Ferry services across the English Channel face delays and cancellations as Storm Nelson ploughs into Britain - just before the Easter holiday rush begins.
According to Ferry company DFDS, all services at Dover are operating with delays, with numerous crossings forced to be cancelled due to gale force winds. It comes as a severe weather warning has been issued across Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink train services as the storm hits the south coast of England.
National Rail has said trains could be cancelled or affected by delays due to high winds and heavy rain, as the storm is predicted to bring winds of up 70mph to areas of England. Disruption is expected from midday until the evening. Stronger winds are also expected across coastal routes, with speed restrictions in place to protect passengers between Bournemouth and Weymouth. The Met Office has forecast winds of more than 60mph, affecting some trains at London Waterloo.
The warning comes ahead of a predicted "Carmageddon" - with motorists being advised journeys could take twice as long as 14 million Easter getaways are planned. Meanwhile, around 2 million British holidaymakers are set to jet off abroad over the Easter weekend, with one airport bracing for “record-breaking” passenger numbers.
Amid wet and dreary weather forecast for the UK, Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations for Easter holiday-goers. However, visits to Dublin are also in demand. Airports are currently reporting "strong numbers" according to Travel trade organisation Abta.
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It comes as a severe weather warning has been issued (PA)From Stansted Airport, 175,000 are set to fly out while 160,000 holidaymakers are boarding from Manchester between Friday and Monday. Manchester Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said: “It’s exciting that record numbers of people will be taking off from here this Easter: 320,000 people will travel (through the airport) over the bank holiday weekend – that’s up 7% on April 2023.”
As well as that, drivers are being warned over long delays on roads, as more than 14 million Easter getaway trips are expected to take place. From 4pm on Thursday, the RAC expects the M25 to be the busiest route in both directions between the M23 for Gatwick and the M1 in Hertfordshire-with journeys taking more than two hours – over double the usual time.
The lengthiest delays are expected to be between 11am and 3pm, meaning drivers are advised to set off as early as possible in the morning or wait until later in the afternoon. Two popular routes for holidaymakers – the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast – are likely to be congested.
Some 2.3 million getaway trips are planned for each of Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday. Around 2 million trips are expected to take place on each of Thursday and Easter Monday. A further 3.3 million leisure journeys have been planned by drivers who are undecided exactly what day they will travel. This leads to a colossal total of around 14.5 million getaway trips between Thursday and Easter Monday.
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