EASTER holiday travel chaos has struck across the UK as millions of Brits set off for breaks over the long weekend.
Travellers have had to battle through strike-hit airports and horrendous traffic queues this morning, with roads expected to be the busiest for an Easter weekend since 2022.
Gatwick Airport in London, Britain's second busiest airport, is facing strike action from airport staff, which could lead to around 50 flights being disrupted each day.
Over 100 Red Handling staff members are striking over unpaid, late payments and “illegal”; shift patterns.
The strike, organised byunion will affect baggage handlers, check-in agents and flight dispatchers working with airlines such as Norwegian, Delta, TAP and Air Peace.
will take place from today and will continue until the early hours of Tuesday, April 22.
hoping to jet off from theare likely to be affected.
Drivers have also been warned to set off early on their travels and to amid congestion on the roads.
Traffic is also set to be at its for the holiday period, with a whopping 19 million travellers expected to make journeys, according to the RAC.
Lunchtime on Good Friday is expected to have the , meaning those behind the wheel should plan to set off early in the morning.
Popular routes are likely to experience tailbacks including the A303 westbound to and the M5 southbound J15 at the RAC tower north of .
Journey times are likely to be nearly an hour longer for both meaning some could be stuck in their vehicles for more than half as long as usual.
Queues could be seen forming at the Port of Dover as many sought to get away for the long weekend.
In a post on X, the port warned of “extended processing times” at Border Control with around a 40-minute wait both before the border and at the P&O Ferries check-in.
The AA previously estimated nearly 20 million people would travel by car on Good Friday alone.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “We’re still expecting to see extremely high levels of traffic from Thursday onwards, with the greatest number of getaway trips planned for three years.
“Drivers shouldn’t expect to escape the queues if they don’t plan the best time to set off.
“It’s always best to travel as early as possible in the morning or later in the day when most of the traffic has eased, especially if headed to popular holiday destinations such as the West Country,Scotlandor.”
Port of chief executive Doug Bannister said they are preparing for around 5,500 cars on just Friday alone.
The M6 is expected to be packed around thearea, as is the M25 in its south and western sections, the M5 at, and the A303 in.
are also in place across the UK, with motorists being advised to leave home early in order to avoid delays.
MAJOR RAIL DISRUPTION THIS WEEKEND
Train travellers are also expected to face major disruption this weekend, as more than 300 projects are underway across the railway network.
The hundreds of projects are being carried out by Network Rail as part of its Easter engineering works between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
will have no services to or from on Saturday and Easter Sunday, while a reduced timetable will be in place on Good Friday and Monday.
It means passengers will be unable to access the UK's 10th busiest railway station for long-distance travel, while renewals of overhead electric lines and improvements to drainage take place.
due to railway upgrades taking place, making travel more difficult across the north-west.
There are also concerns that railways, as well as roads, could face delays amid a .
The “prolonged” rainfall could lead to some flooding of homes and businesses across some of the, thehas warned.
Visitors and locals across the south-west of are covered by the warning, which takes effect at 6pm today.
Beachgoers could be in for a washout as such as Truro, , Falmouth, and St Austell have been warned of the , which could “interrupt power supplies”.
Further along the coast, cities such as and Plymouth, as well as the seaside town of , are also at risk of the “heavy and persistent” rainfall.
has warned that the torrential conditions could make driving “difficult” and cause “some disruption to travel”.
This is due to potential spray and flooding on roads, which could increase journey times.
The forecaster also warned that bus and train services would likely be affected, similarly makinglonger.
