Shoppers have been urged not to be a 'Covidiot' and panic-buy food and supplies.
The warning comes after some supermarkets reported that customers had begun to stockpile toilet roll and food, following suggestions of an incoming second lockdown.
Reduced-price food aisles and hygiene sections at some stores have been left depleted in recent days - in scenes familiar to March and early April, after the Government warned of rising coronavirus cases across the UK.
What does the term 'Covidiot' mean?
The term has been used more and more in the UK and around the world in the last year due to the current pandemic.
It refers to a person who hoards goods, denying them from their neighbours, and also means someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety.
'Shop as you normally would'
Meanwhile, a director at the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has urged consumers to be considerate of others and “shop as you normally would” – though he added supply chains are currently “stronger than ever”.
What have Asda, Aldi, Tesco, Sainbury's and Lidl said about supplies of products?
Despite scenes at some stores, supermarket giants Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi told PA they had “good availability” on Monday and have not experienced any shortages yet.
Tesco added its online capacity had almost doubled from 600,000 weekly delivery slots in March, to 1.5 million in September.
What have the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said?
Director of food and sustainability at the BRC, Andrew Opie, said: “Supply chains are stronger than ever before and we do not anticipate any issues in the availability of food or other goods under a future lockdown.
“Nonetheless, we urge consumers to be considerate of others and shop as they normally would.”
He added that retailers have done an “excellent job” making sure customers have access to food throughout the pandemic, while installing perspex screens and other social distancing measures.
“As such, retail remains a safe space for consumers, even under future lockdowns,” he said.
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