The long Good Friday
Queues and storms mean travel misery for the Easter getaway
IN a tradition as familiar as chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits, the Easter weekend began yesterday with 20-mile traffic jams and travel chaos.
But this year’s getaway queues and cancellations were exacerbated by bad weather, as Storm Nelson battered the southern half of the country.
Around 2.6million motorists took to the roads yesterday, sparking significant congestion around the M25 and through the South West and South East by lunchtime.
Holidaymakers heading to Devon and Cornwall caused queues of up to 20 miles on the M4 and M5 interchange near Bristol. Storm Nelson hit the coast with gusts of up to 80mph, sparking lengthy delays to Channel ferries after some were cancelled on Thursday night.
It left huge tailbacks with cars seen crawling along the A20 beside the seafront.
At 6am yesterday, The Port of Dover tweeted: ‘The border processing time is around two hours for tourists.’
P&O Ferries warned passengers there were also long queues at the French border control within the port.
Walkers were told to keep away from the coast after the storm destroyed a row of beach huts in Seaton, east Devon.
Some were smashed to pieces while others had their roofs and walls ripped off. There were warnings of flying debris, bits of which were reported to have six inch nails sticking out of them.
Even the huts that survived have been weakened and are at risk of collapse.
The Seaton Parkrun that was due to take place today was cancelled as the Esplanade remains impassable.
Meanwhile, coastguards in Dorset had to rescue several windsurfers and paddleboarders from the rough seas during the storm.
In Swanage, one stricken surfer had to be rescued by lifeboat crews after getting into trouble.
There were large queues at Heathrow as millions tried to jet away for a holiday.
There were also 175,000 due to leave from Stansted, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester and 79,000 from Birmingham between yesterday and Monday.
Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations abroad, with trips to Dublin also in demand.
Tourist board VisitEngland said around 11million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2billion for the economy.