Organisers of the Isle of Wight Festival are assuring festival-goers that they are doing everything in their power to make access to the site run as smooth as possible.
Those travelling by car to the Island overnight have been worst affected by the travel chaos, caused by heavy periods of rain, which has left areas of the site in a quagmire-like state.
Last night (June 21) portsmouth.co.uk reported scenes of 14-mile tailbacks on the Island, as the earliest revellers began descending to the festival site at Seaclose Park, Newport, en masse.
Ferries between Portsmouth and Fishbourne were severely delayed; in some cases by up to three hours, leaving those already on the Island – possibly staying in Isle of Wight hotels – breathing a sigh of relief.
In a statement issued at 01:00 this morning, festival organisers said: “We are really sorry for the delays getting into the campsite. Our fields have become wetter and wetter throughout the day. We have opened up new fields and laid more trackway,” bbc.co.uk reports.
The Isle of Wight Festival added that it brought food and drink supplies to those caught up in the chaos.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s first headliner, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, festival boss John Giddings assured visitors that organisers are “doing everything we can within our power” to ensure the rest of the arrivals’ journeys run smoothly.