Holidaymakers at Dover are facing queues of around two hours to begin their Easter getaways after ferries were held up thanks to Storm Nelson.
Around 2.6million car journeys are expected to made on Good Friday with many motorists making for the Channel – despite warnings of ‘carmageddon’ and ferry firm DFDS predicting disruption ‘due to strong winds’ on Thursday.
And two million Brits are expected to jet off abroad for the long weekend – with big queues forming at some of the country’s major airports first thing in the morning.
The Port of Dover said shortly before 7am on Good Friday that queues were at least 90 minutes long – but advised that French border controls were ‘flowing well’ despite delays caused by last night’s stormy weather.
Gusts of up to 80mph were widely expected as the weather system made landfall across London, the south-east, south-west and east of England. A yellow weather warning for wind was extended until the end of the day.
Queues are already building at the Port of Dover in Kent for the big Easter bank holiday getaway
The Port of Dover says queues are already running in excess of 90 minutes but that French border controls were ‘flowing well’
But the queues are only expected to grow as thousands more drivers take to the roads and make for the ferries
The Port of Dover said queues were moving well in Kent this morning – but this has been disputed by travellers said to be among those waiting to set off on holiday
Cars queueing at the Port of Dover as they wait to make journeys overseas. French passport control may be imposing additional security checks following the Moscow terror attack
Passengers have disputed the claim by port bosses of the queues being 90 minutes long – with some claiming to have waited three hours to reach their ferries
STORM NELSON: A map by Spanish weather service Aemet showing the low pressure system that hit Britain yesterday
Good Friday is expected to be a much milder affair than yesterday, with temperatures hitting the mid-teens later in the day and some scattered showers
Deluges affected railway lines and cancelled several ferries from Dover to Calais and Dieppe to Newhaven, with impacts still being felt today.
Several travellers have taken to social media to blast the long queues already building for the boats.
‘Horrendous queues at 2am, 3hrs to get through, and you say it’s due to enhanced security checks?’ asked one traveller on X, formerly Twitter.
Another said: ‘Taken three hours to get through to check in’, while a third holidaymaker, responding to the Port’s social media profile, said: ‘Wished we’d taken the tunnel.’
Ferry companies have asked travellers to be patient as the queues continue to build throughout Friday morning.
P&O Ferries said on X: ‘Good morning, there are currently queues in the Port of Dover. Please don’t worry if you miss your sailing, we’ll get you on the next available ship once you’re through check-in.’
DFDS said of its Dover-France route: ‘All services are currently operating with delays due to the earlier strong winds in the Channel.
‘Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers onto the first available sailing on arrival. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.’
Kent County Council has mounted Operation Brock on the M20, partially closing the coastbound motorway to non-freight traffic heading for Dover.
Some 20,000 cars are expected to pass through over the Easter long weekend, as well as just over 9,000 freight lorries.
Ferry firm Stena Line said bookings on Irish Sea routes are up 115% on an average weekend at this time of year and have increased by 26% on Easter weekend 2023.
Journeys could also be delayed due to extra border security checks by the French after the concert hall attack in Moscow last Friday that killed more than 130 people.
Travellers at Manchester Airport on Good Friday. Airport bosses say they expect 320,000 people to jet off over the weekend
Holidaymakers make their way into the departure lounge at Bristol Airport early on Friday. It is expecting 30,000 passengers on Easter Sunday alone
The British Airways check-in desks at Heathrow Terminal 5 are already packed with passengers early on Good Friday
The southern section of the West Coast Main Line will be closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday, with replacement buses replacing Avanti West Coast trains in some areas
MailOnline has also revealed eye-watering costs for a flight over the four-day Easter weekend
Cars drive through the heavy rain on the A3 in Surrey near Chessington on Thursday. Millions of drivers are expected to hit the roads today
Travel trade organisation Abta said airports are reporting ‘strong numbers’, with 175,000 due to leave from Stansted, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester, 79,000 from Birmingham, and 89,000 from Edinburgh between Friday and Monday.
Bristol Airport, where many holidaymakers were pictured heading for the departure lounge in the early hours of Friday, is also expecting 30,000 passengers on Easter Sunday alone.
Good Friday is set to be a day of sunshine and blustery scattered showers, coming after unsettled conditions which have seen hailstones hit parts of Cornwall.
Elsewhere, in any sunshine it could feel warm, with highs of 14C expected in the south east of England but there is the risk of the odd thunderstorm, the Met Office said last night.
The driest weather is expected in the far north-east of the UK and there could be a windy start to the day in many regions.
Deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: ‘The weather is expected to gradually improve following the widely unsettled spell of the past few days, with a fairly typical mix of spring-like weather across the UK.
‘There will be some sunshine, and it will feel increasingly warm for most as the winds become lighter.
‘However, the west and especially south west is likely to see passing showers too, which could be quite heavy and frequent at times.
‘Eastern coastal districts are also likely to feel increasingly cold as an onshore breeze develops, threatening persistent low cloud in some areas too.’
It’s an improvement to the highly changeable conditions across the country on Thursday, which saw regions hit with rain, gale force winds, hailstones and even snow across the day.
The RAC and transport analysis company Inrix commissioned a survey which suggested 2.6 million leisure journeys by car will be made on Good Friday.
The lengthiest delays are expected to be between 11am and 3pm, meaning drivers are advised to set off as early as possible or wait until later in the afternoon.
Two popular routes for holidaymakers – the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast – are likely to be congested.
Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations abroad and trips to Dublin are also in demand.
Nelson brought unexpected weather for some parts of the country – including on Dartmoor, in Devon, which found itself blanketed in snow
Pedestrians braved the heavy rain and gusty conditions on Westminster Bridge as Storm Nelson hit on Thursday
Large waves crash over the harbour wall as Storm Nelson arrived at Newhaven in Sussex yesterday
Manchester Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said: ‘It’s exciting that record numbers of people will be taking off from here this Easter: 320,000 people will travel (through the airport) over the bank holiday weekend – that’s up 7 per cent on April 2023.’
Glasgow predicts more than 90,000 passengers over the four days while Birmingham Airport said it expects a 27.2% increase in departures compared to last year over the full Easter period.
Bristol, which predicts 30,000 holiday trips on Easter Sunday alone, advised: ‘If travelling with Easter eggs, passengers are advised to keep any chocolate treats in your cabin baggage and to make sure they’re easily accessible as they may need to be opened for a quick check.’
Liverpool Airport expects around 60,000 passengers over the four days, which is around 7% higher than last year.
Network Rail urged train passengers to check their journey details before they travel because some major routes will be closed due to engineering work.
The West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes, used by Avanti West Coast trains to and from Scotland, is shut for four days from today.
Network Rail said it was laying new track near Kensal Green tunnel in North West London and replacing a busy junction just south of Milton Keynes.
Buses will run from Potters Bar to Watford Junction and Milton Keynes to London.
There will also be disruption to ScotRail services because of work to renew tracks and points over a major junction between Glasgow Central and Cambuslang and Polmadie Depot.
And in West Yorkshire, work will continue on the TransPennine Route Upgrade, with new tracks being laid around Huddersfield. This will mean changes to trains on routes such as Sheffield to Leeds and all trains to Huddersfield itself.
Greater Anglia warned of disruption across its routes because of construction work for the new Beaulieu Park station in Chelmsford, as well as track maintenance work.
Train services between London and many East Anglia locations, including Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester, will be replaced by buses for part of the journey.
And in London, the Elizabeth line will be closed due to engineering work through the centre of the capital, between London Paddington and Stratford and Abbey Wood.
Network Rail’s network strategy director Laurence Bowman said: ‘We know how important Easter is for families and friends to catch up, and we try to keep as much of the network open as possible.
‘There’s never a good time to do the work we need to do but the four days of the bank holiday, when fewer people are travelling, give us the opportunity to do major work we couldn’t do in normal weekend.
‘We’ve got 493 different pieces of work taking place this Easter, most happening overnight, including laying over 8,000 metres of new rail and putting down over 40,000 tonnes of new ballast to support the tracks.’
Tourist board VisitEngland said around 11 million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2 billion for the economy.
VisitEngland chief executive Patricia Yates said: ‘Tourism businesses and destinations will be looking to the critical Easter weekend for much-needed cash flow after the lean winter months so it’s really encouraging to see so many of us are planning a holiday at home.
‘We also know from our latest research that the cost of living remains a concern and while people are still keen to take a break, many are booking late, taking shorter breaks, wanting to save on accommodation, activities and eating out, highlighting the ongoing challenges for industry.’
Easter Sunday also sees the UK move to British Summer Time (BST) where clocks go forward by one hour.
