Traffic queues build up outside East of England Showground as lorries get bogged down in muddy fields

Lengthy traffic delays at entrances to the East of England Showground today (April 28) have been blamed on the wet weather causing lorries arriving for the last ever Truckfest to get bogged down in muddy fields.

The backlog of traffic has stretched right through the residential streets leading to the Showground and right along the Orton Parkway.

In one case, a woman motorist is even reported to have left her car and walked home.

Organisers say the need for event organisers to tow trapped lorries out of the mud on the Showground’s fields is slowing down the rate at which arrivals can be allowed into the venue.

They say the recent wet weather has made the fields softer than expected.

In a statement, AEPG, controllers of the Showground, explained: “Our events team, together with the Live Promotions team who are the Truckfest organisers, were prepared and had the gates opened two hours prior to the scheduled time to mitigate a build-up of traffic.

“Due to the ongoing inclement weather, the ground is softer than ideal.

"As a result, some trucks are getting stuck, and we are having to tow them with our tractor team.

"This is causing some backlog in traffic being able to come further into the site until the bogged in trucks are moved, hence the queues now being seen on the main roads.

It adds: “The levels of Truckfest traffic, and the management in the way it is split between exhibitors (North entrance) and trucks (Dunblane Drive entrance), is the same as it has been in previous years.

“These levels of event traffic will cease from July 1 when we close the gates to events.”

Councillor Julie Stevenson, one of the area’s representatives on Peterborough City Council, said: “This is part of the problem with transport management here.

"When we get a huge influx of drivers from elsewhere in the country they're not necessarily aware that the area round the Showground is now very much more residential than it was a decade ago.

"Residents of Orton Southgate and Orton Northgate are experiencing huge delays getting in and out of their homes today.

"Part of the problem is that Truckfest used to be in August when it tended to be drier.”

Truckfest is proving to be just the latest traffic headache for residents near the Showground over the last few weeks.

They have been angered recently by the number of huge car transporters using Dunblane Drive to get to the Showground after AEPG agreed that logistics giant DHL could operate a car storage and distribution depot from the Showground.

A retrospective planning application for the change of use of the site for the depot is currently being considered by the council.

An AEPG spokesperson said: “DHL has suspended operations for the day to ensure there are no traffic movements over and above the event, and of course they don’t work on weekends or Bank Holidays, so their normal activity resumes Tuesday.”