THEY were everywhere you looked - sitting on park benches in the sun, letting their tea go cold in cafes and their beer go warm in pubs, and missing their stops on buses and trains.

The muggles of the North-East and North Yorkshire were under the spell of Harry Potter, unable to put down the new book wherever they happened to be.

After the longest wait yet for a new JK Rowling adventure, the fifth novel - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - broke new records at book stores across the region.

And it was not just one book being bought per family.

The latest phenomenon is multiple buying - families buying two or three copies per household, so mothers and fathers do not have to wait for sons and daughters to finish theirs.

Fans started queuing outside Ottakars, in Darlington, at 5am on Saturday, and by the time it opened at 7am, the crowd was the length of the street.

Manager Dianne O'Neill said: "Even people who had reserved copies were queuing. They obviously couldn't wait to read it and didn't want to hear the plot from someone else.

More than 200 people attended a launch party at White Rose Books, in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, on Friday night, with competitions, fancy dress and fun.

Shop owner Sue Lake said: "I am still on a high after the phenomenal success of the party - it was absolutely unbelievable."

Six hundred copies had been pre-ordered from WH Smith in Wellington Square Shopping Centre, Stockton, Teesside - the biggest number in the northern region.

Shop assistant Leah Teesdale, who dressed up for the midnight launch, said: "I am a huge Harry Potter fan. My two daughters, who are ten and 13, think I am mad but they know how much of a fan I am and are used to me now."

Waterstone's in Captain Cook Square, Middlesbrough, had about 500 customers through the doors.

Assistant Liz Benomoran, said: "It's so original - I love reading the books.''

At the Bookcase store in Front Street, Chester-le-Street, owner Eileen Smith said: "It was fantastic. We sold 150 copies in 20 minutes and we have now sold more than 250."

Darker, deeper, sadder - but still magic

Children couldn't wait to get their hands on the new Harry Potter book. Christopher Barron, of Hurworth, near Darlington, who is 13 today, started reading it at 8am on Saturday and carried on almost not stop until it was finished at 1.20am on Sunday. Here is his verdict.

HARRY Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a long time coming - too long, if you ask me.

But the fifth book in the series was well worth the wait.

This is without doubt the best Harry Potter episode so far.

Harry is now 15. He is a lot angrier than before and has started to have romantic feelings.

Compared with the first Harry Potter book, when the 11-year-old boy wizard first went to Hogwarts, this latest episode is much more complex.

What started as an easy-to-read adventure in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, is now much more complex and challenging to read.

Despite that, it still has the mystery and magic that has continued throughout the series and the 766 pages just fly by.

Harry Potter fans should beware - this book is also a lot darker than the others.

And be prepared for the sadness of a significant character's death. The tragedy has been well advertised in advance, so you keep looking for clues to the victim but with so many red herrings, the identity remains a secret almost until the end.

No, I'm not going to tell you who it is - you'll just have to read the book for yourselves.