On Tuesday evening there was extensive disruption in the car park following the fixture Vs. Southend United.
After speaking with the site team, reviewing the system and checking our CCTV, we can confirm that the excessive queues were caused by some supporters refusing to pay before they arrived at the exit barrier.
56 cars arrived at the barrier without paying in advance.
These cars were then instructed to pay when waiting at the barrier. This is what caused the lengthy delays in the car park.
Rather than immediately paying, some supporters then became abusive towards staff.
The initial attempt by some to avoid payment is not acceptable, but to then proceed and abuse staff members is abhorrent. Our staff have the right to work without fear of being abused – we will not tolerate the abuse of our staff.
We sympathise with those supporters who had legitimately paid for parking and got caught up in the delay caused by this unacceptable behaviour, and we strongly encourage everyone to pay in advance to avoid similar scenes.
We have made it simple for supporters to pay for parking. Supporters can pay for parking via QR codes located around the car park. These will allow you to pay online or set up auto-pay. Parking can also be purchased at the ticket office/Hive Bar before and after a fixture [INFORMATION].