Chaos erupted in a supermarket after the till system crashed, leaving more than 600 people stuck in "enormous" queues with trolleys full of shopping.

Asda, in Capitol Way, Colindale, suffered a fault with its cash registers after 1.30pm, leaving shoppers unable to pay for their goods.

The scene inside is “complete pandemonium”, according to one shopper, who is currently stranded at the till with a trolley full of food.

Fights between shoppers and managers have also broken out, as delayed and irritated customers attempt to leave without paying for their goods.

Queues of 50 to 100 people have formed at each till and managers have been forced to turn new customers away.

There are now believed to be more than 600 people waiting to be served at the tills.

Mary Goodson, who visited Asda to pick up a sandwich on her lunch break, said: “I’ve now been in an enormous queue for more than 20 minutes.

“The managers don’t know what to do. It’s very busy and chaotic because nobody’s telling you anything. Nobody knows what’s going on.

“Rows have broken out and people have tried to walk away with their shopping. I’ve phoned head office but I’ve not had any answers. This is ridiculous.”

Jack Welby, from Edgware, said: "When I came to pay my bill, the whole store collapsed. They were trying to figure out what the situation was for ages. Loads of people were waiting with their trollies. I have never know anything like it."

The tills have since been fixed.

A statement from Asda said: "A technical glitch in the store meant that unfortunately our tills were down for around 30 minutes earlier today.

"Our colleagues worked quickly to resolve the issue and thankfully everything is now up and running as it should be. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we dealt with the issue and apologise for any inconvenience caused."