Tesco puts three-item limit on flour, pasta and toilet roll following Morrisons move

"We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round"
Customers followed social distancing guidelines as they queued outside a Tesco store in Leicester in May
PA
April Roach @aprilroach2825 September 2020

Tesco is reintroducing limits on items such as toilet roll as the supermarket giant's chief executive appealed for the public to avoid "unnecessary" panic buying.

The company revealed on Friday that its stores will have a three-items per customer limit on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes.

The new limits come a day after Morrisons introduced similar measures.

“We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal," a Tesco spokeswoman told the Evening Standard.

"To ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need, we have introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products."

The supermarket giant explained that there are also additional limits for a select number of products online, such as rice and canned vegetables.

The Tesco spokeswoman added: “To help our customers shop safely, we will also have colleagues at the entrances of our larger stores to remind customers about the safety measures we have in place, including the legal requirement to wear a face covering.”

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It comes after coronavirus cases surged by 6,634 overnight and new Covid-19 regulations were introduced by the Government this week.

Panic-buying shoppers made an extra 42 million visits to supermarkets in just four days during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March and supermarkets were left overwhelmed as panic-buying and stockpiling saw shelves stripped of many basic items from toilet rolls to milk and pasta.

Morrisons confirmed yesterday that it was rationing some of its products to prevent customers from stockpiling over second wave fears.

Restrictions will be placed on items including toilet roll and disinfectant to maintain current supply levels.

Shocking footage shows shoppers panic buying in Brent Cross

Morrisons said current stock levels "are good", but it has brought in the measure to ensure goods continue to be "available for everyone"amid fears panic buying will restart.

A spokesman told the Standard said: "We are introducing a limit on a small number of key products, such as toilet roll and disinfectant.

"Our stock levels of these products are good but we want to ensure that they are available for everyone."

It comes after supermarkets such as Ocado and Tesco added warnings on their websites to alert their customers that they are experiencing high demand for deliveries.

Ocado's posted a notice to its website stating: "Delivery slots are selling out faster than usual. If you can't find a slot now, please use the 'Next 3 days' button to see available slots further in advance."