HARRY Potter hysteria gripped York today, as thousands of copies of JK Rowling's latest magical bestseller landed in York - amid high security.

Shops across the city were keeping copies of her long-awaited fifth volume, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, under lock and key ahead of its midnight launch.

Spokeswoman for Waterstones in York, Kate Gordon, said it was the biggest single order they had ever placed.

She said: "Because it is such an important day and because we are going to be busy we have extra staff and extra security staff."

Waterstones will open at midnight for initial sales, and reopen at 7am.

WH Smith at Monks Cross will also open at midnight and have 2,500 copies of the book, 1,000 of which they expect to shift on the first day.

Books supervisor Mandy Dobson said: "We have never had anything like this before, the last book gained quite a lot of interest but there is a lot more hype this time."

The winners of our Harry Potter competition, organised courtesy of WH Smith at Monks Cross and Coney Street, will not have to queue for their copies.

Richard Moncrieff, of Wreyfield Drive, Scarborough, wins a complete boxed set of Harry Potter books - including the Order of the Phoenix.

The four runners-up, who each win a copy of the new book, are: Mr P Haigh, of Oakdale Road, York; Mr M Hobman of Carlton Road, Sutton-on-Derwent; Stacey Middlemass, of Towton Avenue, York: and Eleanor Massingham, of Old Mill View, Sheriff Hutton. All winners can collect their prizes from WH Smith at Monks Cross tomorrow.

Updated: 10:43 Friday, June 20, 2003