Fights exploded and children were left crying after a hellish five-hour traffic jam triggered scenes of mayhem at a shopping mall.
Frustrations boiled over outside Manchester’s Trafford Centre last night after thousands of shoppers were left stranded in a gridlocked car park.
Bosses at the centre blame the chaos on a double-whammy of seasonal visitors and sports fans heading to Manchester United home clash against Newcastle close by.
In a desperate attempt to clear the carnage caused by the ‘perfect storm’, every employee at the centre – including managers – were sent out to direct traffic.
Business administrator Cody Fisher was caught up in the pandemonium after going to see Wicked with his boyfriend, Lewis Moran – who is a healthcare worker.
They arrived at midday and said it took them an hour just to find a parking space. And when they left the cinema at 3pm, the traffic had come to a complete standstill.
In the end Cody, 18, and Lewis, 20, were unable to leave their parking space for five hours due to the snarl-up – with the couple witnessing fights breaking out.
‘We went to the car and everyone was on the road, and the engines were turned off. We thought that’s a bit weird,’ Cody said.
Chaos erupted at Manchester’s Trafford Centre after shoppers were left stuck in an horrific five-hour traffic jam to get away from the site last night
Fights reportedly broke out among some drivers and frustrations boiled over
Meanwhile, children reportedly also burst into tears after being stuck in cars with their families for hours as they tried to escape the snarl-up
‘Then 20 minutes went by, and another 20 minutes went by. When we got to about 6.30pm, 7pm, that’s when people starting getting really annoyed.’
Desperate drivers trying to escape the clog resorted to opening usually closed gates to create another exit.
Cody added that as drivers trapped in the gridlock became more frustrated, some started fighting with one another, while other yelled.
‘It was like throwing hands each other. It was this lady and another lady, the first lady had a child with diabetes,’ he said.
‘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.’
Natalia Suska, 33, and her partner Piyush Sheopuri, 31, had visited the Trafford Centre to pick up a Pandora order.
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.’
Piyush added: ‘People have parked up on the footpath and the grass as well.’
The Trafford Centre has said the delays were due to a combination of factors including seasonal crowds and the game at Old Trafford, about three miles away.
Inside the centre appeared to be just as packed, with shoppers cramming to get Starbucks
Other lashed out on social media following the chaos, with one person on X writing: ‘I refuse to go to the hell hole that is the Trafford Centre any day of the year but imagine going at this time of the year and getting stuck for 5 hors due to it being gridlocked (and also causing jams on the motorway in both directions). Ugh.’
Some documented the carnage on TikTok.
Sam Hulme filmed himself as he battled for hours to get out of the rammed shopping centre.
‘I’m stranded. Anyone thinking of coming to the Trafford Centre, don’t bother – this is the reason,’ he says in the video as he shows the scale of the snarl-up.
‘I can’t even sit in my car and run it because I’ve got about four miles petrol. And I’ve got no battery [on my phone] as well.
‘So I’m going to have to go back into Trafford, pay to charge my phone, and go to all the shops, again.’
One person stuck for four hours, filmed the gridlock with a voice over from Gemma Collins, saying: ‘I’m not afraid to admit it – it’s hell in there. It’s horror. You have to be a certain type of person to survive.’
Pictured are some of the drivers as they tried to leave the Trafford Centre on Monday evening
Julie Brannan wrote on Facebook: ‘Stuck on the car park at the Trafford centre – absolute joke !!! No traffic stewards or anything and they are just letting more on and NOBODY can get off just total gridlock – goodness knows how long – we’ve been sat here for an hour and a half and have moved about 10 feet.’
Meanwhile, Lesley Courtney posted: ‘Been to Trafford Centre today, absolute chaos! Never seen it so busy, turned round and came home!’
Trafford Centre bosses have now attributed the carnage to a ‘perfect storm’ of shoppers and football fans. Monday was said to have been ‘very busy’ at the mall.
However, the centre officials insisted that the number of visitors packed into the shopping hub was not any higher than on other busy days during the festive period.
In a desperate bid to bring order to the chaos, all available Trafford Centre staff, including managers and staff based in their offices, were sent out onto the car parks to help direct traffic.
A spokesperson added: ‘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.’
MailOnline has approached Greater Manchester Police for comment.