Not everywhere is suffering a salad shortage.

One farm shop on the Isle of Sheppey is packed with so many tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce that it has issued a tongue-in-cheek security warning on social media.

Craig Condon, who owns Brambledown Farm Shop on the Lower Road, posted a photo of a gun-totting farmer leaning on a wooden gate with the caption: "If you are visiting the farm shop today, don’t be alarmed at the new security officer patrolling the tomatoes.

"No shortages here at Brambledown, I can promise you that, from my head to-ma-toes."

He has kept his shelves stocked, unlike many supermarkets, because of early morning trips to Spitalfields Market in London.

Manager Alex Dent said: "Colin goes up to meet the growers. He selects what he wants and they tell him the price. He pays it and then brings the produce back to Sheppey.

"We pay a fair price, unlike the supermarkets who dictate to the growers what they will pay. We may pay a little bit more but it means we get the stock."

Sales assistant Julie Dyke said: "It has been extremely busy over the past two days with news of the salad shortage on the telly. It's done us a favour, really."

Supermarkets have blamed the shortages on bad weather and transport issues abroad. As their shelves emptied, many introduced rationing.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, confirmed parts of the continent were experiencing a "disrupted harvest" but that restrictions were only temporary.

He said: "Difficult weather conditions in the South of Europe and Northern Africa have disrupted harvest for some fruit and vegetables including tomatoes and peppers.

"While disruption is expected to last a few weeks, supermarkets are adept at managing supply chain issues and are working with farmers to ensure that customers are able to access a wide range of fresh produce."

Many British growers have also reduced production, saying the cost of heating their poly-tunnels following record gas and electricity hikes has made it uneconomic.

In a previous Facebook post, Mr Condon announced: "With salad shortages currently all over the news, we have plenty of salad, fruit and vegetables available at Brambledown Farm Shop & Animal Feeds on our shelves. Yes, we’ve had to pay more than we’d like to obtain the produce but it’s available here."

He is selling Spanish cucumbers at 99p each and lettuces for £1.35 along with tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and spring onions.

Across the water in Faversham one wag spotted a dirty white Mercedes van parked in the town centre with the words 'No tomatoes kept in van overnight' as salad prices began to rocket...