Shops see steady stream of customers looking to bag St Stephen’s Day bargains

The faint jingle of Santa’s departing sleigh bells was replaced by a chorus of cash registers ringing across the country, as shoppers took to the St Stephen’s Day sales in search of discounted deals.

Bargain-hunters queued outside department stores ahead of early openings this morning - with the retail industry hoping for a bonanza sales rush in order to meet projections for the month.