Fights broke out between motorists and children were left ‘crying’ after shoppers were left stuck for five hours in gridlocked traffic.
Tensions are said to have flared outside the Trafford Centre in Manchester last night after visitors were left stuck in the car park. Cody Fisher, a business administrator, and his boyfriend, healthcare worker Lewis Moran, experienced the chaos firsthand after a trip to the cinema. They arrived around noon, managing to find a parking spot after an hour’s search, but emerged at 3pm to find traffic completely stationary outside.
The couple, aged 18 and 20, couldn’t even leave their parking space for nearly five hours due to the congestion. Cody told Manchester Evening News: “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.”
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Eyewitnesses said they witnessed tense verbal exchanges and even physical fights between stuck motorists
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The Trafford Centre said high customer footfall and traffic from the nearby Manchester United game caused long wait times
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In a bid for escape, some drivers even resorted to opening usually closed gates to create exits. Cody said he witnessed a scuffle erupt amid rising tensions among those trapped in the gridlock. He said: “It was like throwing hands each other. It was this lady and another lady, the first lady had a child with diabetes.”
“They were screaming ‘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.”
After a gruelling five-hour wait, Cody and Lewis decided to retreat to their parking spot. 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, and her partner Piyush Sheopuri, 31, had visited the centre to pick up shopping from Pandora, and also found themselves trapped behind the traffic. She said: “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.”
The Trafford Centre has blamed the delays on a mixture of Christmas shoppers and traffic from the Manchester United match. A spokesperson said: “With a busy day at the centre, combined with external factors such as the Manchester United game taking place nearby, the roads in and out of the centre were more congested than usual. We worked closely with Greater Manchester Police and the highways authorities, deploying officers in key areas, to try and get things moving as quickly as possible. We appreciate our visitors’ patience whilst trying to get in and out of the car parks.”