Harry Potter celebrates birthday with online traffic surge

Harry Potter has been given an early birthday present as the official website for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows jumped over 15,000 places on Google's most popular websites last month, according to Hitwise figures.

One in every 2,000 search terms in the UK last month was Harry Potter related - it was even more popular than search term 'iPad' after the Apple iPad.

The rise has been attributed to the unveiling of the Universal theme park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the release of the film trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Saturday 31 July is Harry Potter's 30th birthday - and the date is also shared by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

A number of Facebook groups have been set up to mark the occasion although fan numbers are relatively low.

Warner Bros' online shop is giving 50 per cent off Harry Potter merchandise to celebrate the wizard's double-decade but the offer is only available in the US.