Rain, floods cause Isle of Wight festival woes

LONDON – Hundreds of music fans were stranded in their cars overnight after rainstorms caused chaos on travel routes to the Isle of Wight Festival.

Long traffic jams formed after rain battered the festival site on the 150 sq. mile (400 sq. km) island off England's south coast, turning parking lots into inaccessible mud baths.

Some of the stranded motorists were given shelter in a sports club.

More people were stuck on the mainland, and 600 were stranded on ferries at sea, after boat companies canceled crossings because of the backlog.

Ferry services resumed Friday, but Hampshire Police said both festival-goers and island residents could expect "significant delays."

"Our priority is to clear existing traffic on the island and provide more welfare and refreshments to motorists in queues," the force said in a statement.

Festival organizers apologized for the problems, and urged concertgoers to leave cars at home.

More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the three-day festival, headlined by Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen.