Passengers urged to leave home hours before their flight

Traffic ground to a halt as thousands of bike enthusiasts flocked to Donington Park Racetrack for the Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Thousands of people were left stranded as all routes around the nearby airport ground to a halt.

Drivers stuck in the jams called for better advance warnings of the delays.

It's very, very manic, we're taking calls every second from people struggling to get to the airport Police spokeswoman

The M1, A50 and A6 approaching the Castle Donington area were all at a standstill as motorbike fans tried to get to the racetrack.

Many motor bikers ignored signs instructing them to take the A514 and instead hoards of them were seen weaving in and out of the stationary traffic.

One bike and a car collided on Station Road at just after 1200 BST, blocking one of the main roads to the site.

There were no serious injuries because of the low traffic speed, but knock on delays were expected.

Leicestershire Police said some delays were inevitable due to the high number of visitors.

A spokeswoman for the force said: "It's very, very manic, we're taking calls every second from people struggling to get to the airport.

"There's only so much you can do - we are trying to filter out as much traffic as possible, but people do need to leave extra time, at least two or three hours to get their flights.

A spokeswoman for Nottingham East Midlands Airport said a number of people had missed their flights as a result of the queues.