Two men accused of stealing more than 500 rolls of toilet paper after breaking into a string of Woolworths supermarkets in Sydney are on the run from police.

Police said the men targeted four stores in the city's western suburbs between 7pm and 8.30pm on Sunday.

The pair allegedly broke into the supermarkets' restricted storage areas, stealing bulk amounts of toilet paper from stores in Granville and Auburn.

They also broke into stores in nearby Bass Hill and Lidcombe but fled empty-handed.

'It was also reported that one of the men threatened an employee with a knife at the Auburn store,' police said in a statement.

Police would like to speak with two men (pictured as the alleged crime was in progress) they believe may be able to assist with their investigation

Police have released CCTV footage of two men they would like to speak with

Police are investigating and have issued a picture of the alleged crime in progress in the hope someone will recognise them.

The first man is described as being of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance, about 185-190cm tall, aged in his 30s, with a solid build.

He has tattoos on his arms and was wearing a grey polo shirt with blue track pants.

The second man is described as being 175-180cm tall with a slim build, aged between 30-35, and was wearing black Adidas pants and a camouflage hooded jumper.

NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott urged anyone with information to come forward and report to police.

'I support any measures taken by police to protect our communities from this sort of disgraceful criminal activity, ' he said on Tuesday.

'The people of NSW will not tolerate criminal behaviour at any time let alone during this crisis.

'People need to grow up and look out for our most vulnerable.'

The alleged theft followed weeks of toilet paper shortages after panic buyers cleared supermarket shelves of loo roll to stockpile for the coronavirus pandemic.

Some shoppers have even become embroiled in ugly confrontations over the limited stock.

Supermarkets have been forced to enforce purchasing restrictions and customers are only allowed one packet per person.

The alleged theft comes after weeks of toilet paper shortages that came as panic buyers cleared supermarket shelves of loo roll

Supplies of toilet paper are plentiful in Australia but supermarkets had been selling six weeks worth of the product in a single day, putting severe strain on the supply chain.

Police were even forced to hand out toilet paper at a Woolworths store in Sydney last week.

Footage of from inside the store showed people eagerly lining up for the much sought-after product.

Rolls of toilet paper are even being sold for extortionate prices on websites such as eBay, Gumtree and Facebook's Marketplace.

One advertisement on Facebook listed a single roll for $100, while another was seemingly charging $200.

Another tongue-in-cheek message offered a roll for $1,000 - or $10 per sheet.