Travel news live: Christmas getaway weekend delays after M25 crash and 80mph wind weather warnings in place
RAC estimates 22.7 million drivers will hit the roads as people get away for Christmas
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Your support makes all the difference.Weather warnings will kick in for parts of the UK on Saturday morning as millions more people get away for Christmas.
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong winds as the Met Office forecast a wet and windy weekend for many.
The AA predicted 23.7 million drivers hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
It projected that Saturday would see 22.7 million drivers and Sunday 21.3 million.
But Met Office yellow warnings have issued for parts of the UK this weekend, with the RAC warning travelling could be a “pretty exhausting experience” due to the conditions.
Yellow warnings for wind are in place from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday in the North West, the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East, the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.
Accident on M4 has shut two lanes
Traffic is building on the M4 westbound at J11 by Reading.
Traffic England is reporting that two of three lanes are closed on the motorway.
They added normal traffic conditions are expected to return at 8.30pm.
25 December – Get out and about
The Independent has been investigating European tourist attractions open on Christmas Day.
Many top attractions are open (though sometimes with reduced hours) on 25 December. They include the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank House in Amsterdam; the Abba Museum in Stockholm, and Disneyland Paris.
For animal attractions, you can choose between Lisbon Aquarium and Prague Zoo.
And if you are heading out for the day in the UK, all 664 Wetherspoons pubs will be open – but only those at airports will serve food.
Trespasser at Northampton station causing cancellations
London Northwestern Railway announced that trespassers on the railway at Northampton blocked all the lines.
A spokesperson said: “Train services running through this station are returning to normal but some services may still be cancelled or delayed.”
Lymington Branch Line to close for two weeks over Christmas period
Buses will replace trains between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier from Sunday 22 December, with trains returning to service on Monday, 6 January.
Network Rail is using the festive period as an opportunity to strengthen the bridge across the Lymington River between Lymington Town and Pier stations, as well as re-railing Lymington Town Level Crossing and improving the Brockenhurst Level Crossing.
Mark Goodall, Wessex Route Director for Network Rail, said: “We appreciate that there is never a good time to close the railway, however the statistics show that fewer people travel during the festive period.
“Once this work is completed, passengers using the branch line will benefit from smoother and more reliable journeys.”
Delays on the M6 as Frantic Friday kicks off
Congestion is building on the M6 northbound between junctions J12 and J13 just north of Wolverhampton.
There are currently delays of 20 minutes against the expected traffic, Traffic England said.
Pictured: Hay bales caught fire causing tailbacks on the M5
Haybales caught fire on the back of a lorry adding to the disruption of Frantic Friday on the M5 in Devon.
The singed stable stuff was dumped along the highway to stop the vehicle from going up in flames too.
Along with the emergency response, this has closed two of four southbound lanes between J30 for Exeter and J31 for Shillingford Abbot causing 90 minute delays earlier.
‘Frantic Friday’ is the busiest day of the winter for air travel
The UK’s biggest airports are expecting record-breaking passenger numbers over the festive season 2024-25. The Independent predicts these will be the busiest days:
- Heathrow: Friday 20 December (outbound); Friday, Saturday and Sunday 3/4/5 January (inbound).
- Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted: Saturday and Sunday 21/22 December (outbound); Saturday and Sunday 4/5 January (inbound). The intermediate weekend, 28/29 December, will be very busy.
- Luton: Friday 20 December (outbound); Fridays 27 December and 3 January (inbound).
Christmas Day will be busier than ever at major UK airports. Manchester Airport expects a record number of passengers on 25 December, handling 25,000 passengers.
Figures from the fare-comparison website Skyscanner says Saturday 21 December will be the second liveliest at the UK’s airports, with Christmas Eve in third place.
The top five key destinations searched for abroad are all east: Mumbai, Bangkok, Dubai, Jeddah and Delhi, with New York, Barcelona and Istanbul also very popular.
What will the windy weekend look like?
The Met Office says that strong winds may bring disruption to Christmas travel over the weekend.
A cold snap will also see some snow in places on Sunday.
See where the weather will hit below:
Shortage of station staff see Southern trains not serving Beckenham Junction
A shortage of station staff at Beckenham Junction means that this station will no longer run Southern trains after 2.50pm today.
Southern services that usually run to Beckenham Junction will terminate at Birkbeck instead, and services that usually start from Beckenham Junction will start at Birkbeck instead.
Beckenham Junction will not be served by Southern and disruptions are expected until the end of the day.
It appears that Southeastern is still operating trains at Beckenham Junction, but the ticket office will be closed until the end of the day.
If you are travelling to/from Beckenham Junction, you can change at Birkbeck and use London Trams to complete your journey instead, Southern recommends.
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