Sainsbury's has withdrawn its entire houmous range from its shelves.

The supermarket giant, which has branches in Chester and Ellesmere Port, is citing a 'production issue' for the absence of the popular chickpea dip from its stores and website.

A statement on the website says: "We are temporarily out of stock of Sainsbury's houmous due to a production issue.

"We apologise for the inconvenience caused."

Hungry customers across the country have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration.

One local store has even offered shoppers a recipe for the dip they can make at home.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: “We've temporarily removed a number of houmous lines from sale due to a production issue at our supplier.

"We expect to be fully stocked within a couple of days and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”