RESIDENTS who live next to a popular UK zoo are furious with gridlocked streets and say they have to close their windows to keep out fumes.
Paignton Zoo in south Devon has seen record crowds pour into the attraction with more than 2,000 animals on show.
But disgruntled locals near the popular seaside resort zoo say the animals aren't the problem and are unhappy with a whopping number of tourists turning up in the area.
This summer has seen traffic chaos and huge jams as holidaymakers and locals head for the attraction which lets two children under 15 get in free with every paying adult.
Last week, traffic was again gridlocked in the area and while it is great business for the zoo, it is proving to be hellish for local people going about their business.
Wendy Kerr told The SunOnline: "I have been waiting for my bus for the last hour. It just hasn't turned up.
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"I had a noon appointment and I am still another 20 minute walk away and I have asked them to put it back half an hour.
"It doesn't matter if it is sunny or overcast, the traffic in the area around the zoo is awful."
Other residents blasted the traffic problems as a "nightmare".
Angela Minnett, 68, said: "I live on the main road to the zoo and I am asthmatic.
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"I have to keep my windows shut because of the traffic fumes. It is a nightmare.
"The traffic system is dangerous and is the worst I have seen. I have missed two buses this week because of the jams.
"I like the zoo but there is very little else to do in Paignton."
The disgruntled local continued: "Everyone heads to the zoo – especially as they are giving free tickets to the children.
"The bus drivers don't like it because they are running late and are missing their time spans."
Pensioner Julie Taylor has lived next door to the zoo for more than 50 years and slammed the side-effects of the attraction as "hectic".
Julie complained that traffic exiting the zoo causes problems on the main road.
She added: "Any noise from the zoo doesn't bother me. I just don't like zoos."
And she claimed she was once left sitting in a nearby bus shelter waiting for a bus that was either very late and failed to turn up.
John Rowse from Devon, was also stranded by the lack of buses getting through the traffic.
"This is absolutely horrendous. We will either have to walk back into Paignton town centre to try and find a bus or get a taxi to the train station at Newton Abbot which will then connect us by rail to Totnes.
"That is more expensive."
'SHAMBOLIC'
Motorist Richard Ash said: "I was caught up in the traffic jam this morning. It took me 30 minutes to do around half a mile.
"It was all caused by drivers heading to the zoo. The main junction heading to the zoo was bedlam, motorists all over the place and jumping lights to make a few yards.
"For people living in this area this must be a summer nightmare. Six weeks of constant angst. It is shambolic."
Fellow driver Matt Jenkins echoed Richard's views on the situation.
He said: "The tailbacks at peak time are horrendous. It is snail pace.
"This all stems from traffic heading to the zoo – the main lane to Paignton town centre is fine.
"The zoo bosses were on local TV this week saying how busy they were, breaking records, good for them – and sod everybody else getting caught up in their chaos."
A spokesman for Paignton Zoo said: "Paignton Zoo has been a popular tourist attraction for 100 years and we are currently welcoming large numbers of summer visitors.
"The zoo shares a signal controlled junction with a major supermarket and fuel station, on one of the main roads into Paignton, and the increased holiday traffic means that at peak times there have been some queues.
"Zoo staff have been working hard to manage the flow of traffic entering and exiting the zoo car parks and we thank everybody for their patience as we do this."
A Torbay Council spokesman said: "Brixham Road is one of the main arterial routes serving residents and visitors travelling between Paignton and Brixham in Torbay, one of the UK premier holiday destinations known as the English Riviera because of its natural beauty.
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“Like any major route in a premier holiday resort, it is often busy due to the combination of business, resident and visitor journeys. We recognise this, and during the summer months we have a moratorium on roadworks to allow optimum traffic flow.
"We monitor traffic on our major routes, and we encourage the use of public transport and walking or cycling on shorter journeys, which also bring environmental and health benefits.”
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