Drivers said they had to queue for up to two hours to get out of the car park at the Houndshill Centre in the resort as thousands of people descended on the complex.

Now the council has apologised for the mayhem and pledged to make changes.

Shoppers say the car park became gridlocked last Saturday but fear the problem will only get worse unless action is taken.

Houndshill manager John Holt said around 65,000 shoppers were in the centre that day – the busiest day in its history.

Mum-of-one Fiona Shaw, 36, who lives near Stanley Park, Blackpool, said it took her 45 minutes to get into the car park and an a hour and a half to get out after she parked on level five.

She said: "The new shopping centre is fabulous, but the parking has clearly not been thought out.

"This car park was never well designed, but it is now beyond belief and when Christmas shopping comes there will be a riot in there."

Another shopper, from Poulton, said: "I shall continue to shop at Preston using the park and ride service, or the Trafford Centre, as both can be reached in less time than I spent in the Houndshill car park on Saturday."

The 750-space car park is currently being operated by the council but is due to be handed over to NCP.

Shoppers pay for their ticket on foot using a machine in the centre before returning to their vehicle and exiting the car park via a barrier on to Coronation Street.

The council's executive director for business services, Julian Kearsley, said Houndshill was very popular and Saturday's car parking issues were as a direct result of the large number of visitors.

He said: "We apologise to everyone caught up in the delays and have called an urgent meeting with Modus who own the shopping centre to try to resolve the situation.

"Every factor will be considered including traffic flow, car park management and ways of reducing congestion."

The council has recently been forced to re-think the operation of Central Beach car park, which is used by football supporters, after a similar pay-on-foot system also led to congestion.

Tim Heatley, development director for Modus, said: "The council and ourselves are aware of the problems and we are working together to get a resolution as quickly as we can.

"The numbers using the centre have exceeded our expectations, with
around 300,000 people a week visiting Houndshill.

"The centre is proving very successful and we need to make sure we get the car parking right."

He added that last Saturday the barrier had been raised in order to let people out and clear the congestion.