Callous thieves have been blasted by a health board for stealing hand sanitiser, toilet roll and soap from hospitals amid the coronavirus outbreak.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran revealed a number of items have been going missing from their hospitals as medical staff treat vulnerable patients amid immense pressure due to the pandemic.
Panic-buyers have been stripping supermarket shelves of hygiene products while bottles of hand gel and packs of toilet paper are being sold for astronomical prices online.
We previously told how unscrupulous online sellers were cashing in on the crisis by charging a small fortune for bottles of hand sanitisers.
Taking to Twitter, the health board urged people to "be respectful".
They said: "Please be caring & respect the needs of our patients & staff in these difficult times. We’re experiencing theft of handgel, toilet roll & hand soap.
"We understand there have been shortages of these items in shops but taking them from hospitals impacts vulnerable patients. #BeKind"
It comes as a sixth person has died from coronavirus in Scotland.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there are now 266 confirmed cases of the infection in the country as of Thursday.
The number of positive cases jumped by 39 overnight.
