Queues at 5am in winter sales bonus

Shoppers were queuing before 4am today as post-Christmas bargain-hunters prepared to spend a record £13 billion at the sales.

Fears for the country's economy in the wake of the 11 September terror attacks were forgotten as crowds prepared to spend an average £260 for every man, woman and child in Britain.

The predicted winter sales bonanza comes hot on the heels of a Christmas shopping boom, with early figures showing record sales figures.

Jewellery group Goldsmiths said today that sales in its 161 stores in the four weeks to Christmas Eve were almost 11 per cent higher than the same period last year, with demand for Rolex watches and diamond jewellery particularly strong.

Today shoppers began queuing before dawn in London and the South-East. Some arrived before 4am at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. Three hours and more than 1,000 shoppers later, the automatic shutters at the Next store had to be closed temporarily because of the crowds inside. Mother-of-two Janice Carey, 41, from Dartford, said: "I was queuing outside Next from 5am and it is definitely worth it, as a lot of the clothes are half price."

Shoppers in the capital were almost as keen, with queues snaking down streets including Kensington High Street and Oxford Street from 5am.

Store staff were bracing themselves for a second day of crowds following a buoyant start to the traditional spending spree yesterday.

Manager of Oxford Street Dixons, Jayesh Bhagwandas, said: "We were packed shoulder to shoulder. It was one of the busiest Boxing Days ever."

Richard Hyman, chairman of retail analyst Verdict, said: "Interest rates are so much lower than they have been in modern times and this has a double effect.

"It puts more money into people's pockets because of low mortgage repayments and secondly, as interest rates are so low, people are thinking what's the point of putting money into a savings account?

Referring to the 11 September terrorist tragedy, he said: "It has been such an awful year, I really think it has changed things, the way people view things." At 8am Oxford Street was thronged with earnest shoppers weighed down by bags. Selfridges bargain hunters huddled against the cold in winter coats, had massed at the department store doors at 7am.

At 9am frantic shoppers surged through the revolving doors and made a dash for half price designer labels and other bargains including china at 75per cent off and cut-price beauty products reduced by up to 80 per cent.

Student Stephen Pegram, from Swiss Cottage, headed straight for DKNY with £130 for a jacket he has had his eye on for three weeks.

The 19-year-old said: "I've been in the store nearly every day looking at the jacket and I've been told it will be half price today. I really want it.

"It's really cool. I've brought my £200 Christmas money to spend today and I won't stop until I have spent every penny."

Lesley Martin, 50, an administrator from Ealing, who had started queuing at 7.30, went straight for the designer clothes and chinaware.

"I'm looking for work clothes and for nice chinaware," she said. "I set aside £500 to buy everything I want in Selfridges."

London student Razel Ahmed, 20, from Coventry, said: "I'm going to have a good prod around the men's designer wear. I intend to spend as much as my credit card will allow."