PANICKED SHOPPERS IGNORE ADVICE AND CLEAR THE SHELVES

ONE in three shoppers are ignoring advice and panicbuying groceries, a poll claims.

Some 34 per cent admitted they are buying more than they need of tinned, dried and frozen food, antibacterial wipes and gels, loo rolls and bleach.

Trade journal The Grocer found 12 per cent even plan to buy a bigger freezer to store it – and more than a quarter say they are shopping online.

Ministers were yesterday considering lifting a late-night curfew on delivery lorries to allow restocking.

An industry insider said: “The only thing preventing people buying certain products is those buying more than they need.”

A proposal to lift restrictions on the number of hours truck drivers can spend behind the wheel is also at the centre of crunch talks with store bosses.

Britain’s biggest grocer,

Tesco, has already imposed rationing on certain items, with shoppers limited to five packs per person of baked beans, pasta, longlife milk, tinned veg and bleach.

It is the only supermarket to ration food but rivals are restricting shoppers to how many toiletries they can buy.

The Co-op has limited shoppers to three packs of loo rolls, hand sanitiser, antibacterial soap and hand and surface wipes.

Aldi has clamped down on loo rolls with one pack per person and is also rationing hand sanitisers along with Boots, Asda, Iceland and

Waitrose. Morrisons is limiting shoppers to six bottles of bleach and two hand gels but Sainsbury’s and Lidl are not rationing any products.

Ocado has rationed online orders to just two packs of loo roll and antibacterial gel and three bottles of kids’ medicine Calpol.