UK advised to stockpile food as Russian Attack fears grow

Dickens

Mamardoit

Water? Well if it ever rains the water butts will fill up. Maybe we could boil that. I really don't agree with bottled water.

Do a Google AI search - "Rainwater absorbs atmospheric pollutants, including microplastics, industrial chemicals, and forever chemicals (PFAS). Boiling actually concentrates these chemicals as the pure water evaporates. In a dire emergency, boiling rain butt water will prevent acute bacterial sickness, but it should never be used as a regular source of drinking water without advanced filtration."

So don't do it.

Bottled water is a necessary evil. Water is essential to life.

That's interesting.

I think that might be a project for DH. We still have the old pressure cooker in the garage. He could distill the water. All he needs is some of that rubber tubing. I'm sure he could source that on the internet.

I will set him on making a plan for digging a latrine in the garden too. I think we will need a wide plank of wood with a hole in it. I hope he can find one that will take my weight.

Isn't a cyber attack an attack on computer systems? How would that affect food on our shelves? Perhaps the time has come to ensure that all services to have non digital back up plans.

Worth*

veronica678

You do realise that if there is no electricity, the sewage system will fail, so all that loo roll will be useless!

Then it’s having a garden to dig a latrine.

GrannyGravy13

The only thing everyone should do is have cash in the house…

Some months ago a friend advised just this. So, along with my cans of beans & and water supplies, I have a smallish stash of cash kept in a fire and water proof wallet in a secret place known only to me and one daughter. Who know whether it’ll be required but as a short term girl guide I learnt to always ‘Be Prepared’ 😉

The initial flow of sewage from your home is dependent on gravity veronica678, so if you have water you can manually flush your toilet for a while.

Mamardoit

Water? Well if it ever rains the water butts will fill up. Maybe we could boil that. I really don't agree with bottled water.

Do a Google AI search - "Rainwater absorbs atmospheric pollutants, including microplastics, industrial chemicals, and forever chemicals (PFAS). Boiling actually concentrates these chemicals as the pure water evaporates. In a dire emergency, boiling rain butt water will prevent acute bacterial sickness, but it should never be used as a regular source of drinking water without advanced filtration."

So don't do it.

Bottled water is a necessary evil. Water is essential to life.

1907 'Be Prepared' dib dib dib
It's not a new concept.

You do realise that if there is no electricity, the sewage system will fail, so all that loo roll will be useless!

I think we have become complacent as we had a peace cushion, and governments have not enforced the message to be prepared in the last thirty of forty years. Now we are getting what is really a wake up call that the world is getting more dangerous, and we are not as safe as we think. We can listen, or ignore what we should have been doing all along.

I cannot see what the fuss is about. The government has always had 'Home front' preparation plans and has in the past sent leaflets and pamphlets out to households or run advertising campaigns.

This is just more of the usual.

Every government in Europe is issuing similar guidance. That is because there is a genuine threat, not because they are scaremongering. If people don’t take sensible precautions to prepare themselves for the unexpected, and keep enough food and water in their homes to last for a week with no access to gas or electricity (NB not a massive stockpile!) , some cash, and some means of communication device in case there is no internet connectivity, they are in my opinion being very foolish.

I m of the mindset that I ll eat what’s available if nothings available I ll lose some weight
I HATE scaremongering and I also dislike people getting sucked into it. What happened in Covid ……I didn’t get phased by all the empty shelves I knew they d stock up again one day we all eat too much anyway
I ve never had a stockpile mentality, simple life style

I will double my wine order on my Waitrose delivery, along with extra breadsticks and snacks.

That will keep me going for a week or so…

FriedGreenTomatoes2

This is straight out of the Soviet political guidebook. "Keep your citizens in a state of alarm to keep them in a state of compliance".

Covid masks anyone?

Yes I've still got face masks and hand gel. Does hand gel have an expiry date?

Water? Well if it ever rains the water butts will fill up. Maybe we could boil that. I really don't agree with bottled water.

Food cupboards are fairly full. We were a family of 8 so a stocked pantry and freezers is still a habit.

DH tends to get whisky for birthdays and Christmas. He does drink it but not in the volume our DC think he does. He will be ok if the worst happens.

Running a bit low on toilet rolls and wine. So need to do a supermarket dash.

I probably have a siege mentality .

Certainly since going to the supermarket during Covid and finding most of the shelves empty means that I have kept supplies of essentials even if it means a cluttered kitchen .
All pointless if we have a nuclear attack .

MT62

M0nica

I am glad we have a wood burning stove. If power and gas are down in a cold snap we will have heating and cooking facilities.

Oh that’s ok then until this government bans them, which they want to do.

Labour is not banning wood burners and there are no new wood burner rules for 2026. One of the focuses in the plan is improving air quality and reducing emissions from wood burning while minimising the impact on households that need to burn to stay warm. HETAS

Actually I think the Government should ban mis information.

nanna8

I wouldn’t have thought water would be a problem there. Maybe here where we are the driest continent on earth. During the war the uk managed just fine and I am sure they could go it alone again if necessary. Very fertile land and plenty of rainfall.

The war was 80 years ago, things have changed a bit.

Solar panels covering farmland, climate change causing heatwaves.

Many parts of the country have had no rain for ages, and none forecasted. Hosepipe bans in many areas. Reservoirs empty and none being built, or not enough to cope with the ever expanding population.

I wouldn’t have thought water would be a problem there. Maybe here where we are the driest continent on earth. During the war the uk managed just fine and I am sure they could go it alone again if necessary. Very fertile land and plenty of rainfall.

GrannyGravy13

That will make the preppers and survivalists happy

It will also push folks into panic buying who cannot afford to do so.

I think it is rather irresponsible to be honest.

But it'll make the manufacturers and retailers happy, even if it means the rank and file customer will wind up skint with cupboards and garages with enough baked beans to last several lifetimes.

And still not a single Russian stormtrooper in sight........

I've only recently cleared out the remaining items from my pandemic stockpile...

I have always been prepared for emergencies, be they flood, power cuts, illness or whatever. I keep bottled water, which I replace every 18 months or so, dried food such as pasta and lentils, and jars of sauces to have with them. We buy loo rolls from Costco in large packs, so if an emergency happens soon after a trip we'd last for ages, even if I shared them with neighbours and friends, and we restock when we get down to ten or so. I have a primus stove and gas bottles in the broom cupboard, and camping lanterns and packs of batteries to power them.

I've done that since I got married, and don't consider it panic buying or 'prepping' or anything like that - to me it's just good housekeeping.

Anyway I thought putin was done for? I heard he was having cardiac arrest the other day🙏🙏🙏🙏

MawsRosie

Well I have been teased often enough especially by DD1 that my freezer could withstand a nuclear winter so I might be saying “I told you so”.
Thinking about it I could probably live off my surplus fat too.

Oh well better take my books & charity bargains out of freezer & stock up pizza 😂

A much calmer approach to Darren Jones’ statement compared to the Telegraph’s scaremongering headline.

Compare:

DT: Stockpile food in case of Russian cyber attack, No 10 to tell public

Guardian: Britons urged to take ‘small steps’ to prepare for potential national crises

.. and goes on to say …

The British public should begin taking “small but important steps” to secure and protect water, power supplies and basic phone signal in case of further severe weather emergencies, national crises or cyber-attacks, Downing Street has said.

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, told MPs “the risks we face from climate change cannot be underestimated”, and warned of the “significant and prolonged disruption to essential services” extreme weather events could cause.

Jones also said the combination of increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence, and the conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine could enable criminals to carry out “hostile cyber-attacks against businesses and critical infrastructure”.

Jones said: “Throughout our history, the UK has overcome challenges, from plagues and pandemics to war, and our fair share of wet weather. It is right that we consistently evaluate the risks we could face and plan for what may come.

So this isn’t all about potential acts of war from hostile states. It's as much about being prepared if you live in an area prone to flooding or shops run low of food supplies as some have recently when refrigeration failed due to the very hot weather.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/14/britons-urged-small-steps-prepare-potential-national-crises