Angry fans react to JLS concert congestion

Angry fans react to JLS concert congestion
Angry fans react to JLS concert congestion

Fans of JLS and Olly Murs have reacted angrily after massive traffic delays led to them missing a concert featuring both X Factor finalists. Bad weather and poor organisation have been blamed for the gridlock which led to many people sitting in jams for hours while trying to get to the outdoor show at Matterley Bowl near Winchester in Hampshire. And there were also long delays afterwards with many concert-goers having to wait hours to get away from the venue. One ticket-holder told the BBC News website that she and her family took five and a half hours to get to the venue from only 40 miles away. They eventually arrived at 8.30pm and watched an hour of the concert before then taking two hours to get out of the car park. "We had missed much of the concert and had to deal with tired, agitated children who felt the whole day had been ruined," she said. "The transport infrastructure was a shambles, the organisation a disgrace." Hampshire Police said there were no reported incidents which would have contributed to the delay but the ongoing rain would have increased the amount of traffic on roads leading to the venue. JLS - who finished second in the 2008 series of The X Factor, have been playing a series of shows with Murs, the 2009 runner-up. They posted a message on their Twitter page afterwards saying, "To everyone who had trouble getting out of the Winchester gig we want to thank you again for supporting through the rain.we love you..Marv x."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.