Fans queue for the new iPhone 5 at the Apple store in Bluewater

Hundreds of iPhone fans have mobbed Bluewater's Apple store as the new-look handset goes on sale today.

More than 1,000 buyers snaked around one side of the top floor of the Greenhithe store this morning.

Staff opened the shop two hours early at 8am to cope with huge demand.

Some fans camped overnight in a bid to be at the front of the queue.

A few even brought in camping chairs - with others playing cards and using their laptops as they waited.

All successful buyers were given a ticket, to prove they were due a new iPhone.

Those in the queue were given a nice wake-up - a cup of coffee!

Everyone was also given a personal escort into the store.

Reporter Jess Banham said: "It was madness here today.

"It was almost totally men - there were just around five women here."

The earliest customers began arriving at 2pm yesterday before the phone's UK release today.

Bluewater general manager Rober Goodman said: "That today has created a new record in terms of the number of people is a testament to both the unique appeal of the Apple brand and Bluewater's reputation as the place to buy the latest and greatest products."

Customers camped outside Apple at Bluewater all night

The new iPhone 5 handset is one of the most hotly-anticipated in electronics history and notched up a record two million orders in just 24 hours.

It offers users a bigger screen and faster processor among other features.