Former MP Luciana Berger has expressed her anger at the "very upsetting" panic buying she witnessed in a Golders Green supermarket, urging people to "look out for the elderly, infirm and vulnerable" amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Ms Berger, who contested the Finchley and Golders Green seat for the Lib Dems in December, said on Saturday she witnessed an elderly woman politely asked a man if he could give her one of the packets of dry pasta he had taken and he refused.

"Very upsetting," Ms Berger wrote on Twitter on Saturday. "We need a national kindness effort to look out for the elderly, infirm and vulnerable."

man in Golders Green Sainsbury’s wouldn’t give an elderly lady just 1 of a number of (the last) packets of dry pasta he had grabbed. He said no when she asked him politely. Very upsetting. We need a national kindness effort to look out for the elderly, infirm & vulnerable #BeKind

— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) March 14, 2020

The spread of the coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation has declared a pandemic, has prompted panic buying across the country.

Later Ms Berger asked Business Secretary Alok Sharma what he was doing "to minimise panic buying and ensure that we don’t see shortages of essentials and foodstuffs? The shelves of my local Sainsbury’s are half empty"

Hi @AlokSharma_RDG - what work are you and your Dept doing with the supermarkets & other large retailers to minimise panic buying and ensure that we don’t see shortages of essentials and foodstuffs? The shelves of my local Sainsbury’s are half empty.

— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) March 14, 2020

She added: "Staff tell me a number of items they would expect didn’t come in the delivery this morning, and they don’t think there’s any loo roll left.

"My neighbours waited over a week for a home delivery slot from a different supermarket and items from their order were cancelled."