KFC forced to close 750 UK shops after running out of chicken

KFC has been forced to close 750 of its 900 restaurants in the UK after its new supplier failed to deliver promised supplies.

Last week, Colonel Sanders’ chicken chain switched its delivery contract from South African-owned distribution group Bidvest to DHL.

The new supplier blamed "operational issues" and a KFC spokesperson said it was still unclear when the problems would be resolved.

"Our teams are working flat out all hours to get the rest back up and running as soon as possible - but it's too early to say how long it will take to clear the backlog," the company said in a statement.

The Colonel is working on it. pic.twitter.com/VvvnDLvlyq

— KFC UK & Ireland (@KFC_UKI) 17 de febrero de 2018

DHL said: "Due to operational issues, a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed. We are working with our partners, KFC and QSL, to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience."

KFC was quick to reassure that workers on short-term contracts would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks while employees on salaries would be paid as normal. It also encouraged franchisees to adopt the same policies, although they operated their own employment contracts.

In its statement, the company also listed the restaurants which remained open despite the problems.