Shoppers searching for the "must-have" PlayStation 2 are unlikely to get their hands on the consoles until after Christmas, Oxford shops have warned.

Electronics stores across Oxford have been receiving only limited deliveries of the games consoles, leaving hundreds of people empty-handed in the run-up to Christmas.

Earlier this month, the Oxford Mail reported that shelves were left empty as shoppers snapped up the few consoles that became available.

According to stores, the situation has worsened and many are not expecting deliveries until the New Year.

Kerry Banks, spokesman for Comet stores in Botley Road and at the John Allen Centre, Cowley, said they had been unable to get any of the new slimline Sony consoles for the past few weeks.

Its head office had received only two deliveries throughout December and the 8,000 PS2s which arrived sold almost immediately over the Internet or through phone sales.

She said: "It has been an absolute nightmare, especially as this is the must-have Christmas gift. The customer service line is ringing off the hook every day with people wanting them. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do. It's a problem with the supply from Sony and we are not expecting to get any more until after Christmas."

A spokesman for Virgin Megastore, in Cornmarket Street, said it was not expecting any more deliveries until January.

He said: "The consoles we've had in have gone to customers who pre-ordered them. Otherwise, it's still looking pretty grim for Christmas I'm afraid."

A spokesman for Dixons, in the Clarendon Centre, said they had still not managed to get any more consoles. Those they did receive were sold almost immediately. She said: "Deliveries have been sporadic. We're all trying to get more, but have had no luck."

A Sony spokesman said it was making efforts to get as many consoles as possible to customers.

A two-week closure of the Suez Canal delayed a ship carrying a tanker-load of the consoles at the start of the month, which had affected supply, he said.