14m road trips over the damp holidays
FAMILIES hoping to enjoy the Bank Holiday Easter weekend face travel problems today, experts warn.
More than 14 million car journeys are expected to be made across the four-day break, which comes as most schools start their holidays.
Today looks likely to be the worst for delays on a damp and dreary start to the big getaway.
Alice Simpson of the RAC said: “Heavy rain and wind mean road conditions may be bleak, especially those heading to the South coast and South-West where a yellow weather warning is in place.
Disruption
“The traffic and wet weather both seem set to get worse throughout the day. We recommend packing plenty of food and drink and phone chargers for longer journeys.”
The Met Office said wind and rain could mean longer journey times or cancellations as planes, trains and vehicles are affected. There is a “slight chance” of power cuts and a “small chance” of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material thrown on to seafronts, coastal roads and properties.
Misery on the roads is set to be compounded by Network Rail engineering work on the West Coast Main Line – which stretches from London to Scotland – leading to delays and cancellations.
The section between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be shut, while disruption is expected around Glasgow and Huddersfield.
Network Rail said: “We’ve got 493 different pieces of work taking place this Easter, including laying over 8,000 metres of new rail and putting down over 40,000 tonnes of new ballast to support the tracks.”
Forecasts by Visit Britain show 11 million people are holidaying in the UK for Easter – almost double last year’s figure of 6.5 million – and a massive boost to domestic tourism.
Boss Patricia Yates said: “Tourism businesses and destinations will be looking to the critical Easter weekend for much-needed cash flow after the lean winter months.”
Around 20,000 cars are expected to travel through the Port of Dover with delays anticipated at French border posts. Meanwhile, at least two million sunseekers will head overseas. The Canary Islands, mainland Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Turkey head the list of hot-spots where average temperatures are set to reach 23C.