BOOTS ran out of the flu jab last week — with one staff member blaming it on Brexit shortages.

One County Press reader, who booked his flu jab more than four weeks ago at Boots, Newport, arrived for his appointment on Friday — only to be told he could not have it as he was not a priority case.

Although everyone has been encouraged to have a flu jab, some groups of people are prioritised, and entitled to a free jab, as they are more at risk — including pregnant women, people over the age of 65 and people with certain medical conditions.

When the man, who asked not to be named, asked staff why he could not have his flu jab, he was told the pharmacy had run out due to Brexit shortages.

He was advised to come back the next day, when more vaccinations might be available.

A Boots UK spokesperson said: "We’re very sorry for the inconvenience this must have caused and would like to reassure you we are very shortly receiving more vaccines into our warehouses so we can continue to support customers.

"Our stores are getting stock of the vaccine on a daily basis. However, in cases where stock of the vaccine is temporarily running low in store due to higher than anticipated levels of local demand, we will prioritise offering the vaccine to our more vulnerable patients such as those over 65s or pregnant.

"We always advise customers to book an appointment in advance through our website at Boots.com/flu for a vaccination in one of our 2,000 pharmacies. The availability of this service is dependent on the stock level in each store.”