IT was the book launch of the year and had dedicated followers of boy wizard Harry Potter swamping bookstores across the region.

And, following the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Saturday, Darlington has been named as one of the country's sales hotspots.

Figures from Safeway show the town's Victoria Road store is the eighth best-selling outlet so far.

The firm's Milton Keynes supermarket topped the list, followed by Anniesland, in Scotland.