Christmas travel live: Motorway gridlock fears as 16.4m to hit road and drivers warned of Dover chaos
23 December 2023 at 9:43 am
Drivers are set to face Christmas travel chaos[1] as 16.4 million drivers hit the roads on the busiest day for travel of the year.
Motorists have been advised not drive before 11am or after 6pm to reduce the chances of being stuck on the road.[2]
The AA has issued an Amber Traffic Warning for today with millions of cars expected to travel on this day, causing lengthy jams[3] at traffic hotspots.
The AA president[4] Edmund King said: “While Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary.
Hundreds of drivers trying to catch ferries abroad in the festive getaway faced big snarl-ups at the port of Dover[5], some left stuck in long queues yesterday.
Port chiefs warned that only those who had booked would be able to travel, saying it was taking about 90 minutes to process cars with pre-booked tickets.
Key Points
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Motorists advised to avoid roads between 11am and 6pm
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60 minutes wait time at port of Denver
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What’s happening on the trains?
‘Kids are crying’ – Traveller shares her annoyance from Dover queue
11:14 , Lydia Patrick
Maeve Patterson who is travelling through the Port of Dover took to X to share her irritation whilst waiting in line.
Why are your staff at Dover only moving vehicles in 2 out of the approx 7 lanes , with no explanations to all of us stuck here. Kids are crying and it is as ever a total mess – no information or coordinated management in line with booked boats …. Anyone here to support?
— Maeve Patterson (@maeve_patterson) December 23, 2023[6]
Dover queueing time reaches 90 minutes
11:07 , Lydia Patrick
People travelling over to France for Christmas can expect an even longer wait.
The Port of Dover shared on X: “There is currently a 90-minute wait time ahead of French border controls as we help passengers get away for Christmas. Please check with your chosen ferry operator for further travel updates.”
Pictured: Port of Dover travel chaos
10:29 , Lydia Patrick
Traffic queues for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent as people travel to their destinations for the Christmas period (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Traffic queues for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent as people travel to their destinations for the Christmas period. (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Traffic queues for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent as people travel to their destinations for the Christmas perio (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)
Remnants of Storm Pia could lead to further disruption
10:15 , Lydia Patrick
The Met Office has warned there could be more weather-related travel issues in parts of the UK this weekend.
Christmas Eve travel plans could be ruined with heavy winds set to batter parts of the country ahead of a rain-soaked December 25.
Gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England.
Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued, saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.
A yellow warning for rain covers much of Wales, with forecasters warning flooding and travel disruption is possible.
Weather warnings in place for Saturday 23 (The Met Office)
What’s happening on the trains?
09:30 , Lydia Patrick
Passengers have faced severe delays this week due to Storm Pia, here is the railway situation today.
Network Rail warned severe weather was likely to impact some ScotRail routes.
Eurostar, which operates passenger services to and from London St Pancras, is operating two extra services per day between London and Paris up to and including Christmas Eve to help people whose trains were cancelled on Thursday.
Vehicle-carrying train service Eurotunnel is running its usual timetable but is only accepting customers who have pre-booked.
The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays on Friday afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down.
Network Rail said disruption was expected between Mansfield and Worksop for the end of the day, as well as between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, caused by damage to the overhead electric wires in the Aston area of Birmingham.
Motorway closures
08:54 , Lydia Patrick
The A66 in Cumbria is closed in both directions between the A595 south (Bridgefoot) and the A595 north (Cockermouth) due to a serious collision.
Traffic has been diverted via local routes causing delays.
The M20 motorway in Kent has reopened between junctions 8 and 9 after it was closed due to Operation Brock, which involves organising a queue for freight traffic during disruption to cross-Channel services.
60 minutes wait time at port of Denver
08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Travellers making cross-Channel journeys at the port of Dover have been urged to prepare for potential long waits as Christmas getaway disruption continues across the country.
P&O Ferries said there were estimated wait times of 60 minutes at border control.
The port has attributed the delay to a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed on Thursday due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers, which ruined the travel plans of tens of thousands of people.
The ferry company advised travellers in a post on X: “There is an estimated wait time of 60mins to reach border control after entering the port.
“There are limited toilet facilities, we recommend stopping en route.
“Please come prepared with refreshments to make your wait more comfortable. Thank you for your patience.”
Northern parts of UK to face rain and snow
07:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Scotland on Saturday would be lashed with rain and snow in the north, leading to some icy stretches.
The snow is expected to reach Northern Ireland and northern England later in the day, the Met Office predicts.
Southern parts of the country would be drier with bright or sunny spells, although it would be windy.
Generally windy and rather cloudy overnight, according to the Met Office. “Rain mostly in the west, particularly persistent for northwest England and west Wales.”
Yellow warning extended till Saturday afternoon
06:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The yellow weather warning for snow and ice for north and northeast Scotland has been extended till Saturday afternoon.
“The warning cessation time has been extended into Saturday afternoon and now finishes at 3pm,” it said in an update.
Motorists advised to avoid roads between 11am and 6pm
05:09 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Motorists have been advised to travel before 11am or after 6pm to reduce the chances of being stuck on the road.
The RAC estimated 13.5 million leisure journeys by car would take place across the UK between Friday and Sunday, up 20 per cent on the three days before Christmas Day last year.
Storm Pia has unleashed Christmas travel chaos as flights are grounded due to high winds, after a sudden French strike forced the Eurotunnel to close on Thursday.
More car journeys than last Christmas
05:00 , Jane Dalton
The RAC estimated 13.5 million leisure journeys by car would take place across the UK between Friday and Sunday, up 20 per cent on the three days before Christmas Day last year.
Motorists were advised to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.
(Getty Images)
Recap: Transport disrupted and trees uprooted as Storm Pia pummels UK
04:00 , Jane Dalton
In Pictures: Transport disrupted and trees uprooted as Storm Pia pummels UK[7]
London’s Euston waits: in pictures
02:50 , Jane Dalton
Passengers wait for train services from Euston Station (EPA)
Winds and rain predicted to spoil Christmas
00:55 , Jane Dalton
The Met Office has warned there could be more weather-related travel hold-ups in parts of the UK this weekend.
Christmas Eve travel plans could be ruined with heavy winds set to batter parts of the country ahead of a rain-soaked Monday.
Gusts as high as 60 to 70 mph are due to hit the north of Scotland and northern and central areas of England.
Two separate yellow wind warnings have been issued, the Met Office saying people should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country may see showers.
Yellow warnings for Christmas Eve (Met Office)
Passengers hit by rail cancellations and delays
Friday 22 December 2023 23:35 , Jane Dalton
Rail travel problems hit passengers trying to get away three days before Christmas.
Southeastern said a shortage of available train crew was continuing to disrupt its services on Friday.
Services on the Sheerness line were suspended at 10am for the rest of the day, and there are cancellations on the high-speed line to and from London St Pancras throughout the day.
The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays on Friday afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down.
Network Rail said disruption was expected between Mansfield and Worksop for the end of the day, as well as between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, caused by damage to the overhead electric wires in the Aston area of Birmingham.
No LNER trains served Inverness on Friday morning.
References
- ^ Christmas travel chaos (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ g stuck on the road. (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ causing lengthy jams (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ AA president (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ Dover (www.independent.co.uk)
- ^ December 23, 2023 (twitter.com)
- ^ In Pictures: Transport disrupted and trees uprooted as Storm Pia pummels UK (www.independent.co.uk)