Motorists stuck in ’horrendous’ 20-mile queues as millions hit the roads for Easter weekend
29 March 2024, 18:51 | Updated: 30 March 2024, 00:36
Holidaymakers setting off for the bank holiday weekend have been hit by serious delays on the roads amid reports of 20-mile queues on some major motorways.
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Routes to areas in the south, particularly those heading towards Devon and Cornwall or the Port of Dover, have faced lengthy queues on Good Friday.
Drivers had been warned ahead of Friday that some 2.6 million drivers journeys were expected on the first day of the bank holiday weekend.
Queues between 15 to 20 miles long were seen on the M4 and M5 interchange near Bristol, adding around 45 minutes to journey times.
The western side of the M25 had reports of 40-minute queues as the road was described as a “lot worse than normal”.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “Everyone's heading to Devon and Cornwall, that's the attraction, and there's been a bit of better weather.
“It's causing some pretty horrendous queues.”
It comes after the Port of Dover reported queues of up to two hours earlier in the day, which have since fallen to around 90 minutes.
One driver told the MailOnline: “It took me five hours to get from the Isle of Man to our Airbnb in London yesterday - and it's going to take longer to get out of this queue!
“It's a complete nightmare. You'd think they'd changed something with the systems but no, they just can't cope. Unbelievable.”
Passengers heading to the Port of Dover had also been warned processing might take longer than usual because French authorities are conducting tighter security checks after the attack in Moscow last week.
Photos from Dover showed long tailbacks as drivers queued to board ferries to the continent for Easter getaways.
"Blustery scattered showers" on Friday are expected to turn "heavy and thundery at times, mainly in the south and west", according to the Met Office.
P&O Ferries said on Friday morning that "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," the company added.
Ferry company DFDS said that all Dover-France 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."
It comes as around 2.6 million drivers hit the roads for Good Friday getaways, with journeys to take twice as long as usual, as the bank holiday coincides with the start of a two-week holiday for schools.
The first drivers to depart on their Easter getaways were hit by travel chaos on Thursday after Storm Nelson arrived.
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Drivers were advised to set off as early as possible or wait until later in the day to make their Good Friday journeys, as peak times were predicted 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 was expected to be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick Airport and the M1 for Hertfordshire.
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.
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."
