A petrol station which gave away free fuel has been temporarily shut down after motorists flocking to its pumps caused traffic chaos.
Electronic Arts were giving away £20,000 worth of fuel at the station on Stapleton Hall Road, near Finsbury Park, north London, as part of a promotion for a new video game.
But the stunt angered residents and local politicians for causing gridlock during the morning rush hour.
Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone, said: "Whilst a lucky few might have got some free petrol, hundreds of local residents have faced misery on their daily journeys this morning.
"They deserve an apology for being the victims of such an ill-thought out media stunt."
Norman Tidiman, from Hackney, who works for a charity shop in the area, said: "I saw a girl who stopped because she wasn't going to make the lights, and the man in the car behind her got out his car and started to bully her.
"I shouted at him to stop. He was being outrageous.
"It's quite a dangerous junction as it is, I'm surprised there hasn't been an accident."
The entire forecourt had been transformed into a military style bunker to promote new video game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.
Donna Lashley, 41, from Crouch End had been waiting for 40 minutes to fill up her car.
She said: "I think it's a brilliant promotion. I don't see it becoming a full-time thing, but I think it's a great idea - I'll be telling my sons about the game."
It started around 6.30am, before being shut down just after 11am, with only £11,000 of the £20,000 given away.
Donald Parish, from EA, said: "Petrol is expensive at the moment and people are having a hard time so we just wanted to do something for them.
"We had been talking closely with the police and they felt it was turning into a problem so they shut it down.
"We're disappointed that we've not been able to give everything away but I think we've had a lot of happy customers."
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