![\"Queues](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD.jpg\")
Queues prevented people from escaping the Trafford Centre with some reporting long delays(Image: Katrina Cliffe)<\/p>\n“You just can’t get anywhere”<\/p>\n
17:25, 29 Dec 2025Updated 17:31, 29 Dec 2025<\/p>\n
Queues prevented people from escaping the Trafford Centre with some reporting long delays(Image: Katrina Cliffe)<\/p>\n
There were scenes of mayhem at the Trafford Centre on Monday afternoon (December 29) as shoppers claimed they had been stuck for a number of hours trying to escape ‘gridlocked’ car parks.<\/p>\n
Visitors headed to the huge shopping outlet for discounted sales following the Christmas<\/a> period, but quickly took to social media after becoming trapped in their vehicles when trying to leave, with long delays and queues reported to the nearby M60<\/a> junction.<\/p>\n One shopper, Katrina Cliffe, was forced to abandon her car and help with traffic management on Monday evening, guiding other motorists away from the large car park outside John Lewis. She said shoppers became ‘stuck in their cars’ with ‘every lane gridlocked’.<\/p>\n “We arrived at around 12pm from Huddersfield, and it was already getting busy. It took a while to find a space but it was moving,” she said.<\/p>\n “We have been trying to get out of the car park since 3.45, so it’s been over an hour. You just can’t get anywhere. The car behind us had already been stuck for 50 minutes when we pulled out.<\/p>\n “There’s cars coming into the car park still to try and find a space, but they are blocking every lane so nobody can even get out. I have walked up to car park eight to tell people not to come any further down.<\/p>\n “The roundabout outside is gridlocked too so nobody can move. It’s crazy how long it’s taken. It’s so bad. I hate coming and usually shop online but my daughter wanted to come after Christmas.”<\/p>\n Another shopper who visited the Trafford<\/a> Centre on Monday morning described it as ‘chaos’, adding; “I am free now, but was sat there for nearly two hours. It was chaos. I’d only nipped in for a browse.”<\/p>\n Posts from frustrated motorists were also shared across X on Monday. One user wrote: “Trafford centre is absolutely vile, it\u2019s hell trying to get out the car park,” to which another responded: “We have been trying to get off of the car park now for 2 hours.”<\/p>\n Another posted: “I wish the Trafford centre had a live camera you could look at online to see how busy it is before you go,” which was responded to by another shopper, who said: “Don’t go. It’s just took me an hour to get out of the car park.”<\/p>\n Posting a series of videos, another user fumed: “Wouldn\u2019t even bother trying to get in or out the trafford centre at this point, third hour sat here, appalling traffic management. Hope you\u2019re not expecting me to pay a parking fine.”<\/p>\n Live traffic service Inrix reported there was ‘very slow traffic’ on the M60 anti-clockwise at Junction 10, with congestion backed up to Junction 15 at Swinton<\/a> ‘due to people heading towards the Trafford Centre’.<\/p>\n A Trafford Centre spokesperson said: “With a busy day at the centre and nearby retail parks, combined with a vehicle breakdown at Junction 9, roads in and out of the centre are more congested than usual.<\/p>\n![\"Queues](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD1.jpg\")
Queues to escape car park Peel 9(Image: Katrina Cliffe)<\/p>\n![\"Shoppers](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD2.jpg\")
Shoppers said lanes in the car park were gridlocked (Image: @freyjathorpex\/X)<\/p>\n