Traffic management at this year’s Ploughing site were forced to close the site to incoming traffic for 60 minutes this afternoon after chaotic traffic queues engulfed the Tullamore site.

Pictures taken at the site show streams of cars and vehicles on the walkways, with one eyewitness there describing the scene as “carnage”.

Only outgoing traffic was allowed during the closure to give traffic management a chance to clear the site. Incoming vehicles were directed to nearby car parks and were told to wait there until further notice.

One visitor to the site told the Irish Farmers Journal that they had been stuck in the same spot for over two hours and had not moved. “It looks as if far too much travel was let in. There was no one asking where people were going or if they needed to be in at all. The lane ways are packed with cars.”

A statement from the National Ploughing Association said: "At 2.30pm the Ploughing site restricted access to all vehicles for one hour due to the volume of exhibitors arriving at the same time. The site was fully reopened at 3.30pm with exhibitors moving freely around the site once again."

The Ploughing kicks off tomorrow morning in Screggan, Tullamore, with over 300,000 visitors expected to flock to the three-day event.

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