Plants Galore sale: Traffic chaos in Plymouth as hundreds queue for free plants

The road leading up to a garden centre in Plymouth is at a standstill due to a free handout of plants.

Plants Galore is giving out £25,000 worth of plants at its stores in Plymouth, Exeter and Newton Abbott.

The garden centre says the drought and cost of living crisis has resulted in slow sales - but it does not want plants to go to waste.

So many people have flocked to the site that there is gridlock in the area.

One eyewitness said traffic is "barely moving", with some people giving up and turning around. Cars have been spotted coming the other way with "boots full of plants".

Queues began to build at around 6am and by the time the store had opened the surrounding area had become so congested that people living nearby could not get out of their properties.

As a result, Plants Galore opened its car park earlier than planned at 7am to ease the disruption.

Originally, the amount of free plants covered about a third of the car park but this was quickly snapped up by visitors.

One driver said they have moved "approximately 10ft in 12 minutes" on the way to Plants Galore.

The Plymouth store reportedly ran out of plants, just 20 minutes after opening. Drivers are now turning around in the queue to head home, empty-handed.