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 for a number of hours when trying to leave, with long delays and queues reported to the nearby M60<\/a> junction.<\/p>\n Pictures shared on social media showed standstill traffic around the perimeter of the Trafford<\/a> Centre, along Trafford Boulevard and Barton<\/a> Dock Road, which was preventing shoppers from leaving various car parks. Some claimed they had been waiting for more than two hours.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Trafford Centre responds after shoppers ‘trapped’ in car park mayhem<\/a>READ MORE: Trafford Centre ‘chaos’ as shoppers ‘stuck for hours’ in gridlocked car park ‘hell’<\/a><\/p>\n In one post on X, titled: “Hell at the Trafford Centre”, long lines of cars can be seen waiting to exit the multi-storey car park. There is gridlocked queues with horns heard blaring in frustration from those attempting to leave.<\/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 have been trying to get out of the car park since 3.45, so it’s been over an hour,” she said. “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 Bus services were also ‘severely delayed’ due to traffic in the area and congestion on the M60 anti-clockwise. Shoppers also fumed on social media about the traffic chaos, with one calling the situation a ‘public safety risk’.<\/p>\n One person wrote: “Stuck in a Trafford Centre for 2 hours, with very little movement. Spoke to GMP control centre, response was no incidents reported, so nothing we can do!”<\/p>\n Another penned “Taking a walk before grocery shopping the roads around the Trafford Centre, the roads in and out, and the car parks are completely static bumper to bumper.”<\/p>\n A third fumed: “Trapped at Trafford Centre. Not moved in 2 hours now trying to get out. Thousands trapped with no water\/info. This is a public safety risk.”<\/p>\n Live traffic service Inrix also reported tailbacks on the M60. There was ‘very slow traffic’ throughout the afternoon on the anti-clockwise carriageway at Junction 10, with congestion backed up to Junction 15 at Swinton<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement to the M.E.N, the Trafford Centre 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. We have been advertising throughout the afternoon that all car parks are full.<\/p>\n![\"Long](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/4_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD7_anonymized.jpg\")
Long queues of cars to exit the multi-storey car park(Image: @medb1980\/X)<\/p>\n![\"Some](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD6JPG.jpg\")
Some motorists said they had been waiting for hours to try and escape(Image: @medb1980\/X)<\/p>\n![\"Traffic](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_JH_MEN_291225_TRAFFORD3.jpg\")
Traffic was gridlocked around the Trafford Centre(Image: Emma Butterworth)<\/p>\n