A STRUGGLING mum has asked for help after shoppers’ panic buying left her short of nappies and food for her disabled son.

Lauren Bishop, who is six months pregnant, is in self-isolation with her 20-month-old son, Raegan, who has aspiration pneumonia, and is running out of supplies.

The 21-year-old, from Rochford, told the Echo how her mum and partner cannot buy any food for her when going to the supermarkets, due to other shoppers bulk buying.

Raegan’s condition has a devastating impact on his lungs, meaning he has to be tube fed or have basic foods, such as toast.

But the lack of food in supermarkets that he requires has left him eating toast for most of the day, and bread is in short supply too.

The family returned home from holiday on Monday evening to find empty shelves at most supermarkets.

Ms Bishop said: “My mum spent four hours looking for nappies.

“It’s the selfishness of people that has put us in this situation.

“We emptied our fridge before we went away. We came back knowing the situation but we didn’t think it would be this bad.

“The freezer is full so we can’t even freeze the bread at the moment.

“It’s a nightmare.”

Lauren explained her son’s condition, and how COVID-19 could impact him.

She added: “I’m not worried about me, I’m just really concerned about him.

“He’s in and out of hospital all the time. He only came out a month ago.

“If he gets a cough he could be in hospital for months.

“He’s been tube-fed most of his life. He is prone to severe chest infections.

“His lungs are already severely damaged.

“It’s not fair on him.

“He was walking around in nappies for a whole day. We had completely run out.”

The desperate mum added: “I just can’t believe the selfishness of people.

“There’s nothing left in the shops at all.

“My partner and mum are still working and getting on trains. My mum leaves the food she can buy on the doorstep.

“People have been really careless about it.

“I might need to make an essential journey at some point. I just can’t risk putting him near people.

“I’ve been to one petrol station to get essentials. I had to leave Raegan in the car.

“There are people who aren’t self-isolating properly.

“The supermarkets need to do more to help people like us out.

“They’ve done a lot to help the elderly, which is good to see. But the vulnerable is not just the elderly.

“Being disabled is not just in a wheelchair either.

“I’ve constantly had problems with Raegan’s blue badge. Just because you can’t see a disability, doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

Ms Bishop wanted to thank the people who had come forward and helped her so far, adding: “I’ve been inundated with messages. It’s so nice. We’re really grateful. I just hope people stop bulk buying.”

Sainsburys and Iceland have begun restricting the number of items people can buy in one go, as well as introducing an ‘elderly only hour’ at the start of the day.

This initiative was started by supermarket Iceland