Christmas Travel LIVE: Traffic chaos on M1 after vehicle fire while getaways hit by cancelled flights
‘Perfect storm’ of adverse weather conditions and road congestion caused widespread disruption over weekend as millions take to roads ahead of Christmas
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Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of travellers hoping to reach home for Christmas have had to organise last minute alternatives, as flights, ferries and trains have been cancelled across the UK, while part of the M1 was closed due to a van fire.
National Highways said the M1 has now reopened although drivers were still warned of delays after emergency services were working at the scene on Monday morning.
The further disruption comes after more than 100 flights at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, were cancelled on Sunday. Dozens of ferry routes in Scotland and Ireland were not running due to the bad weather, while rail passengers faced chaos as Northern cancelled all trains on 11 routes.
Snow over the weekend also caused chaos on the M62, with one lane closed, as millions have taken to the country’s motorways ahead of Christmas.
More snow is expected near the end December, with the Met Office forecasting ice, sleet and snow is set to hit the north of the country and perhaps also central areas.
However, conditions are expected to improve this week after the widespread disruption caused by the “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion. The forecaster is currently predicting a “grey Christmas” with some sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
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Winds up to 82mph recorded
The Met Office has recorded winds up to 82mph in Kirkwall as a yellow weather warning continues to remain in place.
Other high recordings include South Uist Range also at 82mph and St Bees Head which reached 76mph.
Flights and ferries to Scottish islands cancelled amid yellow warning for wind
Windy weather has caused travel disruption for people living on Scottish islands, with ferries and flights cancelled.
A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind is in place until 9pm on Sunday, covering the whole of Scotland as well as areas south of the border.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands have been cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes have also been axed.
Gusts of 82mph were recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and at South Uist in the Outer Hebrides – the strongest winds across the UK as of 2.30pm on Sunday, the Met Office said,
CalMac cited “strong winds with gusts up to 60mph” as the reason it cancelled all sailings on the Troon to Brodick service, connecting Ayrshire with the Isle of Arran.
The ferry operator pledged to review cancellations on the Oban to Craignure route, connecting Argyll and Bute with the Isle of Mull, with the possibility that a 7.20pm sailing could go ahead on Sunday.
How to avoid travel chaos on road and rail this Christmas and New Year
Amber warnings for traffic gridlock, threatened strikes and the traditional rail engineering work interrupting major train links: it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The festive season this winter will be busier than ever, with record numbers of travellers predicted at London Heathrow and many other airports, as well as on Britain’s motorways.
These are the key pinch points and potential problems – to help you plan to swerve the disruption, or at least to be prepared for crowds and chaos.
Read the full article 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
An acceptable level of travel cancellations? Discuss
An acceptable level of travel cancellations? Discuss
The Man Who Pays His Way: Having festive travel plans torn up comes at a heavy emotional cost, as at least 15,000 passengers see their Heathrow flights cancelled, writes Simon Calder
Caledonian MacBrayne: further disruption for passengers to the Western Isles
Scotland’s main ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne, has cancelled most sailings to and from the Western Isles for the rest of Sunday due to extreme weather – and has also revised schedules for Monday and Christmas Eve.
The shipping firm says the first sailing from Ardrossan to Brodick on the isle of Arran is cancelled on Monday.
On Tuesday (Christmas Eve), the link between Oban and the island of Barra has been rescheduled, with the morning sailing from the island brought forward by three hours to 4am. After crossing to Oban, the vessel will spend only 15 minutes in port before sailing back to Barra four hours ahead of schedule.
As a result of rescheduling, a sailing from Oban to the island of Mull is cancelled on Christmas Eve morning.
Christmas getaway delays as more than 100 flights cancelled at Heathrow
Watch live: Planes struggle to land in strong winds at London’s Heathrow Airport
Watch live: Planes struggle to land in strong winds at London’s Heathrow Airport
Watch live as planes struggle to land in strong winds at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sunday (22 December).
Temperatures to be ‘extremely mild’ over Christmas
Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a “grey Christmas”, rather than a white one.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west.
“Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix. We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”
Heathrow cancellations rise above 100 but most other airports are running smoothly
Sunday 22 December is the busiest day of the winter at three of the UK’s leading airports: London Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Operations at all three are running smoothly, unlike at London Heathrow where “flow-rate” restrictions have caused the cancellation of more than 100 flights.
The most significant problems in Europe outside Heathrow are at Funchal airport on the island of Madeira. Several flights have been diverted, including to the nearby island of Porto Santo and the Canary Islands.
An easyJet flight from Gatwick circled for 45 minutes to the northeast of Funchal before diverting to Tenerife. The inbound service from the island of Madeira to Gatwick has been grounded.
The airline told passengers: “We’re sorry that your flight has been cancelled. This is because strong winds in Madeira are preventing aircraft from arriving and departing. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your understanding.”
Travellers who were booked to fly home on the cancelled plane are entitled to be flown on any airline with seats available – but space is at a premium so close to Christmas.
Windy conditions could see gusts up to 75mph
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said that Sunday could see gusts of up to 75mph.
He said: “There will continue to be more challenging travel conditions, with coastal areas seeing around 50 to 60mph winds.
“Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75mph and parts of the west are expected to see 40 or 50mph.
“In the evening we are expecting these to ease and gradually drop off.
“My advice for people travelling today and tonight is to take it easy, particularly in the north and east. The main concern is that there’s the potential for icy patches in some areas.”
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