Scores of people spent hours queuing to be the first in line for the opening of a new doughnut shop.

Set up in an American-style trailer, the brand-new Krispy Kreme store opened to crowds in the Ashford Designer Outlet at 10am this morning.

There was a distinctly celebratory atmosphere as a ribbon was cut by members of the company, and the five-strong team posed for photographs with their manager before the crowds started flowing.

The team were also presented with a bottle of champagne and a congratulatory card to mark the occasion.

Despite the early time, the line of waiting doughnut enthusiasts continued to grow both before and after the ribbon was cut.

Both customers and staff were full of beaming smiles,with passers-by looking on with surprise at the size of the queues.

A line of eager customers stretched away from the opening ceremony, with those at the front having already been there for a long time.

In fact, by the time the ribbon was cut, the first people to receive their doughnuts had been in line for three and a half hours, after getting into the outlet at 6:30am.

The result was worth the wait, with the first dozen being given a gift bag with various prizes, including branded caps and jackets.

To add to this, the first three in the queue were awarded celebratory plaques, as well as gift cards.

Joshua Coleman was rewarded for being first in line with a £150 gift card on top of his 'first dozen' prize.

Giorgi Hughes and Laura Flanagan, who were second and third, received cards worth £100 and £50 respectively.

During the build up to the ceremony, customers were kept entertained with a spin-the-wheel contest, which allowed randomly-selected competitors to spin for free prizes ranging from a single glazed doughnut to a full selected dozen.

Craig Evans, Krispy Kreme's new store opening manager, said: "This has been absolutely fantastic.

"We always have a great relationship with the customers as a company, but to get this kind of queue is amazing.

"I just hope that everyone has a brilliant day after this."

The company confirmed the store would be coming to Ashford earlier this month.

This comes as the outlet continues its multi-million pound development, which will also see brands such as Armani and Under Armour opening in the future.

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