At the weekend the soundtrack was Neil Young and Blur and the Glastonbury spirit that of harmony and goodwill. Yesterday morning those proceedings had been replaced by car horns and bad temper, with festivalgoers stuck in traffic for several hours on their way home.

The traditional downpours and mud were followed yesterday by baking heat, and there were huge traffic jams among those trying to leave the site at Pilton in Somerset. Police reported four-mile tailbacks on the A37 and A39 leading from the 900-acre farm.

Motorists reported queue-jumping by drivers trying to get out of the festival’s car parks, the blaring of horns and some angry exchanges. Ian Whitely, 45, a radio DJ from Leeds who works in Hong Kong, said: “It seems that as soon as the festival is over some people are eager to go back to the rat race and forget peace and love. People are very polite while queueing for a burger but now they are pushing in and trying to get out down the sides.”

Police had advised the 137,000 ticketholders to leave at first light to beat the rush. But after a hectic weekend featuring Lady GaGa, Tom Jones and Madness, most opted to have a lie-in instead. Fewer than a third of drivers had left by 7am yesterday, the rest having a long journey home.

Gareth Donovan, 35, an operations manager from Weston-super-Mare, said that in the five hours between 9.30am and 2.30pm he had moved just a few yards. “The problem with this field is that there’s no one-way system,” he observed. “Getting stressed isn’t going to make us move any quicker — we’ve had to put up with crowds all week.”

The stranded pop fans had to endure temperatures approaching 30C (86F) as they waited to leave. Some opted to prolong the festival spirit by giving up on their cars, getting out the deckchairs and turning up the music while they waited to leave.

Avon and Somerset Police said that there had also been a number of accidents and breakdowns. They also said that crime was down slightly on last year, with 445 offences, 38 fewer than in 2008. About a third were drug-related.

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