Travel news live: Traffic chaos to hit Christmas getaway weekend as 80mph wind weather warnings issued

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Friday 20 December is set to be the busiest day of the winter on motorways and trunk roads according to rival motoring organisation the AA, which predicts a record 23.7 million car journeys.

The organisation warns Saturday 21 and Monday 23 December will also be extremely busy, with 22.7 million on each day. The RAC, meanwhile, predicts 1-6pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Monday will be the busiest times.

The Independent has analysed AA figures to calculate that one in seven motorists plans to drive more than 100 miles on “frantic Friday”, 20 December.

Find out more about Christmas road congestion here:

Yellow wind warnings have been put in place on Saturday and Sunday, covering much of the UK as rain and disruptive winds are set to hit the country over the weekend.

The Met Office says that people can expect some delays to public transport, as well as disruption to travel by road.

On Saturday, a small chance of significant delays or even cancellations to services including ferry and air, whilst some roads, bridges and causeways may be closed.

On Sunday, some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

The weather experts have advised those travelling to give themselves the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus timetables and amending travel plans if necessary.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Rebekah Hicks, said: “This period of disruptive weather coincides with a busy period on UK roads as the festive getaway starts for many.

“The area of low pressure will bring rain and strong winds on Saturday, with a chance of significant disruption especially to transport networks across the north, including the potential for ferry cancellations.

“The strongest winds are expected across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts of 80 to 85 mph in coastal districts.

“The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday with gusts of 50-60 mph across much of northern, central and western UK, locally higher for coasts and across high ground.”

Christmas Eve will mostly be everyone’s final chance to reach their Christmas destination for the holidays, as no passenger trains will run in the UK on Christmas Day and Boxing Day will be similar, except for some rare exceptions.

On 24 December, trains will start to roll into their depots ahead of Christmas from late afternoon onwards.

The last direct trains on key intercity routes are:

• London King’s Cross-Edinburgh: 5.30pm/Edinburgh-London King’s Cross: 4.13pm
• London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly: 5.55pm/Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston: 6.13pm
• London Paddington-Cardiff Central: 7.48pm/Cardiff Central-London Paddington: 8.18pm
• London Victoria-Gatwick Airport: 8.45pm/Gatwick Airport-London Victoria: 7.32pm
• Bristol Temple Meads-Leeds: 4.35pm/Leeds-Bristol Temple Meads: 4.11pm
• Glasgow Queen Street-Aberdeen: 6.41pm/Aberdeen-Glasgow Queen Street: 6.36pm

All Caledonian Sleeper services are cancelled until 27 December.

The AA has released its predictions of where the worst snarl ups will be on the roads over the festive period and which days drivers can expect the most traffic.

Today, Friday December 20 is expected to see the most cars on the road, with an estimated 23.7 million drivers planning a trip.

The breakdown rescue company predicts that the joint second worst days for congestion over the festive period will be tomorrow Saturday December 21 and Monday December 23, each with 22.7 million drivers on the road.

It has identified several likely congestion hotspots, including:

• M4/M5 interchange near Bristol
• M25 near Heathrow airport, west London
• M5/M6 interchange near Birmingham
• M60 near the Trafford Centre, Manchester
• M1 near Meadowhall, Sheffield

See the AA’s map of the worst traffic jams:

Heathrow Airport, the UK’s largest and busiest aviation hub, has advised travellers not to wrap gifts on their website as “as security staff may wish to view them”.

The airport said in a blog post: “Wrapped gifts can be viewed as concealed packages and may need to be screened, opened and searched by airport staff. If you are taking wrapping paper and gift bags with you, make sure they fold flat so they won’t get creased. And if you’re expecting a festive haul on The Big Day, make sure you pack a swag bag to bring them all back safely!”

Other airports and airlines have also offered up similar advice.

Weather warnings have been issued for parts of the UK as the Christmas getaway begins.

Yellow warnings for wind have been issued in the North West and the North East, Scotland and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland from 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.

Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East and South West, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.

The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists said, but the weather will be “exceptionally mild” by Christmas Day.

As many make their way back up North or down south into London during the Christmas period as they come and go visiting friends and family or making their way back to work are warned some rail routes will be very busy.

Passengers travelling between the North and London are advised that London Euston is expected to be extremely busy.

Christmas rail work, which is affecting journeys into London Paddington and London St Pancras stations, means more passengers are expected to travel through Euston station over the festive period.

Network Rail has recommended that passengers travelling to or from Euston on the West Coast Main Line, are advised to travel before Tuesday 24 December or after Thursday 2 January.

Travel in Scotland over the weekend ahead of the Christmas celebrations is predicted to be impacted, as strong winds set to hit and gusts in excess of 80 mph in coastal districts.

Douglas Cairns from Transport Scotland said: “The strong winds across Scotland this weekend are expected to have an impact on the transport network.

“Road, rail, air and ferry services are all likely to be affected by the conditions, with longer journey times and cancellations possible, as well as potential restrictions on bridges. The network is also expected to be busier than usual, given it’s the last weekend before Christmas.

“As always, we ask travellers to plan their journeys before setting off to ensure they reach their festive celebrations in good time. If you’re driving, make sure your vehicle is winter ready and follow any Police Scotland travel advice that may be in place. Traffic Scotland provides up-to-date travel information on the trunk road network through its website, X account and internet radio broadcasts.

“The same advice goes for other modes of transport – if you are planning to travel by rail, air or ferry, stay in contact with your operator for the latest service information.”

Passengers are flowing in and out of the UK’s airports smoothly on what for several of them – London Heathrow, Luton, Newcastle and Glasgow – is the busiest in the winter.

Most flights are leaving and arriving largely on time, though some arrivals from the US were a couple of hours behind schedule.

One irregular operation involved a Ryanair flight from Vilnius in Lithuania to the airline’s main base, London Stansted.

The Boeing 737 Max operating flight FR542 took off normally and flew for half-an-hour before turning back and diverting to another Lithuanian city, Kaunus.

The plane stayed on the ground for about 90 minutes then continued its journey to London.

The Independent has contacted Ryanair for comment.

As millions flock to UK airports this Christmastime and into the New Year, there are several things that will make life much easier ahead of travelling.

Making sure your holiday money is sorted in advance, researching customs rules and making sure you can reach the airport amid train cancellations and planned closures are among some top tips to try and make Christmas air travel less stressful.

For more Christmas holiday tips from Simon Calder, read here: