CAR parks submerged in mud, roads gridlocked and ferries stranded in the Solent – it was the start to the annual Isle of Wight Festival that everyone would rather forget.

Eleven months ago there was carnage around Seaclose Park in Newport and across the island as torrential rain brought chaos ahead of the opening of one of the country’s most famous musical events of the year.

But now, just weeks before the gates open for one of the most hotly-anticipated festivals in its history, organisers say they are ready for whatever the weather throws at them after a quarter-of-a-million-pound investment to ensure the car parks can handle the elements.

Workmen have spent months making improvements and laying roads to access the parking field which have now been doubled in size ahead of more than 60,000 people descending on the event which runs from June 13-16.

Permanent entry and exit routes have also been created while specific gates for traffic from Red Funnel ferries in Cowes and Wightlink from Lymington and Portsmouth sailing routes have been segregated to prevent any traffic jams.

Isle of Wight Festival organiser John Giddings told the Daily Echo: “It’s taken a lot of time and energy and planning and cost £250,000 but in my head that’s £25,000 every year for the next ten years.

“What it means is that what happened last year can never ever happen again. We were hit by freak weather and no matter how much tracking we put down in the car park entrances it just came back up.”

They are not memories Mr Giddings wants to hold on to – in fact he freely admits how he broke down in tears the morning after the festival came to a standstill last year as he helped push car after mud-splattered car from the fields.

He said: “I saw a guy coming over to me and I thought he was going to kick off, but he shook my hand and told me he’d had the best weekend of his life.

“While a little part of me wishes the same would happen again, just to prove to everyone that we’ve sorted it this year, I obviously hope for the festival goers that it’s back to the sunshine we are used to.

“We have got the line up of the summer and every indication so far is that the weather will be great.”

Stone Roses, The Killers and Bon Jovi are headlining this summer’s event.