Leeds festival at Bramham Park taxi boycott threat

Taxi drivers have warned they could boycott picking passengers up from Leeds Festival after they were left queuing in traffic jams last year.

The festival is again being held in Bramham Park from 24-26 August, about 11 miles (18km) from the city centre.

Taxis now have to use the public entrance and face heavier traffic after new plans were introduced last year.

Melvin Benn, of organisers Festival Republic, said: "We are very comfortable with the transport plan."

Leeds city councillors discussed traffic and parking arrangements for the music festival at a meeting, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Between 2008 and 2016, taxis picked up festival-goers using a public transport entrance, accessible via the A1, said taxi drivers.

Now taxis and private hire vehicles access the site via the red gate, only accessible on the A64 York Road.

Mike Utting, from the Leeds Hackney Carriage Association, said: "We have a living to earn, and we don't want to be stuck in a traffic jam for three hours.

"We are not happy about it at all."

Andy Howard, from Streamline Telecabs, said: "We may find that a lot of drivers just won't go up."

In a letter to councillors, the association stated some drivers took up to 90 minutes to leave the festival grounds and journeys back into Leeds ended up costing £40, about double the normal fare.

A report said some delays in 2017 were due to poor communications between organisers and drivers.

Mr Benn told the meeting: "We have built on last year's traffic plan - there is a change around the taxis so we get a drop off for parents and family members, and a pick up more or less in the same area as the taxis."