Hundreds of people were seen queuing outside the W H Smith store and Bookmark was packed with fans of all ages eager to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

WH Smith manager Paul Paver said queues were reported to be down as far as Bridge Street and that people lined up from 10pm.

He said: "Considering the weather we were surprised with the number of people."

Before the witching hour, a hundred people enjoyed a Harry Potter graduation ball in Bookmark.

Youngsters and their parents were treated to magic tricks by a magician and music by Spalding band The Aviators, along with an appearance by children's author Joseph Delaney.

Owner of The Crescent store, Christine Hanson, said that the last person came in to buy their book at 1.15am and that 250 copies have been sold over the weekend.

She said: "People have been waiting for this book for a long time. It is the last one and there will probably never be anything like it again."