Four-hour car park queue amid city gridlock

Motorists said they had been trapped in Cabot Circus car park as vehicles were not moving

Drivers who faced four-hour queues to exit a shopping centre car park in central Bristol will not be charged if they left their vehicles overnight.

Motorists in Bristol reported moving just a few feet after hours of waiting on Saturday afternoon, with dozens of cars unable to leave the Cabot Circus car park.

Several roads in the area were also experiencing long queues.

A spokesperson for the city council blamed the problem on a faulty traffic light and the shopping centre said it would not charge people who abandoned their vehicles.

A Cabot Circus spokesperson said: "The traffic lights were down in the area which caused major delays on the roads but it's now been rectified by the council.

"That was the cause of the delay and then backlog leaving the car park."

Shopper Sam Hill waited for four hours to exit the car park

The spokesperson said there would be no charge for people collecting their vehicle on Sunday.

They said anyone who paid using the QR code or registered with the car park's automatic Drive In Drive Out system could apply for a refund by emailing [e-mail].

A number of people trapped in the car park said they were unable to get through to the Cabot Circus helpline.

The spokesperson said: "Given the sheer volume of customers there may have been moments when customer calls couldn't have been taken."

Sam Hill said had been waiting for four hours: "We've only seen one staff member on level three helping people, but it's been chaos. There's no support here from Cabot Circus at all."

James Bleeg, 53, said he spent more than three hours in the jam after coming into town to shop and visit the Christmas market with his wife and 12-year-old son.

Mr Bleeg estimated they only moved a few metres in that time.

He said: "We've been better but life doesn't always go as you planned it. We are trying to keep our spirits up by speaking to family and listening to podcasts."

By 19:00, there were traffic wardens on each floor by the exit ramps helping to direct traffic.

Lucy Trimnell, a Somerset councillor, posted on X that Bristol was "absolute bedlam" after spending three hours stuck in queues.

She added there was "gridlock" on all the roads.

There were multiple traffic jams including Bond Street, Temple Way, The Haymarket, Newfoundland Way and St James Barton Roundabout, according to Google Maps.