Supermarket shelves stripped bare as cyber hackers strike

City supermarket shelves were empty after a ‘frightening’ cyber attack as one elderly customer said her war hero dad would be ‘turning in his grave’.

The Co-op in Omberlsey Road in Worcester showed empty shelves including fruit and veg and ready meals after hackers struck in a crippling nationwide cyber attack.

One 85-year-old woman, who lives nearby but declined to named, said: “All the shelves looked pretty empty. I have never ever seen them that empty before. I’m stocked up but some people won’t be.

“As we celebrate VE Day, my father who served with the 67th Field Regiment Royal Artillery, would be turning in his grave if he knew the country was being held to ransom by hackers.

ATTACK: The cyber attack has affected the Co-op in Ombersley Road in Worcester (Image: Newsquest)

“At this rate they will bring the country to a standstill. He did not go to war for hackers to hold this country to ransom. It’s quite frightening actually.”

One member of staff at the supermarket explained there had been no deliveries because of the cyber attack and apologised for the inconvenience.

Signs across the store read: “Sorry, we’re having some availability issues which will be resolved shortly.”

LIMITED: Empty shelves at Co-op in Ombersley Road (Image: Newsquest)

The number of “nationally significant” cyber attacks in the last eight months has doubled on the same period a year ago, a security chief has warned.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, said that the agency had dealt with 200 incidents since September 2024, including twice as many causing widespread disruption as the same period last year.

RECOMMENDED READING: ‘The vandalism was upsetting – but community huddled around us’

RECOMMENDED READING: Parcels stolen after Royal Mail van ‘crowbarred open’

RECOMMENDED READING: New image released after taxi smashed with women’s shoes

Speaking at the CyberUK conference in Manchester on Wednesday, Mr Horne warned that adversaries were “probing for weaknesses” and operating daily in a grey area “between peace and war” to pursue geopolitical goals.

Russia will continue to target Ukraine and supporting countries with digital espionage in order to gain strategic ground in ceasefire negotiations, he said, while the UK faces further threats from Iran, China and North Korea.

The intervention comes after a wave of cyber attacks on high-profile British retailers including Harrods, Marks and Spencer and the Co-op Group in recent weeks.

HACK: The empty shelves at Co-op in Ombersley Road in Worcester (Image: Newsquest)

The chief executive of Co-op has written to member owners about the attack.

The statement read: “As you may be aware we are currently experiencing significant disruption following a cyber-attack on our Co-op. As a Member-Owner of our Co-op we want to be open with you about where we find ourselves right now, so I am writing to you personally to give as clear a picture as I am currently able to provide.

“The criminals that are perpetrating these attacks are highly sophisticated and our colleagues are working tirelessly to do three things: (1) protect and defend our Co-op, (2) fully understand the extent of the impact caused by the attack and (3) provide much needed information to the authorities that may help them with their investigations.

“Actively managing the severity of the attack has meant shutting down some of our systems to protect the organisation.

That said, our front-line colleagues are focused on minimising any disruption that might be experienced by our members and customers.”