McDonald's sparks panic by putting up posters warning burgers might be missing lettuce and tomato because of Brexit... by MISTAKE

McDonald's has blamed 'supply challenges following Brexit' after warning customers that lettuce and tomato could be missing from its burgers.

A series of posters have been put up at its fast food outlets across the UK explaining that 'some of our menu may be unavailable or have ingredients missing'.

The chain, which employs 120,000 people in Britain across its 1,300 UK restaurants, has urged customers to ask staff for further details about the problem.

The posters, spotted by Twitter users in various areas, say: 'Due to supply challenges following Brexit, some of our menu may be unavailable or have ingredients missing; eg lettuce, tomato. Please ask a member of staff for further details.'

They are thought to have been distributed to restaurants as a contingency measure last week, before the post-Brexit trade deal was agreed on Christmas Eve.

McDonald's has since clarified with staff that the signs are not needed and sources say the chain is not anticipating any supply issues related to Brexit or otherwise. 

Joel Taylor posted this picture of the poster warning customers about 'supply challenges following Brexit' at a McDonald's branch in Penge, South East London, this morning

Twitter user @Munkeycop from Bournemouth tweeted: 'Just saw this on the front of a McDonalds. It’s reassuring that the biggest fast food chain in the UK is struggling to source basic ingredients like lettuce and tomatoes because of f***ing Brexit'

Twitter user @AlexMumOf2 posted this picture of the sign at a McDonald's branch last week

Nora Siklodi from Portsmouth tweeted last week: 'Tier Four in Portsmouth and McDonald's apparently running out of vegetables thanks to Brexit'

A sign posted by Twitter user @JazzySid suggested one McDonald's could not serve any cheddar melts

Speaking in April 2017, McDonald's then-chief executive Steve Easterbrook said the company was not concerned about Brexit to the extent of some other brands.

He told investors at the time: 'There's a lot of talk about people having less to spend but we've certainly not seen the business miss a beat in the UK.

'While others have got nervous about Brexit, we've not missed a beat and we are moving at real pace with our store experience programme.'

However by January 2019, a letter signed by McDonald's and other food giants told the government that a No Deal Brexit would see them run out of fresh food.

The letter, organised by the British Retail Consortium, said millions of consumers could be hit by 'significant disruption' to supply chains of goods.

A new McDonald's restaurant, based on the outskirts of Oakham, opened last month as Rutland became the last county in England to have a branch of the fast food restaurant

Staff have put in Covid-secure procedures at the new branch in Oakham, pictured last month

McDonald's, along with other firms such as KFC, Waitrose and Lidl, said there were also concerns over the amount of warehousing space available for freezing.

Earlier this week, Tesco's chairman John Allan said shoppers will be spared price rises in supermarkets thanks to the trade deal. 

He had warned that prices would 'inevitably' rise by up to 5 per cent under No Deal as harsh tariffs hit an array of popular products.

Shoppers had also faced temporary shortages of fresh foods following the deadline of January 1, if an avalanche of red tape had caused major delays at the borders. 

The British Retail Consortium warned earlier this year that 85 per cent of food imported from the EU would see tariffs under a No Deal scenario.

The potential chaos at the ports was brought home as the French shut the border last week to prevent the spread of the mutant strain of coronavirus travelling further, leading to thousands of lorries becoming stuck in Kent. Dover is pictured on December 23

Earlier this week, Tesco's chairman John Allan (pictured in February 2019) said shoppers will be spared price rises in supermarkets thanks to the trade deal

The most severely taxed products, such as cheese, faced tariffs of more than 50 per cent. The National Farmers' Union said the deal on tariff free-trade was a 'relief'.

Supermarkets had been preparing for a No Deal by stockpiling long-life products in warehouses and with suppliers. 

They tried to source products in the UK, to protect themselves from problems at the border, or divert imports to other less affected ports.

The potential chaos at the ports was brought home as the French shut the border last week to prevent the spread of the mutant strain of coronavirus travelling further, leading to thousands of lorries becoming stuck in Kent. 

McDonald's was contacted for comment by MailOnline this morning.