RESIDENTS of Kingsley and the surrounding area were angered this weekend when more than 20,000 people descended on the small village of East Worldham, causing chaos and disruption to an otherwise quiet and peaceful area. The usually sleepy village of East Worldham was given a rude awakening on Friday evening when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK opened its 41st annual convention, Jalsa Salana, at Oaklands Farm. The event, which was being held at the Oatlands Farm site for the second year in succession attracted such huge visitor numbers that residents called in the police to clear roads and remove cars that were illegally parked, after the area became gridlocked due, in part, to a loss of parking facilities. Police were called in and then closed off both ends of the B3004, preventing anymore traffic travelling into East Worldham. Chief Inspector Phil Kegde said: "Due to unprecedented weather conditions over the last few weeks, the fields on the festival site were unable to hold the volume of traffic that attended. "On Friday, this resulted in some vehicles parking in and around East Worldham. "As police, we responded quickly, putting into place contingency plans. Vehicles parked illegally were towed away and as a result of the positive intervention by police and event organisers, similar problems were prevented on the Saturday and Sunday. "I was present at the event and spoke to some residents. The people I met understood the problems and the village responded well in assisting police and event organisers to identify and resolve problems." The president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK Rafiq Hayathas has since issued a letter of apology to the residents affected. Dr Basharat Nazir, a main organisers of the event said: "We are very keen to be good neighbours in the community. We want to have good links here with the police, the councils and with the residents as we do over in Tilford. "Residents are welcome to come to our convention and enjoy our hospitality. We are not secretive or closed to non-muslims. We want to promote peace and harmony and wish to reach out the hand of friendship to our neighbours. "We are happy to listen and work together with everyone to make this event run as smoothly as possible." Last week police issued a warning to drivers about possible delays on the B3004, particularly the Sleaford to Alton Road. They also warned of delays on the A325 from Wrecclesham to the Sleaford traffic lights during rush hour. Residents were informed that police officers would be assisting with the additional traffic and providing a visible presence to reassure both residents and those attending the convention.
