It was Xbox mayhem in Brighton and Hove yesterday as thousands of Christmas shoppers packed into the city centre on the busiest shopping weekend of the year so far.

Fears of a slump in trade on the high street were dispelled as long queues formed outside most car parks as the festive rush began in earnest.

John Blair, deputy manager at Marks and Spencer in Western Road, said: "This weekend has been massive."

The most sought after gift was an Xbox 360, which seemed to have sold out everywhere. Consoles were fetching more than £2,000 on eBay.

Chris Shepherd, a manager at Dixons in Churchill Square, said the shortage was made worse when Microsoft sent out the wrong version of the gaming console.

Instead of the £289 premium pack, complete with extra functions, the store received the £209 version, which included only a hard drive.

The 25 customers who pre-ordered the premium pack received letters apologising for the mistake but there was no guarantee the correct version would arrive in time for Christmas.

The £209 core units were sent back to manufacturers Microsoft.

Currys in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, was also out of stock, while customers queued from 1am to get their hands on just 11 consoles delivered to Toys R Us in Goldstone retail park.

Other popular toys included the Bop It - a gizmo that orders the player to follow a serious of commands to push, pull and twist parts of it - and Pixel Chix, which are cyber toys similar to Tamagotchis.

Jane Shelley, duty manager at The Argus Christmas grotto in Churchill Square, said more than 150 children saw Santa yesterday morning.

She said: "We have been extremely busy. There was a queue before we even opened. There has been a bit of a wait but we have balloon modelling and face painting to try and keep the children amused."

Monday, December 5, 2005