No-deal Brexit panic sets in as UK shoppers stockpile painkillers and toilet roll

Supermarket chain Morrisons has stocked up on 'cupboard fillers' such as tins of soup and beans

Shoppers are stocking up on “cupboard fillers” including toilet rolls and painkillers in preparation for a no-deal Brexit, according to Morrisons.

On Tuesday, MPS voted by 391 to 242 to reject a revised version of the EU Withdrawl Agreement, 17 days before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.

Morrisons’ chief executive David Potts revealed the supermarket chain has seen sales of these goods rise by more than seven per cent.

"We have seen a very small amount of customers buying in," Mr Potts said after the company released its financial results for the year to 3 February.

"Whether that's got any bearing on how people are feeling about the Brexit process, I don't know.”

The supermarket chain has also increased stocks of “cupboard fillers” including tins of soup and beans, two months after Tesco and Marks & Spencer revealed they were stockpiling certain goods in preparation for a no-deal.

Potts said the company has also been considering alternative ports and supply routes into the UK to import items in case its usual supply lines were delayed.

Last month, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said there is no need to stockpile food in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

When it comes to buying non-perishable good such as tins of beans, Andrew Opie, the consortium’s director of food and sustainability said: “There is no need for consumers to buy more than normal, because stores have been increasing their supplies a little, just to make sure they are ready for the initial period after March 29.”

As for perishable good, such as fruit and vegetables, Opie added: “It’s not practical or particularly safe for anyone to store them.”