Shelves across the country were stripped bare of necessities like toilet rolls, anti-bacterial wipes, long-life milk and children’s medicine yesterday. The rush to stock up came as a man in his 60s, who recently visited Italy, last night became the third person to die of the virus in Britain. Despite calls for shoppers to remain calm, pictures posted on social media showed many empty food displays in supermarket aisles. 

In at least one London store eggs, milk and water were in short supply. 

Delivery slots for online grocery stores were also hit, with one customer describing it as “worse than Christmas” for delays. 

There was widespread anger online, with many citing “appalling selfishness”. But 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We have had no advice from scientific advisers or medical officers that there’s any need for people to buy stuff in. 

“If you think you have symptoms the best thing to do, as you know, is to stay at home and contact the NHS. We will make sure we give the NHS the investment it needs to cope with this crisis.” 

The panic shopping came as the number of people infected with Covid-19 in the UK increased to 273 after the biggest daily rise. 

The Government’s emergency Cobra committee prepared to discuss what further action was needed to delay the spread of the virus. 

Tesco has almost sold out of dried pasta online, but was last night the only one of the so-called Big Four supermarkets to limit sales on food. 

It is rationing anti-bacterial products, dried pasta, UHT milk, children’s medicines, water and tinned vegetables to five items per person, in its stores and online. 

Aldi customers can buy one packet of toilet rolls per person after shelves were emptied within minutes of opening and Asda is restricting some types of hand sanitiser to two bottles each. 

Waitrose has not imposed shop rationing but has put a “temporary cap” on some products online, including anti-bacterial soaps and wipes. Sainsbury’s said it was not limiting purchases. 

Meanwhile some people were trying to cash in on the black market, selling hand sanitiser gel on Amazon and eBay for up to 10 times the original price. 

Bottles worth 49p were on sale for £24.99 and one eBay listing saw a three-quarters-full used bottle of liquid soap offered for more than £5. 

The stockpiling frenzy came after Public Health England urged people to “plan ahead” in case they had to self-isolate for a couple of weeks, in spite of Government assurances that there is no need to hoard supplies. 

Yesterday, Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium said: “While the supply of most products including fresh food remain as normal, some shops are limiting the sale of a small number of other goods. 

“These limits are proportionate to the needs of households while also ensuring that everyone has access to these items. 

“Supply chains remain robust and even where there are challenges, retailers are well versed in providing effective measures to keep retail sites running smoothly.” 

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has insisted there is “absolutely no reason” to panic-buy food or other items. 

Environment Secretary George Eustice will meet food industry representatives today to discuss their response to the coronavirus and support for vulnerable groups who may be isolated. 

The stockpiling scandal was met with fury and bemusement on social media, where the hashtag “panicbuying” was trending. 

Businesswoman and TV’s Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden tweeted: “Turns out we are a selfish lot.” 

WendigoHunter posted: “Oh my God, People literally need to calm down and use more than half a brain cell.” 

Meanwhile, an amusement arcade boss tried to flush out a profit in Bridlington, East Yorks. 

Instead of the usual soft toy awards Eddy Chapman, 34, filled a 30p-a-go grabber machine with toilet rolls.

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