Burglars loot toilet roll and food from home of Sunderland grandmother

The thieves broke in and plundered the toilet tissue and the contents of a chest freezer before using a wheelie bin to transport them from the Sunderland home of the victim, who is in her 70s.

Toilet roll has become iconic of panic buying seen in UK supermarkets in recent weeks during the coronavirus crisis, with customers emptying shelves, leading to stores introducing limits on how much shoppers could buy.

The woman woke on the morning of Sunday, March 22, to find thieves had broken in overnight at her home in Grindon and stolen what have become essential items during social distancing.

The victim’s daughter, who did not want to be named, said her mother had been left shaken by the incident.

“My mum was a victim of a crime of the most heinous nature,” she said.

“Whilst sleeping, her garage was broken into and thieves helped themselves to the contents of her chest freezers.

“They also stole loo roll and other items and used her wheelie bin to transport their loot.”

She added: “Whilst not wanting to set further panic in the communities I belong to, do take time to stress the importance of security to the vulnerable and elderly people you care for.”

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “Shortly after 10am on Sunday March 22 we received a report of a burglary at an address on Stirling Close, Sunderland.

“It was reported that an intruder had broken into the garage of an address overnight and stolen a number of items including a wheelie bin and frozen food.

“An investigation has been launched into the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page on our website quoting reference 211 220320.”

Further queues were seen outside supermarkets this morning after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced strict rules limiting people’s movements to help stem the spread of Covid-19.