More than 50 motorists were left feeling the St Patrick’s Day blues after being stuck in the Old Dunnes Stores car park in Letterkenny.
The drivers, many with children, returned to their vehicles after 6pm this evening only to find the gates of the supermarket stuck.
Many had parked in the local car park while watching the parade come down the town’s Main Street and around the Lower Main Street.
A number of the stranded motorists called Euro Car Parks who said it was not their issue as it was Dunnes Stores who had locked the gates.
A sign at the supermarket does clearly state the opening and closing times of the supermarket.
However, one father of three young children said the closure of the gates was particularly mean-spirited considering it was a national holiday and the emphasis was on family enjoyment.
He said “I just think it was a really s****y thing for Dunnes Stores to do, they make their profits from families shopping at their store.
The tight squeeze in which some cars managed to get out of the locked Dunnes Stores car park at Lower Main Street in Letterkenny.
“They could have given families an hour’s grace. We went for a bite to eat and when we came back people were outraged. We came back at 6.10pm so they must have closed it very quickly at 6pm.
“There was no signage of who to call if you get stuck in. We drove around and knocked on the doors of the shop but nothing. There is a Euro Car Park sign with a London number and just an auto payment service, you can’t even speak to a human.
“I can tell you one thing, we won’t be shopping in Dunnes Stores again. This was a horrible thing to lock so many cars in a family supermarket when they could easily just have given them a bit of time.”
Some motorists did manage to get out of the car park after mounting the kerb and squeezing between two poles with just an inch to spare on each side.
The eye-witness said he managed to get out after an hour but there were still people stuck in the car park.
