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With supermarkets across the UK selling out of essentials such as loo roll and soap due to coronavirus panic buying, one Devon businessman has come up with a unique way to poke fun at the situation.

Ho Barts amusement arcade in Westward Ho!, North Devon, plays host to thousands of locals and tourists who come to win a teddy from their grabber machines.

But, to reflect the current panic buying hysteria, the new prizes on offer include rolls of toilet paper, antibacterial soap and hand sanitiser.

The idea was the brainchild of arcade owner and prominent local businessman Rob Braddick.

On his Facebook page this morning, he posted pictures of the newly stocked machines saying: "This is all getting ‘Loo-dicrous’ in Westward Ho!, that small Carex hand sanitiser is nearly as rare as hen’s teeth."

Mr Braddick is no stranger to a publicity stunt. Just days earlier he wore a signed bra from model Kelly Brooks' that he purchased at auction over his face in the guise of a face mask.

Yesterday we reported that residents in the South West were being urged to stop panic buying after yet another supermarket sold out of toilet rolls and bars of soap.

(Image: Rob Braddick)

Just a day after a shopper ridiculed panic buyers who had cleared out toilet rolls at Tesco store in Collumpton, and shortly after frenzied people snapped up all the pasta and canned food they could find at the vast Tesco store in Lee Mill near Plymouth, similar scenes have been captured at an Asda superstore in Hayle, Cornwall.

At this point it is not entirely clear why British people think that stockpiling toilet rolls will help them fight off the coronavirus as there has been no medical advice or warning about the illness by Public Health England which includes disgestive problems or diarrhoea.

(Image: Rob Braddick)

In Australia the hysteria has hit the next level and fights have broken out in supermarkets over the last block of toilet rolls.

The government advice there states that signs and symptoms of coronavirus can include fever, cough, shortness of breath with a warning that "other early symptoms to watch for are chills, body aches, sore throat, headache and runny nose, muscle pain or diarrhoea".

A special report by the World Health Organisation of the "WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)" which took place between February 16 and 24 this year, noted that: "Symptoms of COVID-19 are non-specific and the disease presentation can range from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe pneumonia and death.

"As of 20 February 2020 and 12 based on 55924 laboratory confirmed cases, typical signs and symptoms include: fever (87.9%), dry cough (67.7%), fatigue (38.1%), sputum production (33.4%), shortness of breath (18.6%), sore throat (13.9%), headache (13.6%), myalgia or arthralgia (14.8%), chills (11.4%), nausea or vomiting (5.0%), nasal congestion (4.8%), diarrhea (3.7%), and hemoptysis (0.9%), and conjunctival congestion (0.8%)."

Just last week British medical doctor Sir Patrick Vallance advised everyone to remain calm.

Speaking to reporters as the government's coronavirus battle plan was launched, he said: "I think the advice is that there is absolutely no reason to be doing any panic buying of any sort or going out and keeping large supplies of things.

"Clearly there will need to be measures in cases of household quarantine for making sure food is in the right place at the right time but we imagine that could be a rolling case of household quarantine if that measure becomes necessary, and clearly things will need to be in place for care homes and so on if that decision is made."