Norwich and the surrounding area has been named as the UK's top hotspot for online shopping during Black Friday.

The ranking of towns and cities across the UK was compiled by the Royal Mail, following last Friday's one-day promotional sales event, which originated in America but has spread to this country.

The company analysed items accepted into its network on Friday and Saturday, from online retailers and ecommerce businesses, to be delivered by the Royal Mail Tracked 24 and Royal Mail Tracked 48 services.

It calculated the percentage of 'address points' within the NR postcode area that were due to receive a Black Friday parcel, and found the NR area had more than any other area.

It was followed by Dorchester, Exeter, Bournemouth and Swansea.

Nick Landon, head of Royal Mail parcels, said: 'Last weekend a huge volume of online purchases were picked, packed and shipped by retailers around the country. And today, thousands of shoppers around the UK will be receiving their Black Friday purchases.

'Bargain hunters in Norwich top the list of this year's biggest Black Friday online shoppers. We know there are more parcels still to come, but as of today more addresses in Norwich are set to welcome a Black Friday purchase than anywhere else in the UK.'

Online purchases made on Black Friday will continue to be distributed by retailers and delivered by Royal Mail in the coming days.

The news may reflect the experiences of some city retailers, many of whom reported no more than their regular stream of customers on Friday, with suspicions many people had opted to avoid the rush and buy another day, or search for bargains online.