SHOPPERS flocked to the High Street in record numbers at the weekend, defying concerns about the recession and credit crunch.

Figures released yesterday suggested that retailers across the country were busier than ever on Saturday, with shops 7.1 per cent fuller that on the Saturday before last Christmas, according to industry analysts Springboard.

Traders in the North-East and North Yorkshire also reported encouraging signs that last-minute bargain hunters were defying predictions of a cash-strapped Christmas.

Jace Tyrell, of the New West End Company which represents more than 600 traders in London, said around 600,000 people had visited the West End on Saturday.

He said: "Yesterday was an exceptional day. It was heaving and shoppers were definitely spending.

"It's interesting because the week was actually down by 1.6 per cent so I think people got paid on Friday and went out yesterday."

Despite the promising signs, however, uncertainty remains as to whether the next few days will provide the much-needed boost beleaguered retailers have been looking for.

Evidence seems to suggest shoppers are delaying purchases until the last moment in the hope of further price reductions.

However, alternative figures suggesting a bleaker picture on the High Street.

Bruno Rost, of retail analysts Experian, said that, in the build-up to the hectic weekend, the numbers of shoppers had actually been down on last year.

He said: "On Monday, we were six per cent down, by Wednesday it was nine per cent down and on Friday it was 12 per cent.

"What we are seeing now is a typical last-minute Christmas rush, but that does not hide the fact numbers are considerably down on last year.

"There is a lot less money going through the tills and I think people have tended to budget more this year so the amount of expenditure has shrunk."

Their own figures suggested the number of shoppers in stores yesterday was down on last year by 8.4 per cent.

Mr Rost said: "There is no hiding the fact that this year will be one of the worst for retailers since the early 1970s."

Across the country, traders were reporting that business had been good and they were looking forward to more to come over the next few days.

A spokesman for Capital Shopping Centres, which has interests in 14 regional shopping centres, including the MetroCentre, in Gateshead, said: "By 11.30am this morning, cash tills were ringing. Being the last weekend before Christmas Day, panic shopping happened today."

Several of the country's biggest shopping centres reported brisk trading, including Bluewater, in Kent and Brent Cross, in London, as well as Selfridges, one of the capital's major department stores.

A Selfridges spokesman said: "What was interesting was that people really are leaving it to the last minute - it was noticeable how many people seemed to be just starting their shopping this weekend."

While there were few figures available to compare, the general feeling among retailers was that the region had also seen a last minute surge.

Mike Clark, manager of Teesside Park Shopping Centre, in Stockton, said: "We have been extremely busy and I am very positive about the what the total sales will be.

"Historically this is the busiest weekend in the run up to Christmas and I had a feeling that this year would be no different."

Victoria Howard, general manager of the Lewis and Cooper food store in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said: "I think December is going to be up on October and November because everyone has left their shopping to the last minute this year.

"On Saturday, we were so busy it was chaos. We had people queuing outside the door first thing in the morning."

Shoppers in Newcastle came out in force yesterday with thousands of bargain hunters cramming Northumberland Street.

Shopper Richard Burnett, 33, said: "It shows how worried some of the shops are when they're starting their January sales this early."

However, Mike Barker, a Darlington councillor who runs a health shop in the town centre, sounded a word of caution.

He said Darlington had not been particularly busy and thought many traders would not have fared well when taking the whole of December into account.

He added: "We've just had two major high street names collapse in the last week and I don't want to be the harbinger of doom and gloom but I think there's going to be a few more following in the New Year once the Christmas splurge is out of the way.

"It's going to be the good retailers who survive this recession. We've got to be realistic its going to be a really hard year."