Hundreds of drivers spent more than an hour trapped in the car park at the William Harvey Hospital this evening due to a barrier fault.

The barriers appeared to be stuck in the down position, blocking drivers in.

The hospital refused to comment on the problem and has not said what the issue was or when it is likely to be resolved.

Meanwhile, angry motorists took to twitter, complaining of waits of more than an hour.

The problems at the hospital is thought to have exacerbate traffic issues in Ashford tonight where a number of traffic light failures caused serious delays.