Police called to calm crowds at 99p store - after shop cancels half price sale

This was the bizarre scene when police were called to control crowds at a 99p store - after the shop suddenly cancelled a half price sale.

Hundreds of shoppers descended on the discount shop in Wrexham, North Wales, after signs announced everything inside was just 50p.

Word quickly spread around the town and a growing crowd formed outside when the store became full.

Within hours some shelves were stripped bare and managers were forced to call the police, who sent four officers to contain the crowd.

The sale was then halted, leaving many shoppers furious that they had missed out on the bargains.

One shopper described the situation as 'bedlam' and said fellow shoppers were acting like 'vultures'.

Many customers left the store laden with bags, with cleaning products, toilet roll, crisps and drinks among the best sellers.

One couple were reportedly seen leaving the store with £280 worth of 50p goods - a staggering 560 items.

The scale of the crowds surprised the bosses who were forced to call police to prevent anyone else entering the shop.

A police officer was stationed outside guarding the front door while another three stood inside allowing people out.

One shopper told www.wrexham.com: 'I popped up to the 99p shop at around half two because I'd heard about the sale and wanted to see when I got there. But was told by police when I got there that I wasn't allowed in because of the amount of people already in store.

'The scenes both inside and outside the store were pretty odd. Apparently there was a time limit on the sale, but all the posters advertising the sale had been taken down by the time I got here.'

The management then announced that the sale was 'time limited' and would be ending at 3pm.

One furious customer said: 'The sign did not say anything about a time limit, and we were queuing to pay when we were told things had gone back to 99p. It is not on.'

Local residents took to twitter to discuss the chaotic scenes. One said: 'Only in Wrexham do you get a half price sale in a 99p shop, and police presence is necessary! Who are these people that are so desperate?!'

Donna Roberts said: 'I stood in the queue for 20 minutes, only to be told they had put the prices back up without telling the customers.'

Anthony Mayberry said: '99p Shop hell. The 50p sale ended without notice and there were queues of around 50 people.'

A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: 'We were told there was a sale on and that the shop was very busy. The shop had to be closed down temporarily. There were no arrests made.'