It may not have had the sense of excitement and occasion that we may have seen in earlier years, but shoppers still headed to Ipswich town centre for the first days of the post-Christmas sales.

The first days stores opened their doors after Christmas has often seen queues of eager shoppers heading off in search of a bargain.

These days it's not so frenzied. Shops have different reopening days now - some opened their doors on Boxing Day while others left it until Wednesday to welcome back shoppers.

Ipswich Star: Wednesday was the first trading day for Marks and Spencer after Christmas.Wednesday was the first trading day for Marks and Spencer after Christmas. (Image: Paul Geater)

This year the weather played a part - while Boxing Day was crisp and sunny, Wednesday was grey and breezy with a constant threat of drizzle.

There were shoppers on Ipswich's streets, and many were heading to look for bargains in Marks and Spencer or Primark.

Ipswich Star: Primark had opened its doors on Boxing Day.Primark had opened its doors on Boxing Day. (Image: Paul Geater)

But there wasn't the intensity there was when people could go on to look at BHS, the Co-op Department Store, Grimwades, and Debenhams.

Not everyone was down-hearted by the smaller numbers of shoppers on Wednesday - borough planning portfolio holder for planning Carole Jones had been impressed by the number of Boxing Day shoppers she saw during a walk through the town.

She said: "It was a nice day and it felt quite busy. I hope the businesses that opened did well.

"Wednesdays are always a bit more quiet because the market isn't there. When that is back at the end of the week we should get more of an idea about how things are going."

Today many businesses start their sales online on Christmas evening itself and your purchases can be delivered within a couple of days.

It is also expected that retail parks and the big out-of-town superstores will also have done well with the post-Christmas shopping rush.

But businesses are expected to wait until after the new year to give a clear response to the festive season.

Ipswich council's leader reported positive upticks to the town's Christmas events with 2,000 more people coming into Ipswich for Christmas events and markets this year.

Cathy Frost, owner of Loveone in St Peter's Street, said the month had been "very stop start" but people were still out supporting independent businesses.

She said: ""I am very positive about Ipswich and its potential, and it is great to see people support small businesses, and it would be great for that to continue into the quieter months of January and February."