Major traffic delays as Download festival fans arrive

Thousands of people have been arriving at the festival site

Major delays have been reported as thousands of rock fans arrive at the Download festival in Leicestershire.

The four-day event at Donington Park opened to visitors on Wednesday, with about 100,000 people expected to attend.

National Highways said "severe delays" were affecting the M1, A50, A42, A38 and A453.

It warned drivers the disruption was expected to continue into Wednesday evening.

Extra traffic officers have been deployed with free recovery also being offered to keep vehicles moving.

Phil Shaw, resilience planner for National Highways, said: "Today [Wednesday] is expected to be the busiest day for arrivals, but additional campers are also arriving tomorrow and some 20,000 day ticket holders are expected on each of the four days of live music.

"Our advice to all motorists is allow extra time for journeys in that area over the weekend, particularly if you are catching a flight from East Midlands Airport."