MORE than 16 million Brits hit the road yesterday as travel chaos continues into Christmas Eve amid major London station closures and 70mph winds.
Saturday saw motorways gridlocked and hour-long queues at the Port of Dover as the masses made their way to see loved ones for Christmas.
And, disruption is likely to spill over into Christmas Eve with London stations, King's Cross and Paddington, shut due to engineering works.
The closure of London Paddington will last until Wednesday, which also means no mainline trains will serve Heathrow Airport.
Brits have been urged to stay safe as the Met Office issued two yellow weather warnings for parts of the country today.
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Gusts of up to 70mph are forecast to batter the north of Scotland as well as northern and central areas of England.
Meteorologists stated people can expect travel chaos, power cuts and damage to buildings.
Meteorologist Liam Eslick said: "People should make sure to leave more time, especially in exposed areas, it could affect rail networks and ferries.
"People travelling on roads should take care and stay away from high-sided vehicles, and for people who are at home and are going for walks, stay away from coasts."
Meanwhile, a yellow weather alert for rain has been in place since yesterday covering much of Wales, with forecasters warning that flooding and travel disruption could last until 6pm on Christmas Eve.
Between 20 to 40mm of rain is expected widely and 60 to 80mm on higher ground.
Christmas Day morning is set to be neither merry nor bright for most, with rain across parts of England and Wales.
The RAC has urged motorists to get on the road today before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the risk of being trapped in congestion.
Eurostar, which operates passenger rail services to and from London St Pancras, will be running two extra trains per day between London and Paris today to help balance cancellations earlier in the week.
Meanwhile, Eurotunnel warned customers they are running the usual timetable - but only for those who have pre-booked.
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Shadow transport minister Louise Haigh said the domestic rail infrastructure has been "totally underinvested in", causing "record delays and cancellations".
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We know that Christmas is a busy time on our roads - and we work closely with train operators, ports and airports to ensure people can get to where they need to be during the festive period.
"To keep congestion to a minimum, National Highways is ensuring more than 98% of motorways and A-roads are roadwork-free, with over 96% of the rail network also open during Christmas and New Year.
"This Government has made unprecedented investment in transport infrastructure and to suggest otherwise is factually wrong.
"We are providing a record £44.1 billion for Network Rail to run a safe rail network.
"Our Network North plan - backed by £36 billion - will further revolutionise the country's transport infrastructure with investments in hundreds of local transport projects that matter most to people."
It comes as traffic jams started to form on roads across the UK yesterday, as queues snaked through the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras International.
There was gridlock on the M25 close to the Bluewater shopping centre, and dozens were seen racing through London's Euston Station, too.
Around 10am there was said to be an hour-long wait at the Port of Dover for those travelling out of the UK.
P&O Ferries said on X: “There is an estimated wait time of 60 mins to reach border control after entering the port.
“There are limited toilet facilities, we recommend stopping en route.
“Please come prepared with refreshments to make your wait more comfortable. Thank you for your patience.”
Photos showed rows of cars halted as they approached the port to make their way through border control.
It was expected 16.4m drivers got behind the wheel yesterday, with motorists warned not to travel after 6pm.
The anticipated chaos saw the AA issue an Amber Traffic Warning - especially with weather warnings in place, too.
The organisation rarely puts out a warning, but said it anticipated there would be high levels of congestion.
AA president Edmund King said: “While Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary."
