Travel news live: Christmas getaway weekend delays after M25 crash and 80mph wind weather warnings in place
RAC estimates 22.7 million drivers will hit the roads as people get away for Christmas
MikeTyes
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Weather warnings will kick in for parts of the UK on Saturday morning as millions more people get away for Christmas.
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong winds as the Met Office forecast a wet and windy weekend for many.
The AA predicted 23.7 million drivers hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
It projected that Saturday would see 22.7 million drivers and Sunday 21.3 million.
But Met Office yellow warnings have issued for parts of the UK this weekend, with the RAC warning travelling could be a “pretty exhausting experience” due to the conditions.
Yellow warnings for wind are in place from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday in the North West, the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East, the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.
Met Office say Christmas more likely to be grey than white
The Met Office have warned of a “grey Christmas”, disappointing those who were hoping for snow.
With the weather due to turn milder in the coming days, cloudy and unsettled weather is set for 25 December.
Holly Evans21 December 2024 14:45
Drivers urged to be ‘patient’ on the roads
Millions of drivers have been urged to be patient on the roads as the UK prepares for a “perfect storm” of the Christmas getaway and bad weather.
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong gusts after the Met Office announced yellow warnings for parts of the country.
The AA predicted 23.7 million drivers would hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
It projected that Saturday would see 22.7 million drivers and Sunday 21.3 million.
A spokesperson for the group said: “With more than 20 million car journeys expected on both Saturday and Sunday if the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm.
“We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”
Holly Evans21 December 2024 14:16
Heathrow Airport cancels ‘small number of flights'
Heathrow Airport said “a small number of flights” have been cancelled on Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.
A spokesperson said: “This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned.
“We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys.
“We encourage passengers to check in with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.”
Holly Evans21 December 2024 13:41
Rail passengers face cancellations due to staff shortage and weather
Rail passengers the length of Britain face delays and cancellations as a combination of staff shortage and bad weather disrupt schedules.
In southeast England, Great Northern and Thameslink have apologies to passengers for “cancellations and service changes” due to “a shortage of train drivers today”. The rail operators link Cambridge with London, Gatwick airport and the south coast.
On Sunday, passengers on Northern in northwest England will experience widespread cancellations, with all trains axed on six routes including Blackpool South to Preston and Oxenholme to Windermere.
The train operator said: “Recently, we have seen higher levels of cancellations in the North West and for that we are sorry. The underlying reason is train crew availability, in particular on Sundays which is contractually outside of the working week.
In Scotland, links from Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig, and from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and Wick are subject to speed restrictions because of high winds. Some rail replacement buses will run.
Simon Calder21 December 2024 13:04
Where is the yellow weather warning on Sunday?
Holly Evans21 December 2024 12:16
Road, rail and ferry services likely to be affected in Scotland
Douglas Cairns, from Transport Scotland, said road, rail, air and ferry services are “all likely to be affected by the conditions” with possible longer journey times, cancellations and restrictions on bridges.
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said its 7.45pm Saturday ferry service from Douglas, Isle of Man to Heysham, Lancashire was cancelled due to the “forecast adverse weather”, along with its 2.15am Sunday service from Heysham to Douglas.
CalMac, which operates ferries to the west coast of Scotland, said possible disruptions and cancellations could affect each of its planned services for Saturday.
Holly Evans21 December 2024 11:37
Christmas travellers urged to be ‘patient’ on motorways
The RAC has urged Christmas getaway travellers to “be patient” on the roads and highlighted the M25, M4 and M5 as “crunch points” for delays.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Anyone travelling now, I’m looking at the maps, you’ve got a lot of the road largely to yourself.
“But we are expecting things to build up through the course of the morning … If you’re packing up now, this is a good time to travel. There’s a core of about 11 o’clock this morning and between about four and six this afternoon, that’s the core time where we expect the traffic to be heavier.”
When asked if there are particular crunch points of delays the RAC is worried about, Mr Dennis said: “Yeah, I wouldn’t say worried about. I think this is the thing people are going to be well used to, where they’re not able to tear all the cones out and open all the lanes.
“Obviously there’s stretches of the northern part of the M25, part of the M4, the M5, a lot of routes people use for the sorts of journeys they’re going to make ahead of Christmas where they just can’t open all the lanes back up again. So, there’s those to bear in mind.
“What we’re saying to people is just be patient. These are journeys that matter to us this time of year. Just don’t expect to get there the minute your sat-nav says it will. Allow yourself a bit of time to make it easy and get there safely.”
Holly Evans21 December 2024 11:13
Conditions for Christmas Day set to be ‘exceptionally mild’
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “We’ll start to see high pressure to the south of the UK bringing in more settled and much milder conditions from Christmas Eve.
“Christmas Day itself will be cloudy for most, although some eastern areas of the UK, most likely eastern Scotland, may see some clear or sunny spells.
“We could see some drizzle across hills in the west, and some more persistent rain is possible for north-west Scotland, but overall it will be a fairly cloudy, nondescript day.
“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north.
“East and north-east Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”
Holly Evans21 December 2024 10:52
Read the full story: Windy weather brings potential disruption to Christmas getaway travel
Weather warnings for wind have come into force across much of the UK as millions more people get away for Christmas.
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong gusts as the Met Office forecast a wet and windy weekend for many.
The AA predicted 23.7 million drivers would hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans21 December 2024 10:31
Severe coastal gales and damaging gusts of wind on Saturday
The Met Office has warned of severe coastal gales, with other regions of the UK enduing heavy showers and thunder on Saturday.
A post on X read: “Windy on Saturday morning with severe coastal gales in the northwest and a risk of damaging gusts in northwest Scotland later.
“Rain moving southeast with colder and brighter weather following giving a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers, perhaps with hail and thunder.”
Holly Evans21 December 2024 10:14
