FAMILIES from all over Swindon flocked to take advantage of a special offer - but so many turned up they had to wait for hours.

Build-A-Bear in The Designer Outlet offered a pay-your-age day, where children could customise a teddy bear, but would only have to pay their age in pounds.

But with hundreds of people queuing for hours, by 2pm parents and children were being turned away from even joining the line which stretched about 250 metres from door of the shop to near the centre's main entrance.

Charlotte Cobb visited the store with her two-year-old son Elijah, and didn't mind the wait.

She said: “It's wonderful to see events like this in Swindon and the excitement on the kids’ faces was great to see.

“The staff have been brilliant, they took it all in their stride and they have been friendly, energetic and really helpful.

“It is a massive saving and it is definitely worth the wait. I will definitely be visiting again.”

Charlotte's saving was considerable - the toy Elijah built would normally cost £16 - instead of the £2 she paid.

Some people had started queuing from 9am, and even those who were successful in their quest faced a four-hour wait.

Early in the afternoon, with the line showing no signs of diminishing, MacArthur Glen Designer Outlet released an apology on behalf of the toy shop and said it couldn't let any more people join the queue.

It said: “On behalf of Build-A-Bear we would like to apologise for the long queues today.

“The Pay-Your-Age event has far exceeded Build-A-Bear’s expectations and as such they are unable to accept additional guests at this present time.”

It seems the workshop was taken aback by the demand at its first Pay-Your-Age Day.

Not everyone was as willing to endure the hullabaloo.

Robert Bushell said: "I took one look at the queue and didn't bother." He tweeted that the queue was so long he'd have aged so much the bear would be unaffordable.

While a few other stores also offered discounts, some staff in shops nearby found the line trying.

Charlotte Cross works at Ecco Shoes nearby and said: “It’s been a nightmare for us, the crowds started to get a bit restless and even accused members of staff of trying to cut into the queue when they were just trying to get into work.”

Nobody from Build-A-Bear was available to comment.