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Heveningham Hall fireworks: Apology and refund offered

Chloe Stanton/BBC Fireworks at Heveningham HallChloe Stanton/BBC
The fireworks display was held at Heveningham Hall, near Halesworth, on Saturday

The organisers of a large fireworks display where the band Razorlight performed have apologised for car parking "chaos".

People said they missed the fireworks after queuing in their cars for hours to get into the grounds of Heveningham Hall, Suffolk, on Saturday.

Some described it as an "absolute shambles" and another said the evening was a "disaster".

Harry Hunt, one of the organisers, offered refunds to those affected.

He said there were close to 15,000 people and they "got overwhelmed by the amount of people who turned up", some of whom who had bought tickets in advance or were buying tickets on the gate.

"We were just not prepared for everyone arriving at the same time," said Mr Hunt.

"Although we had plenty of car parking for everyone, we couldn't get people off the road quick enough."

PA Media RazorlightPA Media
The event included a performance by Razorlight, who had a UK number one single with America in 2006

On the event's Facebook page, one person said it was "total chaos".

Another said the evening they had paid for was a "complete and utter disaster".

She said they pre-purchased tickets and arrived early, but were stuck in a queue for more than an hour and "were only able to hear the fireworks from afar, trapped between hundreds of cars both in front and behind".

Another said: "It took us two hours to reach the gate! We missed the fireworks, couldn't even see them from the car. Ticket wasn't even checked when arrived. All food sold out. Missed Razorlight's performance. Absolute shambles."

In addition to the parking, people complained that the vendors sold out of food and drink.

Mr Hunt said: "We will 100% address these issues. We are learning and there are big steps we will be taking for next year's event."

Chloe Stanton/BBC Fireworks at Heveningham HallChloe Stanton/BBC
Organisers said they will address the issues for next year

He still described the event as a "huge success" and said it raised £100,000 for charity.

Of those who did get in, one said it was "awesome" and another added that "Razorlight were outstanding".

Organisers also had to apologise in 2015 for problems caused by car parking.

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