CHRISTMAS gifts could be delayed for weeks after a major shipping route dried up.
Droughts hitting the Panama Canal have stopped thousands of tonnes of goods flowing through the 50-mile waterway.
On board dozens of held up container ships are festive items including iPhones, TVs, exercise bikes, clothes and tree lights.
Experts have warned not only of delays but also of rising prices as stock dries up amid a crisis which could last months.
Dr Amna Khan, retail expert at Manchester Metropolitan University, told The Sun: "If it impacts Christmas presents, toys, then this will be a huge issue as the price of goods will certainly go up.
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"Given that Christmas is a time when everyone wants to buy the right gift, there will be a huge focus on purchasing asap."
Around 80 ships are thought to be facing delays of up to two weeks as the canal is gripped by some of the worst droughts on record.
Low water levels - triggered by the early arrival of Panama's dry season - impacts the fresh water lock system that enables vast containers to move from the Pacific to the Caribbean.
Around 38 vessels pass through the canal every day but only 24 ships have daily since November 7, the Daily Mirror reported.
It is feared the number of ships passing through could fall to 18 a day from February because of the drought.
Some companies have paid as much as £3million to move to the front of the queue and bypass wait times, Fox News reported.
The delays have forced some ships to take massive detours around the tip of South America to the Suez Canal in Egypt in order to reach Europe.
The routes could take months to complete.
David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero, said: "Forty per cent of container traffic to the US uses the canal.
"The result could be shortages of goods and increased prices as retailers fight over available stocks."
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