Questions have again been raised about the state of Earlham Park after a van fell foul of muddy conditions in the park which was turned into a quagmire following torrential rain during last year's Sparks in the Park event.
As the Evening News reported in November the council was forced to close off the park because of the torrential rain and a number of people had to be towed off the field at the end of the event.
But the poor condition of Earlham Park, which has been further dampened by the recent wintry weather, claimed another victim on Friday when a red Royal Mail van got stuck in the middle of the park before being rescued.
Passers by were left astounded at the site of the red van and its driver stuck in the grass while he awaited rescue.
Darren Skinner, who has worked for Royal Mail for more than 20 years, took the decision to drive across the field to deliver post to the café.
But his wheels became stuck in the bog-like mud and he was forced to sit in the rain, sleet and snow for more than an hour before he could be towed away.
Mr Francis, 35, said: “Normally I come down here and it's fine but it suddenly dawned on me it was looking a bit boggy.
“It's still soft from where they had the fireworks, which you can still see, and because of the weather we've had it's made the ground even worse.”
The incident has led others to question the park's state of repair following last year's Sparks in the Park event where it became a churned up mass of mud following a deluge which saw just 7,000 people, a third of the anticipated 21,000, turn up to watch.
Bert Bremner, Labour city councillor for University ward, said: “Every five or six years at Sparks in the Park there is a torrential downpour and the damage is quite distinct.
“There are all sorts of reasons they can't get on there at the moment but in the long term we're calling to get some sort of proper surface.
“We need to think of how we can hold performances like that, and, of course, it's not just Sparks in the Park that's held there. The money taken from the fireworks show and entrance fees pay for the event and they do keep some back to pay for the problems that arise every now and then.
“City Hall doesn't have the answers and we don't have the answers for everything and the population of Norfolk probably have better answers and we'd love to hear from them.”
A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said work was due to begin as soon as the weather improved.
The first stage, she said, would be to roll out the top layer and then a full assessment of the work needed to be done could be carried out.
