Motorists were left stranded for two hours as gridlock hit a city car park.

Families leaving Churchill Square shopping centre stood bumper to bumper with tourists who had flocked to Brighton and Hove's beaches this evening.

As thousands of vehicles tried to leave the city centre the NCP car park ground to a halt.

Julie Ward, of Chester Terrace, Brighton, said she waited for 40 minutes moving "possibly an inch and a half".

The sales representative said: "People were stuck there for two hours. The car park was at gridlock and they couldn't get everyone out but rather than let them out from the entrance - because at 5pm on a Sunday no-one was trying to get in - they were just leaving people in there to suffer."

After extending the "grace period" of time between people paying their tickets and passing through the exit gates to two hours, attendants recommended drivers left their cars to come back later, Mrs Ward said.

She added: "It was absolute chaos and hugely frustrating. Thankfully I didn't have my children with me.

"However the car in front of me had two ladies with two small children and there were loads of crying babies in cars getting very hot and dehydrated."

Sussex Police said they were unsurprised car parks were having difficulties last night as massive crowds had swept to the coast.

NCP were unavailable for comment.

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