Meadowhall explains congestion after shoppers slam ‘dangerous’ Bank Holiday Monday

Angry members of the public who visited the centre yesterday had slammed the centre as they were forced to queue up the car park ramps and that no signs were available to show that it was at its full capacity.

One shopper, who took her frustrations on Twitter said: "What an absolute joke. It's now at its capacity? Stop letting people queue up the car park ramps. It's mayhem, and downright dangerous.

"No signs to show anyone entering at its capacity, until they've sat on the ramp and then crossed the carnage of the car park."

Another said he had to queue in the rain to get to eat under the cover or to get back indoors.

In response, a spokesperson for Meadowhall said: “We are carefully managing visitor numbers so we can be confident that everyone can maintain social distancing.

"For a period on Monday we were particularly busy, and had to temporarily close our car parks and ask customers to kindly queue outside of the centre until we could safely welcome them in.

“We also have designated outdoor dining areas with three covered spaces where food can be enjoyed in line with Government guidance.

"Our team are managing these areas on a first-come-first-serve basis and we may sometimes need to ask visitors to queue for a short period until a table becomes available.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to our customers for their continued support and understanding in helping to keep everybody safe.”

Meadowhall said notices were activated on the ring road to advise customers arriving at Meadowhall that their car parks had been temporarily closed.

Signage was also put up at the entrances to their car parks along with members of their team yesterday.

They also shared updates on their social media channels and on their websites to notify customers who were considering visiting Meadowhall.

It was reported yesterday that roads around Meadowhall including the M1 were congested, with shoppers being asked to queue outside as it was so busy.