BARGAIN hunters were out in force today for the Boxing Day sales in Bradford - some from as early as 2am.

The city centre and retail parks were busy with shoppers out to save some money.

Sonic Megastore on Ingleby Road, held its traditional sale and attracted a good turnout of those looking for electrical bargains.

Robert Mucha, general manager, said: "It was actually better than we expected.

"We normally have a large queue on Boxing Day and Black Friday but this morning the queue actually spilled out of our complex onto the main road.

"I would estimate well over 200 people. Many of our customers had to park in Lidl and Morrisons because our car park was full well before we opened.

"People were queueing from around 2am and we opened at 9am - the queue snaked around the car park and out of our complex on to Duncombe Road."

He said the main offers were 55in Ultra HD 4K TVs at £299, 32in HDR TVs at £99, American fridge freezers for £349, washing machines from £149 and bagless Hoover vacuum cleaners at £29.

The Broadway Centre in Bradford was busy with shoppers taking advantage of deals.

Debenhams will continue with its deals until the New Year but it already has been running significant sales before Christmas even arrived, with up to 50% off on designer womenswear and beauty and fragrance. M&S starts its sale tomorrow offering up to 50% off.

Around the country Boxing Day bargain hunters were up early queuing outside stores as the post-Christmas sales saw prices slashed by as much as 70%.

December 26 is the most popular day to shop during the Christmas sales period, according to Barclaycard, with three in 10 people planning to take advantage of the deals.

Stores have swapped their festive windows for huge signs promising hefty discounts.

Boxing Day still remains a key shopping day - twice as much money was spent on Boxing Day than Black Friday last year - while the period between Christmas Day and New Year generated £12 billion in sales, according to ShopperTrak.

High street retailers had already cut prices after trading on the busiest shopping day of the year, dubbed "Super Saturday", failed to lure shoppers to stores.

Don Williams, retail partner at KPMG in the UK, said: "Since Black Friday hit UK shores back in 2013, the festive sales period hasn't quite been the same.

"With this year's Black Friday being a bit of a damp squib, many could be forgiven for hoping that would have benefited post-Christmas sales, including Boxing Day.

"But, for the vast majority, that is unlikely. Most will still have their work cut out to persuade shoppers who have notably been clawing back their spend.

"But for those retailers stocking must-have brands, there is still plenty to play for in the final festive push."