Today, millions of people in the UK are expected to travel for Christmas, on what is anticipated to be one of the busiest days of the year for travel. The Port of Dover has reported long queues and 90-minute delays at French border controls, following a surge in demand for ferries caused by Thursday’s Eurotunnel strike action. The RAC is urging drivers to avoid travel during peak hours and travel after 18:00 GMT for a smoother journey. The organisation has warned that those travelling will share the roads with commuters and those completing the school run.
This year, 13.5 million leisure journeys are set to take place between December 18th and 20th, which is a 20% increase compared to the same time period last year. Overall, the festive season is expected to see 21 million trips, including those made for work, school, leisure and visiting family and friends. Motorways across the UK are already experiencing disruptions, with the M62 closed between junctions 21 and 22 due to a collision that occurred on Thursday, and several train services have been cancelled due to a “shortage of available train crew”.
The Met Office has announced several weather warnings across the UK, with parts of the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland under a yellow warning for wind on Christmas Eve, and parts of Wales under a warning for rain. London’s Heathrow airport is expecting its busiest day of the winter season, with an estimated 250,000 passengers set to fly from the airport. However, the flight service was already disrupted and delayed as Storm Pia hit the area.
British Airways cancelled more than 20 flights on Friday due to the unfavourable weather conditions, and Heathrow Express services will be off between Christmas Eve and December 27th. Meanwhile, London Paddington station will remain closed until December 28th for engineering works. Rail services in certain parts of the UK are expected to return to normal by the end of the day, with some localised disruptions still ongoing
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