Two devoted Cliff Richard fans are so determined to get front-row seats for a performance, they have camped outside the venue - eight days before tickets go on sale.

Judy Lawson, 48, and 46-year-old Shirley Downton have taken a week off work to make sure they get the best seats in the house for the show at the Bournemouth International Centre.

The pair, who have seen the Peter Pan of pop more than 2,000 times between them, turned up at the concert hall in Dorset last Saturday.

They spend their days in the centre's foyer and sleep in a car kitted out with duvets and blankets.

Bachelor boy

Ms Lawson said: "It's not the first time I've done this. If ever Cliff's on tour I know he's so popular that I'll have to queue out.

"I've grown up going to see him - he's special to me because what you see is what you get.

"We have been told we are mad more than once but our families are used to it now."

The veteran bachelor boy's manager, Bill Latham, praised the women's tenacity.

"Many of his fans are not young, but they show such extreme devotion, especially in cold weather."