Country fair's traffic nightmare

This year's event is taking place at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire

Hundreds of visitors to an annual countryside event have been forced to endure hours of traffic chaos after a collision shut the A34 in Oxfordshire.

Motorists on their way to The Country Land & Business Association Game Fair experienced major delays on Friday.

The Blenheim Palace-based event in Woodstock features more than 950 exhibits covering country pursuits.

Once the A34 was re-opened, M40 traffic was split over several junctions to divide cars approaching the grounds.

A spokesman from Thames Valley Police said: "The volume of traffic experienced on the routes surrounding the game fair today has been unprecedented and every effort is being made... to resolve the congestion."

She said signs had been erected near Woodstock for a month warning local traffic and routes put in place had left Woodstock and Bladon "free of congestion".

Organisers also set up supplies of bottled water to offer visitors as they arrived at the show.