SIMIC

Repeated restrictions meant to eliminate the omicron variant have led to shortages of staff to unload vessels in the port city, and a lack of drivers who transport goods.

Cities such as Shanghai are under strict lockdowns to bring infection rates under control.

Figures from Bloomberg indicate 477 ships are waiting off the coast, adding to queues around the world.

Citi economist Johanna Chua declared there are risks of supply chain problems spreading further across the country and internationally.

"While Shanghai port has remained in operation 24 hours a day inside a "closed loop", which requires workers to stay on-site, there are multiple reports of blocked land traffic, stalled trucking and warehouse closures creating bottlenecks and rising costs," said Ms Chua.

"This is also having some spillover impact on logistics of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, major manufacturing hubs, which together account for 29pc of China's total exports."

Deutsche Bank economist Sanjay Raja expects inflation in the UK to rise above eight per cent due to global supply issues.

"We see a very strong cocktail of inflationary pressures coming from April, as energy bills rise, food pressures remain elevated (and continue to rise), and core goods pressures continue to be supported by supply chain bottlenecks," said Mr Raja.