CHAOTIC scenes accompanied the first day of Minehead's open air market on its temporary new site. The twice-weekly operation opened for business for the summer season on Tuesday on part of the Vulcan Road car park instead of the railway site it has traded from for the last 20 years or so, which has been earmarked for new council offices. But Minehead Chamber of Trade chairman Graham Sizer claimed there was "mayhem" as coaches and lorries mingled with market customers, traders, caravans and cars. "The market has been relocated to the western half of the car park, which was formerly the coach park," said Mr Sizer. "On Tuesday, coach and car park directional signs had been turned round, resulting in 15 coaches parking in amongst market visitors, early tourists and lorries. "As invalid elderly pensioners wheeled themselves back to their coaches, other coaches were backing out of awkward spaces. "Coach drivers had to man their vehicles all day to prevent car owners legitimately blocking them in - it was all too much for one driver who said he wouldn't be coming back to Minehead. "And a McDonalds lorry driver had two attempts at negotiating market traders, caravans, cars and a growing amount of bemused onlookers." The car park is owned by West Somerset District Council, which is hoping eventually to turn the land into an edge of town shopping complex. Mr Sizer, who is also chairman of DIRECT, which is vehemently opposed to the scheme, claimed the chaos was "yet another example of the council's 'fag-packet' attitude to planning in advance". But council chief executive Tim Howes said the authority's involvement in the market was simply to grant a consent to use the land to the operators, for which a licence fee was paid. "The council is not responsible for the operation of the market." Brian Davies, owner of Bristol-based West Coast Markets Ltd, which runs the twice-weekly market, admitted there had been some problems. But he said it had been caused by a number of coaches and lorries ignoring the 'no overnight parking' rule in the car park. "There were new signs up showing them where they should park but some of them have obviously just got used to parking overnight in the winter months. "We have taken the issue up with the firms involved and are also talking to the council. "But we are confident that we can resolve the problems. We certainly don't want to have to be shifting lorries again, like we had to this week." However, Mr Davies said that apart from the teething problems of the new site, the season had got off to a very good start and the market had been packed with people. Mr Davies told the Free Press last month that Vulcan Road was only a temporary solution in the search for a permanent alternative site, which he hoped could be found within the town.