A SHOPPER caught up in the Black Friday mayhem at Newport's Tesco Extra store in Spytty says he saw people grappling with one another over television sets.

Mark Williams, 35, from Raglan, said there were few people at the store at 10.20pm last night when he arrived. But by midnight, he believes there were more than 1,000 people there.

The sales rep told the Argus: "People were fighting over goods, grabbing televisions.

"I was at the other side of the store - I didn't want to get involved. I honestly thought someone was going to get hurt.

"I would say there were around 40 police officers there.

"It was awful. It was disgraceful and should not have been allowed to happen.

"I was in a queue at customer service for things like iPads, and I turned round at midnight and saw that the queues to get to a central pallet where the Black Friday sales stuff was, by the escalators, had gone right back behind the tills.

"There were few staff there - I saw around 10. People were pushing to the front, grabbing televisions and then ripping off the black packaging on them.

"There seemed to be 30 items on the pallet and there were around 1,000 people in there.

"It's a marketing ploy to create hysteria and I think Black Friday should be banned. This isn't America."

Another shopper, a Newport woman who did not want to be named, told the Argus: "It was a nightmare. I went with my sister-in-law and there were only about 10 people there an hour and a half before midnight.

"I was at the front, near the pallets where they were going to be unveiling TVs and home electrical goods, all covered in cellophane.

"We were asked to move back. But so many people came in that we were pushed back to the front.

"When the three staff there unwrapped the first pallett, people pushed us so much we were pushed away - there was no way we were going to get back there. I saw people pushing and grabbing things, fighting over a chip pan.

"One man tried to grab something out of a woman's arms, I couldn't see what it was, and she went beserk, screaming abuse.

"The police were called and they asked everyone to leave the area - said there would be no more pallets unveiled that night. Then everyone went around like nothing had happened! They carried on with their weekly shopping!

"It was unreal."

Gwent Police say they were called to "disorder" at Tesco Extra in Spytty at midnight.

A force spokeswoman said: "We had a call regarding disorder at Tesco Extra in Spytty Retail Park in Newport at midnight last night.

"The situation was all calmed down by staff and officers."

The force is not reporting any offences being recorded.

Officers said they cannot estimate the numbers of people who were there - and Tesco said today there was " a large amount of people" across the country who attended their sale and could not confirm numbers at individual stores.

One witness told the Argus that 80 people were also queuing up outside Asda in Spytty from 3am this morning for the store to open.

Elsewhere, the Black Friday disorder has led to arrests.

One of Britain's most senior police officers has hit out at stores after "Black Friday" promotions sparked chaos and violence around the country.

Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), criticised shops for failing to provide enough security after fights broke out and huge crowds caused crushes.

Officers were called to a number of supermarkets overnight as thousands of customers sought bargains on what retailers hope will be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

At least two people were arrested and a woman was hurt after being hit by a falling television, while some outlets were forced to shut to restore order.

Sir Peter said: "The events of last night were totally predictable and I am disappointed that stores did not have sufficient security staff on duty.

"This created situations where we had to deal with crushing, disorder and disputes between customers.

"It does not help that this was in the early hours when police resources are already stretched.

"Across Greater Manchester large supermarkets already make significant demands on policing through calls to shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and thefts of fuel from their petrol stations - much of which is preventable.

"We just ask these stores to work with us to reduce the demands on policing and reduce the risks of disorder and crime."

A number of shops opened at midnight, boasting massive discounts on a range of goods, but shoppers described scenes of "carnage" as people scrambled for the best deals.

GMP said three people were arrested at Black Friday sales events after officers were called to seven Tesco stores across the area. A post on the force's Twitter feed said: "Keep calm, people!"

Shortly before midnight there were reports of several hundred people trying to enter Tesco Central Park in Wigan. Two men were ejected before control was regained.

The Tesco at Ellesmere Shopping Centre in Walkden was closed after a crowd of more than 500 people turned up.

The Tesco Extra in Stretford was closed after fights broke out between shoppers trying to get their hands on sale stock.

A GMP spokesman said: "A woman suffered minor injuries after being hit by a falling television and an ambulance was called. The store was closed at 12.36am, just over half an hour after the sales event started."

A man was arrested on suspicion of assault after he threatened to "smash" a store employee's face in, police said.

Officers were called to Tesco Extra on Barton Road, Middleton, following reports that about 200 people would not leave, despite being told stock had all gone and the doors were locked.

A man was arrested for a public order offence after reports of fighting after around 300 people descended on the Tesco Extra on Stockport Road, Hattersley.

Police were called to three supermarkets in London as people gathered at Tesco stores in Edmonton, Willesden and Surrey Quays.

Images posted online showed chaotic scenes in Edmonton, with witnesses describing "mayhem" as discounted coffee machines went on sale.

The area has seen disturbances before, with several people hurt as crowds of thousands forced a nearby Ikea to shut on its opening night in 2005.

Footage from an Asda in Wembley showed people fighting over televisions.

South Wales Police also reported receiving a number of calls from staff at Tesco stores after they became "concerned due to the volume of people who had turned up to sale events".

Officers went to a store on Excelsior Road in Cardiff twice after midnight over concerns about "customer conduct", police said, adding that no arrests were made.

Shoppers described frantic scenes on Twitter. One wrote: "After the absolute carnage that is Black Friday in a Tesco Extra in the North of England, I walked away with a £100 coffee machine for £30."

There were also disturbances in Scotland. Police were called to Tesco at Silverburn in Glasgow which was closed for a period as people clashed over discounted goods. At another Tesco store in Dundee, police were called to similar scenes and a decision was taken by staff to shut the shop.

Sarah Coubrough wrote on Twitter: "Silverburn shut cos shoppers going mental with the sales. Think I'll stick to the online shopping today."

Those seeking cut-price deals online also faced problems, with shoppers struggling to access the websites of Tesco Direct, Currys, Argos and GAME this morning.

A message on the Tesco Direct home page said: "Sorry for making you wait Lots of people are shopping with us at the moment and we need to ask you wait briefly. Don't worry, we'll redirect you to the website as quickly as we can."

Those trying to shop online with Currys were told they would have to wait 25 minutes for access. "We're really sorry that the huge demand for our deals means you're having to wait," the website said this morning. "We really appreciate your patience and we'll have you on our site as soon as possible."

A message on the Argos home page said it was limiting access because of "very high volume" and urged visitors to try again in a few minutes.

A Tesco source insisted they "work closely" with police and take guidance on security measures in stores, adding: "We will work with them following this event to make any improvements for next year."

The supermarket chain had touted the promotion as "its biggest ever Black Friday event", with discounts of up to 70% on 200 electrical, entertainment, DIY and toy products.

Tesco said in a statement: "Over 600 Tesco stores have Black Friday offers available in store.

"In the interest of customer safety a small number of these stores contacted police last night to help control crowds safely and stores are now trading normally."

Greater Manchester Police said a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault at Tesco in Burnage Lane, Green End, taking the total number held to three.