Australians divided after van is caught with hundreds of rolls of toilet paper

Driver caught with a van full of toilet rolls is slammed after thousands of Aussies are left without loo paper for weeks – but some people say there could be a perfectly good reason for the haul

  • Australians left divided after picture emerged of van with load full of toilet paper
  • The toilet paper-laden van was spotted heading north on Sydney’s M1 motorway 
  • Some accused van driver of hoarding supplies amid panic buying in Australia
  • Others thought motorist could simply be stocking up commercially for his shop  
  • Panic buyers have cleared supermarket shelves to stockpile during pandemic 

Australians have been left divided after a picture of emerged of a van carrying a load full of toilet paper.

The toilet paper-laden van was spotted heading north on Sydney’s M1 highway on Saturday afternoon.

Australians were quick to share their outrage and quickly accused the van driver of hoarding supplies.

Australians have been left divided after a picture of emerged of a van carrying a load full of toilet paper

‘I still haven’t been able to buy toilet paper since this started, I’m p****d off,’ wrote one listener on Facebook. 

‘They are profiteering by selling it on eBay,’ another said.

The sighting was shared by a listener on Ray Hadley’s 2GB morning radio show. 

Meanwhile others pointed out it could be a commercial vehicle delivering supplies to those in need.

‘I saw on Facebook that Quilton were donating to charities. Maybe he has picked up supply for a charity,’ one said. 

Others believed it could be a shop owner picking up supplies to restock the shelves. 

‘They might be stocking up his shop. Who knows,’ another added.  

 

Australians were quick to share their outrage and quickly accused the van driver of hoarding supplies, but others thought there could be another reason for his toilet paper-laden van

Australians were quick to share their outrage and quickly accused the van driver of hoarding supplies, but others thought there could be another reason for his toilet paper-laden van

Police released images from a CCTV camera showing two men offloading toilet paper in a Woolworths storage area

Police released images from a CCTV camera showing two men offloading toilet paper in a Woolworths storage area

It comes after police arrested one of the men they believe is responsible for looting hundreds of rolls of toilet paper from Sydney supermarkets. 

A six-day manhunt had kept New South Wales police on their toes after two men were caught on camera allegedly stealing more than 500 rolls from four stores in the western suburbs.

A man was arrested after being pulled over by police on Vaughan Street in Lidcombe on Friday afternoon for his alleged involvement in the robberies. 

Toilet roll aisles have been left completely empty after panic buying sprees

Woolworth staff members unpack a fresh delivery of toilet paper as shelves run dry (pictured)

The alleged theft comes after weeks of toilet paper shortages that came as panic buyers cleared supermarket shelves of loo roll 

There have been toilet paper shortages in recent weeks after panic buyers cleared supermarket shelves of loo roll to stockpile for the coronavirus pandemic. 

Supermarkets have been forced to enforce purchasing restrictions and customers are only allowed one packet per person. 

Some shoppers have even become embroiled in ugly confrontations over the limited stock.  

Supplies of toilet paper are plentiful in Australia but supermarkets had been selling six weeks worth of the product in a single day, putting severe strain on the supply chain.

Police were even forced to hand out toilet paper at a Woolworths store in Sydney last week.

Timeline of Australian panic buying  

March 1 – Panic buying of toilet paper starts, with supermarket shelves around the country getting cleared out of loo roll as coronavirus fears ramp up

March 4 – Coles introduces a four-pack limit on toilet paper.

March 6 – Three women are filmed in a shocking fist fight over toilet paper at a Woolworths in Chullora, 15km west of Sydney’s CBD.

March 7 – Video goes viral of an elderly woman slapping another shopper across the face as they scrap over the last packet of toilet paper in a Melbourne Coles.

March 13 – Woolworths introduces a one-packet limit on paper towels and napkins. 

March 17 – Woolworths and Coles introduce a dedicated shopping hour for the elderly and disabled to stock up without being overwhelmed by the panic buying chaos within some stores.

March 18 –  Woolworths says customers will only be able to purchase two items from any single category from most packaged products, with the exception of some fresh foods.

March 18 –  Scott Morrison demands Australians stop hoarding food and other essential supplies in impassioned press conference.

March 24 – Coles announces it is allowing emergency service workers – including nurses and police officers – to shop during its dedicated ‘community hour’.

Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by shoppers worried about having to self-isolate for two weeks because of the coronavirus

Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by shoppers worried about having to self-isolate for two weeks because of the coronavirus

Footage of from inside the store showed people eagerly lining up for the much sought-after product.

Rolls of toilet paper are even being sold for extortionate prices on websites such as eBay, Gumtree and Facebook’s Marketplace.

One advertisement on Facebook listed a single roll for $100, while another was seemingly charging $200.

Another tongue-in-cheek message offered a roll for $1,000 – or $10 per sheet.

 

 

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