A BOLTON-based paper supplier says it is "well-equipped" to deal with the increase in demand for toilet roll amid the coronavirus outbreak.

People have been panic buying toilet paper ­— among other goods ­— after Public Health England urged members of the public to "plan ahead" for if they had to self-isolate for a couple of weeks.

Now some supermarkets have placed certain limits on what shoppers can buy in a single shop to ensure fairness.

Mike Docker, managing director of WEPA UK, said that it is prepared to deal with the current "spike in demand" for loo roll.

He said: "The ongoing coronavirus situation means we have seen a large spike in demand over the last week and sales continue to be very strong.

“Our excellent supply chain team has met all our sales orders so far and our manufacturing is geared up to meet these higher volumes.

“We are continually monitoring the situation very carefully and are studying sales patterns of the experiences our colleagues had in Italy a number of weeks ago to anticipate how this will develop.

“Our careful planning helps us to respond to any spike in demand for our products. So, while the current situation around coronavirus is highly unusual, we are well equipped to deal with it."

Mr Docker added: "When there is a spike in demand from consumers for a product, we work closely with our retail partners and distribution network to manage it effectively.

"This can involve calling on our logistics teams to mobilise more transport in order to get products where they need to be, quickly and efficiently. At WEPA UK, we have close links with our retailers, which enable us to monitor consumer demand in real-time. We receive daily updates on how products are selling and broader consumer habits. Using this data, we work jointly with them to forecast when to dial up or down production.

“We have taken all steps to keep a consistent supply working 24 hours a day, producing around two million toilet rolls daily.”

The majority of supermarkets are now limiting anti-bacterial gels to two per customer. The Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there is "absolutely no reason" for the public to panic buy.