Children were left crying at Manchester’s Trafford Centre today after fights broke out and motorists were left stuck in the car park for over five hours. Congestion at the shopping centre was so bad yesterday that some cars were left unable to leave their parking spaces,

Shoppers found themselves stuck in the car park for hours on end in gridlock traffic outside the Trafford Centre - witnesses said they saw fights break out between motorists

Traffic was at a total standstill with people turning their engines off and fights breaking out as no-one moved an inch for hours from the shopping centre car park

Sounds of “children crying” filled the air of the Trafford Centre in Manchester today after thousands of people were stuck for over five hours in the car park. Those hoping for a peaceful days shopping between Christmas and the New Year were instead trapped in a nightmare amid traffic chaos at the site.

Cody Fisher, a business administrator, and his boyfriend, healthcare worker Lewis Moran, recounted their ordeal after attending a showing of Wicked. They arrived around noon and spent an hour searching for parking, but it was upon leaving the film at about 3 o'clock that they realised they were trapped.

Shoppers hoping for a pleasant day out at the Trafford Centre were instead left trapped in the car park amid traffic chaos at the site. Visitors described children crying and people arguing and even fighting as cars were unable to even leave the places where they parked.

Gridlocked traffic caused shoppers to be left stranded in a shopping centre car park last night, leading to children becoming distressed and fights between motorists. The situation outside the Trafford Centre in Manchester escalated as those left trapped turned on each other.