Officials at Gobowen's Orthopaedic Hospital have called on people to show commons sense and decency and not steal toilet rolls or hand sanitisers from them.

In a thread of tweets put out by the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) this week, the hospital confirmed they had received reports of thefts of the highly-sought items as supermarkets begin to run out.

They called on people – who they called only a minority – to not put pressure on staff and patients during these difficult times, and thanked all those who have supported them.

"Regrettably we are seeing thefts of our hand sanitisers and toilet roll at RJAH," they said.

"This is unacceptable and is putting our patients and staff at risk.

"We understand there have been shortages of these items in shops but taking them from hospitals impacts those who need them most.

"Thankfully, these incidents refer to a small minority of individuals.

"A big thanks to those of you, who have gone out of your way to show us kindness and offer your support. It really is appreciated."