An 84-year-old woman was left trapped and starving after her food delivery was stolen.
The pensioner, named only as Elizabeth, had resorted to eating out of the rubbish bin to survive.
With no family or friends nearby, she had ordered shopping online but was unable to open her door to collect the delivery.
While stuck inside her home in Feltham, West London, her food was stolen from her doorstep.
Met Police officers PCs Matt Hodge and Pat Peltier arrived on the scene and gained entry to the home.
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Writing on Facebook, the Met Police said: “The officers swiftly gained entry to the property and on seeing that her fridge had literally no food in and hearing that she had resorted to eating out of the rubbish bin to survive, they immediately decamped to the local shops and purchased food, drinks, toiletries and a few other necessities to fill her home and make her feel more comfortable.
“She was overwhelmed with the officer’s selflessness and generosity and thanked them for their help.
“The officers have put the necessary action in place to ensure this heart-breaking situation doesn’t happen again.
“This is a remarkable example of what lengths our officers will go to, to protect local residents during this very challenging time.”
The news comes as Britain’s coronavirus death toll increased by 936 to 7,172 after the deadliest day yet.
England has recorded the most deaths (6,483), followed by Scotland (366), Wales (245) and Northern Ireland (78), with the combined total yesterday 6,236.
Of the 828 new deaths in England, the youngest victim was just 22, the oldest was 103, and 46 of the patients had no known underlying health conditions.
The increase came as a 29-year-old NHS nurse was revealed to be among the latest victims and 14 London transport workers were confirmed dead during the outbreak.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care at a London hospital, where he was said to be in “good spirits”, "improving" and responding to treatment.
