Bizarre world of British doomsday preppers spending £1,000 on apocalypse-proof food, nuclear masks and hazmat suits for children
DOOMSDAY preppers are spending a fortune collecting food that can survive the apocalypse, nuclear masks and hazmat suits for their children.
The survivors may be seen by some as paranoid conspiracy theorists with the fear of the end of the world, but maybe they have a point.
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Fear for World War 3 grow along Vladimir Putin impending nuclear destruction of the West due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The Israel-Hamas war could easily spark a wider battle in the Middle East and also a global conflict.
The Doomsday clockwhich measures how close the world is to a disaster, currently stands at 90 seconds to midnight.
The chair of NATOAdmiral Rob Bauer of the Military Committee has warned people to make basic preparations for a possible “all-out war.”
He said: “You must have water in the house, battery powered radio and a battery-powered flashlight. This way you can survive the first 36 hours.”
“That’s where it starts, the realization that not everything can be planned.”
Britain’s fragile food supply chain was laid bare in the early days of Covid-19 pandemic as shoppers stocked up, leaving supermarket shelves empty.
I read about the concept of prepping in magazines and thought it made a lot of sense. Over the last few years it’s just exploded.
Lincoln Miles
The preppers may have a very good point that needs to be heard.
This growing group of people has been preparing for the worst-case scenario for years.
Cupboards are stocked with canned food, cars are loaded with blankets and even emergency bags are filled with flares, just in case the worst should happen.
PREPPER STORES
Specialist stores have opened in Britain dealing in leftover military supplies such as pallets of freeze-dried food, wind-up flares and radios, water purifiers and even complete nuclear survival kits.
Preppers Shop UK, in Wadebridge, Cornwallwas founded ten years ago by Lincoln Miles, who says company has grown enormously since the lockdowns.
He told The guard: “I read about the concept of prepping in magazines and thought it made a lot of sense.
“Over the last few years it’s just exploded.
“There are people in full hazmat suits talking about nuclear war and all that, but there are so many different levels of preparation; [people] have become concerned about natural disasters.”
Miles says Covid was the big boost for his business, as people now realize that if disaster were to strike, “we’re on our own.”
His store is selling a pack containing a month’s supply of freeze-dried meals for £478.71.
While another site, UKPreppingShop, sells a nuclear survival kit for one person – complete with a gas mask – for £564.95.
There are many people in high places who say that we are on the eve of World War III
Tom Blakey
Anyone wanting to get their hands on a hazmat suit – which comes in both adult and child sizes – can get one for £95 from Sergeant Preppers, based in the Pennines, along with guides on how to live ‘off grid’.
Former soldier Tom Blakey, who served in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, Iraq And Afghanistantold Subway: “There are many people in high positions who say that we are on the eve of World War III.”
Tom, 52, served in an elite unit called the Pathfinders, which acts as the “eyes and ears” for the British Army’s 16th Air Assault Brigade, operating behind enemy lines to relay vital information as quickly as possible.
He warned that while the first 36 hours of a disaster are crucial, it is just the beginning.
What if your car breaks down? What if the bridge you were about to cross collapsed? What if you don’t have a water supply? You have to be prepared for the ‘what-ifs’…
Tom Blakey
Tom says: “An attack may not come in the traditional way we look at war, with a physical invasion or the dropping of bombs.
“It could be a cyber attack that could wipe out our phones. energy water supply and water infrastructure in one big fell swoop.
“Whatever the threat is – whether it is the weatherother people, a natural disaster – the first step is to get over it and have a plan B.
“What if your car breaks down? What if the bridge you were about to cross collapsed? What if you don’t have a water supply? You have to be prepared for the ‘what-ifs…’”
As a child, Tom’s father, a Vietnam veteran, conducted fire drills at their home with Tom’s brother and sister.
They climbed out of the windows as the so-called ‘fire’ blazed around them.
The children were not even allowed to wear a hood or headphones because their father said they had to be aware of everything and anything around them.
During the last three years of his Army career as a reservist with the Red Devils parachute show team, he was injured and when the Covid pandemic hit, he had plenty of time to search the internet.
He came across preparation videos YouTube and realized he had skills he could bring to the growing community.
The movement first took off in the US, but has since spread around the world and around the world.
How likely is World War III?
That of Russia invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to fears of a global war but continued conflict involving Iran and the United States Middle East, China And TaiwanAnd North Korea the world holds its breath.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, recently told the British can even get a call if Britain goes to war with Russia.
In the meantime, the Middle East has become a powder keg causing unrest Israel’s ongoing war in return for Hamasbacked by Iran Houthi rebels attack in the Red Seaand recently clashes and strikes between Iran and Pakistan.
And recently NATO announced its biggest appeal in decades as 90,000 troops prepare to begin World War III exercises.
With reports from Putin’s health is deterioratingthere are fears he could turn to nuclear nuclear weapons out of desperation.
North Korea is also willing to attack the West as Putin’s alliance with the deranged leader Kim Jong Un continues to grow.
But Kim has also threatened to start her own war after the labeling South Korea its ‘main enemy’ – adding that the nuclear weapons available to him should not be ignored.
Across the Asian continent, fears continue to rise over a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Beijing has already threatened to cause ‘uncontrolled escalation’ and all-out warfare over one ‘misunderstanding’as president Xi Jinping seems to stamp his authority.
Chinese greetings self-governing island Taiwan as part of its territory – and has pledged to take it by force if necessary, and to do more regular invasion rehearsals.
And Iran’s terrorist organizations – including Hezbollah and the Houthis – have already risen against Israel, the US and Britain.
But after that Iran attacked targets in Pakistan with bomb-carrying drones and missiles, the fear of all-out war in the Middle East have never been this high.
Tom says: “I think there’s a bit of a stigma around the word ‘prepper’. People think we’re conspiracy theorists hiding in the woods.
“That may have to do with the stereotype of the Americans, especially because preppers there can really concentrate on weapons and basic skills.
“For many of us in Britain it is much more practical. I do think it’s important to have an inquiring mind and question things, but I’m not a conspiracy theorist.”
‘INSURANCE POLICY’
Former soldier Leigh Price sees prepping as a form of ‘insurance policy’.
After serving his country in the 1990s, he spent twenty years in the construction industry.
Today he is the owner of the Bug Out shop in Builth Wells, Waleswhich provides preparation and survival kits and clothing.
His most popular item is a range of freeze-dried canned food that has a shelf life until 2047.
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Leigh says, the price of canned food shot up 56 percent.
He says people now realize how important it is to survive.
Leigh thinks that everyone today believes that the government will take care of them if something goes wrong, but in reality this may not happen.
The reality is that we are on the cutting edge. We are close to war and people are only now realizing it
Leigh Price
He said people need to go back to the days when communities supported each other.
While Leigh doesn’t think the biggest threat comes from a nuclear attack, a technology-based attack is more likely.
He says: “The reality is we are on the razor’s edge. We are close to war and people are only now realizing it. I don’t think there will be a nuclear war, they don’t want that.
“But a cyber attack or an energy blackout can still lead to mass panic. Desperate people will do desperate things to survive.”
Should the worst actually happen, both Tom and Leigh’s people will learn from each other instead of relying on those inside current.
Tom says: “In the case of cyber attacks hitting Britain, they are brutal. We can’t sit here any longer and think everything will be fine.
“Taking small, fundamental steps could mean the difference between life and death in the future.
“The risks are out there, online and in real lifeand they are unpredictable.
“We have to be ready to face them.”
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