THE Christmas countdown has begun with Bents Garden and Home launching its traditional festive displays.

The Mayor of Warrington Cllr Faisal Rashid opened the event after Bents' team of joiners worked their magic to create an exclusive timepiece which was used for the final countdown.

Hundreds of customers joined in with the countdown before setting out to discover the latest Christmas trends.

Father Christmas also made an early appearance at the event where he met with youngsters and took note of their wish list.

Cllr Rashid said: “The big day may be some time off, but after today’s event it feels as though Christmas has definitely started. 

"It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the occasion and I was delighted to be a part of it.”

Christmas at Bents is a year round project with work starting on the actual store set up in July to meet the centre’s traditional mid-October opening date.