CHICKEN lovers found themselves in a right old flap after KFC ran out of... chicken.

Visitors to the fast food restaurant in London Road, Brighton, over the weekend were greeted with signs informing them, sorry, we’re closed.

And it wasn’t just a few feathers ruffled, as Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets the length and breadth of the country all shut up shop.

Yesterday KFC finally revealed why it had to close so many of its 900 stores.

A spokesman for the company said the reason for the chicken shortage was because of a number of “hiccups” with a new partner which was suffering from “teething” problems.

As well as here in London Road, branches in Devon, Bristol, Berkshire, Surrey, Suffolk, Newcastle and Cheshire were all affected.

KFC finally revealed what the issue was.

The chicken giant blamed a new delivery partner had been taken on which left many outlets without supplies.

The company, which has been going since 1930, said that as it insisted on selling only fresh chicken, supplying to all outlets can be a tough task.

It added: “We won’t compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours.

“We’ve brought a new delivery partner on board, but they’ve had a couple of teething problems.

“Getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex.”

We contacted KFC in London Road which said it was still closed yesterday and unlikely to open until today at the very earliest.

The woman who answered our telephone call told us a “hiccup” was to blame but wouldn’t elaborate further.

She also said it was her understanding the store in Hove was open, but calls to that outlet went unanswered.

In Brighton customers took to social media to vent their frustration.

One wrote: “Desperate times in Brighton last night. KFC HAS RUN OUT OF CHICKEN.”

Another added: “So much for my Sunday lunch!!”

While one other fan chipped in: “How on earth am I going to cure my hangover now KFC is closed?”

KFC is an American fast food restaurant chain that specialises in fried chicken. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world’s second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald’s,

with almost 20,000 locations globally.