A number of Boots stores have imposed limits on hand sanitiser sales amid stock shortages in the wake of the contagious coronavirus illness.
Mirror Money spoke to several branches in London that have sold out of the product until further notice.
Some branches have imposed a two-bottle limit on the number of bottles per person - although one worker told Mirror Money that this limit is set at the discretion of the store.
In High Street Kensington, a sign says: "Due to high demand we are only selling two hand sanitisers per person. Sorry for any inconvenience."
When Mirror tried to purchase bottles in two separate stores - both told us it had sold out until further notice.
One further branch had just two left in stock.
A spokesperson for Boots said that there had been an increase in sales of the gel, but that stock was still available in warehouses for stores and online.
On the Boots website, Dettol On The Go Antibacterial Hand Gel is marked as out of stock, but other brands are available with customers able to buy a maximum of four.
Ordinarily, hand gel sales are capped at 10 per person due to the product's alcohol content.
People online have been sharing their difficulties in finding the hand gel, including at Superdrug and in Tesco.
One woman shared a photograph of empty shelves at the chemist, while another wrote: "Tried to buy hand sanitiser today at superdrug – the WHOLE section was out of stock."
"Tried another two stores, same thing! Apparently there’s a shortage of hand sanitisers all over.. scary!"
Mirror Money asked Superdrug, Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's for advice on their stock levels - however none of the retailers were able to comment.
The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has now spread to countries including South Korea and Iran, while in Europe, there have been 400 cases and 12 deaths in Italy.
Thirteen cases have been confirmed in the UK, including four over the weekend which originated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was held in quarantine in Japan.
A spokesperson for Boots said: "The best way to help prevent catching a virus is by making sure that you regularly wash your hands with soap, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent transmission from surfaces, especially after blowing your nose, sneezing and coughing.
"Antiviral hand foams and gel can also be useful when you are out and about."
