Christmas shoppers playing catch-up were shelling out more than £4 billion this weekend on what is set to be the biggest festive spree of the year.

Today and tomorrow were expected to be the busiest shopping weekend of 2010 as millions of bargain hunters go in search of gifts, many of them braving the wintry conditions for the first time. For many shoppers, today was the last chance to buy their presents, having been unable or unwilling to trek to the shops early because of the cold and snow.

It is also too late for many to order off the internet, with deliveries being hit by the wintry weather.

At a time when consumers are having to tighten their belts because of Government spending cuts and fears over jobs, the importance of the Christmas trading period cannot be overestimated.

Shopping centres in the West Midlands were today hoping people would brave the weather to continue what has been an encouraging start to the Christmas season so far.

In Wolverhampton, Colin Quinton, manager of the Wulfrun Centre, said footfall for the week beginning December 6 was 4.7 per cent up on the previous week, at 280,483 compared with 248,291.

He said: “We are pleased with that figure, but this weekend should be the big one and we are hoping to beat the 300,000 total for the week from the same time last year.”

Richard Dodd, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “This weekend will certainly be the busiest shopping weekend of the year, and I believe it may well turn out to be even busier than we would normally have expected because a lot of people will be doing catching-up shopping.”

Business Editor Jim Walsh