Enfield's Pageant of Motoring descended into chaos over the Bank Holiday weekend as heavy rain forced the show to close.

The annual three-day event, which attracts some 6,000 visitors, ran into difficulty on Saturday after rain flooded Enfield Playing Fields, in Great Cambridge Road, and turned the ground into a mud bath.

On Monday, visitors who had travelled from across the UK arrived to be told the show had been called off.

Show organisers, the Enfield and District Veteran Vehicle Trust, were this week counting the cost of the disaster.

The popular pageant raises cash for Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, in Whitewebbs Lane, Enfield, which costs the trust £40,000 a year to run.

Of the 3,000 vintage cars usually on display, just 300 made it to the show.

Trust chairman Steve Brayshaw said: "This is a big setback for the museum and will really put a stop to us carrying out projects at the museum in the next year.

"But, as we know, we cannot account for the weather in England. It was very disheartening for us to close the show, but it was one of those things and we had a duty to Enfield Council to safeguard the field which was growing extremely muddy.

"We even brought in 60 tonnes of bark to put in ruts where heavy vehicles had been."

The last time the pageant was forced to close due to bad weather was in 2000.

Meanwhile, to add insult to injury, pageant visitors were left fuming as traffic wardens swooped on cars parked in surrounding roads.

One eyewitness said: "I saw a traffic warden going berserk, ticketing every vehicle he could find.

"The wardens must have thought it was Christmas there were even tow trucks lying in wait.

"Some of the cars were parked awkwardly, but many people really didn't have a choice as there didn't seem to be much parking provision."

A council spokeswoman said: "Forty tickets were issued. If anybody wants to appeal they can in the usual way."

William Medcalf, owner of Enfield Garages, a sponsor of the event, said: "It was not good that the council chose to take advantage of the situation by issuing lots of parking tickets.

"We need support for this kind of event. Plenty of other local authorities would jump at the chance to host it."

Despite the weather, organisers remain optimistic.

Mr Medcalf added: "There was a great British spirit. It was pretty muddy out there on Saturday, but people made the most of it."

And Mr Brayshaw added: "We will bounce back. It will be the Pageant's 30th anniversary next year and we would like to make it special."