BORIS Johnson’s pledge to “send coronavirus packing” within 12 weeks has done little to ease the collective mind of the British Public, it would seem.
These pictures, taken in the Denton branch of Sainsbury’s, show shelf after shelf, aisle after aisle, having been stripped bare.
COVID-19 has sent shoppers rushing to stock up with everything from eggs, bread, tea, coffee, canned goods, frozen food, snacks, crisps, beer and, you guessed it, loo roll.
Panic buyers have picked clean supermarkets and wholesalers across the country like a plague of locusts while retail staff try desperately to keep up with demand.
In yesterday’s press conference, the Prime Minister called for people to be “considerate and thoughtful” when buying supplies.
Addressing the nation, he said: “On mass buying and the price issue I really hope that retailers will continue to be reasonable and I certainly wouldn’t want to see any profiteering of any kind.
“We’ve got good supply chains from farm to fork and there’s no reason for the shops really to be empty.
“Everyone understands why people are buying stuff. We’re all being advised to stay at home if we think we have symptoms.
“But please be reasonable in your shopping, be considerate and thoughtful of others as you do it.”
Mr Johnson’s comments come in the wake of scenes not unlike a rugby scrum as people took to social media to share their experiences of the panic buying epidemic.
Fights have broken out in supermarkets over hand sanitiser and toilet paper while others have told of shop hiking the prices of everyday items.