Chaos on Britain’s roads amid Easter getaway travel hell
- Long queues reported in London and on the M5 between Bristol and Taunton
- Met Office has warned drivers with heavy rain forecast on Easter Monday
By Matt Strudwick[1] and Ed Holt[2]
Published: 15:16, 1 April 2024 | Updated: 21:19, 1 April 2024
Traffic hell leaves drivers facing ‘nearly double’ journey times as Brits travelling home after the easter[3] weekend face gridlocked roads.
An estimated two million holidaymakers are making return journeys today with the worst congestion expected in the southwest of England and in the Home Counties.
There are already long queues on the M5 between Bristol and Taunton with motorists in bumper-to-bumper tailbacks. On some parts of the motorway traffic has clogged up causing it to crawl to 16mph with 30 minute delays.
RAC breakdown spokesman, Simon Williams, said this has likely been caused by holidaymakers who visited Devon and Cornwall for Easter weekend and are returning home.
Mr Williams said: ‘Driving from Wellington to Bristol is going to be slow. It usually takes about 45 minutes but it’s probably going to take nearly double that.’
There are already long queues on the M5 between Bristol and Taunton with motorists caught in tailbacks
On some parts of the motorway traffic has clogged up causing vehicles to crawl to 16mph with 30 minute delays
A major traffic accident has also taken place this afternoon between Junctions 23 and 24 of the M60, just outside of Denton, Greater Manchester.
The ‘serious’ incident has forced the motorway to close in both directions, while an air ambulance has been spotted at the scene.
Bystanders have been urged by police not to film the scene and to ‘think of the families’ of those involved.
Other drivers were chastised for getting treats for an ice cream van instead of remaining inside their vehicles.
North West Motorway Police also urged drivers to stay away from the area and look for alternate routes.
Posting to X, they wrote: ‘We have a serious incident on M60 between j23 and j24 both carriageways will be closed to allow helimed to land and investigations to continue – please find another route.’
On the M25 near Sevenoaks, there were queues of up to six miles caused by a car that caught fire in the morning, as well as long delays near the Dartford tunnel.
The A52 in Leicestershire and the A47 in Norfolk were closed in both directions around Monday lunchtime following serious collisions.
Bystanders have been urged by police not to film the crash scene on the M60 near Manchester, and to ‘think of the families’ of those involved
National Highways reported congestion causing ‘severe’ delays of up to 40 minutes on the M6 southbound and northbound and the M5 northbound in the afternoon.
Elsewhere, more vehicle fires held up drivers on the M6 and A5 throughout Monday, something that Mr Williams said was ‘unusual’ in one day.
Significant congestion was reported on the M25 clockwise near Heathrow airport in the afternoon due to heavy traffic and a stalled vehicle.
Mr Williams said: ‘Obviously for those coming back later today, the weather conditions could make things even more challenging.
‘Leaving later can sometimes save you time because fewer people travel later, but if the weather is bad it could be a long journey and difficult driving.’
Elsewhere, long queues are reported on the A102M Blackwall tunnel in Greenwich, southeast London[4].
And there was bank holiday chaos across Britain’s rail network this afternoon, with major engineering work being carried out and affecting routes through London Euston, London Liverpool Street and on the Elizabeth Line.
Long queues are also reported on the A102M Blackwall tunnel in Greenwich, in southeast London
Traffic hell has begun this afternoon with Britons bracing themselves for gridlocked roads and hour long queues as they travel home after their four-day Easter getaway.
Pictured, Traffic queues on the A102 Blackwall Tunnel approach in Greenwich, South East London
Those travelling by rail in Wales also experienced disruption, with passengers warned not to travel between Cardiff and Carmarthen on the South Wales Mainline due to signalling and power issues on Monday morning.
The Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury and services on several other lines in south Wales were also affected.
While Brits trying to jet back from Portugal[5] are facing misery as they described ‘carnage’ at Faro International Airport as staff shortages cause three-hour long delays.
The threat of floods across the country has already raised fears they could cause Easter travel chaos today on the roads with two warnings and 96 alerts in place across England.
Motorists have been advised to head out on the roads later this evening with the heaviest rain expected to fall in the corridor from the southwest of England and up to East Anglia, reports Sky News[6], causing difficult driving conditions.
Forecasters said there is a risk of hail and thunder late today.
Met Office forecaster, Greg Dewhurst, said drivers should take ‘extra care’ during heavy downpours with regard to surface spray on the roads and drivers slowing down, particularly those travelling in central and southern parts of the UK.
The RAC warned ahead of the Easter break it ‘could be carmageddon’ and said heavy traffic and ‘lengthy queues can be expected along routes to the usual hotspots’.
The roadside assistance company and transport analysis firm Inrix said 2.01million leisure journeys would be made by car on Easter Monday, with the lengthiest delays expected between 10am and noon.
GOOD FRIDAY: Easter bank holiday traffic builds up with speed restrictions in place on the M5 near Bristol
Tourists described how electronic gates at Faro International Airport were not working amid alleged staff shortages
Yvette Hughes was among the holidaymakers stuck in chaos at Faro airport today
Drivers are urged to reduce their speeds, as rain can reduce visibility, and give themselves more time to brake on slippery road surfaces – suggesting a gap of at least four seconds between traffic.
The showers could bring between 5mm and 15mm of rainfall, forecasters said.
Meanwhile, in Portugal travellers claimed they have endured three-hour delays at Faro International Airport, alleging that e-Gates malfunctions and a lack of information from airlines.
They described ‘carnage at the airport’, with children crying and some struggling passengers passing out while waiting in vain to arrive or travel back home to Britain.
A Portuguese police source claimed the disruptions at Faro airport were an ‘occurrence of a peak in passenger arrivals’ and noted the ‘situation is already normalising’, according to local reports.
Passengers queue for ferries at the Port of Dover in Kent over the holiday weekend
The travel chaos comes as staycationers back home in the UK are enduring lengthy waits on traffic-clogged motorways.
The disruption in Portugal comes as travellers hoping to make the most of the Easter weekend found themselves trapped in ‘horrendous’ 20-mile long queues on major motorways in the UK.
Staycationers were clogging up routes to Devon and Cornwall, while holidayers also experienced lengthy delays at the Port of Dover in Kent.
And there was ‘significant’ congestion around the M25 and roads in the South West and South East of England.