Black Friday 2015: Police warn shops to provide sufficient security to deal with chaos

Police said shops should consider extending the Black Friday sales period

Black Friday shoppers look for deals on Oxford Street in London (Rob Stothard/Getty Images)

Police have warned shops to be prepared for Black Friday, encouraging them to provide their own security and consider police assistance only as a "last resort".

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) told retailers officers will attend shops if necessary, the BBC reports, but stores must take steps to avoid a repeat of the chaos of last year's sales.

Deputy chief constable Sue Fish wrote to retailers to urge them to "ensure that they have sufficient security arrangements in place to cope with demand for heavily-promoted sales".

She also said they should consider extending the Black Friday sales period to take place between the 23 and 27 November.

This year, Black Friday is predicted to be more popular than the week leading up to Christmas.

A survey of 2,000 shoppers by parcel delivery company Doddle found 24 per cent of shoppers were prepared to push and shove for the best deals.

Asda has already dropped out of Black Friday sales this year, in favour of spreading savings across the holiday period.

Some branches of Asda suffered a backlash last year after videos and photos posted online showed shoppers knocked to the floor in the scramble for discounted goods.

Black Friday falls on 27 November and is quickly becoming the biggest shopping day of the year, as retailers cut prices for much of their stock.

Last year, British customers spent £810m on online purchases alone, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Several online and high-street retailers are already confirmed to be taking part, including Apple, Marks and Spencer and Amazon