SCARCE imported lettuces and vegetables are still on sale at stalls and small shops across East Lancashire.

As supermarket shelves became bare of consumer favourites grown in Europe, independent retailers are urging people to go to their local store.

Yesterday lettuce became the latest staple to fall victim to the bad-weather induced ‘crisis’.

Supermarkets have rationed the number of lettuces each customer can purchase in stores and iceberg, sweet gem and Romaine varieties have been taken off sale completely by some.

The latest salad shortage follows reductions in the supply of courgettes, while broccoli and cabbage supplies are also under pressure.

But small retailers on Blackburn and Burnley markets and in Rawtenstall were still stocking most of the scarce products and taking a hit on profit margins to supply customers.

In Morrisons in Blackburn town centre there were no mainstream lettuce varieties on sale, no courgettes and broccoli stems were rationed to three per customer.

Other supermarket chains were reporting similar shortages.

Peter Slater from Scott Stewart Fruit & Veg on Blackburn Market said: “We’ve got them all – courgettes, broccoli, iceberg lettuce.

“It’s not that the supermarkets can’t get them, they just won’t pay the price.

“We are doing our best to not pass the higher prices on to customers and taking a hit on our profit margins as a service to them.”

It was a similar situation at The Veg Shop in Bank Street in Rawtenstall.

Co-owner Lorraine Riley said: “We are putting in the hard work to find vegetables as we will pay the price to get them.

“It’s an important service to our customers and we are making a loss on some varieties.”

Carolyn Hartley, manageress at Burnley Market family firm J and A Fruits, said: “We have got plenty of broccoli, and lettuces with iceberg at 99 pence.

“We have stopped selling courgettes because we cannot find them and when we could, our customers would not pay although we are keeping prices as low as possible.”

County Cllr Ali, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for health, said: “I would advise people to go and support their local small vegetable retailers.

“They also have plenty of healthy, UK-grown alternatives to choose from.”

A Morrison’s spokesman said: “Our availability of broccoli and iceberg lettuce is good.

“However, we have seen some bulk buying in our stores.

“We have therefore had a cap on sales of broccoli and iceberg lettuce to ensure we maintain good supplies for our regular customers.”