BARGAIN hunters queued from 4am today to get their hands on the best deals in the Boxing Day sales.

People living in Tier 1, 2 and 3 areas – where non-essential shops are still allowed to open – got up bright and early after Christmas to buy some bargains.

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Shoppers in North Tyneside were waiting outside Next for the sale when the store opened at 5am.

The shop – always a popular Boxing Day destination – set up a queuing system to allow customers to keep away from each other.

In Liverpool, shoppers could be seen leaving Next with bags full of goodies before the sun rose.

Dozens of people joined long queues outside the shop to get deals as early as possible.

In Birmingham, security guards were hired to monitor shoppers waiting to head into Next.

People were seen waiting patiently behind metal barriers to get into the branch.

However, it's expected that most people will stay at home today – and it could be the biggest internet shopping day of the year.

Experts say £1.9billion will be spent online today as 15million bargain-hunters swamp websites.

The spree could be four times bigger than an average day’s outlay and could edge ahead of the Black Friday record.

But high streets, with most closed due to Covid-19 regulations, will have their worst ­Boxing Day for 20 years.

Store spending is likely to fall by 56 per cent on last year.

Though Brits could part with a total of £3.2billion, the store value will be around £1.4billion of that, a VoucherCodes.co.uk study with the Centre for Retail Research showed.

The slump in spending at brick-and-mortar shops comes as 24 million people in the south and east are now in the country's strictest tier.

In Tier 4, all shops classed as non-essential are shut.

Across England, 43 per cent of the population are now in the strictest tier.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has urged Brits to keep away from busy sales today as a mutant strain of Covid takes hold across the country.

Earlier this month, the PM told Brits during a national address: "Whatever your plans for Christmas, please think carefully about avoiding crowds in the Boxing Day sales, and no one should be gathering in large groups to see in the New Year.”

Some retailers, including Asda and almost all John Lewis shops, will stay shut altogether.

Aldi, Home Bargains and Homebase are also among the stores that will be closed today.

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