Bonfire Night revellers left fuming as 300 cars get stuck in the mud for hours after farm turned into a ‘swamp’ during Storm Ciaran

• The display was taking place at Cattows Farm in Leicestershire on Saturday

Firework punters were left fuming after a reported 300 cars were left stuck in the mud for hours at a bonfire night display.

A makeshift car park constructed in Cattows Farm in Leicestershire was turned into a ‘swamp’ on Saturday after being soaked by Storm Ciaran throughout the week.

Local charity Leicestershire and Rutland 4×4 Response said 300 cars were still stuck in the mud two hours after its team arrived, with some visitors taking to social media to call the event a ‘shambles’.

Taking to social media at 9.35pm, the charity said the mud was ‘so bad that even our responders are struggling to access parts of the fields’.

Ten rescue 4x4s were scrambled to the farm – with the last trapped motors only freed at 11pm, the Leicester Mercury reports.

Leicestershire and Rutland Response said: ‘Members of the public found themselves stranded in off-road field parking at a third party event at Cattows Farm near Ibstock following a fireworks event.

Firework punters were left fuming yesterday after a reported 300 cars were left stuck in the mud for hours at a bonfire night display

A makeshift car park constructed in Cattows Farm in Leicestershire was turned into a ‘swamp’ after being soaked by Storm Ciaran throughout the week

Local charity Leicestershire and Rutland 4×4 Response said 300 cars were still stuck in the mud two hours after its team arrived

‘Regrettably, ground conditions deteriorated throughout the day despite efforts to establish firmer roads on-site.

‘As the situation escalated dramatically tonight, the events company organising the fireworks event once again requested direct assistance from us.

‘We provided further specialist 4×4 support supporting Derbyshire response to extract trapped families and their cars from the car parks.

‘Our initial responders arrived at 19:45, led by our control coordinator, Karl, to formulate a plan.

‘We had multiple responders arriving there till late evening until all the trapped families were safely back on the roads.’ 

Leicestershire and Rutland 4×4 Response have since removed the initial social media posts due to the overwhelming number of comments. 

Revellers rushed to social media to vent their disappointment of the night, with one writing: ‘The conditions were horrific and extremely dangerous.

‘We went as we paid an awful amount of money and it was the worst experience I’ve had in a long time.’

Another said: ‘This whole event was a shambles. We arrived about 14.45ish and we were directed into the bottom swamp of a car park.

‘After I had parked I saw the event parking staff had to push 3 cars in!

‘We decided to leave after the first underwhelming fireworks that were 50mins late. Good job we did, as it took over two hours to get out of the ‘car park’.’

Cattows Farm owner James Ludlam disputed the estimate of the number of vehicles that were stuck

The charity took to social media to ask for donations after the fireworks event

They attached images of rescued vehicles from the mud

Cattows Farm owner James Ludlam disputed the estimate of the number of vehicles that were stuck, but assured he was ‘thankful’ for the work of first responders and that ‘systems were in place’ on a ‘challenging night’. 

He told Leicester Mercury: ‘Everybody had assistance and people were going off the farm on their own accord. It was properly dealt with.

‘The weather and the rain was challenging for everyone concerned.

‘As a landowner we were more than happy with the procedures put in place by the events company. I did go out just to check how everything was just from a landowner’s point of view.

‘By 8.50pm there were only half a dozen cars in the main car park getting assistance.

‘The figure from Leicestershire & Rutland 4×4 Response does not confirm what I saw on the ground. Everybody was very well aware of the weather. We had systems in place.

‘We had already hired the services of the 4×4 charity. We were thankful they were there on a challenging night.

‘I think everyone pulled together and people contributed to make it as good as it could be.’

It comes after Storm Ciaran prompted the cancellation of hundreds of Bonfire Nights over the weekend as 104mph winds battered Britain’s coast.

Organisers throughout the country were forced to scrap weekend Guy Fawkes Night events after dangerous winds and heavy rain.

Elsewhere in the country, video footage emerged of a ‘shocking’ fireworks display in Birmingham that left punters fuming after they couldn’t see anything due to clouds and smoke 

People were so annoyed at the fireworks that they left midway through the show and some are demanding refunds

Pictured, spectators watch the fireworks display but no fireworks can be seen due to the smoke

Elsewhere in the country, video footage emerged of a ‘shocking’ fireworks display that left punters fuming after they couldn’t see anything due to clouds and smoke.

The bonfire night was taking place at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Saturday but was slammed as a ‘total disaster’.

In the video, there is the sound of fireworks and explosions but there is no sign of the actual display, only a dull colour because of the amount of smoke.

One attendee wrote on Facebook that she felt like she was in a ‘war zone’.

The event was billed as the ‘biggest fireworks spectacular in Birmingham’ but people left demanding refunds.

The venue said adverse weather conditions had impacted the event and several clips online show families standing up to leave in the middle of the show while others are in obvious shock at the display. 

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