DRIVERS are complaining of a “meltdown” in an Aldi car park and calling for the police to get involved.

Shoppers leaving Pavilion Retail Park, the site of the new superstore near Lewes Road, Brighton, say they are facing waits of “hours” to get out of the car park.

They thanked “valiant” B&Q workers for helping direct traffic and stopping impatient drivers from skipping the queues.

Over the weekend, one exit lane was closed due to roadworks.

And according to furious drivers, traffic lights were only allowing four cars into Lewes Road every two minutes.

One frustrated driver, who waited in a queue for 30 minutes, said: “Meltdown in the Lewes Road Aldi car park now.

“No one is going anywhere, needs police.”

The Aldi store opened in October last year. The store has 1,100 square metres of floor space and Aldi says it has created up to 50 jobs.

In a review of the original application approved by Brighton and Hove City Council, planning officer Mark Thomas wrote that “vehicle access will remain largely as existing” and raised no objections to the development based on traffic.

His report also estimated that during peak Saturday hours, the store’s car park would receive an average of 94 visitors every 30 minutes.

The supermarket’s move into the retail park is part of £6 million expansion plans which were first set out in 2016 to rejuvenate the area and provide a boost to businesses.

After seeing news of the “meltdown” on The Argus website, many readers got in touch to express concerns and share their experiences with the car park.

One reader, who was stuck in the car park for 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon, said: “Whilst the design of the car park and its exit may well be inadequate for the number of vehicles using it, the main cause of today’s fiasco was whoever sanctioned the closure of one of the two exit lanes on to Lewes Road without stopping to consider the consequences.”

Jonathan Perry, from Brighton, said: “It took me an hour to get out the car park.

“Eventually, staff from B&Q came out and started blocking people from cutting through so people at the back had a chance to get out.”

Another driver described the workers as “valiant”.

One resident, who has lived in nearby Saunders Park View for more than 20 years, said: “There have always been issues with traffic getting in and out of the Pavilion Retail Park but since its makeover the situation has been ridiculous.

“I often have to queue for long periods of time on the Lewes Road or at the roundabout due to the traffic waiting to get in or out of the retail park.

“Recently the queueing has been worse due to the installation of high voltage power cables for the Preston Barracks development.

“A couple of noticeable issues are the narrowing of the vehicle entrance to the retail park and the installation of the zebra crossing just outside Costa which is very close to the roundabout.”

Brighton and Hove City Council was contacted for comment.

Another resident said: "I live very near Aldi.

"As a resident trying to get home and get out is horrendous at weekends.

"At residents' meetings we told them that this would not work.

"Now with the Preston barracks 'road' poss traffic lights coming onto LewesRoad soon, it will be madness."