Supermarket chain Morrisons enjoyed a record-breaking Christmas with sales up 11.6 per cent on last year.

The FTSE-100 company saw demand soar particularly during the weekend before Christmas, with traditional products like meat joints and mince pies flying off the shelves.

The bumper results were achieved even with the firm closing its 105 stores - including the outlet in Worth Way, Keighley - for three days, from December 25 to December 27, to give all staff an extended holiday.

Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt praised Morrisons for its "forward-thinking" management style when she paid the Thornbury store a visit last November.

Chairman Sir Ken Morrison, who was ranked the sixth richest person in Britain in a recent newspaper poll, said: "We are quite pleased because we had some good trade at Christmas, the staff had a nice break, and it all went very well and to plan.

"This success is a culmination of the work we've done over the years and comes down to just knowing what the customer wants and giving it to them at the right price.

"I think we're the only supermarket that closes on the third day, and we do it because Christmas is important and our staff thoroughly deserve a break after all the hard work they put in throughout the year.

"It's just hard persuading the rest of the industry to do it too."

Morrisons has not released cash details of its Christmas sales, which will be included in its annual financial report in March.

Sir Ken, 70, joined the firm in 1952 when it was a family owned market stall and now has a £1.25 billion stake in the business.