What went wrong at the Trafford Centre last night? The 'perfect storm' that led to a 'Christmas nightmare'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A combination of shoppers and football fans led to gridlock around the Trafford Centre on Monday, it has been claimed.. There were chaotic scenes last night with some drivers reported being stuck in the centre's car parks, and on nearby roads, for several hours.

Witnesses said children were left in tears and that there were fights amongst motorists who became angry and frustrated as they were left stranded in their vehicles.

One couple who came to see a film at the cinema said they were unable to even leave their parking space for five hours as cars piled up and scuffles broke out around them in what they said was a 'Christmas nightmare.' Trafford Centre bosses have now attributed the carnage to a 'perfect storm' of shoppers and football fans.

Monday was said to have been 'very busy' at the mall. However, bosses say the number of visitors was not any higher than on many of the other busy days across the festive period, where there had been no similar issues.