The government today scolded 'shameful' panic-buying and pleaded with frenzied shoppers to consider more vulnerable people before emptying the nation's supermarkets.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told people to 'calm down' and claimed there is 'more than enough food to go around'.
But he said that many Britons, including frontline NHS staff, were being deprived because of a sharp upswing in stockpiling.
Speaking at the latest daily press briefing from Downing Street this afternoon, he said: 'We recognise that this is a challenging time and there are many things the government is asking the nation to do differently as we work together to fight this pandemic.
'Be responsible when you shop and think of others. Buying more than you need means others may be left without.'
Mr Eustice was flanked by British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson and NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis, who condemned the selfishness and said: 'Frankly we should all be ashamed.'
The health chief made his admonishment as he pointed to a viral video of female health worker Dawn Bilbrough, 51, who broke down in tears after faced with rows of bare shelves following an exhausting shift.
Ms Dickinson laid bare the sheer tonnage of food which has flown off the shelves in recent weeks when she revealed: 'There is a billion pounds more food in people's houses than there was three weeks ago, so we should make sure we eat some of it.'
The government's call to exercise restraint came as hordes of shoppers descended on supermarkets at the crack of dawn this morning in a desperate bid to stock up after weeks of coronavirus panic-buying cleared food aisles across the country.
Staggering scenes saw a queue of hundreds of people snake round a Tesco car park at 6am, and even spill out on to the streets of New Malden, London.
Since the pandemic tightened its choke-hold on the UK, fears of an imminent lockdown have fanned mass stockpiling as people brace to hunker down at home.
Many with COVID-19 symptoms are already self-isolating and, asked about possible military involvement in the supply chain to safeguard food for these people, Mr Eustice said: 'We are obviously giving increasing thought within government over how we will protect those who may be self-isolating because they are vulnerable and I know more will be said about this in due course.'
He also revealed manufacturers were producing 50 per cent more stock to match demand, and revealed that said that talks were ongoing with supermarkets to ensure that food banks were able to retain stock in order to help vulnerable people.
The first Number 10 press conference without Boris Johnson, who has taken the reins on the government's response to the outbreak, came as the infection rate surpassed 4,000 and the death toll his 178.
Previous pleas from the government and retailers to steer clear of panic-buying has largely fallen on deaf ears.
Individual stores have already taken action to curb the number of products people could buy, while police and private security were even drafted in to stamp out ransacking of high-demand items such as toilet roll.
But still heartbreaking scenes of elderly people and exhausted frontline NHS staff standing helplessly beside empty shelves have continued to flood social media.
This prompted chains including Sainsbury's and M&S to set aside a golden hour where they can buy essentials before the masses stampede the store.
Boris Johnson was today speaking to supermarket bosses about efforts to keep supplies flowing after yesterday drastically ramped up measures to stem the spread of the deadly infection.
But he did take time out of his schedule to write to a little girl from Stubbington, Hampshire, who had her birthday party cancelled amid social distancing guidelines.
In an unprecedented peacetime move the Prime Minister yesterday ordered all pubs, restaurants, clubs, gyms and cinemas and theatres to close.
As people prepare to retreat indoors, they also appear to be stocking up on booze, with wine, beer and spirits flying off the shelves in supermarkets today.
Many flouted government advice and last night enjoyed one last trip to the pub, with people drinking up across the country.
But at today's press briefing, Mr Powis blasted these revellers and said it was 'absolutely crucial' that 'everybody' followed advice on reducing social contact.
He said: 'It's not for somebody else to follow, it's for you to follow, it's for me to follow, it's for everybody to follow.
'This is all our problem and if we do it together, it will be an effective strategy. If you do it, you follow the advice, you will be saving somebody's life.
'This is the time in your lifetime whereby your action can save somebody's life. It is as simple and as stark as that.'
As desperate shoppers flocked to the supermarket in their droves:
- High streets and shopping centres were deserted as Britons adjusted to locked-down life;
- The NHS struck a deal with private hospitals for 20,000 extra staff, 8,000 beds and 1,200 ventilators;
- Rishi Sunak's promise to underwrite 80 per cent of employees' wages was estimated to cost £10billion in three months if just 10 per cent of the workforce signed up to the scheme;
- Almost a billion people worldwide are now confined to their homes;
- A London barista, 28, died from malaria after failing to get through to coronavirus-overloaded 111 call centre;
- A doctor slammed the government for not providing adequate protective gear for NHS staff, who were being 'coughed on' in busy shifts;
- Supermarkets' schemes to allow the elderly and NHS workers into the shop early was picked apart by a medic who said it mixed society's most vulnerable and the most prone to infection;
- The government drew up plans to buy shares in ailing British Airways;
- Spain announced 324 new coronavirus deaths as the number of cases rose to 24,926;
- Government scientists warned social distancing measures of some kind might last for most of the year.
A Marks & Spencer shop in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, was among the first shops to call in police to help ensure older shoppers could use the hour set aside for them.
Asda and Aldi have hired a sports security firm, Showsec, to protect against selfish panic buyers.
And some other 118 major stores across the UK have also requested to protection from customers who openly flout governmental advice to stop cramming their trollies.
The staff, who are usually escorting boxers to the ring, have been employed to work from 5am to midday.
One Shosec worker told The Sun: 'They cannot handle the trouble. They're calling us in to try and get some order back but it's going to be a mammoth task.'
Supermarkets are desperately trying to keep up with the demand in order to prevent the elderly and NHS staff and emergency workers from having to go without as a result of other selfish shoppers.
Tesco is even hiring 20,000 shelf stackers on 12-week contracts, while Aldi is aiming for 9,000 and Asda for 5,000.
Most supermarkets have started limiting purchases and are trying to get shoppers down to just two or three items of food, toiletries and cleaning products.
Waitrose has started a £1million community support fund to make sure essential items are delivered to care homes.
And others have taken measures to allow NHS staff priority access after an emotional video of a crying care nurse tugged on the nations heart strings a few days ago.
Dawn Bilbrough, 51, from York, had just completed a 48-hour shift before visiting her supermarket to pick up basic food items for the next two days when she was left having a 'little cry'.
After discovering there were no fruit and vegetables for her to sustain a healthy living amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the healthcare worker made a tearful plea to the public urging them to 'just stop it'.
The nurse took to Facebook from the seat of her car to tell the nation: 'So I've just come out the supermarket. There's no fruit and veg and I had a little cry in there.'
'I'm a critical care nurse and I've just finished 48 hours of work and I just wanted to get some stuff in for the next 48 hours.
'There's no fruit, there's no vegetables and I just don't know how I'm supposed to stay healthy.
