A BURNLEY firm is doing its bit to help people get stocked up with essentials and beat the supermarket rush.

Birchall Foodservice is a family business which has been running in the area for 130 years.

With full car parks, busy aisles and empty shelves at supermarkets and people panic-buying in stores over the coronavirus crisis, bosses at the firm are trying to make it easier to get supplies.

Birchall currently supplies hospitals, care homes and restaurants Now, bosses have developed a ‘call and collect’ service.

Justin Birchall, MD of Birchall Foodservice, said: “With panic buying causing absolute mayhem in the supermarkets, we are offering an alternative way for anyone to get the food and products they need quickly and easily.”

Birchalls has 7,000 products in stock at its warehouse in Burnley.

That includes a range of fresh fruit and veg, eggs, pasta, toilet rolls chips, potatoes, baking potatoes, chipping potatoes, packed meats, chicken, ham, beef, a full range of butchery, milk, cheese, and a full range of cleaning products.

Bosses say staff will be to help with their range of products and payment can be taken over the phone and then collected.

Adam Hope, from Birchall’s, added: “We are doing this for the local community and we are upping our operations side to get products to people.

“We posted about it on Facebook and it got 40,000 views alone and we think people will really take it up.”

Call (01282) 526610.