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In a night-time raid, a group of robbers destroyed a Sainsbury’s shopfront in south London as retailers come under tremendous strain amid concerns of coronavirus. Yesterday at about 10:50 pm, six people attempted to rob alcohol from the New Kent Road store in Elephant and Castle by ‘ hiding liquor in their clothing. ‘
© Provided by Daily Mail Thugs trashing Sainsbury’s shop front
A spokesperson said: ‘It’s a shame that these things are happening.’ The Met Police said: ‘Staff had reported that six men had entered the store and began to conceal spirits in their clothes. When confronted by staff the men became hostile and threatening. When the group left one of them picked up a sign that was outside the store and damaged a window. Officers attended and four men aged 20, 21, 21, and 22 were arrested near the scene on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.”
‘Enquiries continue.’
These awful scenes come as UK supermarkets come under immense pressure from stockpiling customers amid fears of self-isolation. Dozens of shoppers lined up outside stores before today’s doors opened after retailers introduced rationing measures to deal with a panic-buying spike. Retailers also emphasized that the supply chain provides plenty of food, but shoppers need to behave carefully to ensure that everybody can get what they need-particularly the elderly and most vulnerable who might find daily shopping difficult.
And the capital could be days away from complete shutdown after Boris Johnson declined to rule out ‘ further and quicker ‘ steps to combat the coronavirus yesterday. The Prime Minister announced that it was important to ‘ ruthlessly ‘ introduce so-called social distancing steps-such as working from home and avoiding social events in bars, cinemas, theaters, and restaurants. Around 953 people in London alone have been infected with coronavirus-more than a third of the 2,626 number in the UK.
Helicopters are also being readied to transport supplies. Thousands of soldiers will be mobilized or flown home from overseas programs and put at high readiness to move as part of a new Covid Support Force.