THE opening day of the 149th Great Yorkshire Show was hailed a success last night despite traffic problems.

The Great Yorkshire Showground, at Harrogate, was bustling from the moment the gates opened.

Young and old mingled in the sunshine, browsing the entertainment and stalls.

The crowds arrived despite severe traffic problems in the Harrogate area at about 9am yesterday.

The show's committee had made efforts to curb the traffic problems that blight the event each year, but their efforts seemed in vain.

Nigel Pulling, the chief executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, said: "We had the perfect show weather, even though June had been the wettest month on record, and we had to work very hard to ensure the car parks were in good order.

"There have been a lot of people at the show, and the showground has been full and very busy.

"A lot of people had heeded our request and used public transport.

"But we had areas where there were traffic problems and we have had people out addressing them. We are very sorry if anyone was delayed.

"It was not our intention to cause problems and we spent months planning the traffic routes to the showground. We have made some progress, but other problems have occurred and there is always room for improvement.

"Luckily there does not appear to have been any accidents, but a lot of people made the decision to come early as the weather was nice.

"Ideally we would like people to come between 6.30am and noon, but instead everyone seems to come together instead and snarl-ups can happen quickly and take time to clear."

The show's committee had advised people to use the park-and-ride schemes provided.

The committee estimates it will park a total of 40,000 visitor vehicles in the car parks during the event's three-day run this year.

The traffic eased as time went on, and by about 11am, most of the problems had disappeared.

Attractions included falconry displays, hundreds of stalls and music from the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment.

Scores of livestock categories were judged during the day.

The show will restart at 7.30am today, when visitors can look forward to the Royal Signals White Helmets display team, a display of beehive making and an exhibition of country pursuits.