Supermarkets are beginning to ration the number of eggs customers can buy as shortages on shelves continue.

Tesco and Sainsbury's are among the stores to have put up signs in aisles warning shoppers of supply issues while Lidl and Asda have now taken further steps to control the numbers of boxes people can purchase.

In Asda, customers both online and in store are currently being limited to two boxes of any number of eggs while those at the checkouts in Lidl are reportedly being permitted to buy no more than three boxes.

Eggs imported from Italy have also been spotted in Sainsbury's as the retailer, which ordinarily only buys eggs from British suppliers, explores temporary options to maintain supplies while Wetherspoon is offering diners alternative items for its full English breakfast at pubs struggling to get hold of enough eggs to serve.

UK poultry farmers are facing rising costs while also trying to manage the impact the country's largest ever outbreak of bird flu is having on production.

It has prompted fears that there could be severe egg shortages over Christmas as more and more pictures of empty shop shelves circulate online and farmers say sky-high costs are now crippling.

All poultry keepers, by law, now have to keep flocks indoors as part of efforts to control the spread of avian influenza, which has seen hundreds of of thousands of birds lost to the disease since last year.

While alongside this, the British Free Range Egg Producers Association says the country's poultry farmers are struggling to work in the face of rising costs which are now affecting production.

A recent survey by BFREPA of 163 free range producers in the UK revealed that 33% had either reduced their flock sizes and so were now producing fewer eggs, paused production temporarily or were preparing to leave the industry all together.

The organisation, which represents more than 600 producers keeping around 16 million hens, says producers are really struggling.

A spokesman added: "Egg producers have been hit with huge hikes in production costs. Feeding hens is now at least 50% more expensive than it was, and energy prices have soared in the same way that consumers have seen their domestic bills rise. Spending on fuel has grown by 30%, while labour and packaging also costs more.

"Fewer hens means fewer eggs and we warned in March that eggs could be in short supply by Christmas. Egg supply naturally tightens at this time of year as businesses and individuals prepare for Christmas, which may be exacerbating the situation. On top of this, avian influenza has resulted in the culling of laying hens too.

"We need to see farmers paid a sustainable price to restore confidence and optimism to the sector."