SCHOOL uniform shops in Worcestershire have urged parents to get shopping early in preparation for the back-to-school surge.

School uniform stockists in the county have said leaving your child's uniform till the end of the summer holidays may be a bad idea.

Kitz UK in Malvern are operating as normal but a spokesman for the company has asked parents to get started on their school uniform shopping.

The spokesman said: "Customers don't need appointments - but without trying to start a stampede, there are still shortages all around the country. Products we ordered last year in October still haven't arrived.

"We do still have lots of stock, but we have been flying in products ourselves at our own cost.

"Of course we've done this without bumping up the price for customers - as I'm sure other shops are doing throughout the nation. It's nobody's fault, but waiting till the end of August could cause delays."

Staff from Humphries Shoes Ltd in Droitwich also said appointments aren't needed, but numbers will be controlled during busy times.

A spokesman said: "We have good stocks of both Clarks and Start-Rite school shoes, but we definitely encourage parents to come in as soon as possible as we expect the last two weeks of August to be very busy."

The warning comes after last year saw long queues in Worcester for school uniforms.

Schooltogs by Monkhouse, in Worcester, had been working on an appointment basis but, after coronavirus restrictions caused a massive backlog of stock deliveries last year, customers visiting the shop were forced to order uniforms online - with some customers saying they didn't receive their items until six weeks later.

The uniform shop currently has a wide range of in-store appointments available, for parents still shopping around and hoping to avoid similar problems this year. The Worcester News contacted Schooltogs for a comment but they unavailable for comment.

A spokesman for Clarks in Worcester has said they currently have great availability of school shoes.

The spokesman said: "Consumers are able to book an appointment at this store to have their children’s school shoes fitted by one of our fully trained fitters. Booking an appointment allows our customers to plan their visit for a time that suits them and enables them to avoid any queues."