Athens - British tourists heading for Greece face shortages of medicines, petrol and other essentials as the country heads towards collapse.
Treasury officials are drawing up contingency plans to fly out plane-loads of cash to help those who get stranded if the Greek banking system collapses.
And holidaymakers should take medication with them in case local pharmacies run out, British Chancellor George Osborne warned.
In a gloomy statement to MPs, the Chancellor said the country’s financial crisis meant there were “greater risks of shortages”. Restrictions on money going abroad are reported to be having an impact on the availability of medicines in Greece, which imports most of its pharmaceuticals.
Tourists are already being advised to take thousands of euros in cash with them in case cashpoints run dry and shops and restaurants start to refuse card payments.
The warnings will lead to further jitters among tourists planning to head to Greece. One tour operator said the number of bookings has plummeted in recent weeks, with inquiries running at just a quarter of their normal level.
Noel Josephides, chairman of Greece specialist Sunvil Holidays, said: “I don’t think you’re going to see any new bookings for now. Everybody is waiting to see what happens in the next few days.”
David Cameron held crisis talks on Monday with Mr Osborne, bank of England governor Mark Carney and other ministers on how to limit the impact of the Greek crisis on British firms and citizens.
More than 2 000 British pensioners in Greece who use local bank accounts have been advised to open British accounts in case the Greek authorities freeze local transactions.
Mr Osborne said the Foreign Office was also beefing up its presence in Athens and the islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and Zakynthos, but added that it was “unrealistic” to think officials would be able to help holidaymakers in some of the country’s more far-flung spots.
Daily Mail