Queues at McDonald's in BoongateQueues at McDonald's in Boongate
Queues at McDonald's in Boongate

Mad rush for McDonald’s in Peterborough forces police to intervene

The mad rush for a McDonald’s in Peterborough forced police to intervene.

The fast food chain announced earlier today that was it re-opening six drive-thrus in the city which had closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, prompting large numbers of motorists to visit their nearest outlet.

Queues were especially bad at Boongate with a high number of vehicles throughout the day, leading to a large build-up of traffic.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: “Officers attended the McDonald’s in Padholme Road East this afternoon to assist with the flow of traffic in the area. The road was not closed and officers assisted while McDonald’s staff reassessed their drive-thru policy to deal with demand.”

McDonald’s has opened its drive-thrus at Bourges Boulevard, Boongate, Hampton, Morrisons, Glinton and Eye Green from 11am to 10pm.

Spending is capped at £25.

The chain is only opening drive-thrus in the South East of England and Dublin as part of a trial. It hopes to re-open all drive-thrus by early June.

The decision to open six drive-thrus in Peterborough and none in major cities including Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester sparked a huge reaction on social media, with Peterborough trending at number four in the UK on Twitter.