BULK or ‘panic’ buying is affecting people across the city with many items being sold out at certain shops and supermarkets as shoppers stock up over coronavirus worries.

Images have emerged showing empty shelves at Asda in Silver Street and Tesco in St Peter’s for popular items. A sign in Kwik Save tells customers that they can only purchase two bottles of handwash per person.

Tamie Evans, a Pershore mum, said: “I’m a mum with four kids at home. I can’t go to the shops on a whim to bulk up. I can only budget and get what I can. Today I couldn’t get paracetamol, I couldn’t get beans or flour or eggs or pasta.”

Miss Evans, 34 said: “We all have to look after kids and families etc, stop being so god damn selfish. It’s making my anxiety go through the roof. My daughter had toothache and needed paracetamol, and my baby needed Calpol due to teething and we had nothing. I couldn’t buy it anywhere, let alone pasta and toilet roll or even wet-wipes and nappies.”

Miss Evans, a domiciliary carer, added: “I’ve also told my neighbours and some villagers as well that if they need help to just let me know and I’ll do what I can. The clients I care for are so vulnerable and I’ll not let them down. I’ll go out my way for each one as would other staff members.”

A taxi driver posted on Worcester St John’s Neighbourhood Watch facebook on Saturday night. “Today I picked up an elderly lady from Asda, after doing her weekly shop... She got in my taxi and broke down, she couldn’t get over half of her weekly shop due to people bulk buying, she only goes out once a week, and that’s to do her shop. I asked her what she couldn’t get. One thing was toilet roll. So after I finished work tonight I searched for the bits she needed and took them to her. People need to think about these people before they start piling stupid amounts of things in trolleys.”