An angry throng of shoppers were brought to a total standstill on Oxford street in a situation described as “hell on earth”.
The visitors packed out the street above the Tube station as a mounting mass stood in a motionless crowd above it over the weekend.
The stressful scene was captured by a TikToker who captioned the chaos: “Oxford street on a random Saturday in December.”
The video posted by London travel influencer Sofia who posts to her account @sofigioffreda has been seen more than half a million times and gained scores of comments on the total chaos.
One former Londoner said: “This is my version of HELL, and will inevitably be the reason I move out of London.”
“Here I was, terribly missing London after almost 13 years living there.
“Well, not anymore…Thanks for this video, it erased my nostalgic feelings,” agreed another.
One person who had been caught up in the crowds said: “I’m not a Londoner but i’m living here temporarily and today was the absolute worst.”
Others called the jam “chaos” and “hell on earth.”
Earlier this year retail experts sparked concern about the future of Oxford Street – with top Marks & Spencer boss saying that “something must be done” to save Oxford Street.
Operations director Sacha Berendji said crime rates on Oxford Street are surging as what was once London’s top shopping district falls into disrepair.
The mob of shoppers in the capital also gathered despite concerns about retail performance over the Christmas period in the UK more generally.
It has been reported that British retail sales growth remained “sluggish” in November despite Black Friday deals – as the cost-of-living squeeze prompted shoppers to rein in spending on non-essential items according to the British Retail Consortium, reported Reuters.
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at accountants KPMG, who sponsored the new data said: “The cost-of-living crisis has taken its toll on Christmas spending for many households, and the continued economic conditions are testing consumer resilience.”
The figures, which were reported on Tuesday, December 5 suggested consumers were opting for budget-friendly items such as food, drink and personal care rather than big ticket items like jewellery.
