SHOPPERS at a Cleveleys store were so desperate to get their hands on copies of Elton John's tribute song for Princess Diana on Saturday (Sept 13) that police had to be called in to calm them down.

John Menzies, on Victoria Road West, had just 50 copies of Candle In The Wind, all of which were sold within two minutes, much to the anger of a disappointed crowd.

Store team leader, Brian McDowall, said: "We could just as easily have sold 500 copies.

"As the last few copies were being sold we had to get the police in. People were pushing and shoving just to get their copy. Some were narked off. They were mouthing off at staff and being quite rude. It is ridiculous, but we got quite a lot of angry people.

"Since Saturday, we have been just as inundated with requests. The demand is just too much. They should have postponed the release of the single until they could print sufficient numbers of copies. Then everyone would be satisfied."

Di-mania was evident at other record outlets on the Fylde, too. At the Our Price record shop on Bank Hey Street, Blackpool, the acting manager Laura Rush said: "The rush on Saturday was like the first day of the Harrods sale. I have worked in this shop for five years and I have never seen anything like it.

"We got stock in at 9.30am and sold it immediately. We sold 300 CD's and 150 cassettes and sold out on Monday, too. We are hoping we will be able to keep up with demand by selling about 200 a day.

"People who didn't get a copy were disappointed, but on the whole people were patient and understanding."

Other music outlets across the Fylde echoed the same sentiments with retailers such as WH Smith and Woolworths reporting a consumer rush and extremely brisk trading.

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