Black Friday fever has struck the world as the US tradition spreads across the Atlantic to the UK and beyond.

But as the tradition of cut-price deals on the day after Thanksgiving Day spreads, so too does the chaos on high-streets up and down the country.

Scores of Britons are expected to flock to shops like Argos to snap up deals – with the Nintendo Switch games console high on many people's wishlists ahead of Christmas.

And online shoppers are already racing to get their fill and skip the hustle and bustle of top shopping hubs like London's Oxford Street, Edinburgh's Princes Street and Manchester's Market Street.

SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE UPDATES ON THIS YEAR'S BLACK FRIDAY CHAOS

12.00pm Singapore shoppers sleep on street to snap up savings

The UK may be shunning the shops for digital alternatives, but in other parts of the world Black Friday is a serious tactical business.

More than 150 people were seen queueing overnight outside Robinsons Heerenin on Orchard Road, Singapore to grab a bargain, requiring a little ingenuity to beat the line.

The shopping district is considered to be one of the best places to splash cash in the whole of Asia.

Mr Gilbert Loh camped on the street with his family to ensure they got the best deals on new mattresses.

He said: "We took turns to stand in line. 

"It's like free camping in Orchard Road, the biggest struggle is just trying to rest when it's so noisy,"

10.20am Slow starting UK could still have biggest shopping weekend EVER

Despite not having the same chaotic approach to Black Friday as others around the world, Britons are expected to spend just under £2.6 billion on Friday alone, an 8% increase overall on last year.

The UK is also expected to spend £7.8 billion over the four-day period including Cyber Monday, up 7% on last year, according to predictions by VoucherCodes and the Centre for Retail Research (CRR).

Retailers are banking on a successful weekend and are hoping consumers will continue to spend confidently despite the first rise in interest rates in 10 years and a squeeze on disposable income.

9.45 South African supermarket savings spark scramble

South African supermarket chain Checkers' decision to offer shoppers 50 per cent off on everything – including alcohol – has sparked pandemonium in their stores.

Shoppers could be seen pouring into the store, pushing one another out of the way to get to the best bargains.

Some stores were forced to introduced a ticketing system to stop overcrowding in the shop

9.25am Meanwhile in Europe – Topless feminist sweet shop protest

While the UK may not be getting involved in Black Friday carnage, things have taken a turn on the continent.

A women's activist in Kiev, Ukraine, has caused chaos in a Roshen company shop owned by the nation's President Petro Poroshenko.

The topless protestor is believed to be demanding the President keep his pre-election promise to sell the confectionary business.

Dramatic photos from the scene show her throwing sweets around the aisles as others nearby, dressed in winter coats, carried on with their shopping.

9.20am Mancunian mania misses the mark

Manchester shoppers have also avoided any early morning commitment to swarming the shops – with footage from the intu Trafford Centre showing one lonely shopper popping in for a quick deal.

But their eagerness was not to be underestimated.

The bargain hunter still decided to duck under the shutters to beat the queue into John Lewis – of which he appeared to be the only member.

9.15am Amazon strikes risk continental commercial catastrophe

Warehouse strikes on the continent could cause chaos for Amazon shoppers as employees fight for more pay.

Workers at Amazon’s main distribution hub in Italy are planning their first ever strike for Friday, trade unions said, while they are also striking at six warehouses in Germany.

More than 500 Amazon workers at the Piacenza site in northern Italy agreed to walk out following a failure to negotiate bonuses with the British company.

And the Verdi trade union in Germany said their Amazon employee members would follow suit.

Workers have also decided not to do any overtime until Dec. 31, covering the peak season for the online retailer which hires temporary workers during this period.

In a statement Amazon claimed their Italian workers were some of the highest paid in the nation's logistics industry.

9.00am No swarms in the Toon

British sensibility appears to be getting in the way of the US frenzy that has typified Black Friday – with Newcastle bargain grabbers snubbing morning queues like their southern counterparts.

The Tesco superstore at Kingston Park flung open the doors at 5am sharp to find roughly nine people wander into the store.

Much of the supermarket remained empty as bargain grabbers casually strolled the aisles.

8.20am Amazon's Nintendo Switch deal snapped up quickly

Online behemoth Amazon might have had the best Nintendo Switch deal of the day – and it's all gone.

The internet megastore was offering a package deal with a limited edition 'Mario Red' console and hit game Super Mario Odyssey for just 279.99 – down from £375.

But savvy shoppers picked up the deal quickly – with the site quickly selling out before 8am.

The non-limited edition console itself is available for £269 on the site.

8.00am Less than chaotic start on Oxford Street

As the sun rises on London you would imagine Oxford Street to be rammed with people looking to pick up a quick bargain.

But it appears Britons may not quite be as ecstatic over the holiday as others in the rest of the world.

After shop assistants flung open the door of Curry's PC World on Oxford Street just one person wandered in, looking a little bemused as they strolled past cameras to pick up their shopping.

The shopper in question – Marcel – picked up his pre-ordered laptop before carrying on about his day.

7.55am Mcdonald's Black Friday blunder

Mcdonalds may not be the first place people head on Black Friday – but thanks to a social media blunder they got the first laugh from scores of Britons this year.

The multinational corporation opened the day's proceedings by tweeting: "Black Friday: ***Copy and link needed**" from their main account in an apparent mistake.

So far the tweet has remained on their site for at least an hour, with many on social media jibing at the huge company.

One wrote: "U ok hun?"

Another added: "This probably is having the intended effect. No way I would have seen the actual ad."

7.30am Black Friday fever spreads around the world

 As Britons wake up shoppers elsewhere in the world are already hitting the shops – with scenes of chaos in shopping hubs around  South Africa and Brazil.

Shoppers in the Cape Town's Parow shopping centre were seen throwing one another to one side to get back into a store that briefly shut due to overcrowding.

And Sao Paolo deal-grabbers were witnessed scrambling to grab widescreen TV's in a massive huddle.

At least 68 percent of the Brazilians purchased retail items during Black Friday – up from last year's 61 per cent in a signal of slow increase in the nation's economy.