Women charged over toilet paper fight at Woolworths Chullora

NSW Police lay charges and urge calm after a woman was allegedly assaulted in a fight over toilet paper in Woolworth | WATCH

NSW Police have laid charges and urged calm after a woman was allegedly assaulted in a fight over toilet paper at a supermarket in Sydney.

Two women were charged with affray on Sunday after footage emerged of a group brawling over toilet rolls at Woolworths Chullora in the city’s south-west on Saturday morning.

The women, aged 23 and 60, are due to appear at Bankstown Local Court on April 28.

A 49-year-old woman, allegedly assaulted by the pair, has spoken to police and is uninjured.

Police have urged people in the community to calm down after panic-buying of toilet paper and other, mostly non-perishable goods amid the spread of the coronavirus reached fever pitch.

“This is not the Thunderdome, this isn’t Mad Max, we don’t need to do that” Bankstown’s Acting Inspector Andrew New told reporters on Saturday, saying the panic-buying of toilet paper across Sydney was not necessary.

He asked anyone with information about the identities of the two women, understood to be a mother and daughter, to come forward.

The three women were filmed screaming and fighting over a trolley full of bulk packs of Quilton toilet paper before one of the women is heard yelling: “I just want one pack!”

“No, not one pack,” one of the women shouts back as a staff member tells her: “You need to get off this trolley now.”

Police were called about 9.30am after reports the 49-year-old woman had been assaulted.

In a statement, Woolworths said it had put in place a four-pack limit on toilet rolls since Thursday.

All because of toilet paper 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/XGtLeXrKJ5

— Bold_Westie (@_West_Sydney_) March 6, 2020

“We will not tolerate violence of any kind from our customers in our stores and we are working with police who are investigating the matter.”

Australia is in the grip of toilet paper panic buying, with Woolworths selling six weeks’ supply in just four days this week, despite assurances that supermarkets are not at risk of running out.

On Sunday Coles placed further limits on the amount of toilet paper an individual can buy, announcing only one packet could be purchased per customer both in-store and online.

“This additional measure will allow us to maintain stock levels in stores so more customers will be able to purchase the products they need,” Coles said in a statement.

Canned and dry goods are also being snapped up, and on Friday two attempts to smuggle 1500 litres of hand sanitiser out of the country were foiled by authorities.

Supermarkets and manufacturers have struggled to keep up with demand for toilet paper amid the panic buying.

Health authorities have suggested Australians stock up on a two-week supply of household goods — mainly food and medicines — in the event they need to be quarantined for 14 days.

So far 64 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia, and three elderly people have died.

Additonal reporting: AAP