Cranbrook Rugby Club has apologised to residents after a flood of visitors to its sports festival caused parking chaos in the town.

Around 1500 people attended the development event at the Angley Road site on Sunday to watch youngsters from across the South East participate in matches.

But a slew of parents arrived late, ignored the directions of parking volunteers and left their cars across driveways, zebra crossings and near junctions in Angley Road.

Posting on Facebook on Sunday, Cranbrook resident Gail Chandler, said: “Drove along Oatfield Road and into Angley Road this morning to find loads of cars parked right up to the junctions and on the footpaths.

“When we came back and came up Whitewell Lane a car was parked on the footpath blocking our view to vehicles coming towards us on Angley Road nearly causing us to have an accident with an oncoming car.”

The situation wasn’t helped by the fact traffic had to be stopped entirely around midday while an ambulance and paramedic car drove to the pitch to help a 10-ten-year-old boy who had been injured during a match.

The air ambulance landed nearby and the player was taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital as a precaution but is not believed to have been seriously hurt.

Parking was allocated for parents of each club attending Cranbrook, spaces had also been made available at the High Weald Academy.

Steen Mickelborg, joint junior chairman at Cranbrook Rugby Club, said the behaviour a small minority of visitors ‘beggared belief’ but added feedback from the day has still been extremely positive.

He said: “There was irresponsible parking, but there was nothing we could have done. Quite a few of the volunteers were verbally abused by irate people.

“The feedback from everyone who took part was overwhelmingly positive.”

Each Sunday, several hundred people use Cranbrook Rugby Club for matches which don’t normally result in any disruption.

A bid to build 120 new parking spaces was refused by planners last year over concerns about the impact of an access track on existing woodland.