Travel warning as Greater Manchester music events attract 400,000

Drivers are being warned of increased traffic as 400,000 revellers descend on Greater Manchester for music events.

Ed Sheeran started his four-night stint at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday while the annual Parklife festival is expected to host about 80,000 people.

On Saturday, Alicia Keys will perform at Manchester Arena, while American band The Killers take to the stage at the Old Trafford cricket ground.

Public transport will also be "very busy", police said.

Greater Manchester Police advised people using trams, buses and trains to "plan their journeys accordingly and take care" and warned drivers of "an increased amount of traffic".

Commuters are being urged to cycle or walk when possible, and use contactless options on public transport.

Park Life festival at Heaton Park will take place on Saturday and Sunday after it was cancelled in 2020 and moved in 2021 to September due to the pandemic.

Organisers said the return to the summer slot had led to a "huge demand" for tickets.

Stephen Rhodes, customer director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: "With extremely high and potentially record numbers of people expected to be travelling on the network... I'm appealing to all our passengers to take extra care when using the network and to look out for your friends and other people around you."

The events are expected to boost the local economy after lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

Karen, who works at sandwich shop, Fresh Cookie, near the Parklife venue, said they were providing meals to several of the 4,500 people working at the two-day festival.

"We get a lot of people really early to be honest. It can be extremely busy, which is great for business."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]