LOOK no further than Freeport at Fleetwood if the Christmas cash you received is burning a hole in your pocket.

The clearance sales started on Boxing Day, so now's the time to nip in and pick up a few bargains at a venue which boasts more than 100,000sq ft of prime outlet shopping.

The designer outlet village opened in 1995 and since then has become an established and successful £20m development in Anchorage Road, with more than 40 shop units including Next, Bhs, Pilot, Warners, Regatta, Wrangler and Jane Shilton. Freeport Fleetwood plays host to 3.3 million visitors per year and employs between 400 and 450 people.

Famous names in fashion, sportswear, homewares, gifts, toys and books are set in exciting "New England" buildings overlooking a tranquil yacht marina, complete with lighthouse and trawler. More than 200 yachts are moored at the mouth of the River Wyre.

Before its transformation, the site was dockland and had been categorised as a brown field site for regeneration. Now the area's heritage is reflected in themed fishing village surroundings with an Arcona Bay trawler in dry dock.

Serious shoppers need to keep up their energy levels and there are plenty of eating houses to sample. Dining options range from the Martha's Pantry family restaurant to an authentic American steel diner, and there is a traditional fish and chip restaurant.

In the summer the outlet village's ice cream kiosks do a roaring trade.

Sharkee's Deep Sea soft play area offers children a safe and playful environment where they can have loads of fun with ball pools, chutes and slides, crazy mirrors, a spooky cave and wobbly bridge. Sharkee's also offers a members' club and children's parties.

The Freeport Fleetwood designer village has been acclaimed as the key factor in the resurgence of the town as a leisure and shopping destination. It hopes in the future to bring more people from Blackpool as part of its expansion.

Opening times this week are: today 10am-6pm, tomorrow 10am-6pm, New Year's Eve 10am-4pm, New Year's Day 11am to 5pm, January 2 10am-6pm.