Colourful ‘hot air balloons’ should have been the talking point of a weekend ‘West Wales festival’ - however those stuck in their vehicles for hours turning the air blue with frustration was the talk on social media - as traffic congestion for those heading to the event caused the locality to be gridlocked for several hours.

As well as enjoying all the hot air balloons, the ‘Wales Balloon Festival’ which was held at Carmarthen showground from June 28 to 30, festival-goers could experience Night Glow demonstrations, live music from tribute acts, monster trucks, stunt shows, and a funfair, for what was billed as an ‘unforgettable weekend for the whole family’.

The weekend received mixed reviews however, mostly criticising the organisation of the event, parking problems on site, and the length of time it took those attending to get through the venue’s gates.

With traffic congestion causing significant delays across Carmarthen on the Saturday afternoon, Dyfed-Powys Police were even prompted to put a post out on social media, urging members of the public to contact the council or event organisers with any ‘concerns’.

“Our control room are experiencing numerous calls about the traffic in the area, which is causing huge demand and delays for incidents that are ongoing,” stated DPP.

Plenty of people took to social media whilst stuck in their vehicles heading to the event, to vent their frustration, with one stating: “We’ve been waiting an hour in traffic and still got an hour and half to go! Missed all the shows now due to traffic shambles!”

“Never seen gridlock like it! People parking cars and walking along dual carriageway with pushchairs! Very unsafe,” another remarked.

“Been sat on the A40 along with hundreds of other vehicles for over an hour and have moved just over a mile!” one person shared on Facebook, with another commenting: “It will have taken 3.5.hours to travel 13 bloody miles!”

Others were critical of Carmarthenshire Council and Police for not pre-planning traffic management for a large event that they would have known about months in advance.

‘Shambolic transport links’ also raised questions over the suitability of building a new general hospital in the vicinity, with St Clears and Whitland shortlisted as the location.

“Exactly the reason why they shouldn’t build the new hospital out there,” stated one person on Facebook...with another warning: “The location of the new hospital in the future makes total sense - NOT!”