A visit to one of our area's biggest supermarkets this evening revealed just how much our stores are emptying amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As restrictions and advice on staying at home get tighter by the day, it really does seem like shoppers are stocking up as much as they can.

And this is what we saw on a trip to Sainsbury's London Colney at 7.30pm this evening..

Aisle after aisle was completely empty with meat, fish, fruit and veg, bread, pasta, soup, cereal, soap, and toilet roll cleared from the shelves.

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No fruit in sight

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Holy Macaroni! No chance of buying any pasta!

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An empty shelf where toilet rolls would usually be stocked

Shoppers were walking around the store in bewilderment, with some trying to raise a smile, otherwise they'd probably cry knowing their trip to Sainsbury's was ultimately wasted.

Halfway around the shop, it became virtually impossible to work out which section you were even in, with only the signs hanging from the ceiling there to guide you.

The freezer section wasn't much better while the shelves normally home to long-life milk, tea and coffee were also raided.

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No tinned food, cans, or perishables

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We're not even sure what is meant to be stocked here

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You'd be hard-pressed to find any shopper there tonight who could get their hands on everything went in there for.

Staff had begun wheeling out huge trolleys of stock knowing they had a busy night ahead of them.

There were plenty of Easter eggs in stock, however.

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The scenes in Sainsbury's are repeated across the country, with supermarkets now taking action to ensure there is enough stock on the shelf.

Customers are banned from buying more than a certain number of the same product.

Meanwhile, Tesco has announced it is cut opening hours at its 24 hour stores.

From tonight and every night onwards for the immediate future, all Tesco stores will be closed from 10pm until 6am to give the staff the chance to restock the shelves. 

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "We are changing these store hours to ensure we can serve customers better at this time. It gives our colleagues the time overnight to restock the store, replenish the shelves and support our online grocery service at a time when demand is high."

The good news is supermarkets are not concerned about the supply chain at the moment.