Ikea reopens after crowd disorder

Police were called to the Ikea store when the chaos erupted

The flagship Ikea store which was the scene of crowd chaos among midnight bargain hunters has reopened.

The store in Edmonton, London, opened its doors again at 1700 GMT on Friday after consultation with the police and the local council.

Five people were taken to hospital after Thursday's early morning crush as crowds flocked for the huge discounts.

The company had expected 2,000 customers but about 6,000 turned up.

Counselling service

Police were called to the store when bargain-hunters tried to force their way into the store.

An Ikea spokesman said there were no special offers for the reopening of the store.

"Safety and security of our customers and co-workers is our primary concern and given the experiences of Wednesday night we did not want to be overwhelmed by the volume of customers through our doors," he said.

At the official opening cut-price offers included a three-seater leather sofa for £45 and a double bed frame for £30.

The Ikea spokesman said that a counselling service had been set up for the workers by the company following the events.

Bosses have also increased the number of security staff inside and outside the store.