SCOTS could face shortages of Irn-Bru thanks to the rapid wholesale gas price increase in the UK, it has emerged.

The price of natural gas has gone up by 70% since last month and is having an impact on more than household bills.

Soaring gas costs have led to two UK fertiliser plants which provide the majority of the UK’s carbon dioxide stopping production.

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The gas is used to give fizzy drinks their bubbles, and AG Barr, which makes Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Tizer, has warned of the potential impact to their supplies.

The company said it currently has reasonable access to gas as it has invested in CO2 storage over the years – but is concerned about what comes next.

“We're currently producing to normal schedules however if the situation worsens across Europe then we could be impacted, but we're taking action to protect normal customer supply as much as possible,” the firm told The Scotsman.

The National:

“We have worked hard to build resilience into our CO2 supply chain over a number of years however these are quite unprecedented circumstances.”

Earlier this month it was also warned that AG Barr could be facing shortages amid UK-wide supply chain problems, which have largely been blamed on Brexit.

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A spokesperson said: "Like lots of businesses we're experiencing some issues associated with driver shortages across the UK.

"In Scotland we are able to use more of our own fleet and our dedicated team across our supply chain is working hard to make sure the Bru gets through."