People are stealing hand sanitiser from hospitals and GP surgeries in Britain because of the coronavirus outbreak, sparking pleas from healthcare workers to stop.

Some hospitals have resorted to tying hand gel bottles to patients’ beds and putting stocks in secure cupboards to stop more being taken amid a shortage in high street shops.

Staff on a cancer ward at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London wrote on Twitter: “I can’t believe I am having to ask this but please do not take the hand sanitisers off our wards when you visit Barts Hospital.

“We need it to ensure safe care for your loved ones, the best way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is good hand-washing.”

A member of staff at Leicester Royal Infirmary called for people to “grow up and behave”.

Jim Stewart, clinical lead for the Leicester Intestinal Failure Team, wrote on Twitter: “To the public. I know you’re frightened but please do not steal the alcohol hand gel from hospitals. You’re putting staff and patients at risk. The NHS needs all the support it can get right now.”

He added: “If you steal from the NHS you’re complicit in someone’s death. At this time possibly several deaths. Grow up and behave.”

Lizzie Salter, a sister on a surgical ward at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, wrote: “I had to cable tie hand sanitiser to beds today [Saturday] ... please please don’t steal our alcohol gel.”

Richard Beeken, the chief executive of Walsall Healthcare, tweeted: “Please do not steal hand sanitiser from our hospital or community premises. This is needed for clinical purposes and protecting the most vulnerable from infection.”

An anonymous worker at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow said thefts had been happening for more than a week.

“A man and woman just came into my ward and ripped a bottle of hand sanitiser from the walk and left again,” said one tweet. “Please stop stealing our hand sanitiser gel, staff and patients need it.”

Healthcare workers from across the UK reported similar thefts, with a man posting a photograph from outside an intensive care unit where a pouch of hand sanitiser had been ripped out of a wall dispenser.

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“People have stolen them from my brother-in-law’s GP practice too, casing and all, ripping them off the wall,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Nurses reported that face masks and gloves had also been stolen from some hospitals.

It came as a group of British supermarkets appealed for people to stop panic buying.

British food retailers have appealed to the public to stop panic buying amid reports of bare shelves at supermarkets across the country.

Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Show all 15 1 /15 Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Ho bart's Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines Rob Braddick/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 "is the worst public health crisis for a generation" PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March James Linsell-Clark/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds Ashley Pemberton/SWNS Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March EPA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London AFP/Getty Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March Reuters Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary's Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March PA Coronavirus fears lead to empty streets and shelves across UK People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March AFP/Getty

An open letter urged people to be “considerate in the way they shop” so others were not left without, as some shops limit purchases of basic household items.

The health secretary urged people to “behave responsibly” on Sunday morning.

Matt Hancock said a proposed set of laws setting out emergency powers to deal with the coronavirus outbreak will be outlined on Tuesday and published in full two days later.

He added that the government was working with Labour to take a “cross-party approach”, adding: “It includes a broad range of actions, all about preparing Britain, making sure that we’re ready, should we need to be.”