SHOPPERS are furious after their online food shops were missing key items and supermarket shelves were left empty.

Customers who braved the Christmas Eve crowds found some stores had hardly anything left on shelves as people stock up on groceries before the bank holidays.

Meanwhile some customers said Christmas had been "ruined" because their deliveries didn't contain everything they'd ordered, including festive essentials such as carrots, potatoes and brandy cream.

A few even said their turkey and other meat centrepieces had not been delivered.

The issues affected shoppers who'd ordered from major supermarkets, including Asda, M&S, Ocado, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Today, some shoppers were staggered to find shops without much food left with just hours to go until Christmas.

In Wales, some people took no chances and queued outside two Asda supermarkets in Aberdare and Merthyr before they opened in the early hours of this morning. Larger Asda stores opened at midnight to allow shoppers to stock up.

Shoppers hoping to stock up on last-minute items snapped pictures of stores with sad-looking shelves.

One Sainsbury's in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, only had a few items left in some aisles.

The issue isn't affecting all supermarkets though and some shops still have groceries left - if you can brave the crowds.

Long queues, rammed aisles and rows of trolleys are making last-minute Christmas food shopping a challenge for many customers.

Yesterday, Christmas chaos hit the supermarkets with fights over turkeys and parking spaces on what was dubbed "Stampede Sunday".

That might worry shoppers who've been forced to pop into the supermarket today after their online orders missed out items.

Chris Toborne, who ordered a shop with Asda online, said "half" his shop was missing. He said he was offered a £5 voucher from the supermarket - but added that he would rather have the "food I paid for".

Have you braved the shops today and seen empty shelves and rammed stores? Email us at money@the-sun.co.uk
Another Asda shopper, Tracy, complained that 14 items she had ordered online were substituted, with four missing altogether - including the turkey.

Several people were angry because they'd ordered their Christmas food shop weeks ago, only for it to arrive with many items missing.

Another Asda shopper, Tracy, complained that 14 items she had ordered online were substituted, with four missing altogether - including the turkey.

Several people were angry because they'd ordered their Christmas food shop weeks ago, only for it to arrive with many items missing.

Hannah Osborne angrily tweeted Ocado's customer service team yesterday after she said the delivery driver had "accidentally gave some of our Christmas food order to another customer".

She added: "Now I have to go food shopping tomorrow. With a 1yr old. On Christmas Eve."

Alex Willimott, who also ordered with Ocado, wrote: "The whole point of booking Christmas food 2 months in advance is so we don’t have to enter the melee on Christmas Eve.

But many supermarkets say you can hand back substitutions to the delivery driver if you're not happy with them and you should be given a refund.

"If you swap a load of stuff out, what’s the point in ordering from you at all? We now have to rearrange tomorrow to fill the gaps in our order."

Some people also complained that click and collect orders were also missing items.

One customer said M&S had cancelled her festive food order, which she was planning to take to her sick grandmother today.

An M&S spokeswoman said: "The vast majority of our customers have seamlessly collected their food orders from our stores.

"Where we’ve not been able to fulfil a very small number of orders, we’ve offered customers alternative options and a gesture of goodwill. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers.”

An Ocado spokesman added: "We understand the importance of our customers’ orders, particularly at Christmas, which is why when items ordered are unavailable at time of delivery we will always try to offer a substitute item that is similar.

"We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment caused when those substitutes are not suitable."

An Asda spokesman said: "We are very sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused, but rest assured our colleagues are working incredibly hard to make sure everyone receives their correct orders as soon as possible."

A Tesco spokesman said people who had complained on social media will receive refunds.

“We appreciate how important that final shop is before Christmas day and we have apologised to Rob, Graham and Rebecca for their experiences."