Panic buyers who stockpiled goods are sparking fears of rat invasions by dumping out-of-date food. Piles of uneaten foodstuffs have begun piling up as people who greedily filled their trolleys are finding they have not enough room in their cupboards and larders or items are now reaching their best before dates, Fearing it's past the safe-to-eat date, they are fly-tipping it and mountains of the stuff are beginning to reek and rot - a magnet for a plague of rats.
It comes after supermarket shelves were stripped by shoppers who hoarded food - often depriving the most vulnerable in our communities of basic necessities such as milk and toilet roll.