Millions make tracks for Easter getaways as poor weather hits
Around 2.6 million car journeys are expected to be made on Friday alone
Last updated 29th Mar 2024
Drivers hitting the roads this Easter are being urged to check their travel routes and prepare for what is expected to be a busy weekend on the roads across the UK.
This bank holiday weekend coincides with the start of the Easter holiday for many schools across the counties, which is predicted to cause higher traffic on the roads.
It is expected that around 2.6 million car journeys will be made across the UK on Good Friday alone, as travellers race to reach their destinations, with heavy traffic likely.
Two of the most popular routes for travellers - the M5 southbound from Bristol to Taunton, alongside the stretch of the M3 between the M25 and the south coast - are also reported to be highly congested.
As well as this, the country's airports have seen a strong uptake of numbers leaving the country, with 2 million passengers set to jet off for an Easter holiday.
Some of the airports that are reporting a large increase in passengers include London Stansted, anticipating 175,000 passengers - as well as Manchester Airport, which is expecting an extra 160,000 travellers, Edinburgh with 89,000 and Birmingham with 79,000.
Bristol Airport added: "If travelling with Easter eggs, passengers are advised to keep any chocolate treats in your cabin baggage and to make sure they're easily accessible as they may need to be opened for a quick check."
However, poor weather is hampering efforts for people looking to get away by sea as the Spanish-named Storm Nelson hit the south of the UK.
Ferry company DFDS said that their Dover services were being delayed as a result of "strong winds in the Channel" on Thursday (March 28th).
A yellow weather warning for winds reaching 60 to 70mph has been issued across London, the South West, the South East and the East of England and will run throughout Friday.
"The strong winds will be accompanied by heavy, squally showers with the possibility of hail and thunder in some locations," the Met Office said in its warning statement.
"Hail won't fall everywhere but where it does it can quickly make road surfaces slippery, while surface water and spray are likely to worsen travel conditions rather more widely."
A separate yellow weather warning has been put in place across Northern Ireland for heavy rainfall, with some areas likely to see as much as 40millileters of rain in one day.
Flooding as a result of the passing storm has also caused travel disruption, with Great Western Railways closing a number of lines due to the poor weather conditions.
In addition to this, the West Coast Main Line from London Euston and Milton Keynes will be closed for four days beginning on Good Friday.
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