Furious visitors to a Christmas market at Chatsworth House found their cars trapped in muddy fields, in a repeat of chaos which hit the venue’s summer RHS flower show.
And after their vehicles have been pulled out of the mud, drivers complained they had to wait in line for hours to leave the site due to congestion.
Other motorists heading to the stately property, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, near Bakewell, Derbyshire, said they were having to queue to get in.
Motorists heading to the stately property, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, near Bakewell, Derbyshire, said they were having to queue to get in and got stuck in the mud when they tried to get out
After their vehicles have been pulled out of the mud, drivers complained they had to wait in line for hours to leave the site due to congestion
Furious visitors took to social media to express their anger at the organisation at the Christmas event
One angry visitor wrote on Twitter: ‘Sad state of affairs Chatsworth House. We couldn’t get anywhere near, terrible traffic control and no info whatsoever.’
Linda Martin added: ‘We have been in the exit queue for one and a half hours now which is ridiculous. We have a disabled young man in the car. Organisation non existent.’
And Sarah Hayward said: ‘Christmas market at Chatsworth house very poorly managed estimated 3 hours to get out of car park, don’t waste your money it is not worth it.’
Chatsworth House stated on Twitter today that it was currently operating a ‘one in, one out traffic system’ as a result of tailbacks in both directions.
It said: ‘Thank you for your patience as we work hard to park all cars safely. Please make sure to wear boots or wellies if you’re visiting us today, as the ground is wet in places.’
Chatsworth House stated on Twitter today that it was currently operating a ‘one in, one out traffic system’ as a result of tailbacks in both directions
One angry visitor wrote on Twitter: ‘Sad state of affairs Chatsworth House. We couldn’t get anywhere near, terrible traffic control and no info whatsoever.’
Parking was ‘severely restricted’ at the venue at the weekend due to the conditions and many visitors reported that their car had to be ‘pushed’ into a parking space and then pulled out of the mud to go home.
Commenting on the Chatsworth House Facebook page, one visitor said: ‘We went on Monday, the ground was just about holding up. It must have cost them tens of thousands returning the parkland grass to normal after this event, plus all the other costs in running such a popular market. Certainly wouldn’t want all this on my lawn.’
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Orme said she waited more than 90 minutes to leave the venue and had to be helped by a couple to get her car out of the muddy car park.
There have also been reports on social media that several cars had to be hauled out of the muddy field by a tractor.
Parking was ‘severely restricted’ at the venue at the weekend due to the conditions
Many visitors reported that their car had to be ‘pushed’ into a parking space and then pulled out of the mud to go home
The Christmas markets, which started on November 17 and will run until December 5, boasts more than 100 market stalls offering a wide range of Christmas gifts and decorations as well as mulled wine, German beer, gourmet burgers, pancakes and churros.
The venue also experienced traffic and parking problems earlier this year when it hosted the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, which attracted more than 800,000 people.
Visitors waited hours to get in and several hours to get out of the car park following adverse weather conditions which forced the show to close on its preview day.