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The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is holding emergency talks to avert Christmas food shortages after France banned freight and travel from the UK, Sky News reports.

He is chairing a crisis Cobra meeting of senior ministers and officials amid fears in Whitehall that some imported foodstuffs could run out in as little as two weeks.

Johnson was forced into action after France and several other European countries responded to his Tier 4 lockdown in southeast England by announcing a two-day travel ban from the UK.

The government's biggest fear is that supplies of food and even the COVID vaccine could be hit because French hauliers will not travel to the UK if they cannot return home.

A Number 10 spokesperson said the talks are "to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the UK", adding: "Further meetings are happening... to ensure robust plans are in place."

Sky News understands that the government is tracking how many days of food are left on supermarket shelves, amid fears that if the ports shut for longer than the current two days, some foodstuffs will run out in just a couple of weeks.

France banned freight and travel from the UK.

Emergency talks to avert UK Christmas food shortages