This is the scene at Sports Direct in Deepdale as it offers 50% off everything to NHS staff

Dozens of people have been lining up outside Sports Direct in Deepdale Retail Park today (June 15) as dark, thundery skies rumble overhead.

The sports retailer has attracted huge interest with its re-opening offer of 50% off everything in its store for NHS staff, who have tirelessly served the country during the coronavirus pandemic.

The discount applies to all stock in-store, including football shirts, trainers and sports equipment.

The huge discount is only available today and has led to people queuing as far as the Boots store, six units away.

Customers in Preston have reported queuing for up to an hour before entering the store, with only a limited number of shoppers allowed inside at any one time.

It has been a similar scene in the city centre, where long, winding queues could be seen outside stores such as Primark and the Sports Direct store in Fishergate, as Preston's pent-up shoppers went in search of their first taste of retail therapy since March 23.

At the Fishergate Centre the line had snaked round the corner and down Butler Street by the time it opened at 9am.

You can read more about what it was like in Preston city centre in our report below...

The Sports Direct store at Deepdale Retail Park is open until 6.30pm and NHS staff are asked to provide valid NHS ID.

>>> Follow our live blog for updates as Lancashire's high streets and retail parks welcome back shoppers today