The Black Friday shopping sale has hit Trowbridge as shoppers queued outside Asda in the Shires from 5.30am.

Russell Elkins, general store manager said that a crowd of 100 people camped outside the store since this morning until the shopping storm started at 8am.

He said: “People have been queuing for hours and there were three of four lines which sold out straight away like TVs and Xbox 360s.”

“We predict that the rest of the available stock will hopefully be gone by the end of the day and that shoppers come in to grab a bargain.”

The picture was the same at the nearby Spitfire retail park where Keith Hellier, manager of Curry's, said the store had experienced its busiest hour of trading all year after opening at 8am.

Across the park, shoppers queued outside Knees ready to grab a bargain when it opened at 9am.

Nationally it has been predicted that Black Friday will be the second busiest time for retailers, closely behind the day before Christmas Eve.

The popularity of American shopping days is on increase in the UK over the past four years and Asda in Trowbridge is hoping to extend the worldwide event until tomorrow.

Mr Elkins said: “We are also running a similar event tomorrow as an extension of Black Friday which will see similar, but not the same, products available. I envisage the same amount of crowds then as well.”

There were no reported breakouts or fights at the store today which is a different image to other retailers across the UK where police made two arrests in Manchester.