Online shopping expected to soar

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Christmas shoppers are expected to make Monday the busiest day of the year for online shopping.

Credit card firms are predicting a rise of more than 50% in online shopping this Christmas, compared with 2006.

Shoppers will spend Â£5.6bn online this month - more than 10% of all plastic card spending.

But consumers are being warned to protect their computers from fraudsters with anti-virus software and to examine sites carefully.

Peak day

High Street retailers are facing a nervous Christmas, with stores worried that a dip in consumer confidence could hit sales.

But online retailers are expecting their peak day on Monday as shoppers try to make sure presents are delivered by Christmas.

In the past five years, the number of adults shopping online has doubled to 30 million.

Internet firm Play.com is preparing for an average 650 orders every minute.

The firm is expecting to ship more than 250 tonnes of goods during the day, while overall sales are likely to be up almost a third year-on-year.