Police in the United Kingdom have had to remind the public that KFC running out of chicken does not constitute an emergency.

More than half of the KFC outlets in the UK have been closed after delivery problems triggered a shortage of chicken, The Telegraph reports.

The company was in the process of changing freight providers, leading to a severe shortage of chicken nationwide.

Management has ordered staff not to bring in their own chicken after reports that they were approaching butchers, asking for chicken.

A spokesperson for the Tower Hamlets Metropolitan Police Service in London tweeted on Tuesday (local time), asking the public to stop calling about the shortage.

"Please do not contact us about the #KFCCrisis," the tweet said. "It is not a police matter if your favourite eatery is not serving the menu that you desire."