SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has started rationing the sale of certain goods amid panic-buying in the face of coronavirus fears.

The retailer will be limiting the sale of ‘disaster’ goods including dry pasta, baked beans, long life milk, as well as anti-bacterial gels, wipes, sprays and Calpol.

Tesco has confirmed that shoppers will only be able to purchase five of any of these items.

The restrictions were put in place on Saturday and today (Sunday) have been extended to apply to online orders as well.

Shoppers attempting to order more than five of such items are greeted with the message: “You have reached the maximum quantity of 5 for this item.”

Some items, including home brand baked beans and various types of pasta, cannot be purchased at all online with a “sorry, this product is not available message” appearing.

Basingstoke Gazette:

It comes after Basingstoke residents hit out at panic-buying earlier this week after shelves across the town were wiped out.

And further images and videos shared on social media show yet more rows of empty shelves in various local supermarkets.

Shoppers have reported in the likes of Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, as well as Tesco.

One person wrote: “Funny to see that in the Basingstoke Waitrose, amongst empty shelves for toilet paper, pasta and rice. There was also no white bread flour!”

Another added: “Mad Max got it wrong. In the end of days it wasn't fuel or ammunition people fought over. It's Andrex Supreme Quilted toilet paper.”

Meanwhile, in nearby Farnborough, footage shows people loading their trolleys to capacity with toilet paper in Costco.

On Friday the Gazette sent a reporter to visit shoppers in supermarkets around the town - many of whom expressed their outrage at the panic-buying.

Tsvetelina Todorova, 55, from Basingstoke, said: "Panic is big. We do not know anything about coronavirus because it is new.

"We need to be more responsible and wash our hands. Panic buying is silly! More people are sick because not much is being done. Coronavirus will come to us because it spreads so fast."

She also said there is not information out there on how to stop the virus.

"I remember swine flu; it was the same danger. I went on eBay and my friend explained that a handful costs £35 for 50ml. This is stupid!"

"It’s a situation that’s got out of control. People are scared, that’s why they’re panic buying. The customer notice which tells shoppers only to buy two anticbac products is sensible," she told the Gazette.

Morrison's shopper, Sheena Menzies, 62, from Basingstoke vented her outrage at the empty shelves.

“I have never seen something like this before," she said. "It is hysteria. I have little antibac and people can’t get hand gels.

"Even little bottles, it’s ridiculous. I’m disappointed that there’s nothing on these shelves.

"I only live across the road. Tuesday it was packed and today in Morrison’s it’s heaving with people. I understand people have to fend for themselves but it’s gluttony.”

Sainsbury's Customer Assistant told the Gazette: "Within an hour, antibac, Dettol spray and hand gel goes. Anyone who has antibacterial hand wash goes.

"We get deliveries in mornings and prioritise these now. It’s been like this for a couple of days. We have up to 10,000 more items to pick out back.”