Glastonbury festival has got off to a miserable start as traffic chaos and wet weather prompted police to warn ticket-holders against travelling to the site.
Long queues of vehicles were building up around Worthy Farm in Pilton, where about 180,000 revellers were expected to attend for one of the highlights of the musical calendar.
Avon and Somerset police have urged festival-goers to stay at home. “If you’re planning to travel to the festival, please delay your journey until later in the day or avoid coming to the site today altogether,” a statement said.
The festival site was described as a mudbath earlier in the week following showers, and pictures shared by workers at the festival showed boggy fields and submerged paths.
The Met Office posted a weather update on its Twitter account, saying:
Further outbreaks of #rain over #Glastonbury this morning, adding to the already very wet ground conditions pic.twitter.com/VmJfHzC7mC
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 22, 2016
This year’s headline acts are Muse, Adele and Coldplay, who will all perform on the Pyramid Stage.
Ticket-holders making their way to the site shared their frustration and dismay online.
Stuck in a 5 hour traffic jam at Glastonbury, but starting the festival on the bus anyway, playing Articulate & drinking with bus friends 🙃
— Ross Williams (@fross2) June 22, 2016
Stuck on the coach 10 miles away from Glastonbury😭 been told it'll be a five hour wait but reckon it could be more.. pic.twitter.com/l443JPSokY
— Tom Oakley (@TomOakley_Star) June 22, 2016
Couldaaaaa been on da beach with my boo, instead I'm stuck in the shitty fucking traffic waiting for a flooded Glastonbury. Gr8.
— moo (@MiaTaylorr) June 22, 2016
Police said traffic was queuing from the festival site in Pilton along the A361 to West Pennard. There is also heavy traffic on the A37 north and south of the junctions with the A361. There is congestion south of the A361 to within a few miles of the A303.
A temporary camper van and caravan holding site has been set up at Bath & West.
The Glastonbury festival founder and organiser, Michael Eavis, told the BBC: “Because of the rain a couple of days ago we did ask people to come in later, to postpone their trip by six or seven hours but because of that, funnily enough, more people have come early this time, which is extraordinary really.”
