Another mad dash for toilet tissue continues with droves of panic-buyers joining early-morning queues at Costco as second lockdown looms

 

Giant queues formed outside Costco stores today as panic-buyers raced to bulk-buy essentials like toilet roll and tinned goods on the day tighter coronavirus restrictions were announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Supermarket shelves aross Britain have been emptied of pasta, rice and flour as desperate Britons prepare to hunker down at home for a second lockdown. 

It comes as the Prime Minister made a speech in the House of Commons announcing tightened coronavirus restrictions.

His announcement comes after Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said yesterday the UK could hit 50,000 cases a day by mid-October and 200 plus daily deaths by November unless Britain changes course. 

The new restrictions, announced by Boris Johnson in a speech at the House of Commons, include:

• A 10pm curfew on all pubs, bars and restaurants in England from this Thursday onwards.
• Face coverings must be worn by retail workers, customers in indoor hospitality settings and taxi pasengers.
• All those who can are now bring asked to work from home, with people like construction workers exempt.
• Mr Johnson warned the new restrictions could 'remain in place for perhaps six months'.
• Only 15 people will be allowed to attend weddings, with the cap remaining at 30 for funerals. 
• The Prime Minister will address the nation at 8pm to set out new Covid-19 rules 

• Amid growing concern that a second lockdown is on the way, shoppers have been emptying supermarket shelves of essential items.   

  Toilet rolls, frozen food and long-life produce was wiped from the shelves in some stores in scenes familiar to March before lockdown was announced.

  Wholesale shop Costco was inundated with customers with stores in Leeds, London and Manchester seeing a surge in visitors. 

  Many stores had to erect barriers to regulate the growing queues, and shoppers were seen leaving with overflowing trollies as they stocked up on supplies. 

  As customers flooded social media with pictures of empty aisles, one shopper declared: 'It's happening again.'