THE website of a North-East toy shop is receiving almost two million hits a month from all over the world after it cashed in on a massive craze.

Children in Europe, Japan and America have been bombarding Lamb's Toy Shop, in Darlington, with requests for the new "fighting tops" phenomenon Beyblades because the shop is one of the few places in the UK not to have sold out.

Beyblades are Japanese spinning tops which children can battle against each other until the tops fall apart. They can then be reassembled for another contest.

Toy shops throughout the country have stocked the Beyblades game since January, but they were not selling until recently.

Barrie Lamb, who runs the Darlington shop, said: "My son, Anthony, noticed that we were getting loads of hits on the website for Beyblades and he predicted that a craze was starting.

"We bought excess stock from all over the country. The other toy shops were only too happy to sell their stock because they didn't think the toy would sell to the public.

"Then, suddenly, the craze took off and we have been bombarded with e-mails, phone calls and website hits ever since.

"At one point we were sending out 100 orders a day, and since we sold out three weeks ago, we have had to refuse 30,000 orders.

"We should be getting some more stock in at the end of August, along with most other toy shops."

Beyblades are based on a 17th Century Japanese spinning top called beigoma, which were made by filling spiral seashells with sand and lead.

The Lamb's shop website is www.lambstoys.co.uk

* To win Beyblades goodies visit www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk. The winner will receive a Beystadium and two Beyblades. Two runners-up will win a Beyblade each.