Blackburn is one of the top areas searching for the world’s most in-demand games console, as Christmas and Black Friday approach in the town.

The town has placed 10th on a list of towns and cities hunting for the elusive PlayStation 5, with one of the highest search rates per 10,000 people in the country.

Research from New Casinos has been looking at the most in-demand gadgets in the run up to Christmas, with the PS5 coming out on top.

With the American tradition of Black Friday having cemented itself in British life now too, researchers are predicting these searches may translate into a sales boom when the big day comes round on November 25.

The study analyses the average monthly Google searches for a range of tech products including consoles, tablets and smartphones, and smart devices.

In Blackburn, there were 1,390.3 searches per 10,000 people on average per month, the 10th highest rate in the country.

Neighbouring Preston topped the list with 1,751.5 searches per 10,000 people, followed by Manchester (1,674.8) and Birmingham (1,598.6).

Preston was also the place most searching for the Nintendo Switch, showing the city appears to be gaming mad this year.

While Blackburn was only 10th for the PS5, it was the second ranked area for searches for the Samsung S21 smartphone.

A spokesperson at New Casinos said: “With the top 10 consisting of cities from multiple regions, we can see just how widespread the interest for tech gadgets is.

“What’s really fascinating is how the PS5 is the most searched for product in so many cities.

“With Black Friday on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how the demand for these gadgets, from iPhones to Macbooks, translates into sales.”

Other search terms included in the report were for AirPods, Alexa, Apple Watch, Beats headphones, iPads, Kindles and Xbox Series X.