Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

29 March 2024, 00:45 | Updated: 29 March 2024, 01:10

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.
More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday. Picture: Alamy

By Jenny Medlicott

Around 2.6 million car journeys are expected to be made on Good Friday as Brits take to the road for the bank holiday weekend.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Brits have been warned journeys will take twice as long as usual as the bank holiday coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for schools.

It comes after the first drivers to depart on their Easter getaways were hit by travel chaos on Thursday after Storm Nelson arrived with gusts of 50mph.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind covering London and the South East, the South West and east of England is set to run throughout Friday.

Good Friday is set to be a day of sunshine and blustery scattered showers, coming after unsettled conditions which saw hailstones hit parts of Cornwall.

The Met Office yellow weather warning for wind suggests that some exposed coastal spots may experience gusts of 60 to 70mph, with large waves also likely.

Read more: Brits warned of Easter weekend ‘carmageddon’ as 14 million journeys planned with double normal travel times

Read more: Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Travel chaos ensued after Storm Nelson hit on Thursday.
Travel chaos ensued after Storm Nelson hit on Thursday. Picture: Alamy

Drivers have been advised to set off as early as possible or wait until later in the day to make their Good Friday journeys, as peak times are expected to hit between 11am and 3pm.

The RAC and transport analysis company Inrix commissioned a survey which suggested 2.6 million leisure journeys by car will be made on the bank holiday.

One of the busiest roads will be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick Airport and the M1 for Hertfordshire, where journey times will double from two to four hours on average.

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 will be shut for four days from Good Friday.

There will also be disruption in the areas around Glasgow and Huddersfield.

The Port of Dover is also expected to experience heavy traffic as thousands of Brits head to France. This will be made more severe due to increased security checks in France following last week's terrorist attack in Moscow.

Storm Nelson saw gusts of 50mph on Thursday.
Storm Nelson saw gusts of 50mph on Thursday. Picture: Alamy

More than 14 million journeys are expected to take place over the course of the four-day weekend.

Deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said of the upcoming weather: "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."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

First Minister Humza Yousaf on Friday

Humza Yousaf says Scottish election could be called if he loses no-confidence vote, as he urges MSPs to reconsider

Israel Palestinians Hamas Interview

Hamas reviewing Israeli ceasefire proposal as possible Rafah offensive looms

Dr Tijon Esho

TV doctor struck off after giving free Botox to OnlyFans model in return for sex at his clinic

Palestine supporters march in London

Palestine supporters march in London, with 'hundreds of thousands' expected to join calls for ceasefire in Gaza

Israel Palestinians Campus Protests

US student anti-war protesters vow to continue demonstrations

Russia Ukraine War

Russia renews attacks on Ukrainian energy sector as Kyiv launches more drones

Alexei Navalny died in February

'Putin did not order Alexei Navalny's death,' US intelligence agencies claim after Kremlin critic dies in Russian jail

APTOPIX US China Blinken

Blinken ends latest trip to China with visit to Beijing record store

Kate Forbes has backed Humza Yousaf

Humza Yousaf's leadership rival Kate Forbes backs beleaguered Scottish First Minister, as no confidence vote looms

Tourists are to be taxed to visit parts of Tenerife

Date revealed when Brits will have to pay tourist tax for popular Spanish holiday destination after locals protest

A march against anti-Semitism scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled

London march against anti-Semitism axed amid safety fears, with 'hundreds of thousands' to join Palestine protest

Britney Spears has been forced to pay for her father's legal fees for managing her own money

Britney Spears and father Jamie 'settle legal dispute', with pop star 'left to foot dad's $2m legal bill'

Diddy Sexual Misconduct

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs files motion to dismiss some claims in sexual assault lawsuit

Exclusive
New figures from LBC have found five children per day are arrested for carrying a knife.

‘They're agile on issues they care about’: Idris Elba suggests government cares more about XL bullies than knife crime

Rageh Omaar

Rageh Omaar rushed for medical treatment after viewers' alarm as he fell ill on TV and stumbled over words

Inga Rubite died in A&E

Woman who was found collapsed under coat at A&E after seven hours ‘might not have died if someone checked on her’