CUSTOMERS eager to get their hands on the new version of Apple’s iPhone queued from the early hours outside stores in Bournemouth on Thursday.

More than a hundred people could be seen trailing down Commercial Road in the town centre from the O2 shop with those bleary-eyed people at the front of the line having queued since around 4am for the iPhone4.

Tom Philpotts, who was one of the first ten people allowed inside the store when it opened at 8am said: “There are actually fewer people here than I thought there’d be.

“I expected a lot more. I haven’t slept all night. I kept coming back every hour to have a look at whether a queue was forming yet and then around 4am started lining up.”

His friend Mark Hanson said: “There are four of us here together all ready to get a new phone. They look fantastic. It was well worth getting up early for.”

O2 Store manager George Hanson said: “I had an idea it would be this busy. The changes they’ve made to the phone are biggest so far and it was obvious this would attract a lot of attention.

“Hopefully we’ve got enough phones to satisfy everyone in the queue but I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long day.”

Members of staff from the shop were handing out refreshments to people in the queue while newspapers were also distributed to those likely to be there for a while.

And Tom Wilton, one of the first to emerge from the shop with his new phone after queuing since 4.15am, said: “I was one of the first five people to get one. It’s been planned for a while to get down here early so I’m pleased to be able to get to work on time now!”