A chicken shortage meant KFC was forced to close restaurants across Cumbria this weekend - and they remain closed today.

The fried chicken fastfood giant has branches in Carlisle, Workington, Penrith, Barrow and also at Gretna's Welcome Break services, which were all affected.

Delivery problems meant KFCs across the country were unable to stay open as they ran out of chicken.

The restaurant, in The Lanes Shopping Centre, displayed a closure sign which said there were "hiccups" with the delivery.

Workington's KFC closed at 6.30pm on Saturday and remained closed yesterday. It is still shut today as is Carlisle's branch.

The outlet at Gretna was also shut for a second day yesterday.

In Barrow, hungry customers caused traffic delays as the repercussions of KFC's closure continued.

Customers flocked to nearby McDonald's, with a high number of guests using the drive-thru.

A statement on KFC's website said "We’ve brought a new delivery partner on board, but they’ve had a couple of teething problems.

"Getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex.

"We won’t compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, and others are operating a limited menu, or shortened hours.

"We know that this might have inconvenienced some of you over the last few days, and disappointed you when you wanted your fried chicken fix - we’re really sorry about that."

A list on KFCs website stated all branches that reopened today by 12.07pm with neither Gretna's nor any in Cumbria included and it remained unclear as to when they might reopen.