Cars pulled from mud at Northern Kin Festival in Ushaw

The Northern Kin Festival in County Durham became bogged down by problems with cars getting stuck in mud and huge tailbacks as organisers were forced to apologise.

Long queues started forming on Friday with many complaining of delays of more than an hour passing the festival site at Ushaw, near Durham.

Read more: Cars stuck in mud, traffic jams and 'horrendous' toilets mar County Durham festival

The waterlogged site became a muddy quagmire with vehicles being towed from the site by tractors after becoming stuck in the soft ground.

Tractors dragged vehicles off the muddy site. (Image: UGC)

Organisers were forced to bring in tractors and plant machinery to release those stuck on Monday once the festival had finished.

Pictures from after the clear-up operation show the ruined fields where revellers became caught.

A spokesperson for Northern Kin said: “We have five tractors, two heavy plant and two specialist off road recovery units all working on behalf of the festival to assist customers out of all campsites who need help.

Northern Kin Festival has been plagued by traffic problems. (Image: UGC)

“Our stewarding team will also be on hand to help people taking the emergency exit routes with which they may not be familiar.”

By about 2.30pm organisers said most visitors had been helped off site.

A statement said: “The team on site believe that the majority, if not everyone, has been helped off site  There are a few festival goers who we will be helping once they have slept off last night’s festivities.

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“Thank you everyone involved with today’s (Monday’s) egress, everyone waiting for being so patient and to all the local farmers and other festival goers who chipped in to help people stuck this weekend.”

Tractors were brought in on Monday to free vehicles from the ground (Image: UGC)

Some attendees resorted to paying a farmer with a tractor to get off the site sooner.

There were also complaints of traffic jams blocking neighbouring villages on Friday and poor toilets and wash facilities.

Sue Hill, who was attending the festival for the first time, told how there was no hand washing facilities or water on her site, and that there were only five showers.

She said: “My first time at Northern Kin. I won't be back. It’s shambolic, vehicles stuck everywhere and having to be towed.

“Toilets are minging and no hand washing facilities, no water on site 3. We have to walk ten mins to fetch water from by the arena, haven’t tried the showers as there are only five for the whole site, long queues to get wrist band, long queues to get into the arena at 4pm only to be told now opening at 6.

A tractor pulls a campervan out of the mud. (Image: PAUL NORRIS)

“Bands started at 6pm playing to no-one as everyone still queuing.

“God knows what it will be like trying to get off site. It took two-and-a-half hours to get on (the last half mile). I'm tempted to leave today but are so packed in I don't think I can get out safely.”

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Northern Kin added: “We are completely aware of the issues and would struggle to convey how sorry we are about the issues.”

One annoyed festivalgoer reportedly ‘spat in the face’ of a disabled worker, organisers said on Sunday, as they urged crowds not to take their frustration out on stewards.

The weekend line up included Bill Bailey, Lindisfarne, The Levellers and Jethro Tull, among others.