Shoppers are being restricted to two boxes of eggs in Asda, and three in Lidl, to ensure availability.

Other supermarkets have not brought in limits but Waitrose said it is "continuing to monitor customer demand".

There's also evidence chains are experiencing limited stocks in some stores, although different factors may be affecting supplies.

Asda has blamed a series of issues "some long-standing, some more recent" for the problems.

On Tuesday, farmers warned Britain could run out of eggs by Christmas as a result of rising costs and the ongoing outbreak of avian flu.

The cost of animal feed and heating has soared, and some farmers have left the industry or paused production.

The price of eggs has risen by 42.1% in the past 12 months, helping drive overall inflation to its highest level in four decades.

But the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) also claimed higher prices in stores are not being passed on to farmers.

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And the National Farmers Union said it has asked the government "to investigate market availability issues and fairness in the supply chain in the egg sector".

Meanwhile the British Retail Consortium insists that "retailers are... working hard to minimise impact on customers", adding that supermarkets "know they need to pay a sustainable price to egg farmers but are constrained by... a cost-of-living crisis."