Harry Potter frenzy hits Cumbria

The long-awaited Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows went on sale at the stroke of midnight on Friday, sparking lines outside bookshops throughout the country.

And fans of the boy wizard in South Lakeland and Furness were no different, with people of all ages dressed as characters from the books queuing up outside stores for their own copies.

Hundreds of Harry and Hermione look-alikes joined in with a night of celebrations at bookshops in Ulverston and Kendal.

David Stubbs, the manager of Kendal's Waterstones branch, said that the number of people who had attended the event had been "beyond expectations".

"There were people queued all the way back to the Birdcage. Even though it was raining people waited for ages to get the book," he said.

Once in the store, fans were greeted by staff dressed up as Harry Potter characters and were able to take part in a variety of games based around the series.

On Saturday, young Harry Potter fan Edward Pike (pictured right) curled up in his Harry Potter outfit in the window of the shop and read the entire 600-page book.

Meanwhile, at The Tinners Rabbit in Ulverston, fans young and old formed a 50-metre line down the street on Friday night to get their hands on a copy of the book.

Jake Hughes, who works at the store, said that supply had kept pace of demand and that fans of the book had enthusiastically joined in with games laid on to mark the event.

"We are only a small shop and we were overrun by people of all ages," he said.

"It was probably our busiest hour ever."

Meanwhile, the Kendal branch of Asda was selling the book for a cut price £5. Copies are being limited to two per person to prevent bulk-buying.

Earlier this month the supermarket chain was involved in a spat with Harry Potter publishers Bloomsbury after criticising the recommended retail price of £17.99 for the book.