7MILLION IN EASTER STAYCATION RUSH

Get set for road and rail mayhem as we opt for breaks in sun-drenched UK

AN EASTER ‘staycation’ boom is set to trigger mayhem on the UK’s roads and railways.

More than seven million people are planning an overnight trip in Britain over the weekend.

Tourism chiefs yesterday predicted that the sunny weather will fuel the biggest Easter holiday rush in six years, with 7.4million planning an overnight break somewhere in the UK.

VisitEngland, which based the figures on interviews with more than 1,200 people about their plans, said this is up from 4.8million last year and the biggest number since it started the survey in 2013.

It said the number could be even greater, with 15 per cent of those it spoke to waiting to see what the weather will be like before deciding whether to take an overnight trip.

The tourism lobby group said the surge in ‘staycations’ will generate a £1.8billion boost to the British economy, as shops, restaurants and hotels enjoy a bumper weekend.

But it also warned that shutting down the rail network on public holidays is causing disruption and damaging the economy.

London Euston station is closed for the four- day Easter weekend, with much of the busy West Coast Main Line out of action.

Another key route, the Great Western line between London and Cardiff will be shut down near Bristol. This will add an hour to the journey between London and Cardiff.

Motorists have been warned they face tailbacks of up to an hour on some motorways, with major engidestination neering works on the railways making roads more congested than usual. Network Rail says it concentrates engineering works on public holidays because they are much quieter and cause less disruption.

It also insisted the £100million programme of engineering works is one of the quietest for years at Easter for years, arguing that it is ‘business as usual’ on most of the network.

But Patricia Yates, from VisitEngland, said: ‘Every holiday half the railway shuts down.

‘There needs to be more appreciation of how this impacts on tourism and the local economy.

‘We are looking at persuading the government and the rail industry to ensure that rail engineering works are not always concentrated at Easter and other public holidays.’

She added: ‘In Cumbria, people in the tourism industry say fixing the Northern railways would make the biggest difference.

‘It is transport and getting to the that is letting us down.’ Long delays for motorists are also expected, with the RAC predicting 15million cars on leisure trips will take to the roads over the course of the weekend.

Analysis of the worst traffic hotspots by Inrix, commissioned by the motoring group, showed the M25 to the south and west of London would be worst hit.

Big queues are also predicted on parts of the M1 in the East Midlands, the M6 in the West Midlands and the M62 in West Yorkshire.

Although Highways England said it will lift 459 miles of roadworks to ease congestion, the RAC urged drivers to avoid travelling for much of Good Friday.

Coach operator National Express has said the widespread disruption on the rail network has prompted thousands more people to book coach journeys instead.

It said its bookings had surged 80 per cent on routes that would normally be served by the West Coast Main Line, compared with Easter last year.

Ticket sales to and from Coventry have more than trebled, and they have more than doubled to and from Northampton, Birmingham and Chester.

John Boughton, commercial director at National Express, said: ‘The impact of the annual Easter engineering works and rail disruption appears to be greater than previous years. We anticipate that this will be our busiest Easter to date.’

More tailbacks are expected as Green Flag predicted there will be 159,254 breakdowns on UK roads between today and Monday – or 22 a minute.

Many Britons flying overseas also face disruption as Spain’s 60,000 airport staff go on strike on Easter Sunday.

The Association of British Travel Agents predicted 2.1million British holidaymakers will head overseas over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

It said Spain is once again the UK’s favourite foreign holiday destination for the weekend, with Malaga, Alicante and the Canary Islands the most popular regions.

UK airlines are expected to cancel some flights to Spain, but disruption is also expected on flights to other countries as aircraft are grounded.

‘£1.8billion boost to the economy’