A NORTH EAST firm which makes its cash by planning stag and hen parties has said it cannot keep up due to an unprecedented "shortage."

Last Night of Freedom has revealed a shortage of items replicating male body parts in the form of quirky inflatables and straws is leading to problems keeping up.

The firm, which is based in Gateshead and has been trading since the 1990s, has a warehouse of hundreds of stag and hen-related items.

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It is known for also supplying tonnes of daring products, including raunchy drinking games, t-shirts, and most problematic - plastic penises.

The Northern Echo: Picture: CONTRIBUTORPicture: CONTRIBUTOR

And for Matt Mavir, Manging Director of Last Night of Freedom, the latter of those items is causing quite the headache.

“We are currently in peak period for the stag and hen party season, but we just can’t get enough penis products to meet demand," he said.

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“The on-and-off lockdowns that China keeps imposing are the biggest factor, as that’s slowed production.

"Factories and ports have been forced to close, while some only open three days a week to save on energy and keep emissions down.

The Northern Echo: Picture: CONTRIBUTORPicture: CONTRIBUTOR

“Once they are manufactured, we’ve seen a near five-fold increase in the cost of getting them shipped. But even then, they are incredibly slow to arrive.”

Will Johnson, Last Night of Freedom’s Finance Director, admitted that one 'best-seller' had been missing for months as a result.

He said: “We had a shipping container full of one penis product arrive from China this week. When we opened it, I felt like I’d just got FA Cup final tickets through the post.

“We’ve been waiting since October for the shipment, which is when they were last in stock. Given it is one of our most popular products, that’s an awfully long time.

“The supply issues we are facing are unprecedented. I have been here almost 20 years and I’ve never known a time like it.”

Now, the firm has launched its search to find a supplier in Britain to help fill the gap in order to keep providing the full service.

Mr Mavir added: “China’s key advantage is it is cheap, but there’s no point being cheap if you can’t get the stock.

"We also want to do our bit for the planet too, so if there was a greener alternative, that would be a huge factor on our decision-making.

“The problem is we have struggled to find a British supplier for a lot of our products. We did contact a UK firm about manufacturing the pinatas, but we didn’t even get a reply so finding one will be tough."

Mr Mavir added that he believed there is a real gap in the market and that the firm is ready for someone to fill it.

He added that the ongoing problems in China could lead to an unexpected post-Brexit boost for "British plastic penis manufacturers."

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