Huge tailbacks created chaos over the weekend as people flocked to a pumpkin patch to pick their own produce.
Traffic came to a standstill on Southport Road in Lydiate yesterday after visitors to Church View Farm reportedly blocked the flow of traffic on the main road, despite the farm asking those visiting to park on their grounds.
Locals claimed the parking situation forced buses to stop and meant cars had to "squeeze" past.
READ MORE: Mum of two dies 5 days after diagnosis
One driver, Kate Webb, told the ECHO : "It’s basically Church View Farm’s pumpkin attraction, it’s growing every year, so therefore the number of families it attracts also increases to ridiculous amounts especially for the small amount of parking they have.
"[This led to] a large number of people parking on both sides of Southport Road from the farm itself - all the way to the Scotch Piper.
"This caused two buses to get stuck in front of each other yesterday and then cars were trying to squeeze past the buses both ways making it worse.
"It’s not just Southport Road that ends up blocked either. Hall Lane is another one, as are many [roads] in the area.
"I imagine it also affects local businesses. And it also affects those trying to visit family in the cemetery at the church.
"Signs, cones or staff stopping people parking on one side would be an effective solution."
The farm took to Facebook to ask visitors to park on a field on the site, adding that staff had reportedly been threatened and sworn at.
Church View Farm posted on Facebook on Sunday, October 17 to say: "Please can we ask that our customers park in a considerate manner.
"We have FREE PARKING in a massive field, however, customers are choosing to park both sides of the road which is not safe and does not allow vehicles to pass safely. You are actually closer to the pumpkin picking when parking in the field.
"Our staff do not deserve to be threatened and sworn at when asking you to park in the designated field.
"We open our farm to allow our customers to have a fun day out with their families and friends.
"The police do attend and issue tickets to anybody parking irresponsibly, please do not let a ticket ruin your day out. Park in the field!
"We are sorry to anybody that has been affected by the irresponsible parking. We do have the field clearly sign posted and are asking the cars to park in the field. PARKING IN THE FIELD IS FREE!
"Anybody who threatens our staff or refuses to follow our guidelines will be refused entry to our farm.
"We love having you visiting us so please allow us to remain open and park in the field"
Speaking to the ECHO, a spokesperson for the farm said: "Our staff have been threatened and sworn at when asking people to park in the field. We do have a massive field that people are asked to park in for free, however, once one person parks on the road everyone else follows."
The farm has now employed extra staff to deal with those visiting and have asked for help from Merseyside Police to assist.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
