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Man 'swipes 400 toilet paper rolls' from supermarket storage areas

A Sydney man is due to face court accused of stealing hundreds of rolls of toilet paper from supermarket storage areas amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 30-year-old man was arrested in Lidcombe in Sydney’s west on Friday afternoon after a vehicle stop.

Police will allege he and another man stole about 400 rolls of toilet paper from restricted storage areas at stores in Auburn and Granville last Sunday.

The pair also allegedly went to stores at Bass Hill and Lidcombe with intent to steal.

Further arrests are expected, police said.

Supermarkets have been strictly limiting how many packs of toilet rolls customers can buy during the COVID-19 pandemic after anxious shoppers began stocking up on the product, leaving shelves bare.

NSW Police Minister David Elliott congratulated police on the arrest.

An empty row of toilet paper rolls in a supermarket.
A Sydney man is due to face court accused of stealing hundreds of rolls of toilet paper from a supermarket. Source: AAP

"At this time of crisis, it only takes one fool to cause a high level of unnecessary community anxiety," he said in a statement.

The Auburn man is due to face the Parramatta Local Court via video link on Saturday charged with two counts of larceny, robbery in company, break and enter with intent, and entering enclosed land without lawful excuse.

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