KFC branches across Suffolk have finally all reopened but only two in north Essex have opened today.

Bosses at the fast food chain have warned that stores could face disruption due to delivery issues for the rest of the week.

Since the weekend, hundreds of KFC branches across the country have been forced to close due to delivery problems.

However, all four Ipswich branches have re-opened as well as Sudbury, Bury Saint Edmunds, Mildenhall, Lowestoft and Haverhill.

In north Essex the Clacton and Chelmsford branch are currently open but Colchester and Cressing near Braintree remain closed.

You can find out which branches are open here.

Hundreds of the chain’s nearly 900 stores are still closed, while many of those that are open are offering limited menus or have cut their hours.

On Tuesday, a KFC spokesman said: “We anticipate the number of closures will reduce today and over the coming days as our teams work flat out all hours to clear the backlog.

“Each day more deliveries are being made; however, we expect the disruption to some restaurants to continue over the remainder of the week, meaning some will be closed and others operating with a reduced menu or shortened hours.”

KFC said staff on short-term contacts working in restaurants owned by the chain would be paid the average hours worked per day over the past 12 weeks, while those on salaries would be paid as normal.

However, 80% of KFC outlets are run on a franchise basis.

“Franchisees will be seeking their own independent advice, but we’re encouraging them to adopt this policy too,” said the chain.

The closures were the result of delayed chicken deliveries by DHL, which announced in November that it had been appointed alongside QSL to manage the supply and distribution of food products and packaging for more than 850 KFC restaurants throughout the UK.

“Due to operational issues a number of deliveries in recent days have been incomplete or delayed,” DHL said in a statement.

“We are working with KFC and our partners to rectify the situation as a priority and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

KFC was previously a client of Bidvest Logistics.

KFC said on Twitter: “The chicken crossed the road, just not to our restaurants.

“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!”