A ‘perfect storm’ of festive shoppers and thousands of football fans led to a hellish five-hour traffic jam that left furious motorists brawling in a car park.
Gridlock mayhem exploded at Manchester’s Trafford Centre on Monday evening as thousands were caught up in one of the most horrific snarl-ups ever seen at the mall.
So chaotic was the scene, some drivers were left stranded in parking spaces for hours, unable to move their cars due to the congestion.
It led to children weeping, drivers going rogue by making their own exits and some frustrated motorists even coming to blows and tensions boiled over.
One couple caught up in the carnage described it as a ‘Christmas nightmare’, while others branded it ‘hell’.
Trafford Centre bosses have now attributed the mayhem to a ‘perfect storm’ of shoppers and hordes of football fans descending upon the city to watch Manchester United take on Newcastle.
The game kicked off at Old Trafford, about three miles from the shopping mall, at 8pm.
However, thousands of punters poured into the city in the hours leading up to the match, clogging up roads around Manchester – which included all the key exits from Trafford.
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
Motorists travelling to the match caused congestion on the M60, which is one of the main routes many shoppers at the Trafford Centre use to leave the site.
Bosses say Monday was ‘very busy’ at the mall, as festive shoppers sought to bag bargains in the festive sales.
However, the centre officials insisted that the number of visitors packed into the shopping hub was not necessarily any higher than on other busy days during the festive period.
And as people left the centre, the roads were already heaving, causing snarl-ups in the car park as shoppers attempted to leave the mall.
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.’
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
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.
‘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.’
The Trafford Centre 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
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.’
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 even documented their nightmare ordeals 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, with scores of gridlocked cars stuck bumper-to-bumper
‘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.
Pictured are some of the drivers as they tried to leave the Trafford Centre on Monday evening
‘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 congestion and added a voice over by TV personality, 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.’
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!’
MailOnline has approached Greater Manchester Police for comment.