There was panic on the streets of London as the 'KFC crisis' rolled into its fourth day, with more than half of its 900 UK stores closed due to a chicken shortage.

Frustrated chicken lovers resorted to contacting their MPs and calling the police, who warned "fried chicken is not a police matter".

Staff keen to get back to work reportedly took matters into their own hands, and KFC told The Telegraph it is "urgently investigating" an incident in Kent where workers were seen smuggling what looked like meat from the local butcher into the back door of the premises. The chain is also looking into reports that staff members in West London approached a local butcher to ask for all their chicken stock.

The fried chicken company has said it has strict food safety policies in place, and staff should not be taking chicken from local butchers.

The shortage appears to be indefinite, as the company said it is unclear when the supply issue will be resolved.

The chain switched its delivery contract from South African-owned distribution group Bidvest, which describes itself as "the leading supplier of logistical and supply chain solutions to the UK hospitality and restaurant sector", to DHL last week, which blamed "operational issues" for the disruption. Workers have been encouraged to take holiday until stores re-open.