A FLINTSHIRE frost fair has been described as "chaos" after attendees were "crammed in like sardines".

The opening day of the Mold Frost Fair was slammed for apparent breaches in social distancing regulations.

Photos of the event were widely circulated on social media platforms and appear to show people gathered in together with no social distancing.

Artisan Network, the organiser of the event, admits that at one point in the day peopled "queued at hot food stalls" which created a "bottleneck".

However, the company says it has been organising outdoor events since March and this is the first time any issues around a lack of social distancing arose.

The Leader:

Flintshire Council, which licensed the market, said it is aware of the concerns about Sunday's event and is in "discussions" with the organising company.

People took to social media to describe the first day of the market as "chaos" with people "crammed in like sardines".

Others said it wasn't much different to a regular market day in Mold, and that on the whole people were "respectful" of each other's space.

An Artisan Network spokesperson said: "The health and safety of all who attend our markets & events is paramount.

"Since March 2020 Artisan Network have organised many outdoor markets and events and due to constant media attention regarding Covid-19 have relied on the public to observe social distancing by self policing.

"We do reinforce the message by reminding visitors via signage. This has worked very well and we have received no complaints until yesterday. At a point during the day members of the public queued at the hot food stalls creating a bottleneck. However passersby could still freely move behind these stalls on the pavement.

"It is regretful that this happened during a brief period.

"We are currently working with Flintshire County Council to create a more appropriate layout for future markets to ensure rigid social distancing rules."

Andrew Farrow, Flintshire Council’s chief officer for planning, environment and economy, said: “The council licensed this market.

"We are aware that concerns have been raised about the number of people attending the market. We are looking into these issues and in discussions with the market organisers about future planned markets.”