Harry Potter fans in Clacton were keen to get their hands on a copy of the wizard's latest adventure

There were queues outside Safeway in Clacton when it opened at 7.30am on Saturday. And when the store opened, the books flew off the shelves.

Fans queue ready for the release of the new Harry Potter book

Paul Scordis, general manager, said the store was probably the first in the town to open and offer the fifth in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

He said: "There was a queue outside and we sold about 60 in the first ten minutes."

At Woolworths, in Pier Avenue, Clacton, the books were selling just as well.

Manager Kym Wallace said the store opened at 8am, especially for the release of the book, and several books were sold within the first few minutes.

JK Rowling's new book has become one of the fastest-selling books ever.

More than a million advance copies were ordered and Royal Mail alone delivered half a million copies nationwide on Saturday

Published Monday, June 23, 2003

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette