Store opening causes road delays

The queue at the store went right round the building

An electronics store has said it did all it could to avoid traffic jams after about 3,000 people attended its opening sale in the Black Country.

Shoppers trying to get to Currys, in Axeltree Way, Wednesbury, caused long delays on the M5 and M6 earlier.

Police were called to control the crowd which gathered outside the 60,000 sq ft store, which was offering half-price deals and games consoles at £100.

Currys manager John Fisher said police asked him to open the store early.

The shop was opened at 0630 BST.

'Acting crazily'

A 75-year-old woman who had been queuing since 0300 BST collapsed and an ambulance was called.

She was taken to New Cross Hospital as a precaution.

Mr Fisher said: "We are very sorry that we may have caused one or two delays getting to work this morning.

"We were expecting queues but I don't think we were expecting anything like the volume of people that we've now seen at the store."

Axeltree Way and the exit sliproads at junction nine of the M6 were temporarily closed by police at about 0715 BST.

But congestion on the motorways later reduced.

One man who lived nearby and got stuck in traffic for half an hour in the morning said people were acting "crazily".

He said: "I suppose it goes to show that the economy, at least round here, isn't too bad for everyone."