Social distancing was completely forgotten as shoppers battled over bargains in the chiller aisle as panic-buying plunged to new lows.
The extraordinary scenes showed Tesco customers wrestling near the shelves where discounted items were laid out at the end of the day.
Despite the fact food stores will be allowed to stay open during the UK’s second national lockdown, there have been pockets of panic-buying incidents throughout the country.
Shoppers have also turned to bulk-buy wholesalers like Costco to be able to stock up for the near month-long shutdown.
Yesterday a 1,300ft-long queue could be seen at the Lakeside branch as families queued up to get inside.
A group of shoppers break social distancing rules to battle it out for a bargain in the reduced section of a Tesco branch
Hundreds queue outside Costco at Lakeside a drone photograph showed yesterday as lines stretched 1,300 feet in length
Tesco’s outbreak of retail rage – which was posted online with location unknown – saw thrifty shoppers hell-bent on grabbing a bargain physically shove each other out of the way in the reduced aisle.
At one point, a man can be seen reaching out across the crowd of people to swipe a load of goodies off the top shelf, while a number of other shoppers grab handfuls of items from the various other shelves.
Twitter users have reported seeing similar scenes, with one adding: ‘Last week I had some old lady shoulder barge me to get to the reduced section even though I hadn’t even stopped to look at anything.
People concerned about being able to buy Christmas presents were seen, with one man buying a giant teddy from Costco
Others used bulk-buy wholesaler Costco to stock up on items, including cereal, milkshake and toilet and kitchen rolls
‘Five mins later I see her buying expensive bottles of wine.’
A second person said: ‘They do that all the time. Did it well before Covid as well.’
A third user joked: ‘I see nothing wrong in this video!’
Tesco’s reduced section has long been popular among thrifty shoppers and often provides a treasure trove of goodies including discounted meats, cheeses, and ready-meals as well as an array of pastries.
It emerged the day after supermarkets started rationing their products again after panic-buying hordes descended on food shops across the country today ahead of the UK’s second national lockdown on Thursday.
A Tesco supermarket in Ely, Cambridgeshire, put limits on essential goods such as toilet rolls, flour and eggs.
Supermarkets have been urging people not to stockpile items, but customers appear to be taking no notice and are buying large amount of non-essential items and cupboard goods, just as they did back in March before the first national lockdown.
Yesterday the shelves were bare in aisles at Asda in Cambridge and Tesco in Ely in Cambridgeshire.
Home delivery slots are also getting booked up, with many customers struggling to get slots and taking to Twitter to complain.
Hundreds of customers had lined up to get into stores, including Sainsbury’s and wholesalers Costco, ahead of the shutdown coming in on Thursday.
Primark – which will have to close under lockdown – also saw queues outside its flagship Oxford Street store.
A retail worker at fashion chain Bershka’s Oxford Street store told MailOnline: ‘It has been really busy.
Empty toilet paper shelves in Asda in Cambridge on Monday afternoon after shoppers picked them clean of supplies
Empty flour shelves in Asda in Cambridge on Monday afternoon showed that some shoppers had started panic buying
Shoppers queue outside Selfridges on Oxford Street in central London today ahead of the national lockdown on Thursday
Shoppers wore masks as they queued to get into Selfridges today to get in some last minute Christmas shopping before Thursday’s national lockdown
‘It was half term as well so I don’t think it’s all been due to the lockdown.
‘But this weekend has been busier.’
Meanwhile, staff in a Zara shop just yards down the road said it has been ‘much more busy’ in recent days as the Government’s announcement sent people’s Christmas shopping plans into chaos.
And those hoping to stay at home were also dealt a blow as delivery slots became booked up for the entire month.
It comes after the Covid Quad committee, which has taken all the key strategic decisions during the pandemic, met in the Cabinet Office on Friday.
They came together for the crunch talks after doomsday predictions from the Government’s SAGE committee of scientific advisers.
Mr Johnson was forced to unveil the new lockdown at a hurriedly-arranged press conference yesterday after plans from the meeting leaked.
The measures come into force from midnight on Thursday morning until December 2.
They close all but essential shops, restaurants, pubs, hairdressers and leisure centres.
The furlough scheme that pays workers 80% of their wages will be extended for a month, and travel outside the UK will be allowed only for ‘work’.
Mr Johnson said it was the the only way to avert bleak Sage predictions of 85,000 deaths this winter.
He warned it that happened it would force doctors to choose between saving Covid sufferers and those with other illnesses.
Shoppers queue while keeping socially distanced on marked yellow circles outside Selfridges in London today
Reams of people were seen queuing down Oxford Street desperately waiting to get into Selfridges before the department store temporarily closes for at least a month on Thursday
Shoppers laden with bags from other high street stores are spotted queuing up to get into Selfridges on Oxford Street today
Shelves were bare in Morrisons in Newport, on the Isle of Wight, as shoppers got busy inside the supermarket
There was barely any hand sanitiser available in the shop, which was even labelled as a ‘food bank priority item’
Toilet roll was also in short supply with barely ten packets available for customers to buy on their shop
Alcohol was also a popular choice for shoppers to drown their sorrows during the UK’s second national lockdown
Shoppers were spotted wearing masks throughout the capital today ahead of the national lockdown which comes into effect on Thursday
Long queues were seen outside Selfridges in London today as shoppers lined up hoping to get in some last minute shopping before the national lockdown comes into effect on Thursday
Shoppers laden with bags from high street stores were spotted walking around the capital today as they made the most of non-essential shops before they temporarily close on Thursday
He said: ‘No responsible PM can ignore the message of those figures. We’ve got to be humble in the face of nature.’
A UK Government spokesperson said: ‘As the Prime Minister said on Saturday, essential shops will remain open, so there is no need to stock up. Our message to everyone is that people should be considerate in the way they shop.
‘The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which held up well in the spring, and will do so again.
‘We continue to work closely with food retailers and the food industry as we have done throughout the response to the coronavirus pandemic. They report no overall supply issues.’
Mark Hall, waste management specialist at Business Waste said: ‘The second wave of panic buying that is occurring is utterly disgraceful. During the first wave we saw tons of perishable goods being recklessly stockpiled to only go to landfill in the weeks after.
‘There is no shortage of food or toilet paper as we learned from experience and we are only putting the pressure back on supermarket supply chains for no reason. We have to stop and think about the elderly and those who can only access their local shops for their weekly shop and stop panic buying.
‘If we continue to send food waste to landfill it will decompose, rot and produce methane, one of the most damaging greenhouse gasses. Food waste is best disposed of through anaerobic digestion and composting to minimise the harmful impact to the environment’