Internet shoppers are being refused Christmas deliveries after a surge in orders has left supermarkets unable to satisfy demand.

Certain retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose’ online partner Ocado, have all stopped taking orders for the run-up to Christmas.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We offered 30 per cent more delivery slots this year, but around 75 per cent of them had gone within a week after we announced them.”

Online shopping as a trend is growing at a significant rate.

Fresh food distributor Geest claims online grocery shopping now accounts for 17 per cent of all spending on food - up from five per cent in the last three months alone.

Supermarkets have experienced strong sales in the last month, with growth rates up to the highest levels recorded in over a year.

Market Research group TNS recorded a five per cent rise for the four weeks up to December 4, compared to a three per cent rise in the previous three months.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s has been enjoying a boost in market shares while Asda is losing customers.

TNS Superpanel reported Sainsbury’s control of the grocery market was 15.9 per cent in the 12 weeks to December 4, an increase of 0.3 per cent on the year before.

Asda was ahead at 16.5 per cent but its share had dropped 0.3 per cent in the same time.

While Sainsbury’s has slowly been regaining ground this year, Asda’s annual growth of two per cent falls short of the industry growth rate of three per cent.

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