Shoppers at the Trafford Centre were plunged into chaos as they found themselves stuck in a car park nightmare, with families reporting distress, children in tears and even fighting amidst rising tensions between drivers.
Cody Fisher, a business administrator, along with his boyfriend, healthcare worker Lewis Moran, shared their harrowing experience after a trip to see Wicked turned into an ordeal. They had arrived around midday on Monday (December 30), spending an hour hunting for a parking spot, but it was when they tried to leave after the 3pm show that they realised they were trapped.
The young couple, aged 18 and 20, found themselves stuck in their parking space for nearly five hours as the situation worsened. Cody shared how tensions and tempers flared over time.
Recalling the events, he told the M.E.N: “We went to the car and everyone was on the road, and the engines were turned off. We thought, ‘that’s a bit weird’.”
“Then, 20 minutes went by, and another 20 minutes went by. When we got to about half six, seven, that’s when people starting getting really annoyed.”
Traffic was at a total standstill with people turning their engines off
In an attempt to alleviate the gridlock, some individuals took matters into their own hands, opening gates that were usually closed to allow more cars to exit. The situation rapidly deteriorated and Cody witnessed a scuffle erupt amidst mounting anxiety over the gridlock.
“It was like throwing hands each other”, he recalled. “It was this lady and another lady, the first lady had a child with diabetes. They were shouting about the lengthy delay, ‘we’ve been here five hours’, and ‘we’re not letting you pass’.”
“Everyone started shouting saying stop being so selfish – I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s a Christmas nightmare.”
Fights broke out as no-one moved an inch for hours from the shopping centre car park
At the time of the conversation, Cody and his companion Lewis had been stuck for five hours and had retreated to their vehicle. “It was about five hours,” Cody said resignedly, “we just decided that we’re going to go back to our car parking place, because we just got sick of it.”
Describing the chaos further, he added: “We edged out of the space, about 30cm. I’ve got voice messages of people screaming. There’s swearing, verbal abuse.”
Natalia Suska, 33, alongside her partner Piyush Sheopuri, 31, became ensnared in traffic while picking up a Pandora order from the Trafford Centre. Piyush commented on the extent of the disruption: “People have parked up on the footpath and the grass as well.”
Tempers flared as thousands of visitors were left stuck on the car park
Natalia shared her dismay, saying: “We’ve been here two hours. I’ve never experienced something like that, even the day before Christmas. It wasn’t that bad, we’ve been here on the 23rd and it was busy but not that much.”
A spokesperson for the Trafford Centre said: “With a busy day at the centre, and the Manchester United game taking place nearby this evening, the roads in and out of the centre are more congested than usual. We’re working with Greater Manchester Police and the highways authorities to try and clear the roads as quickly as possible, so things should be moving better around the centre soon.
“We appreciate our visitors’ patience whilst trying to get in and out of the car parks.”
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