Man, 25, arrested as large crowds queueing outside luxury watch stores cause chaos

Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google

Shoppers camped out overnight in the hope to get their hands on the watches from the "Royal Pop" collection, produced in a collaboration with Audemars Piguet on Saturday.

But the queues turned into violence outside stores across the world including Paris, where police used tear gas to control the 300-strong crowd.

In the UK, officers were also called when huge crowds descended on stores in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield, and a 25-year-old man was arrested in Cardiff.

Read more: Metropolitan Police probing alleged hate crimes at major London protests

Read more: Officers at Windsor Castle investigated over allegations of sleeping on duty

Swatch said that it had closed stores in the UK because of "safety considerations for both our customers and our staff".

Police dogs were deployed at the Battersea Power Station, where queues ran inside when its doors were opened at 7am, and Westfield shopping centres in London in response to the chaos.

A post on the company's Instagram read: "In light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff, Manchester store will be closed for the day."

Officers in Cardiff were called to St David’s shopping centre at 6.20am on Saturday as about 300 people tried to gain entry.

South Wales police said a 25-year-old man was arrested and given orders not to enter the shopping centre again that day.

Police in Merseyside also received reports that a group of men was reported to have been acting in an aggressive manner and making threats outside Liverpool’s Paradise Street store.

Large crowds also grew out of control in Amsterdam, New York, and Milan.

The models, starting at £335, are already being listed on resale websites for £16,000, with many of those in the queues watch resellers.

Swatch later urged customers not to rush to buy the product.

A statement added: "To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product.

"The Royal Pop collection will remain available for several months. In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused."