Live traffic and shopping updates as Christmas getaway delays hit M4, M25, M1 and M6

The big Christmas getaway is set to bring roads and city centres to a standstill on Friday. The usual festive rush is expected to be exasperated by Storm Pia which impacted railways, roads, ports and air travel on Thursday.

All lines to and from London Euston were blocked and Eurostar and Eurotunnel services were cancelled due to strike action.

The AA has issued an "amber traffic warning" as millions of motorists are set to hit the road in the run-up to Christmas[1].

Traffic analysts say roads will be 20% busier than last year and 60% of pre-Christmas journeys will be made in the three days before 25 December.

Some 13.5 million leisure journeys by car are expected between today and Christmas Eve with congestion likely to peak on Friday.

The M25, M1, M6 and M4 are expected to be the most congested motorways, whilst main roads in towns and cities across Wales are set to also be very busy with shoppers, commuters and people travelling to see loved ones for Christmas weekend.

We've got the latest traffic updates for you from the official channels, including Traffic Wales, the AA and traffic monitoring service Inrix, and fellow road-users and readers, in the blog below. Scroll down for the latest updates:

Are you stuck in traffic at the moment? Email: [email protected] with photos and updates (passengers in vehicles only please, don't text/email and drive!)

References

  1. ^ Christmas (www.walesonline.co.uk)