Is stockpiling illegal in the UK? What the rules say about buying extra food and water

Is stockpiling illegal in the UK?

The question is being searched as more households stock up after the government's Be Ready campaign; our story on the rise in sales of radios and tinned food covers what shops and shopper data showed. The plain answer from the official record: the government is asking households to keep supplies at home, not telling them to stop.

We read the campaign, what the Security Minister told the Commons, the safety regulator's rules on storing fuel, and what happened in shops in 2020. We found no law that limits how much food or bottled water you can keep for your own household. Nothing we read describes buying it as an offence.

What the government asks you to keep

Be Ready says: "Being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those most in need." Its checklist asks for bottled water at "3 litres per person per day for drinking", with more for cooking and washing, and non-perishable food for three days, adding: "It's best to buy food you'd usually eat." The Cabinet Office's launch release on 22 October asks households to "keep a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water at home".

It is not asking for a big shop. "You don't need to do it all at once," the campaign says; "Pick up missing items when you can during your regular shopping trips to help spread the cost." On 27 October Dan Jarvis, the Security Minister, told MPs there was no "requirement for households to assemble all these items in one go", suggesting "adding one item per week to the weekly shop", and said: "we are not launching this campaign because of any specific or imminent threat." The checklist, item by item and how much food to store go further.

Where the law does set a limit at home: petrol

The clearest legal limit on keeping supplies at home is for petrol. The HSE says: "You can store up to 30 litres of petrol at home or at non-workplace premises without informing your local Petroleum Enforcement Authority (PEA)." Above 30 litres, and up to a maximum of 275 litres, you should notify the PEA in writing and follow the storage rules, including that petrol is not kept in your living accommodation.

The containers matter too. Under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014, which cover England, Scotland and Wales, a portable petrol container must be "no greater than 10 litres if made of plastic" and "no greater than 20 litres if made of metal". Our fuel shortages guide explains why filling up as normal works better than storing fuel.

What shops can limit

Shops can set purchase limits, and in 2020 they did. On 19 March 2020 the Competition and Markets Authority said it had "no intention of taking competition law enforcement action against cooperation between businesses or rationing of products to the extent that this is necessary to protect consumers". The same day the government said it was relaxing competition law "to allow supermarkets to work together to feed the nation", and urged people "to shop considerately".

A short-lived order from 27 March 2020 allowed supermarkets "coordination on limiting purchases by consumers of particular groceries"; it was revoked on 8 October 2020. All of this was about what retailers could do; none of it put a rule on shoppers. On prices, the CMA said in April 2020 it was concerned that a small minority were "charging excessive prices", had written to 187 firms, and would act "where there is evidence that competition or consumer protection law has been broken".

Medicines are different

Be Ready's checklist includes essential medication and medical supplies, and its advice is to plan ahead rather than order extra: "It's important to request prescriptions up to 5 working days before you need your medicine." During a medicines shortage, the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service's leaflet for patients says: "Avoid stockpiling and ordering more than you need until your next prescription."

If you run out, there are proper routes: our guide to getting an emergency supply covers them, and our medicine shortages guide explains what to do when a medicine is hard to find.

What to do

Work towards the three days, a few items at a time, from food you already eat. Store water as the checklist says; our guide to storing emergency water covers bottles and rotation. Check dates every six months, as Be Ready suggests, and if you end up with more than you need, the campaign says "you could consider donating these to others who might not have the means to prepare their own households."