PEOPLE have been ringing 999 because of the KFC chicken shortage which has closed a number of stores around the country.

Police officers in Whitefield tweeted a warning to people telling them not to call 999 about stores being shut and advised that the Prestwich branch was now open.

The tweet said: "For those who contacted the Police about KFC being out of chicken ... please STOP.

"Their website says the Prestwich store is now open if you want to follow the four police cars through the drive thru .."

More than 500 KFC stores were shut this week after the company switched supplier to DHL, sparking chicken shortages across the country.

Yesterday a KFC spokesman said: “We anticipate the number of closures will reduce today and over the coming days as our teams work flat out all hours to clear the backlog.

"Each day more deliveries are being made; however, we expect the disruption to some restaurants to continue over the remainder of the week, meaning some will be closed and others operating with a reduced menu or shortened hours."

KFC has been updating the webpage kfc.co.uk/crossed-the-road to let people know when their store is open.

Both the Bury and Prestwich KFCs are open.