Travel chaos LIVE: Summer getaways hit by traffic delays and huge …
Brits have been warned to brace for huge queues, massive delays and road closures as they head on their family holidays.
It comes as summer getaways have begun as more than two million people are expected to travel[1] overseas.
National Highways shut down part of the Dartford Crossing following a crash which sparked three miles of congestion this morning.
The crash forced the closure of one of the crossing's two tunnels, which have since been re-opened.
The RAC confirmed an estimate of 12.6million car journeys to be made as part of a day trip or holiday between Friday and Monday as families celebrate the start of the school holidays.
The Port of Dover said it was taking about 90 minutes for departing passengers to pass through border checks on Friday morning.
Travellers planning to fly have been urged to check their route to the airport due to train strikes.
Follow our live blog below for the latest updates...
13:43Monica CharsleyLondon Underground suspend strikes
Unions have called off planned strike action on the London Underground next week.
Transport for London ( TfL) announced that RMT and Aslef unions had postponed their plans for industrial action.
Aslef's Underground organiser, Finn Brennan commented: "After a week of intense negotiations, we have made real progress in making sure our members' working conditions and pensions are protected from the impact of the Tory government cuts to TfL funding.
"There will be no changes to pension benefits before the next general election. And any future changes to working conditions and agreements will only be made by negotiation. This is a major step forward."
12:46Monica CharsleyPolice attend crash on A27
National Highways have reopened all lanes on the A27 following a crash.
The A27 was closed westbound between the A29 near Bognor Regis (west) and A285 near Chichester (east).
Sussex Police attended the scene.
The lanes reopened shortly after 1pm.
National Highways tweeted: "All lanes are now open on the #A27 westbound between #A29 near #BognorRegis (west) and #A285 near #Chichester (east) The earlier collision has now been cleared. Delays of less than 10 minutes remain on the approach."
12:25Monica CharsleyTrain operators apologise for 'inconvenience'
The Rail Delivery Group has apologised for the inconvience caused by train strikes.
The group, which represents train operators, has advised travellers to check their travel arrangements ahead of time and the morning after planned strikes.
A spokesperson said: “The upcoming rail strikes called by the RMT union and the overtime ban by Aslef will undoubtedly cause some disruption, affecting not only the daily commute of our passengers but also disrupting the plans of families during the summer holidays.
“This will lead to disappointment, frustration, and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses.”
12:01Monica CharsleyMet Office warns of weekend downpours
The Met Office has warned of disruption as downpours are expected to begin on Saturday, with a thunderstorm alert for Sunday.
Forecasters said Brits should prepare for a wet weekend as the rain will likely be persistent in multiple regions. However, northern Scotland and southeast England will remain dry.
The long range forecast has predicted longer spells of rain at the begining of the next week.
Meanwhile, other parts of Europe has largely been hit by sweltering tempertures.
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon previously told the Mirror: "Anyone hoping to see warmer weather in the UK might be disappointed.
"The European heat isn’t expected to have any direct impact on the UK in the current forecast period.
"The southern shift of the jet steam - which is a ribbon of winds high up in the atmosphere that drives much of our weather - is helping to develop high pressure across southern Europe and northern Africa and are bringing some extremely high temperatures for the region, well beyond their usual averages."
10:16Monica Charsley'Extremely popular travel day' for The Port of Dover
The Port of Dover has finally seen a cut to waiting times following a jam-packed start to the weekend.
Motorists were seen exiting their cars to stretch their legs as queues reached the 90 minute mark by 7am.
The Port of Dover tweeted: “Please do not come to the Port more than three hours before your sailing as this can cause bottlenecks.
"If you were to miss your ferry, rest assured, you’d be placed on the next available sailing.”
(
PA)
A Right Guard traffic management team were stationed to direct motorists to the terminal.
The waiting times were reduced to 45 minutes an hour later.
Locals stressed their frustration over the scenes this morning.
Resident Paul Briggs said: "What a joke! Local residents unable to use the roads that they would use because you've coned them off to help at the port.
"It's about time the port was held accountable for poor planning this time of the year."
Processing times were cut to just 20 minutes by 9.45am but rose to 45-50 minutes at 10.50am.
By 11.45am some 12,836 passengers had sailed from the Kent port to France.
10:01Monica CharsleyGatwick Airport urge travellers to make backup plans
Gatwick Airport has urged travellers to double check their routes to the airport following the announcement of train strikes.
The airport confirmed the car park will be more busier than usual.
They posted on Twitter: "This weekend, industrial rail action may impact your journey to the airport. There will be a reduced train service & we expect our car parks to be busier.
"Please plan your trip an advance and check our website for alternative travel options."
⚠ This weekend, industrial rail action may impact your journey to the airport. There will be a reduced train service & we expect our car parks to be busier.Please plan your trip an advance and check our website for alternative travel options: https://t.co/nU9nyR0U5s pic.twitter.com/VbiJwmGkmx[2][3]
— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) July 21, 2023[4] 09:55Monica CharsleyHuge influx at airports
Holidaymakers heading abroad were met with huge secuirity lines this morning.
It comes as hundreds of thousands of passengers are travelling through Heathrow and Gatwick airports over the coming days.
Abta said around 200,000 people will depart from Manchester airport and 71,000 from Bristol.
Spain remains the top destination for families, in particular the Costa del Sol and the Balearic and Canary Islands.
However, Abta members are also reporting strong demand for Bulgaria, Portugal, Turkey, Morocco and Greece.
Much of Europe will continue to see temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s.
Mark Tanzer, Abta chief executive, said: “Thousands of families will be jetting off this weekend as the majority of schools in the UK start their summer break.
“Many of these will be taking their first overseas summer holiday since the pandemic, returning to much-loved destinations, and will have a fantastic experience in store.
“We’re encouraging people to have a fun and safe holiday by taking sensible precautions if you’re heading to an area with exceptionally high temperatures and taking particular care when in the water and on balconies.”
09:37Monica CharsleyTravellers reminded of train delays
Rail passengers could also be hit with delays on Saturday, as members of the RMT union strike again following a long-running dispute.
Members of Aslef at 15 train operating companies will refuse to work overtime[5] from Monday July 31 to Saturday August 5 in the long-running dispute over pay.
Drivers launched a week-long overtime ban on Monday which the union warned will "seriously" affect services, amid complains from the union that train companies have not employed enough drivers, meaning they are dependent on rest day working.
The action will affect Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country; East Midlands Railway; Greater Anglia; Great Western Railway; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; Island Line; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway main line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
09:35Monica CharsleyTraffic hotspots to watch out for
Transport analysis company Inrix has revealed traffic hotspots to watch out for which will include the M5 south from near Bristol (junction 15) to Bridgwater (junction 23).
Another is the M25 clockwise between junction 10 for the A3 to Kingston and junction 6 for the A22 to East Grinstead.
Enhanced post-Brexit passport checks by French border officials Police Aux Frontieres have significantly increased processing times at the Kent port.
Ferry operator DFDS said it is operating additional sailings to meet demand this weekend.
Schools in Scotland are already well into their summer holidays but many people will still be flying from Scottish airports this weekend, with more than 100,000 from Glasgow alone.
References
- ^ travel (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ https://t.co/nU9nyR0U5s (t.co)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/VbiJwmGkmx (t.co)
- ^ July 21, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ Members of Aslef at 15 train operating companies will refuse to work overtime (www.mirror.co.uk)