A driver has described ‘pure carnage’ and traffic chaos outside a half-term Halloween event at a country park.
Hundreds of families and children descended on California Country Park in Finchampstead for a Halloween Fun Day of activities and a ‘meet and greet’ with The Wicked Duo’, actresses dressed as Alice and the Wicked Witch from Alice in Wonderland.
The free event took place from 10am to 3pm on Tuesday, October 28, during the school half term.
But outside the park, drivers faced long delays due to reports of inconsiderate parking.
There was heavy traffic along Nine Mile Ride and Reading Buses Leopard services were caught in the queue.
Neighbours and drivers have described the ‘chaos’ caused on Facebook.
Kirsty Elizabeth said: “It was pure carnage and poor planning, we gave up trying to park and left!
“They should have had staff in the car parks directing traffic or letting people know the car parks were full!”
Olive Law said: “We live near the park and we needed to get out to go to a funeral, and because of the idiots parked in both directions on the Nine Mile Ride it was chaos.
“Cars coming out of the park had to wait ages for a gap in the flow of traffic travelling in both directions, like a one-way system.”
Jackie Wilkins argued that drivers who wanted to avoid paying for parking at the country park made the queues worse.
She said: “The car parks are big enough… It’s just that people don’t want to pay the extortionate parking fees, so would rather park for free around the local residential streets.”
Parking at the country park costs £2.40 per hour for stays up to and including three hours, and a flat rate of £9.60 for any stays of more than three hours.
The site has approximately 300 parking spaces, including 19 disabled bays and four electric vehicle charging points.
Jason Fuller said: “People moan about cyclists, but think about it, they’re reducing the number of cars on the road!”
Traffic is heavier than usual in the area as a stretch of Nine Mile Ride is closed off for electricity works, which are due to be completed by the end of Friday, October 31.
The organiser of the Halloween Fun Day, JL Events, has been contacted for a statement, but has not responded at the time of writing.
A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council, the highways authority responsible for roads in Finchampstead, said they would not be commenting on the matter.
Thames Valley Police has also been asked to respond.
An update will be provided if police choose to respond to the request.
