Christmas Day online shoppers 'to break spending record'

In a bid to take advantage of sales, shoppers are expected to spend £728m - up 11% on 2014 - according to data firm Experian and online retailers IMRG.

Experian spokesman Nick Jones said the UK had "already witnessed record-breaking spending over the festive period".

On Black Friday online UK sales passed £1bn on one day for the first time.

Mr Jones said "On Black Friday [27 November] to Cyber Monday weekend, spending reached a phenomenal £3.3bn across the four days.

'Sneaking away'

He said on Boxing Day £856m is expected to be spent online - up 22% on last year.

"In addition, rightly or wrongly, we've seen more people than ever spending a significant proportion of their Christmas Day shopping online," he added.

"Due to the rise of the use of personal connected devices, consumers can now shop for bargains on their mobile or tablet when they have a spare couple of minutes - even if that does mean sneaking away from the festivities and risking the wrath of family members."

Meanwhile, clothing retailers have been impacted by what has been one of the warmest December months for decades.

This led to a number of high street chains - such as H&M, Gap and Jack Wills - to begin sales early.