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Christmas shopping: Oxford and Regent Street closed to traffic | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
Two of London's busiest streets have been closed to traffic for the weekend to try to encourage people to head into the West End to shop for Christmas. | |
Vehicles have been barred from Oxford Street and Regent Street on selected dates in recent years. | |
However, there was an unplanned closure last weekend amid fears of crushes. | |
There were queues outside major department stores as soon as they opened on Saturday, the association which represents 600 businesses said. | |
"The cold weather is forcing people into the shops," said a spokeswoman for the New West End Company. | |
Events are taking place around London to try to drum up festive trade. | |
Fairs and Christmas markets are being held throughout the weekend. | |
And many town centres in London's suburbs are staging special promotions to encourage customers to shop locally, rather than going into the West End or large malls. | |
Horse-drawn carriages | |
Many retailers have offered large discounts on goods and are keen to lure customers away from websites as they buy their Christmas presents. | |
Roadworks near Bond Street Tube station had narrowed the space available in Oxford Street and the road was shut on 3 and 4 December to ensure pedestrians were not hit by traffic. | |
The hoardings have now been removed until January, when major construction work for the Crossrail train network will continue. | |
The Shop West End VIP Weekend includes vintage buses staging live music. | |
And a horse-drawn carriage is transporting shoppers up and down Regent Street. |
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