BREXIT – or at least the labour shortage being caused by it – is now affecting coffee aficionados who face delays in having their favourite brew delivered.

Nespresso, the Swiss company that makes the luxury coffee pods endorsed by actor George Clooney, is contacting customers after they place an order to tell them it will take “slightly longer than usual” to reach them.

“This is because the UK is currently experiencing a nationwide shortage in labour,” Nespresso said.

“This means that we have less people than usual who are working to fulfil your orders.

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“Please be assured that our teams are working round the clock to get all orders delivered as quickly as possible and we are hoping to return to our usual timescales as soon as possible.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience that may be caused by this delay.”

Food and drink exports from the UK to the EU slumped by almost 20% compared to pre-pandemic levels in the first six months of this year, because of a drop in shipments to the EU.

There have been widespread reports of a shortage of around 100,000 lorry drivers, which transport bosses blamed on post-Brexit changes to migration and European workers returning home.

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And the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that staff shortages mean that some food manufacturing here may have to be moved out of the country.

The BRC’s Andrew Opie said shortages of HGV drivers and other staff in the supply chain meant the sector was “just on the edge of coping”, and the Christmas period would be “incredibly challenging” in some parts.

He told a special session of the UK Trade and Business Commission it was incredibly challenging for the industry, but he was more concerned about shortages in manufacturing and food processing.

Nespresso – part of the multinational Nestlé – would not comment further than their email to customers, which said normal next-day deliveries would be delayed by up to six days.

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“We are working hard to get back to our usual delivery timescales as quickly as possible,” the company said.

“Our dedicated customer service team are doing all they can to provide customers with the best possible update on deliveries, please can we ask for your patience with them during this time.

“You do not need to take any action or contact us. You will receive regular updates from your selected courier as normal however this may take a little longer than usual.”

They added: “From our side, we are working with a number of partners to get the people we need at the earliest opportunity … we will do all we can to get back to our usual delivery timescales.”