some vital supplies. Retailers, including supermarket Jean's Stores have had to warn customers there may be some shortages. 

This won't be the first time Alderney has run out of fresh bread in recent weeks. 

There was a shortage when the island's Hot Bread Shop closed in July, slightly earlier than planned. Extra supplies had to be ordered in from Guernsey to cover for customers 'panic buying'.

Pictured top: Alderney's Braye Harbour. Image from Chris George.