Thieves steal toilet rolls from a petting farm and sanitiser from hospitals amid coronavirus panic

by


Looting thieves steal toilet rolls from a petting farm and sanitiser from hospitals as coronavirus panic sees supermarket shelves stripped bare

  • Heeley City Farm in Sheffield, South Yorkshire reported 80 stolen rolls
  • Chesterfield Royal Hospital said hand sanitisers were disappearing
  • Officials have warned supplies are already low and could put patients at risk
  • One hospital said stolen hand sanitiser has become a daily occurrence 
  • The incidents comes as shops around the county report shortages in stock  

By Vanessa Chalmers Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Looting thieves have stolen toilet rolls from a petting farm and sanitiser from hospitals amid the coronavirus panic.  

Opportunistic thieves pilfered 80 rolls from Heeley City Farm, a popular petting zoo for youngsters in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 

Farm workers say the theft will have a ‘big impact’, with money made usually going on helping the charity and replenishing stock.

Meanwhile, the nearby Chesterfield Royal Hospital in Derbyshire revealed supplies of hand sanitisers and gels disappearing from their wards.

Officials have warned supplies are low and that the actions of a few people could put vulnerable people at risk.

The incidents comes as shoppers around the country stock up on goods including food and sanitiser as coronavirus cases increase.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital revealed supplies of hand sanitisers and gels disappearing from their wards. Pictured, the hospital in Derbyshire

The nation is in a now in the grip of essential product shortages in store, including dry food, toilet roll and soap. Pictured, empty shelves in London last week

The nation is in a now in the grip of essential product shortages in store, including dry food, toilet roll and soap. Pictured, empty shelves in London last week

Empty cleaning product shelves in London

Empty hand wash shelves in London

Opportunistic thieves took 80 toilet rolls from Heeley City Farm, a popular petting zoo in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Pictured, empty shelves of cleaning products in London 

A spokesman for Heeley City Farm said: ‘We know that people are concerned about the current coronavirus situation and that there have been unnecessary incidences of panic buying of such products across the country.

‘However, incidents on the farm like this have a big impact on our service users, visitors and a knock on effect on what we do as an organisation.

‘Our charity receives no core funding, so things like toilet rolls, cleaning materials etc come out of the same funds that keep our charitable activities going.

‘Having to replace stolen items does have a big impact on our costs.’

PUBLIC TOLD TO STOP STOCKPILING 

The government has said said there was ‘no need’ for coronavirus stockpiling, as shoppers posted images of cleared supermarket shelves on social media. 

Shoppers have reported shortages of items such as toilet roll, pasta and soup at their stores. Hand sanitiser as been limited to one or two per person in stores such as Boots for over two weeks.   

At Tesco, shoppers are limited to buying no more than five of certain goods, including antibacterial gels, wipes and sprays, dry pasta, UHT milk and some tinned vegetables.

Waitrose has brought in a temporary cap on antibacterial soaps and wipes on its website, while Tesco implemented a five-item limit at the weekend, which includes a list of products including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes, gels and sprays, and long-life milk.  

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned against stockpiling, urging people to ‘behave responsibly and think about others’ when purchasing supplies. 

Asked whether people should be stockpiling and if the Government will be able to keep shelves stocked, he said on Monday ‘we’re certainly confident that we have fantastic supply chains’.

He added: ‘There will be a meeting of the scientific advisory group for emergencies tomorrow and then a further Cobra on Wednesday to consider the next steps.’ 

Asked whether advice for the elderly remains ‘just to wash your hands and nothing else’, Professor Chris Whitty said advice for older people and those who are vulnerable for other reasons will be coming forward ‘in the next stage of the plan after this’.

Mr Johnson added: ‘We’ll make sure we do everything we can to keep supermarkets stocked and the economy working.’

The spokesman has asked visitors not to ‘help themselves’ to toilet rolls.

Chesterfield Royal Hospital has been contacted for comment.

Hand sanitising gel is being stolen by visitors to a hospital on a daily basis according to Northampton General Hospital. 

Bottles of the invaluable 400ml foaming hand sanitiser, kept at the ends of beds, are ‘disappearing every day’, a hospital spokesperson told the BBC.

Three wall-mounted dispensers have been ripped off, while visitors have used the hospital’s supply of sanitiser to ‘top up’ their own bottles.  

It comes as a Dublin hospital revealed yesterday medicals supplies to prevent staff from getting the coronavirus were stolen.

St Luke’s Hospital in Rathgar, which specialises in treating cancer patients, said that ‘a portion of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)’ was taken.

Supplies are now being restocked at the hospital, and extra security measures have been put in place.   

European health chiefs met in Brussels last week to discuss a possible shortage in protective equipment as coronavirus fears continue to rise across the continent. 

The incidents comes as fears over the spread of the deadly coronavirus have sparked a huge demand in the supply of hand sanitiser.

And panicked shoppers have been stockpiling dry food, toilet roll and soap after confusing Government advice said people may need to think about the even of two-week self isolation. 

Numerous reports and photographic evidence of panic-buying across the country since last week, leaving shelves empty.

The Government has been forced to hold emergency meetings because the nation is in a now in the grip of essential product shortages in store.   

A total of 382 people in the UK have tested positive for coronavirus. There have been six deaths.