LETTUCE is the latest supermarket salad staple to fall victim to the European vegetable shortage, and town businesses are feeling the effects.

Iceberg, sweet gem and romaine are in short supply after an extreme mix of drought followed by flooding and freezing conditions severely affected growers in southern Spain. Poor conditions have also hit farmers in Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Brenda Ronayne, owner of Prospect Place’s Baguette Bar, said the salad shortage had affected many items on their menu.

A sign sits above the counter warning customers that half portions of salad will be served in sandwiches and baguettes.

Brenda said: “This is just a blip. It’s the weather and there is nothing we can do about it but we have had to change our menus. Luckily we have very loyal customers and they understand the restrictions that have been placed on us

“We’re lucky this has happened in the winter when we are mainly doing hot food and not so many salads but it has affected the sandwiches and baguettes we serve

“The first I heard about it was two weeks ago when I got my usual delivery and was told instead of 50p the lettuces would be £1.80 and they were tiny.

“Usually a lettuce will be enough for 12 baguettes but with this sizes we’d be lucky to get four out of them. They are pretty miserable looking but we just have to adapt.”

Kris Talikowski, owner of The Core in Devizes Road, said the team’s specialist nutritional knowledge allowed them to adapt in the event of a vegetable shortage.

“A lot of our produce is locally grown so shortages do not affect as much as it may other other businesses. Because of our knowledge of food, we know that the nutrients you find in lettuce and broccoli you can also find in other fruits and vegetables.We can also adapt our menu to fit something in that’s seasonal as opposed to relying on the same fruits and vegetables all the time.”

Dennis Hewitson, chairman of the Dorset branch of the National Vegetable Society, said the root of the problem came from an ever growing reliance on growing vegetables and fruits abroad.

“We heap more and more pressure on foreign growers to make sure certain types of fruits and vegetables are available all-year-round. But when something like this happens, it shows we need to be growing our own vegetables at home or growing alternatives to lettuce, such as Chinese cabbage.

Experts have warned that if the weather does not improve in the coming weeks the problem may continue until April, with customers hit by price rises.

The lettuce shortage follows similar reductions in the supply of courgettes, while salad peppers, broccoli and cabbage supplies are also under pressure.

Supermarkets have been forced to look as far afield as the US west coast - more than 5,300 miles from Britain - to meet demand.

Wroughton parish councillor Talis-Kimberley Fairbourn also endorsed home gardening with her tweet.

“Time to get planting! Windowsill lettuce, baby spinach leaves, rocket... Salad greens are easy to grow. #GetGrowing