Glastonbury Festival has officially "opened for business" after traffic jams caused hours of delay and chaos.

Organisers announced the good news saying "everybody is welcome to travel to the site".

Hours earlier they had been forced to plead with festival-goers who had not yet started their journey to the Somerset site to "stay put", after "wet weather and ground conditions" resulted in congestion in surrounding roads.

"We're pleased to report that the festival is fully open for business. Everyone is welcome to travel to the site, where traffic is moving as it usually does for the festival," they said in a statement.

"Please expect to queue, but we will get you in. Thank you for your patience and help with this today. We look forward to seeing you for a great Glastonbury."

Festival organiser Emily Eavis had earlier tweeted an apology about the traffic delays.

She wrote: "Traffic is improving. We apologise for the delays and are doing our best to move things along as quickly as possible."

People travelling by coach were also told not to get off and try to access the site on foot.

Wiltshire Police confirmed that the A303 westbound, previously shut off after a four-car accident, had reopened.

Avon and Somerset Police said they had re-opened the A37 but were still advising people to "use alternative routes - namely M5 junction 23 or A36 from the M4".

Meteorologist Emma Sharples said the weather looked likely to clear up and predicted a dry night for festival-goers.

She told the Press Association that temperatures on Wednesday could reach highs of around 19C (66.2F) or 20C (68F).

The festival looks set to end on a high note with Ms Sharples predicting a "fine, bright day with plenty of sunshine" and temperatures in the low 20s for Sunday.

Headliners this year include Adele, Muse and Coldplay, with reports also suggesting Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff may be among the surprise guests.

- Are you from East Lancashire and were caught up in the delays? Are you worried about the weather? Send us your photos and comments about the weather email robert.kelly@nqnw.co.uk