HUNDREDS of bargain hunters flocked to Borders bookshop in York city centre as it prepared to close down last night.

The store in Davygate slashed the price of many books and CDs by 90 per cent, and huge queues of customers built up at the tills in response.

As people shopped, areas of the shop were being cordoned off to allow workmen to dismantle the shelves.

The store is one of 45 across the country which closed down at the end of trading yesterday, with the loss of 1,100 jobs nationwide.

Borders went into administration at the end of last month after internet competition put the business under heavy pressure.

Administrators MCR had been in talks with would-be buyers for some stores but warned last Friday that it had not been able to sell any part of the business as a going concern.

Staff in York, where up to 50 people were employed, said they would have to look for work elsewhere but this would not be easy in the current economic climate.

Regular customers spoke of their sadness at the store’s closure.

Heather Burton, from the Monk Gate area, said: “I am really sad about it. I come here once a week. It’s a sad day.”