A legally blind woman who visits the supermarket with her guide dog says she had toilet paper stolen from her trolley as coronavirus panic-buying reaches a new low.

Casey Hyde, from Melbourne, urged shoppers to think of the disadvantaged while stocking up on groceries.

'Because we can't see, people behind us are actually stealing our toilet rolls because they're panicking,' she told Nine News.

A legally blind woman who visits the supermarket with her guide dog says she had toilet paper stolen from her trolley as coronavirus panic-buying reaches a new low

'Please consider other people who are disadvantaged because we can't get food because we don't have cars.'

The shocking incident comes as supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths introduce drastic changes to combat panic buying.

Both supermarkets announced all stores across the country will close at 8pm from Wednesday so staff can re-stock shelves and clean the premises.

They will also only allow the elderly and vulnerable into stores between 7am and 8am.

For Woolworths this starts on Tuesday morning and Coles stores will follow from Wednesday morning.

Shoppers must have a government issued seniors or disability card to be granted early access.

Casey Hyde, from Melbourne, urged shoppers to think of the disadvantaged while stocking up on groceries

The new policies come after shelves have been left bare as Australians rush to stockpile food in case they catch COVID-19 and have to be quarantined for two weeks.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 26,651 Victoria: 19,835 New South Wales: 4,166 Queensland: 1,149 Western Australia: 659 South Australia: 466 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 26,651 CURRENT ACTIVE CASES: 1,340 DEATHS: 810 Updated: 9.56 PM, 13 September, 2020 Advertisement

'We want to slow the panic down,' Woolworths managing director Claire Peters said.

'We understand that our customers' priority is to be prepared, but the vast majority of our food is grown or manufactured in Australia so there is not a concern with supply. What we have is a spike in demand.'

Coles is also hiring 5,000 casual workers, including delivery drivers, as it deals with a massive surge in demand.

CEO Steven Cain said: 'Coles is taking all possible steps to improve the level of stock on our shelves for the community.

'Our team members, suppliers and transport partners have been working as hard as possible delivering more products to stores every day and replenishing shelves of popular products such as toilet paper, long-life pantry staples and healthcare items as quickly as possible.'