UK households are being urged to stock up on tinned food as soon as possible.

Tobias Ellwood, former Defence Minister and MP, has recently called for the UK to ‘wake up and start preparing’ because of the likelihood of a ‘grey zone attack’ which could affect the country’s infrastructure, energy or food supplies. Mr Ellwood went on record to urge people to be prepared for ‘real world scenarios we must seriously consider’ including drone attacks, internet outages and power cuts.

He urged households to stockpile seven key items including drinking water, food and radios as well as iodine tablets. Writing in PoliticsHome, he said: “What if your phone buzzed with a national emergency alert warning of a swarm drone attack en route to your city – where would you go? How would you respond?

"These aren’t scenes from a dystopian thriller – they’re real-world scenarios we must now seriously consider.

“Britain is now facing a surge in grey-zone warfare – deniable, covert attacks aimed at weakening our economy, undermining our infrastructure, and sowing confusion and panic. Russia’s so-called shadow fleet is already mapping the UK’s undersea cable networks – those vital arteries that deliver our electricity, gas and data. Autonomous underwater vehicles are criss-crossing the seabed, gathering intelligence.

“This isn’t speculation – Russia’s ambassador to the UK recently acknowledged that sensors had been placed in British waters, after several devices washed ashore. The Royal Navy is responding, ramping up its ability to detect threats and developing its own unmanned underwater vehicles. But this fight doesn’t begin and end with the military.”

Mr Ellwood urged households to stock up on these seven key items:

• Clean water (at least 100 litres)

• Non-perishable food (such as tinned food and food that can be eaten cold)

• Candles and a working torch

• A battery-powered radio

• Iodine tablets in case of nuclear fallout

• Cash

• A basic first aid kit

The UK’s Prepare website contains a list of key advice for British households to be ready for possible emergencies in future.

Among its guidance, it urges households to have a set of emergency supplies at home, including batteries, power banks, radios, bottled water and tinned food.

The UK government advice says: “Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure. They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.

“Put together an emergency kit of items at home. This could include: Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.”

It recommends that households slowly build up supplies over time, rather than rush out and grab the items in one go, adding: “Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time."