WOOLWORTHS has reinstated purchase limits on a range of supermarket items at Victorian stores, after signs a second wave of panic buying was emerging over the past 24 hours.

A two item limit has been introduced on toilet paper, hand sanitiser, paper towel, flour, sugar, pasta, mince, UHT milk, eggs and rice in all Victorian stores.

The supermarket chain said the limits are a “preventative move in response to significantly elevated demand seen over the past 24 hours in certain parts of Melbourne”.

“While we have healthy stock levels to draw on, we’re taking this precautionary step to help prevent excessive buying,” Woolworths said in a statement.

“We have more than enough product for all of our customers if we all just buy what we need in our weekly shop.”