SHOPPERS who turned up for the opening of a North-East discount department store could barely believe their eyes when Posh and Becks dropped in for a spot of bargain hunting.

The celebrity pair were in Hartlepool for the opening of the new-look Designer Room, at Jackson's Landing.

But on closer inspection it turned out not to be the England Captain and the pop star formerly known as Posh, but a pair of look-a-likes.

One shopper said: "They certainly looked the part. I had to look twice."

Posh and Becks were joined by Big Brother star Helen Adams for the official opening.

Although she arrived almost two hours late because of a serious accident on the A1, hundreds of Big Brother fans were delighted to see the dizzy Welsh girl soaking up the sunshine in Hartlepool and joining the bargain hunters at the Designer Room.

She did a double take when she spotted Posh and Becks strolling around.

Although she was bombarded by young fans looking for autographs, the former hairdresser and dance teacher was mainly kept out of reach by security officers.

She apologised for being late and said she was looking forward to shopping for glittery things in the store.

Helen, who appeared without her boyfriend, fellow Big Brother contestant Paul Clark, said she had been to Hartlepool before for a dance competition and liked the town.

The Designer Room has undergone a £1m refurbishment since it took on the lease for the whole centre in October.

The discount department store has been completely gutted and transformed into a two-floor, one-stop department store offering hundreds of designer names at a fraction of the original prices. The store also has a designer cafe that looks out over the marina.

Managers said the Designer Room and marina are already attracting tourists from Leeds, West Yorkshire, Coventry and Nottingham, and they expect numbers to increase with the new store