Supermarkets across the country have started placing restrictions on certain items after a wave of panic buying within the last week left shelves bare of necessities.

Products such as antibacterial hand soap, dried pasta, toilet rolls, and long life milk, were among many items that customers were stockpiling due to paranoia surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.

While Public Health England have urged people to "think ahead" as cases of Covid-19 rise, the advice has led shoppers to "stockpile", in turn clearing shops of essentials.

The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallace, has stated there is no reason for the public in the UK to panic buy.

But Tesco reported it had almost entirely run out of dried pasta online.

Which supermarkets are limiting purchases?

  • Tesco has now introduced a five item limit on a number of products. These include dried pasta, as well as antibacterial wipes, gels and sprays. Long life milk is also limited.
  • Asda has limited hand sanitiser to two bottles per person, both in-store and online, but has no food restrictions. Many of their antibacterial products are out of stock online.
  • Waitrose has restrictions that only apply to online shops, and on certain antibacterial soaps and wipes.
  • Morrisons has limited bleach and disinfectant to six per customer, toilet paper to four per customer, baby milk powder to four per customer, bar soap to four per customer, and hand sanitiser to two per customer.
  • Meanwhile, Sainsbury's, Lidl, Ocado, and Aldi have so far placed no restrictions on their stock.

Is it necessary to panic buy?

Confirmed cases of the Covid-19 strain of coronavirus continue to rise around the world.

Around the world, people are panic buying toiletries, such as toilet roll.

In Australia, a fight broke out in a supermarket, which led to two women being charged with assault - over toilet roll.

Hand sanitisers and face masks can be found for sale online at extortionate prices. Some hand gels were selling for 50 times their retail price. Small bottles of Lidl hand sanitiser have been spotted selling for £29 per bottle on eBay.

One eBay listing has seen a second-hand bottle of liquid soap sell for more than £5 - despite being only three-quarters full.