The trial is for children’s items only and covers 25 stores (Picture: Rex)

Shoppers were left frustrated as Primark’s website crashed shortly after its long-awaited click-and-collect service launched.

After resisting the allure of joining the online shopping market for years, the company finally relented and kickstarted a trial for 25 UK stores today.

But many customers found they still couldn’t place an order this morning.

Social media channels were full of complaints, with one person saying it was ‘pointless when the website is down’ and another claiming ‘nothing works on it’.

Primark has since acknowledged the disappointment and the website appears to be working now.

A spokesperson said: ‘It’s been great to see so much interest in the launch of our new Click + Collect trial. 

‘We’re aware that some people have had issues accessing the website this morning and we’re working hard to address this to ensure that everyone can access and browse the site easily.’

The click-and-collect trial only covers children’s clothing, toys and nursery goods and stretches to stores in north-west England, Yorkshire and north Wales.

People can order from a list of 2,000 items with a £15 minimum order value.

They can collect their shopping two days later, with no current plans for deliveries.

It comes after bosses vowed to not increase prices any more than already planned before next autumn.

This is likely to be a help to those struggling financially amid the devastating cost of living crisis.

Primark lost more than £1 billion in sales when 190 UK stores were forced to close due to Covid lockdowns.

Unlike other retailers, the company had no online operation to rely on to boost profits.

Speaking of the new click-and-collect service, Paul Marchant, the retailer’s chief executive, previously said it is ‘a milestone for our business and builds on the investments we’ve made over the last two years in new technology and people to make this possible’.

‘This trial will give customers so much more of what they love and a new way to shop with us. It brings together more choice and greater convenience and complements the great in-store experience that is at the heart of our business’, he continued.

‘We think it will also give us an opportunity to reach new customers by highlighting the fantastic collection that we have for kids of all ages. We’ve chosen to trial the new service in a region where we have a wide range of stores of different sizes and formats, and we can’t wait to see the customer response.’

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Shoppers were left frustrated.