UK's biggest Christmas market will face travel chaos with 'widespread cancellations' and delays

Since 1999, Manchester has welcomed more than 9 million visitors every year during its six-week festive stint in the city centre. 

It often tops the charts as the largest festive market in the UK, alongside Birmingham, Edinburgh and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.

Aside from an amusing glitch on the Visit Manchester website, which reads '0 of 0 things to do in Manchester' on TripAdvisor, it is the highlight of the year for many locals and tourists alike.

And as the festive season approaches, millions of visitors will be using the city's trams to visit the famous market, which is expected to run from November 7 until December 22.

But a union representing tram drivers has warned of tram chaos as drivers are balloted on strikes.

Manchester's tram system, Metrolink, is the UK's largest light rail network, connecting numerous areas of Greater Manchester with eight lines and 99 stops. Last year, the tram service recorded 45million journeys.

Some 320 Unite members are eligible to vote in the ballot, which ends on 11 November, in a dispute over working conditions. 

Since 1999, Manchester has welcomed more than 9million visitors every year during its six-week festive stint in the city centre

Manchester's tram system, Metrolink, is the UK's largest light rail network, connecting numerous areas of Greater Manchester with eight lines and 99 stops. Last year, the tram service recorded 45million journeys

Those affected work for KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots and operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester. 

Currently, the drivers’ shift patterns mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period. This results in some drivers working 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern. 

Unite regional officer Colin Hayden said: 'Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously.

'It is dangerous for fatigued workers to be driving trams and they should not be put in this situation. We are demanding that Metrolink and Transport for Greater Manchester work with Unite to find a solution to this problem to avoid industrial action.' 

It comes as Christmas markets across the country, including Manchester, have faced criticism in recent years for the quality of goods on offer and rising prices due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Last year, the Daily Mail reported visitors to London's Winter Wonderland could expect to pay £12 for a pint of beer.

In the historic city of York with its narrow, cobbled streets, overcrowding is an issue during the festive season.

Albert Square in Manchester is pictured during the Christmas Markets season 

In a Reddit post under the channel r/Manchester, a user claimed that last year, stallholders at Manchester Christmas Markets were calling it the ‘worst one ever’.

The top comment, which has been upvoted more than 1,000 times, reads: 'It’s almost like there’s an upper limit to what we will pay for substandard food and drink.'

'It's exactly the same carbon copy market every year, wherever you go. I've eaten from exactly the same German sausage stall in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle,' wrote another. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Manchester City Council for comment. 

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