THE FULL NELSON
» Storm puts a hold on plans for Easter getaway » Delays on ferries, roads, rail and at major airports
THE Easter getaway was blitzed by severe weather yesterday as Storm Nelson closed rail lines and delayed ferry departures.
The Port of Dover was one of the worst hit, with strong winds in the Channel causing up to three hours of delays for some.
Around 20,000 cars were expected to travel through the port between Thursday and Easter Monday.
Some 11 million people have planned a trip this Easter, according to the Visit-England tourist board.
But with 2.6 million leisure car trips expected yesterday, drivers have been warned journeys could take twice as long as usual.
A survey by motoring company RAC and analysis company Inrix suggests 14 million trips by road could be made across the weekend.
Travellers using the railways were also hit by the high winds. Great Western Railways closed a number of lines on Thursday due to flooding, with all lines between Westbury and Swindon shut and the main line from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads also closed.
Network Rail urged train passengers to check their journey details before they travel because some major routes will also be closed due to engineering work.
The West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be shut until Tuesday, and there is disruption in Glasgow and Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Airports and airlines are expecting record-breaking passenger numbers for this time of year as holidaymakers jet off abroad.
Glasgow Airport said it would have extra staff in place during “three exceptionally busy weekends”.
Manchester Airport said it was preparing for about 320,000
passengers, 8% more than last year. Brits flying into Alicante airport this Easter are facing delays due to strike action by security personnel.
Long queues are being reported to get inside the airport, with many travellers having to wait more than 20 minutes to go through security checks.
The strike is continuing over the Easter weekend and holidaymakers are being told to expect similar or longer delays to the start of their Spanish breaks.
The busiest day will be tomorrow, when 341 planes are expected. Union representatives have warned they plan to continue with strike action over the coming spring and early summer months.
A recent study by the experts at Independent Advisor Car Insurance has revealed the most dangerous roads for UK drivers this Easter bank holiday. Birmingham ranks as the most dangerous local authority in the UK, with 15.2 collisions reported each Easter on average.
Meanwhile, London roads are some of the most dangerous, with the A10 in Hackney, East London claiming the title of Easter’s riskiest road.
Although the weather is set to improve in most parts, bookmaker Coral has cut the odds from 6-4 to 1-2 on snow falling on any major city in the UK over the Easter weekend.
The firm also makes it 6-4 for this Easter to be the coldest on record.
Coral’s John Hill said: “With temperatures set to keep falling in some parts of the UK over the Bank Holiday weekend, increasing the chances the snow, we have slashed the odds on it being a white Easter this year.”
But don’t despair – it should feel a lot more like spring in most places tomorrow.
Forecasters are predicting a mix of sunshine and showers, with the potential for some heavy downpours, although temperatures will remain close to average.
While there are no weather warnings in place, 35 flood warnings and 183 flood alerts have been issued in England by the Environment Agency. A further five flood alerts are in place in Wales.
The Met Office’s Dan Harris said most could expect a “fairly typical mix of spring-like weather”. But persistent rain could return on Monday.