While Met Eireann issued weather warnings ahead of the impending Storm Emma clash with the 'Beast from the East' polar mass, Irish people hit the supermarkets to stock up on essentials.

Ever since the first weather warning was issued on Monday, there has been a severe shortage of bread in supermarkets and shops across the country.

Anxious shoppers have been stuffing their trolleys with sliced pans and 'breadwatch' has been trending on Twitter as people share images of empty shelves and barren bread aisles.

And it doesn't look like the crisis is set to ease.

CCTV footage from a Centra in Jobstown, Dublin today captured shoppers approach an Irish Pride bread man and clean his delivery trolley of goods as soon as he entered the shop.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pat the Baker told RTE that the demand for bread is "unprecedented" and extra bakers have been brought in to the bakery in Granard in Co Longford to deal with the demand.

Brennan's Bread, based in Tallaght, said the bakery is working around the clock to meet the demand.

Johnston Mooney and O'Brien also confirmed to RTE that they have "significantly increased" production to meet "the dramatic increase in sales".

Online Editors