THOUSANDS of motorists were trapped in their vehicles for hours yesterday as the first day of Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace caused a "traffic disaster".

Drivers endured gridlock on the A44 between Oxford and Woodstock during the morning rush, as well as the A4095 between Bladon and Kidlington.

The delays were worsened by rail closures between Oxford and Banbury due to improvement works, as well as the start of Wilderness Festival at Cornbury Park near Charlbury.

By the early afternoon the disruption eased but conditions worsened once more at 5pm as commuters and visitors travelled home.

It prompted emergency talks between the event's organisers, police and Oxfordshire County Council in a bid to prevent a repeat of the jams today and over the weekend.

Oxford Mail:

  • Cars crawl along the approach to Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock.

The traffic plan put in place was the same as one used for the CLA Game Fair – also at Blenheim Palace – in 2011 and 2014, but did little to prevent motorists venting their fury over the chaos that ensued.

Kevin Mangan, 65, said he had only advanced a few metres along the A4095 in half an hour.

He said: "We followed the signs for the route that was flagged up but we still could not believe how bad the delays were.

"It was a complete traffic disaster."

Mum-of-two Helen Barlow said she and children Erin and Lily brought dad Adrian to the event from Worcestershire for his 50th birthday but found themselves stuck in traffic for more than two hours.

The 46-year-old added: "It is just so frustrating because we've paid £60 for a family day ticket.

"It feels like we have been a bit short-changed. The organisers must have known how popular it was going to be and they should have anticipated this."

Steve Phillips, 65, from Worcester, said he and wife Sue – both "huge fans" of the show – had given up and gone home after more than two hours in jams.

He said: "The traffic was absolutely awful. We just didn't bother in the end, we were stuck in traffic for hours and it was only moving at a snail's pace.

"There were people getting out of their cars to let their children go to the toilet and others walking their dogs.

"We watch the show every week and were hoping to spend five or six hours there, but in the end there was no point."

Oxford Mail:

  • Traffic at a standstill on the A44 yesterday. 

Several motorists also complained about a lack of stewards on surrounding roads.

A Countryfile Live spokeswoman said lane restrictions on roundabouts between Oxford and Woodstock were lifted to increase capacity.

She said they had located parking on fields opposite Oxford Airport with lanes reserved for drivers heading to Countryfile. A 30mph speed limit is also in force until the end of the event on Sunday.

The spokeswoman added: "We are aware of the morning's traffic in the Blenheim Palace area.

"This was due to a huge amount of guests arriving for the event launch this morning as well as other events taking place in the local area.

"We've been delighted with the influx of visitors to this site and we are working closely with the police and county council to improve this situation for tomorrow and the rest of the weekend."

The four-day event, the first of its kind to be held, is expected to attract up to 80,000 visitors.

Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, claimed the disruption had partly been caused by drivers trying to park in the areas closest to Blenheim.

He added: "Everyone understands there is going to be some additional disruption but clearly we need to make sure these delays are not affecting everyone too much.

"There was an issue around people trying to come as close as possible when there were car parks further out which they could have got to quicker.

"But today they are aiming to get people in quicker and everyone is working as hard as possible to make sure that happens."