THE shortage of tomatoes is widening to other fruit and vegetables affecting UK supermarkets and is expected to last a few weeks.

But independent shops in Winchester appear to be bucking the trend.

Due to bad weather and transport problems in Africa and Europe, supermarkets such as Asda and Morrison’s are limiting the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Asda has introduced a customer limit of three on items such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, salad bags, broccoli, cauliflower, and raspberries.

Morrison’s said it would be introducing limits of two items per customer across tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and peppers from today.

Local businesses say they are only noticing ‘price rises’ compared to any shortages.

Rebecca Smith, owner of Open House Deli in Middle Brook Street, said: “We work closely with our suppliers, we aren’t seeing shortages of goods, we’re just seeing price rises. A pepper is costing us £1.50 to buy it, we can get it, but it’s just expensive.

“We change our food regularly, nothing is fixed here, so when we see problems or price increases, we just change or swap something out.”

Open House Deli advocates supporting local and British farmers.

Klaudia Cynarska, director of Basil Leaf Deli, in St Georges Street, said: “There’s been no shortage whatsoever.

“But prices have changed because the suppliers have increased the prices, we make prices accordingly to what they give us, prices went up on certain vegetables.”

Klaudia feels ‘super happy’ about the occurring shortages that’s happening in supermarkets and said: “There’s not been a decrease in fruit and veg, instead an increase in customers.

“More customers are coming in because supermarkets are low on vegetables. It’s amazing, people are getting nice tasting vegetables, they can try the veg in here before they take it.

"I’m happy because it brings people here, some people that have never been here before, people love it and not many know about it”.