Justin Timberlake’s Chelmsford gig traffic was dangerous

Music fans could have died due to “catastrophic” traffic management failures that left them stranded after a Justin Timberlake gig, police said.

People abandoned their cars and walked along the A131 when queues to leave Chelmsford City Racecourse on 4 July reached up to four hours long.

In a report to the local council, Essex Police said “serious injuries or fatalities” could have occurred, and the venue’s licence should be reviewed.

Event organisers Chelmsford City Live and the racecourse have been contacted for comment. They previously apologised to concert-goers for the delays when leaving the venue.

Ten-time Grammy winner Timberlake headlined the first night of the three-day festival, which attracted a crowd of about 25,000 people in Great Leighs.

However, the night descended into “disorder and confusion” when a failed traffic plan led to gridlock in the car park, according to a police report submitted to Chelmsford City Council.

A police officer said there were thousands of people walking on the road, adding: “Without significant police interaction, I believe there would have been serious injuries [or] fatalities.”

Essex Police branded the traffic management plan a “catastrophic failure”, while a council licensing officer said the venue’s capacity should be stripped back from 29,999 people to 5,000.

Chelmsford City Council is due to hear arguments for and against reviewing the racecourse’s licence on Friday.

Among allegations made to the authority, from residents and other stakeholders, ahead of the meeting were:

• Lack of phone signal meant guests could not access their tickets, causing long queues
• Ticket office staff “locked themselves in and shut the windows” after becoming “overwhelmed by the complaints”
• Stewards were seen having a “press-up competition” at one point during the festival, according to police
• One attendee said the traffic was “nothing short of chaotic and dangerous”, with another saying paramedics were unable to respond to an incident, and there was no water access
• A resident in Great Leighs said the congestion trapped them in their house
• Hundreds of people were held waiting to cross the road while Timberlake’s helicopter landed
• Organisers were accused of suppressing concerns by turning off comments on social media and deleting posts

Concluding its report, Essex Police said people could die if the racecourse was allowed to hold a similar event in the future.

Organisers had planned to use a temporary footbridge over the A131 to connect the car park and drop-off zones.

However, this was scrapped about a month before the event, and guests had to walk across a field before crossing the A-road on foot.

Speaking in August, the racecourse said it had “robust measures in place to ensure safety, compliance, and responsible event management.”

A spokesman added: “We look forward to working alongside local authorities on how to continue effectively delivering great events within our existing conditions.”

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.