Two women have been charged after a fight at an Australian supermarket over toilet paper amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The pair, aged 23 and 60, from the Bankstown area of Sydney have been issued court attendance notices for affray and are due before Bankstown Local Court on 28 April, police have said.

Officers were called to a store in Chullora, in the southwest of Sydney, on Saturday morning following reports of a group of women arguing and fighting in an aisle over a pack of toilet rolls.

Video of the incident was shared widely online.

Australia has been affected by panic buying of supplies - particularly toilet paper - due to fears over the spread of coronavirus.


Following the incident, New South Wales state police acting inspector Andrew New told the public to refrain from panic buying, saying: "We just ask that people don't panic like this when they go out shopping.

"It's not the Thunderdome, it's not [the movie] Mad Max, we don't need to do that."

Watch the first few months of the coronavirus outbreak as countries around the world report their first infected.

The shelves of many supermarkets in Australia have been stripped bare as consumers stockpile goods such as canned items, frozen dinners and cleaning products, and some shops restrict toilet roll to one pack person.

It comes amid concerns they would be forced to self-isolate as the virus continues to spread.

Three people have died in Australia after contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

An 82-year-old man, who was in a nursing home, died in Sydney, a 78-year-old man, who was evacuated from the virus-infected Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, died in a hospital in Perth, and a 95-year-old woman died in a hospital in northern Sydney.

There have been at least 63 infections in the country.

Virus Outbreak: Global Emergency - Watch a special Sky News programme on coronavirus at 6pm weekdays

Virus Outbreak: Your questions answered #AskSkyNews at 12.30pm weekdays