Dorset man stores 600 tins in his shed for a possible 100-day emergency

A Dorset taxi company owner has spent up to £1,000 building a stockpile of 600 tins of food, which he believes could feed him for at least 100 days if an emergency disrupted supplies.

Ian Ferguson, 71, began buying extra tins during his weekly shop in 2022 because of the war in Ukraine. He now keeps 13 boxes of food in his shed in Weymouth, alongside equipment intended to help him cope without everyday services.

The father of two says his preparations are not simply about feeding himself. He wants to help protect friends and family and believes neighbours sharing resources would be essential in an emergency.

His supplies include stews, soups, beans, tinned curries, rice pudding and fruit. By his calculation, six tins a day would be more than enough for him, giving him at least 100 days’ food. Having passed his original target of 500 tins, he intends to keep buying.

“You’ve got insurance on loads of things in case something bad happens, so what’s your insurance for having food in the house?” he said.

Ferguson also has wind-up radios, camping stoves, sleeping bags, water filtration tubes, an axe, a saw and other basic tools for gathering supplies from nearby woods.

He served in the British Army in the 1970s and has an understanding of the effects of nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. His growing concern now is digital disruption, citing cyber attacks on water companies and supermarkets.

“Once the shops are empty, every supply chain is basically digital. It’s not some bloke with a clipboard and a pen writing what you’ve got. When it goes down, nothing will happen. Everything will freeze.”

That is Ferguson’s assessment of the risk. He also argues for retaining physical cash to preserve autonomy and flexibility, pointing to the limitations of phone payments when batteries run flat or payment machines stop working.

He invokes the saying that there are nine meals between mankind and anarchy, but believes impatience and intolerance could bring disorder sooner.

Ferguson is unconcerned about food expiry dates, dismissing what he sees as excessive attention to use-by and sell-by labels. He compares this with people buying cigarettes despite health warnings and argues that supermarkets have an interest in continued purchases. These are his views, rather than a safety assessment of the stored food. He stresses that anyone with allergies needs to store food suitable for their own needs.

For Ferguson, stockpiling is only one part of being prepared. He believes solar equipment, particularly on homes, could prove useful, although he has no panels himself and does not intend to buy them at 71.

“If you have a community you can share stuff and work out nice things. I’m not looking at being the whole thing, I’m looking at being an active member of a community.”

He added: “Food isn’t the only answer. This whole thing isn’t about me sitting there watching people starve.”

Some people have challenged him on whether such an emergency will happen in his lifetime, or whether he would be able to give the food away if it were never needed. Ferguson says he would open the tins and give the contents to birds. He would rather risk wasting £1,000 or £2,000, he says, than face a shortage wishing he had bought food instead.

“I am hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I’m more comfortable with that.”

He also believes others stockpile privately because they fear theft during a national emergency.

In October, the Government launched its Be Ready campaign, encouraging households to prepare for disruptions to everyday services, with the aim of also reducing pressure on emergency services.

Ferguson believes ministers should do more, including offering starter kits and explaining the risks more clearly.

“We need the government to articulate a story so everyday people understand the risk.”