BLACKBURN’S eagerly-awaited new shopping centre extension opened its doors this morning.

Strictly Come Dancing and Hollyoaks star Ricky Whittle officially opened the Mall's flagship Primark store at 9am and posed for photos with excited fans.

Hundreds of shoppers, keen to get a first glimpse of the development, started queuing in the early hours.

Primark is the first of several new units set to open in the Mall’s £66million extension, which has been in development for the last two years.

A new Costa Coffee and a relocated, larger WH Smith also opened for the first time today.

Bank, JD Sports, Next, New Look, Peacocks, Deichmann and H&M are all expected to move into units in the coming months.

Bosses insist the Lord Street Mall area’s 20 units will all be let by Christmas.

Despite the credit crunch, the project has run on schedule since work finally started on site in January, 2007.

The new 68,000 sq ft Blackburn market complex will not open until March.

* Don't miss your Lancashire Telegraph newspaper today and tomorrow for the chance to win 1 of 5 £100 Primark vouchers.