Great weather boosts numbers at The Royal Welsh Show 2008

Royal Welsh Show officials were delighted by a first day attendance of 51,835 and ideal weather conditions for parking on grass.

The total was almost 2,500 up on the ten year average for opening days.

But they faced complaints from some visitors about the time taken to travel into the showground by shuttle buses from new off-lying parking areas introduced after the traffic chaos caused by heavy rain in 2007.

Some frustrated showgoers who tried to avoid delays by parking cars on the grass verges of approach roads returned to find they had been booked by police and faced £60 fines. 

Show director Harry Featherstonhaugh said some delays were caused by a vehicle breakdown in a narrow bridge and promised to hold talks with the police, highways authorities and parking stewards to speed the traffic flow.