Shoppers at the Trafford Centre have been left in chaos after being trapped in the car park for five hours, with children crying and people arguing outside the Manchester shopping centre
Visitors to the Trafford Centre were left stranded in the car park due to a traffic nightmare at the site. The situation led to children crying, people arguing and even fights breaking out as cars were unable to exit their parking spots.
Cody Fisher, a business administrator, had gone to see Wicked with his boyfriend, healthcare worker Lewis Moran. After arriving around noon, it took them an hour to find a parking spot, however, after watching their film, they found themselves stuck in their parking space for nearly five hours due to the traffic chaos at the Trafford Centre.
Cody described how tensions and tempers began to escalate as time went on: “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,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
“We noticed that people have started opening the gates that are usually closed, to let more cars out.”
Cody recounted a scene of chaos as tensions rose among those trapped, saying there had been fisticuffs due to mounting anxiety. “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 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.”
Speaking later, Cody, alongside Lewis, admitted they’d been stuck for a hellish five hours before retreating back to their parking space. “It was about five hours,” he elaborated, “we just decided that we’re going to go back to our car parking place, because we just got sick of it.”
“The situation just escalated from there,” he continued, recalling how they barely moved. “We edged out of the space, about 30cm. I’ve got voice messages of people screaming. There’s swearing, verbal abuse.”
Trafford Centre visitors Natalia Suska, 33, and partner Piyush Sheopuri, 31, also shared their ordeal, having arrived simply to collect a Pandora order only to find themselves gridlocked. Piyush reported: “People have parked up on the footpath and the grass as well.”
Natalia relayed her disbelief to the Manchester Evening News, 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.”
The Trafford Centre has admitted that the traffic chaos is down to a mix of seasonal shoppers and footie fans flocking to Old Trafford. A spokesperson for the shopping haven told the Manchester Evening News, “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.”