Bayeux tapestry tickets generate nine-hour online queues as public scramble for access

Reports say up to 80,000 people waiting by mid-afternoon for chance to see historic artwork at British Museum

People keen to see the Bayeux tapestry faced online queues of up to nine hours when tickets went on sale for the first time on Wednesday morning.

The British Museum, which is hosting the tapestry from September, saw huge traffic to its ticketing website as a scramble for access began.