The organisers of a festival in North Herts have apologised for the gridlock and tailbacks caused by the event, in part blaming vehicle breakdowns for the chaos.

Yesterday (June 26) was the start of Groundswell at Lannock Manor Farm in Weston.

It is a two-day festival for farmers, growers, or anyone interested in food production and the environment, to learn about the theory and practical applications of regenerative farming systems.

Police warned of long delays on the A1(M) due to people travelling to the festival, with tailbacks from junction 8 to the A505.

A Weston resident said: "They're all coming into our lovely 'quiet' village. We can't get into, or out of, our village. God help us if we need police, ambulance or fire services."

Meanwhile, staff at Lannock Manor Mental Health Ltd, which is based at Lannock Manor Farm, were unable to get to work.

Alan McCormack, founder of the residential rehabilitation unit, said: "The organisers of this event caused complete chaos to all the residents of Weston village, and leaving staff being unable to get to work at Lannock Manor Mental Health Ltd, due to 30,000 people attending this event.

"This caused appointments to have to be cancelled, and staff spending one-and-a-half hours in queues, trying to get there."

A spokesperson for the organisers of Groundswell said: "We have worked with the police to plan the access to the event.

"Unfortunately, there were some vehicle breakdowns on access roads, and congestion caused by two ambulances and a paramedic attending medical emergencies on site, resulting from the heat, which stopped traffic flow, compounding the busy roads.

"We apologise for the impact on residents, and understand how frustrating the hold-ups have been from these unforeseen problems."