Coronavirus: Police patrol Peterborough supermarket as Tesco staff member assaulted and hundreds queue for food

Officers were at Tesco in Serpentine Green, Hampton, before the 6am opening time where dozens of shoppers queued to get in early. Other supermarkets were equally busy, with some people apparently queuing for more than an hour to get in first. Patrols were undertaken by police after the top cop for Peterborough and Fenland Superintendent Andy Gipp made a public pledge to shop staff that he would offer them support. The force said a member of staff at Tesco in March was grabbed by the neck yesterday, leading to a police investigation, as tensions continue to rise due to the coronavirus which has prompted panic buying. There have also been several reports of people’s food shops being stolen, while opening hours for the elderly and vulnerable have largely been ignored, or products have been cleaned out before.