Britons are withdrawing record amounts of cash after ministers issued advice to stockpile food, water and other essentials. Under the Government's campaign, households are being urged to be prepared if everyday services are temporarily disrupted with three days of key supplies, including banknotes.
Figures from Link, which connects the UK's network of ATMs, show the amounts being withdrawn have reached record highs on some days. Graham Mott, director of strategy at Link, told the Mail: "We’re definitely seeing more people take out an extra bit of cash when they do visit an ATM, with averages approaching £110."
Withdrawal figures hit record highs
The amount of cash withdrawn in the week to November 2 reached £1.53billion. This is £16million higher than the same period in 2025 when there were 1.5million more transactions.
Research from Link shows that 68% of people said they already kept some supplies of cash at home before the "Be Ready" campaign was launched. This compares to 23% who don’t and 9% who don’t know.
Guidance on cash and essentials
John Howells, Link's chief exec, recommended households keep around £50 per adult and £25 per child. Link maintains that 33,000 free-to-use cash machines across the UK are sufficiently stocked to meet demand from Brits who want to withdraw money.
Its annual report shows that in 2025 a total of £76bn was withdrawn from 1.3 billion transactions. Almost 94% of people live within a mile of free access to cash, according to Link.
In the checklist issued by the Government, Brits are advised to stock up with three days’ worth of bottled water and non-perishable food, a battery or wind-up FM radio to receive updates during outages and cash in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted.
Campaign impact on retailers
Ministers' advice marks the first stage in a three-year campaign aiming to make households feel better prepared for disruptive events, such as severe weather, war, cyber attacks or natural disasters. Major retailers reported a dramatic increase in the sale of essential goods on the back of the campaign.
On the first weekend of the campaign's launch, Iceland saw a 40% increase in sales of tinned products and Robert Dyas had a 160% boost in sales of radios compared with the previous week, according to the BBC. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the corporation it was "encouraging" that people were taking practical steps "to be ready". He said having a few everyday essentials at home helps households prepare for disruption, whether from flooding, power cuts or burst pipes.
