Supermarkets urge against panic buying as Government launches 'preppers' website - warning families to start a national crisis 'emergency kit' of tinned food, batteries and bottled water

Supermarkets today urged against panic buying as the Government launched a 'preppers' website warning families to gather an 'emergency kit' of tinned food, batteries and bottled water for use in a crisis. 

Oliver Dowden will today advise people to make contingency plans for dealing with potential emergencies to help build 'national resilience' and ease pressure on emergency services. 

The Deputy Prime Minister wants to encourage families to stock up with enough food and water to survive for three days without leaving their homes in the event of an emergency like a flood. 

Whitehall sources insisted that the plan was not designed to create a nation of US-style survivalists. One said Mr Dowden’s intervention was not meant to be ‘alarmist’ and was simply ‘common sense’ advice. 

And retailers warned shoppers to take time building their supplies instead of resorting to Covid-style panic buying, which saw shelves cleared of essentials toilet paper and pasta. 

Andrew Opie, Director of Food & Sustainability at the BRC, told MailOnline: 'Retailers did an excellent job ensuring the country had access to food and other necessities throughout the pandemic, and we are confident they will rise to future challenges.

'While it is sensible to have some additional food at home, most households will find they already have sufficient non-perishables sitting in the cupboard.'

Ministers believe preparations by individual households will help take pressure off the emergency services when dealing with a crisis. 

The most common risk to people according to the government's risk register is flooding, causing power and water outages.

Other threats that people should prepare for include a pandemic, a cyberattack, disruption to space systems that affect GPS signals, or in extreme cases a nuclear attack.

The website, prepare.campaign.gov.uk, aims to make sure people are aware of the risks in their local area so they can plan appropriately.

As per the advice, households should put together emergency kits at home.

Last year, Mr Dowden said people should stock up on ‘analogue capabilities’, such as candles, torches and wind-up radios, to boost their ‘personal resilience’.

Mr Dowden has been inspired by similar preparations in countries such as Finland, which operates a '72-hour concept' for coping in situations where 'society's services are disrupted or even discontinued'. 

Finns are encouraged to stockpile food and water and to be prepared to 'shelter indoors' by taping up gaps in windows and 'waiting calmly for instructions' on the radio.

Last year, Mr Dowden introduced an 'emergency alert' system, which allows authorities to trigger an alarm on millions of mobile phones to inform people of a potential crisis.

The Prime Minister warned last week that Britain had 'some of its most dangerous years' ahead and was at a security 'crossroads'. 

Describing the threats on the rise, Rishi Sunak highlighted a new axis of anti-western states including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. 

Among other challenges were rising immigration and artificial intelligence. 

A similar public information campaign was launched by the government in 2004.

It advised British citizens on what to do in the event of a natural disaster, an accident or an act of terrorism.

It began in the wake of several major disasters, including the Madrid train bombings of 2004, SARS and the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis.

It came in the form of a 22-page booklet which covered topics such as transport accidents, health, foot and mouth disease, terrorism and fire safety. 

It was distributed to households across the UK but within a day of the website being launched a parody URL under the name Preparing For Emergencies.

The website, preparingforemergencies.co.uk was created by University of York student Tom Scott who said it was from the 'HM Department of Vague Paranoia'. 

While the Home Office originally objected to the website, they eventually conceded on the issue and it was allowed to remain.

Following the launch of the campaign, no more booklets have been produced and in 2011 to 2012, the website was closed.

The government's emergency kit has been modelled on the scenario of the 1783 explosion of Laki, a volcanic fissure in Iceland, almost a thousand miles away from northwest England.

Nine million people would be told to stay indoors in the northwest if the volcano exploded, as plumes of toxic volcanic ash and gas reach the UK.

Officials from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously warned of the health effects this will cause individuals.

More than half a million people with heart or lung conditions including asthma and shortness of breath will be affected.

In a worst case scenario, officials said an estimated 6,000 people will be admitted to hospital and half are likely to die.

While Laki has not exploded for 240 years, it is hoped an emergency kit will help people prepare for the next crisis.

The government encourages people to make a plan in case of a fire or a flood.

Families are encouraged to work out the best escape route from their home and discuss them with others.

They have been advised to decide on a meeting point for situations where they cannot return home, i.e. finding a community hub if they have one nearby.

Sharing important phone numbers and having these to hand is also advisable. These may include who to call in a medical emergency or in case of a power cut.

Parents with young children should speak to them about what to do in case of an emergency, including how and when to call the emergency services. The website Staywise, includes information and resources on emergencies aimed at children. 

Parents can also help them to learn their home address and if possible, a parent or guardian's phone number which they should practise regularly.

A doomsday prepper in America became a social media phenomenon after revealing she's been prepping her home for 12 years in case of a global disaster.

Rowan MacKenzie, from Missouri, hit the headlines after revealing she spent over $90,000 on her hidden bunker stockpile.

The 38-year-old began stocking up her cupboards 13 years ago and initially, bought lifelong essentials, such as beans and rice, which she taught herself to preserve through trial and error.

She said: 'I've always said that if you didn't help build it, then hard decisions will have to be made.

'My door won't be open to anyone, family or not, as I've prepared for my own home. I feel bad, but hard times call for hard knocks - and a harsh reality.'

As her stock grew, the homemaker spent more than $10,000 on having the underground space built into the basement of her home, where she keeps food and water, as well as defence weaponry.

Now, with several wars, a strain on the economy, and potential 10ft aliens coming to earth, the 'prepper' has taken to new measures to ensure her family is kept safe.

'I'm preparing, as a whole, for war, inflation, nuclear disaster, and all out chaos,' Rowan said.

'The price of everything has gone up so much and I need to ready myself, as well as my family, for any disaster situation.

'Our stock should last us a year or more [once used and not replenished] and I've had new plans made to build a second bunker in case one is compromised.'

Rowan claims most of her stockpile won't expire for another 25 years and it's all thanks to her 'flawless' rotation system to ensure there's little-to-no wastage.