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.
Piccadilly line partly closed on Friday morning during London rush hour
As London commuters make their way into work in the final days before Christmas, some were hit with closures on the Piccadilly line impacting their journeys.
There is no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge on Friday morning due to a shortage of Piccadilly line trains. The lack of trains is the result of damage caused by leaf fall, which Transport for London (TfL) staff are working to fix.
TfL advises passengers to use the Metropolitan line to complete their journeys
Wind warnings of up to 85mph as Met Office cautions Christmas holiday drivers
The UK is set to see rain and disruptive winds of up to 85mph this weekend as the Met Office issues weather warnings for Christmas holiday drivers.
Yellow wind warnings have been released for the weekend, with one covering Scotland, much of Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England between 7am and midnight on Saturday.
Another warning is in place between midnight and 9pm on Sunday, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all of western England.
Winds of up to 85mph could hit coastal areas across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with more widespread gusts of 50 to 60mph on Sunday.
Jabed Ahmed has more:
Met Office issues weather warnings across UK as Christmas holidays begin
Met Office says area of low pressure will bring rain and strong winds across large swathes of the UK
RAC urges drivers to avoid roads today 2pm-7pm
Nearly 3 million trips are predicted to take place on the roads today December 20, with a “gridlock period” expected in late afternoon and early evening.
The RAC recommends festive commuters avoid major routes during these hours. Queues of more than 45 minutes are expected on the M3 between Surrey and Hampshire, on the M25 in west London, and the M1 near Watford.
Further north, the M53 northbound from Chester to Liverpool will be worst affected by delays during home-time traffic.
Amber traffic warnings have been issued by the AA for today through to Sunday.
Simon Calder offers last-minute escapes
You can still get away at a reasonable price this side of Christmas. The cheapest flight-plus-accommodation deal I have found for a week, flying away on 24 December, is just £180 per person in a four-star hotel. Per hour, that’s basically one guinea (ask an elderly relative). Spoiler alert: the deal, from easyJet Holidays, may not be the trip of your dreams. You fly on 24 December from Birmingham all the way to, er, Glasgow, and check in at the Doubletree by Hilton on the northern edge of the city centre. That’s about 200 miles closer to the North Pole than the West Midlands. And you will be flying back just as Scotland’s Hogmanay celebrations get under way on 31 December.
If a southbound trip is more enticing, British Airways Holidays has a three-night Yuletide break on the Côte d’Azur, out on Christmas Eve and back on 27 December, for £191 per person. This includes flights from London Heathrow to Nice and a stay at the three-star So’Co boutique property (which describes itself as “a subtle blend of vintage and contemporary”) and 63kg of baggage (physical, not emotional). When you arrive you will also discover the UK is an outlier in locking down on 25 December. Plenty of trains shuttle up and down the Riviera, allowing you to visit Antibes and Cannes on Christmas Day should whim or appetite take you there.
The best airfare bargain for the last week of the year, though, is Jet2 from Edinburgh to Lanzarote for an absurdly low £92 return, flying out on Christmas Eve and back to the Scottish capital on New Year’s Eve (probably crossing flightpaths with those folks who opted for the Birmingham to Glasgow adventure). How can a 3,900-mile round trip on a quality airline be so darned cheap? Because accommodation on the islands is in short supply, and therefore demand for seat-only deals is weak. This could be the year for Christmas camping in the Canaries.
How to ensure you Christmas flight goes smoothly
The last thing anyone wants is to miss a flight just before Christmas – so The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder has pulled together some advice for stress-free travel during the festive period.
His key points are:
- Sort out your holiday money in advance
- Research the customs rules for your destination
- Check that you can reach the airport
- Allow for long security queues
- Wrap presents after security
- Leave Christmas crackers out
- Avoid too much celebratory booze
Read Simon Calder’s full guide on stress-free festive travel:
Everything to remember if you’re flying this Christmas
Check you can reach the airport, don’t wrap presents you’re taking through security and go easy on the celebration drinks
Will train strikes affect the Christmas period?
This week Avanti West Coast announced fresh strikes that will take place in the final hours of 2024 continuing until the late May bank holiday weekend.
The first will take place towards the end of the festive period on December 31 meaning New Year’s Eve revellers may need to seek alternative forms of transport. Further strikes are then planned for Thursday 2 January and then every Sunday between 12 January and 25 May.
Avanti West Coast centres on the West Coast main line to and from London Euston, and serves a number of main cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow.
On most strike days, the company operates a skeleton service. On the core routes linking London with Birmingham and Manchester, typically one train an hour will run – compared with the normal three-per-hour schedule.
Hourly trains will also run to Liverpool via Crewe (except on 2 January, when the line through Crewe is closed), with less frequent services via Preston and Carlisle to Glasgow.
Read Simon Calder’s full breakdown of the train strikes here:
When are the next train strikes? How industrial action will affect passengers
‘Sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement’ – Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union
An extended period of ‘pre-Christmas panic’ expected this year
As Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, the RAC predicts there will be an extended period of “pre-Christmas panic” on the roads as people travel up and down the motorways and roads ahead of the festive celebrations.
5.7m extra trips are expected to be taken this Wednesday and Thursday alone. The peak times are 1pm-6pm on 18 December and 8am-6pm the following day, the RAC says.
Around 29.3 million Christmas journeys will take place between Wednesday and 24 December, the RAC has estimated, with nearly half taking place on the pre-Christmas weekend alone.
Read more from Albert Toth:
Christmas travel: Worst times for driving during ‘record getaway’ revealed
Driving home for Christmas? Here’s what the experts say
This December to be busiest for air travel since the pandemic
The UK Civil Aviation Authority says that regulator data trends suggest airports will be even busier this month than the almost 11 million passengers who jetted off in December 2023, with the demand for flights expected to get back to pre-pandemic levels.
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).
Expect spray on the roads and blustery winds during Friday traffic, Met Office says
Friday, 20 December, especially the evening rush hour, is expected to be one of the busiest times for Christmas travel on the UK’s roads and motorways.
The AA predicts that Friday will see a record 23.7 million car journeys on motorways and trunk roads.
The Met Office said that drivers should prepare for spray on the roads at times with some blustery winds in places too.
How busy will the roads be this Christmas?
The RAC predicts there will be an extended period of “pre-Christmas panic” on the roads, with 5.7m extra trips being taken this Wednesday and Thursday alone.
The peak times are 1pm-6pm on 18 December and 8am-6pm the following day.
However, Friday 20 December is set to be the busiest day of the winter on motorways and trunk roads according to rival motoring organisation the AA, which predicts a record 23.7 million car journeys.
The organisation warns Saturday 21 and Monday 23 December will also be extremely busy, with 22.7 million on each day. The RAC, meanwhile, predicts 1-6pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Monday will be the busiest times.
The Independent has analysed AA figures to calculate that one in seven motorists plans to drive more than 100 miles on “frantic Friday”, 20 December.
Find out more about Christmas road congestion here:
How to avoid travel chaos on road and rail this Christmas and New Year
Exclusive: Trains, boats and planes will be different over the festive season – with strikes and engineering work adding to the chaos
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