THE Dairy has urged customers to keep buying milk as usual. The management apologised for the disruption while the Guernsey Milk Retailers’ Association thanked customers for accepting that milkmen were doing their best in difficult circumstances.

MRA committee member Ian Wood completed his doorstep deliveries at 10.30am yesterday but said today would be far worse with delays anticipated until mid-afternoon. In the light of yesterday’s three-hour delay, Dairy management said it was up to individuals to decide whether to make their deliveries.

Mr Wood said as far as he knew, everyone had done so.

If customers were at home, he alerted them to the delivery. Otherwise he tried to leave it in the shade.

‘Today will be worse. Now we are told nothing will be released until 11am, assuming the milk gets the all-clear.’

Mr Wood was scathing of the Dairy’s initial handling of the crisis.

‘Tuesday was shambolic and I think the management has been shamed into communicating with us better.’

Mr Wood had confirmation of that day’s recall only after calling the Dairy himself, but he said yesterday morning communications had improved.

‘We had a meeting with the management and Commerce and Employment civil servant Richard Nash at 7am.’

At that stage they were told that today’s milk would not be released until 10am.

‘By early afternoon I had heard on the grapevine that it had been put back until 11am, but again I could not confirm this until I called the Dairy myself at 2.30pm,’ he said.

‘They said the decision had just been made.’

Mr Wood said he would complete his deliveries today but could not speak for other roundsmen and women who were all self-employed.

‘We can only ring the doorbell and hope for the best,’ he said.

‘I might bring my stock home and refrigerate it and do the round in the evenings but that might cause more confusion so I might be better to just do it as soon as I can.’