Rusty nails postpone reopening of car boot sale

The "thoughtless and highly dangerous" vandalism has been reported to police

The long awaited return of a city car boot sale has been postponed after thousands of rusty nails were found scattered across the site.

Gloucester City Council (GCC) said it believed it was "a deliberate act of vandalism" on the Hempsted Meadow car boot site. It added it was now too dangerous to walk or drive on to the area.

The council said a huge clear up operation was under way to remove the nails and the police had been informed.

Capital Car Boot Sales, which operates the site, said the reopening had been rescheduled for 27 July and security would be stepped up ahead of it.

GCC, which owns the site, closed the car boot over the winter for work on the area and because the lease was up for renewal.

Regular traders previously expressed concerns over the length of the closure.

The car boot sale at Hempsted Meadow has been shut since November 2024

Jeremy Hilton, leader of GCC, condemned the "thoughtless and highly dangerous act of vandalism".

"If it had not been found in time, we can only imagine what might have happened if nails had entered car tyres, or dogs were hurt," he said.

A spokesperson for Capital Car Boot Sales, which was appointed as the site operator in May, said they were "massively disappointed" that the opening had been postponed.

"It is incredibly sad that we have been forced to let down all the buyers and sellers who were planning to come along at this late stage, and we would like to apologise to all of them.

"However, it has made us even more motivated to turn this eagerly awaited market into a huge success story that the people of Gloucester and surrounding areas can all enjoy together."