Coronavirus fears have, for some bizarre reason, seen UK shoppers go on a toilet roll binge in recent weeks, but it was still a surprise when Essex Police officers stopped a suspicious van and found it full with dozens of stolen packets.
Coppers from the force's Operational Support Group stopped the vehicle last night and soon discovered the rolls in the back.
Three men were arrested on the spot.
An Essex Police spokesman said: "Police officers always get a massive sense of satisfaction when we catch burglars.
"However, we never expected to find this stolen loot in the boot.
"Stolen items recovered and three arrested all within an hour of it being reported. That's how we roll."
And the arresting officers quickly came in for praise, and quite a few puns, on social media.
One responder on Twitter wrote: "Brilliant job! Hope you get to the 'bottom' of why they needed all that loo roll!"
While another added: "You really are on a roll with your results!"
The news comes as police officers across the country have been urgently drafted in to support supermarket security workers in attempts to control crowds of panic buyers.
Reports came in last week of younger shoppers sneaking in to supermarkets during so-called 'silver hours' – time which has been especially set aside for older shoppers amid the Covd-19 outbreak.
And shoppers have also spotted officers protecting important deliveries at peak times to stop worried shoppers from taking things into their own hands and helping themselves to the in-demand goods.
Some councils across the country have also s crapped bin collections due to staff shortages as a result of the pandemic.
Residents are instead asked to take their rubbish to the tip themselves.
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