Customers are travelling from across the country to shop at the Whalley Range shopping district in Blackburn.

With over a hundred stores and shops now taking up the small area the district is seen as the Asian shopping area for the North West of England, surpassing the famous Curry Mile in Manchester in terms of variety.

Wilmslow Road - synonymous for restaurants and takeaways - has seen a boom in Shisha bars in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Whalley Range district has seen a huge rise in the number of designer fashion boutiques and small accessories stores.

On any day of the week the area is bustling with shoppers who are travelling to the region from as far afield as London and Glasgow.

Early evenings, the district transforms to a major area for eating out at the small restaurants, takeaways and dessert bars.

One of the newest shops on the block is Pepe’s Piri Piri. Asad Khalil said: “It took us three months to renovate the restaurant and we are delighted with the results.

“We get people from Burnley, Nelson and Preston on a daily basis.”

Parking was an issue that resonated with many of the shops.

Asad Khalil added, “Parking is a cause for concern for many businesses. There simply are not enough bays to accommodate the demand.”

Fatima Collections was one of the first fabric shops to open on the stretch.

Established by Mohammed Rawat and Fatima Rawat in 1994, the Blackburn store was renovated in 2002 and stocks a range of loose fabrics from across the world.

“Things have changed since we opened up.

“We have noticed how people are travelling to the area from across the country. We have customers travelling from London to shop here.”

Next door is the Regal Furniture Store which has been revamped in recent years and now takes over two storeys.

Randal Street is quickly being transformed from a residential street to a high street. The transformation is quite evident for anyone who drives through the street. A series of small fashion retailers have opened.

Among them is the Royal Fashion Store, complete with a plaque commemorating the house where Jack Walker was born.

Owner Sajid Munshi of Royal Fashion told us: “I came here in 1998 and started as a simple ladies tailor. I opened the retail shop in April last year and thankfully things have gone well.

“My background as a tailor means we provide an alteration service to customers.

“The area has changed dramatically over the years and it good to see people travelling to Blackburn.”

A much less conspicuous shop is tucked away amongst the glitzy shop fronts along Victoria Street.

Lancashire Dry Cleaners Store was first established in 1972 it was taken over by Osman Chand and family in 1979.

Now, his son Maksud manages it. He said: “The area has completely changed over the years and certainly got a lot busier. When we took over the store this was a residential area and now it is unrecognisable.”

The dry cleaners is famous for tackling intricate Asian outfits.. Maksud said:“Maybe we are unique in many ways and people do trust us with their expensive outfits. If we can’t do it then we just say so. But even we come across things that surprise us!”

It is the area’s diversity that is making it a shopping magnet for many people.

Fazila Patel, who travelled from Bolton to shop, said: “We do have shops in Bolton but they do not have the variety as they do here.

“You can spend the afternoon shopping and then go to eat at restaurants such as the Kebabish.

“I think it is good to have so many shops in one place and better for customers and businesses.”

Mustaq Ahmed was with his family and had come from Manchester. He said: “We still go the curry mile but you find a lot of people are coming here because of the fashion stores.

“I can see why some people complain about the parking though. It is still a high street and I think parking is always going to be a problem.”