Police called to 'Black Friday' frenzy at Welsh stores

Tesco have said their stores are now "trading normally" after a Black Friday rush that saw police called to help control crowds of bargain-hungry shoppers.

The supermarket said in a statement: "Over 600 Tesco stores have Black Friday offers available in store."

"In the interest of customer safety a small number of these stores contacted police last night to help control crowds safely and stores are now trading normally."

A source at the company said they had taken on board complaints from police about improving in-store security.

"We will work with them following this event to make any improvements for next year," the source said.

Watch: Chaos at midnight in Tesco as Black Friday begins

Police were called to a Tesco Extra store in Newport at just after midnight to deal with 'disorder' among Black Friday bargain-hunters.

Gwent Police says the situation, at the Newport Retail Park store, was calmed down by officers and Tesco staff. No offences were recorded.

Video: Chaos at midnight at Cardiff Tesco Extra store

Photos: Shoppers squabble for bargains as Black Friday begins

This video shows hundreds of shoppers in a packed Tesco Extra store in Cardiff just after midnight as 'Black Friday' got underway.

Many were struggling through the crowds with 50-inch discounted televisions, trying to grab a bargain amid the chaos.

Video from Matthew Horwood

Photos: Police called to 'Black Friday' midnight frenzy

Police were called to a Tesco Extra store on Excelsior Road in Cardiff last night when concerns were raised about customer conduct inside the store during 'Black Friday'.

Some shoppers had been waiting outside the store from 6pm until 12.01am in the hope of finding a bargain.

No arrests were made.

The festive shopping season starts today with retailers across Wales expecting thousands of shoppers on what is known as 'Black Friday'.

Originally imported from America, the term refers to the day when shops see a rush in the run up to Christmas and offer big discounts and deals.

Last year, Black Friday was the second busiest spending day in the entire year, with shoppers parting with more than £200 million.

Police were called to a number of Tesco stores across south Wales last night after staff became concerned by the number of people who had turned up to sales events.

At just after midnight, officers were twice called to the Tesco store on Excelsior Road in Cardiff, when concerns were raised about customer conduct inside the shop.

The sales marked the beginning of 'Black Friday' - one of the biggest shopping days of the year in Britain with sales on at various stores.

No further incidents have yet been reported.