Prices soar as coronavirus sparks panic buying in supermarkets

Hand sanitiser products normally selling for 49p were on sale online for £24.99 yesterday as panic buying continued.

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

The anti-bacterial soap has sold out across the country, leaving supermarket and chemists’ shelves empty.

Shoppers have also been bulk-buying painkillers, lavatory paper, cleaning supplies and long-life food amid fears supplies will run out if coronavirus causes widespread disruption to deliveries to stores.

Meanwhile, many DIY stores have sold out of face masks as shoppers hope they will help stop them getting infected.

The shelves where painkillers should have been displayed were empty at the Asda store in Motherwell yesterday.

Earlier, supermarkets cast doubts on an assurance from the Westminster Health Secretary that supplies would not be affected.

On Thursday, Matt Hancock said: “We are working with the supermarkets to make sure that, if people are self-isolating, then we will be able to get the food and supplies that they need.”

But supermarket sources said they had not discussed getting food to homes, with one executive saying he was “baffled” by the suggestions.

Westminster Environment Secretary George Eustice, who held talks with supermarket and trade bosses on Friday, said he was “reassured” they had “robust plans” to minimise disruption.

But the British Retail Consortium said its members were “facing an unprecedented rise in demand for certain products”.

Meanwhile, Liberty Marketing found Lidl 49p sanitisers selling for as much as £24.99 online.

Officials at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have warned they would take strict action, and anyone trying to inflate prices could be fined under competition laws.