UK advised to stockpile food as Russian Attack fears grow

Cossy

* gas hob! (Though dear husband might think gas gob a better description of me!)

Cossy...I'll have to remember that one..made me laugh

Underwater cables - I always tell people to get paper copies of important stuff.

^ ... the greatest risk is not of open warfare. It’s far more likely that infrastructure will be targeted, underwater cables cut, water supplies polluted, drone attacks on power stations, etc. etc.^

Agree with this, but extreme weather conditions is another problem.

Almost everything now is computerised and it really wouldn't take a lot to close almost everything down. In 2024 the GPS systems used by some Canadian farmers were confused by a major geo-magnetic storm, preventing them from planting. The same problem affected the US in 2025. Not a small thing considering the amount of wheat and other grains these countries supply to keep the world fed.

Spain, Morocco and Portugal have suffered major floods over the last couple of years that have devastated many fruit farms. Those same areas are now suffering from drought. A lot of our fresh fruit and veg comes from these areas so supplies will be down and what we get will be expensive.

We have a global pantry now. Over a quarter of British farms have closed down in the last 20 years so we supply less than ever before. Any extended fuel shortages that stop shipping or air freight, or the closing of shipping lanes or flight paths would seriously disrupt our food supplies. It wouldn't take a world war or nuclear catastrophe, just a tantrum in the wrong place at the wrong time and we could all be wishing we'd prepped a bit better.

The only preparation I have is water purification tablets and several bags of dry food for the cats.

Casdon

That’s why the advice is to keep a supply of bottled water to last a few days.

One big reason not to change to a combi boiler. Since we did, several low water pressure events have left us pretty much without

We’re older anyway, it’s the young ones who would suffer most. Live your lives, can’t change things.

Nothing like scaremongering and panic buying....eh!

An article in BBC online this morning describing a bomb shelter facility in Canada being sold as revamped luxury prepper condos.

We lived on rainwater when we were down at the beach for years. Mind you it was fairly remote so perhaps the pollutants weren’t so obvious. We did get the odd leaf and dead mosquito ,though. Many places still don’t have town water here anyway when you leave the big cities. The gardens and food grows from it, we eat the crops, what’s the difference?

The basics for survival are Food, Fuel and Shelter.
And Meds for many of us.

Oh plastic for sure doodle 🤣

People have enough trouble trying to get more than one months supply of medication I can't see any GP or pharmacist letting us have three months! If everyone tries that there will be shortages. As for stockpiling food most freezer advise not to keep stuff frozen for more than a year and packet stuff is usually end dated a year anyway. So tins have to be safest.

Well you said it Greyfur ‘we are a tiny island’ so why do we keep taking all these undocumented people?

MT62

Most of that fancy bottled water is full of micro plastics

Yes, but if the choice is between drinking and cooking with rainwater, or ingesting a few microplastics for a week or two, which would you prefer? Personally, I'd risk the microplastics, although I also have a pack of water purifing tablets in my emergency box 🆘.

Most of that fancy bottled water is full of micro plastics

I bought a power bank in case of such a scenario, but a few months later received an email saying the model I had bought was being recalled over safety fears, risk of fire etc. The brand was Anker, which I thought seemed a reputable brand, but I found out that there was another recall last year. I have been offered a gift card to spend on their website, but I am reluctant to buy another one now. It felt like I had a ticking time bomb in the house. Fortunately it was easy to dispose of the item safely - EE stores accept them, even if not purchased there.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

To be honest if anything scary big happened in a cyber attack I’d lose my appetite anyway. Always happens when I’m anxious about anything.

You’d still need water, lightening, heating.

Almost everything these days relies on computers.

If there is a major emergency we might blame the government for not telling us in advance to prepare (if we had time even to think about blaming them) It is hard to imagine such an emergency - but no doubt in the late 1930's people struggled to imagine a world war. Of course i am not predicting a world war - just saying it is hard to imagine a sudden and very different world as we live our day to day lives.

Dickens

Mamardoit

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.

Well, he sounds inventive. But your pressure cooker and tubber-tubing won't cut it. You need sophisticated filtration systems to eradicate the pollutants, chemicals, microplastics and 'forever' chemicals!

You will be safer using bottled water. There's a time and a place for them!

Use the pressure-cooker to make stews etc - and I'm sure your DH can think of a use for the rubber-tubing, if he buys it!

I'll stick with the boiled rain water then. Maybe get some long life milk in too.

So naive,

I don't think there should be scare-mongoring and hate panic buying. However, I think we should have at least a week's worth of food/water etc in stock. Ie an extra packet of dried pasta, rice, tinned tomatoes, beans, tuna - anything with which you can put some meals together. Not necessarily for an imminent war; but I'm fearful of either myself or OH becoming ill and not being able to get to the shops . If the worst happens I know we could cope - might not be very exciting the meals, but we wouldn't starve.

The UK is a member, and last time I looked the UK is in Europe!

In m ost of Scandinavia we were told three years ago to make sure we had food and bottled drinking water in sufficient quantities to feed our family for at least a week, and to regularly use the tinned foods and bottled water so it did not when needed prove to be out of date!

Not to rely on what was in the freezer, as power cuts could render frozen food inedible. To have a supply of candles, torch batteries f or emergency lighting, and at least one radio that could run on batteries, plus spare batteries for it.

And enough cash to see us through at least a week to ten days, as well as a fully stocked first aid kit.

So if you are only being warned now, I am surprised.

Didn’t we have one of these warnings in the past. Did we received a booklet???

Padstow13

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 think I am in this camp.
Rightly, or maybe very wrongly.

I feel like I have been "prepared" for at least 6 years.