People heading on an Easter getaway this weekend are facing travel chaos, as multiple train lines close and millions hit the road.
Traffic queues are already forming along major routes including the A2 and M25 for the Dartford Crossing, as people try to get ahead of the estimated 19 million people are set to drive on Good Friday.
Heavy rain forecast by the Met Office could also disrupt journeys, the RAC has warned, as a yellow rain warning has been put in place across the south west of England.
Train passengers are also being warned over disruption as Network Rail prepares to begin its Easter engineering work - closing a number of railway lines.
The most significant impact will be at London Euston – which will have no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday.
Those planning on flying to their Bank Holiday destinations will also face “major disruption”, as Gatwick airport workers are set to strike over pensions.
Key Points
- Traffic jams on major routes as Easter getaway chaos underway
- Easter train journeys to be disrupted by more than 300 engineering projects
- Where will the worst traffic be over Easter?
- Yellow rain warning forecast for staycation hotspots
A fire next to the track in the Stevenage area is blocking all rail lines.
21:38
,
Barney Davis
Trains running between Stevenage and London Kings Cross may be cancelled, delayed by up to 90 minutes, revised or diverted via Hertford North, National Rail said.
Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Transport Secretary backs removal of roadworks over Easter
21:08
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "Cutting journey times and saving drivers money every year is all part of our Plan for Change to raise living standards and put more money in people's pockets.
"We are tackling the real problems that drivers face by lifting 1,127 miles of roadworks over Easter and cracking down on disruptive streetworks to make journeys to see loved ones as smooth as possible."
National Highways planning on removing roadworks over Easter weekend
20:06
,
Barney Davis
National Highways director of operational services, Andrew Butterfield, said: "We expect the roads to be busy with people looking to make the most of a long Easter weekend.
"That's why we are making journeys easier by removing a huge number of roadworks."
RAC warns of busiest weekend on roads since Covid lockdown lifting in 2022
19:09
,
Barney Davis
Traffic will be equally severe on Thursday 17, Good Friday 18 and Saturday 19 April with drivers planning around 2.7m trips every day during that period, the RAC said.
The number of trips planned drops slightly on Easter Sunday to 2.5m, before increasing again to a further 2.7m on bank holiday Monday as millions of people return home.
They add a further 6.2m journeys are anticipated at some point over the Easter bank holiday weekend with weather likely to be a big factor for when they travel.
Accident causes 50 minute delays on M27
18:01
,
Barney Davis
Congestion is increasing on the M27 eastbound between junctions J9 and J12 after an earlier accident.
90 minute delays on M6 during rush hour
17:56
,
Barney Davis
There are “long delays” of around 90 minutes on the M6 during the rush hour.
A broken-down vehicle caused delays worsened by “holiday traffic”, according to live updates from Inrix.
Congestion on the M6 northbound between junctions J14 and J15 is expected to last until 7.45pm.
Good weather could make traffic worse, RAC says
17:19
,
Athena Stavrou
19 million people are estimated to already have planned to hit the road on Good Friday - but even more could be made depending on the weather.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said an estimated 6.2 million people are “undecided” on when they will travel over the weekend for an Easter leisure trip, which means “any sign of sun” could spark “big jams”.
Fire alarm causes chaos at Liverpool Central
17:11
,
Barney Davis
A fire alarm sounding at Liverpool Central station means that all lines running through the city are disrupted.
Trains will be running through this station non stop between Liverpool Lime Street and James Street or revised. Liverpool Central will not be served.
Disruption is expected until 5.45pm.
Severe delays on A1 not expected to clear up until 8pm
17:00
The A1 southbound between the A47 and the junction with the A605 has delays of 30 minutes or more.
Entire train lines to shut over Easter weekend
16:59
,
Athena Stavrou
Train passengers are being warned over disruption as Network Rail prepares to begin its Easter engineering work.
The Government-owned company said it will carry out work on more than 300 projects across Britain between Good Friday and Monday, causing a number of lines to be closed.
The most significant impact will be at London Euston which will have no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday.
Dublin leads all other destinations for British travellers heading abroad for Easter
16:37
,
Simon Calder
Dublin is way ahead of cities worldwide as the leading destination for Easter travel from the UK, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
During the Easter weekend, 11,282 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports, with more than two million seats.
Good Friday is projected to be the busiest day of the weekend, with 2,949 departures – an average of one flight taking off from a UK airport every 30 seconds.
More flights will be going to Dublin than anywhere else. Almost 70,000 passengers are heading for the Irish capital between Good Friday and Easter Monday – more than those going to Paris, Madrid and Rome combined.
90 minute delays on the M25 in Kent
16:15
,
Barney Davis
National Highways is reporting delays of 90 minutes or more on the M25 in Kent anti-clockwise between J4 (Orpington) and the A282 towards Dartford Crossing due to high volumes of traffic.
The agency explain the delays were caused by a broken down vehicle with a brake issue.
Road users are advised to follow the hollow square diversion symbol on road signs:
- Exit M25 at J4 and take the 1st exit on to M25 link towards London
- At Hewitts Roundabout, take the 4th exit on to A224 towards Orpington
- Continue on A224 and at the roundabout with the A20 'Crittal's Corner' take the 3rd exit on to the A20
- Travel along the A20 and rejoin the M25 at J3
'Drivers may have journeys disrupted by heavy rain', says RAC
16:06
,
Athena Stavrou
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson has said that if forecasted heavy rain becomes a reality “many drivers may have their journeys disrupted as they set off for day trips and long weekends”.
She added: “It’s vital to plan ahead and be prepared for trips to take longer because of the wet weather and the expected getaway congestion.”
Ms Simpson said an estimated 6.2 million people are “undecided” on when they will travel for an Easter leisure trip, which means “any sign of sun” could spark “big jams”.
Airport workers strike to cause 'major disruption'
15:46
,
Athena Stavrou
Some 11,282 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports between Good Friday and Monday, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
But those flying from Gatwick could face “major disruption” as members of Unite working for ground handling firm Red Handling plan to strike.
Staff walking out include baggage handlers, check-in staff and flight dispatchers for airlines including Norwegian, Delta, TAP and Air Peace.
“As the workers handle about 50 flights a day, the strike action will cause major disruption for holidaymakers planning getaways that weekend with expected flight delays, cancellations, long queues at check-in and baggage delays,” Unite said.
Pictured: Traffic jams on major routes as Easter getaway chaos underway
15:19
,
Athena Stavrou
Traffic queues are already forming along major routes including the A2 and M25 for the Dartford Crossing, as people try to get ahead of the 19 million people who are estimated to drive on Good Friday.
Where will the worst traffic be over Easter? These are the predictions from The Independent
14:54
,
Simon Calder
The AA and RAC agree the busiest day over the Easter spell will be Thursday, with 19.8 million motorists in their vehicles at some stage of the day.
Good Friday looks almost as busy. Easter Sunday will see the lightest traffic.
For holiday journeys within the UK, The Independent has used data from previous years to predict the heaviest traffic on four key arteries:
- M6 north of Birmingham, especially Preston and beyond as holidaymakers head for Blackpool and the Lake District.
- M5 southwest from Birmingham to Bristol and Exeter
- A303 southwest through Wiltshire
- M25 particularly between the M23 and M40 junctions to the southwest, and the Dartford Crossing to the east.
UK holiday hotspot hit by heavy rain weather warning for Easter weekend
14:24
,
Athena Stavrou
Britons hoping to escape to some of the UK’s top staycation spots for an Easter break have been told to expect disruptive heavy rain.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the southwest of England on Friday, covering tourist hotspots including Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
The forecasters warned that a prolonged spell of rain, some of it heavy, will likely cause difficult driving conditions and some disruption to travel as millions hit the road over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Read the full story:
Good Friday set to be busiest day of year for Airports
13:57
,
Simon Calder
Aviation analytics firm Cirium says Good Friday, 18 April, will be the busiest day overall, with 2,949 flights taking off from UK airports – a departure every 30 seconds on average.
Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, confirms its busiest day will be Good Friday.
The carrier plans more than 1,100 flights to or from UK airports carrying up to 145,000 passengers.
The top sunshine destinations are Dalaman in Turkey and the Spanish islands of Mallorca and Tenerife.
But with air traffic control centres across Europe still chronically short of staff, holidaymakers face the worst disruption caused by congestion in the skies in a quarter-century.
Ryanair says 36.2 million of its passengers have been impacted by air traffic control restrictions in the last year, with more than 200,000 flights delayed.
Travellers to and from France and Spain are worst affected.
Drivers face ‘hat-trick of hold-ups’ over Easter weekend
13:28
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Athena Stavrou
Drivers face a “hat-trick of hold-ups” as the bank holiday weekend coincides with the end of the Easter holidays for many schools, a motoring organisation warned.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson urged drivers to expect “extremely high levels of traffic from Thursday onwards”.
She said: “The late bank holiday weekend clashes with the end of the Easter break for many schools – which we think will change the nature of this year’s getaway.
“Although journey numbers are still very high, we’re anticipating more day trips and weekend breaks than people heading off on one and two-week stints.
“This could lead to a hat-trick of hold-ups on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as drivers visit family and friends.”
Roadworks to be lifted ahead of Easter getaway
13:06
,
Athena Stavrou
More than 1,000 miles of roadworks in England will be lifted to ease the Easter getaway, the Department for Transport has announced.
National Highways will remove roadworks from 1,127 miles of motorways and major A roads by 6am on Thursday, meaning 97.5 per cent of its network will be free of traffic cones.
They will not be reinstated until after Easter Monday.
Trees fall on Devon roads as flood warning issued
12:48
,
Athena Stavrou
A flood warning has been issued in Devon following a night of heavy rain in the county.
The Environment Agency issued the warning for the lower River Torridge, from Dolton to Bideford, including Taddiport and Weare Giffard.
It said properties in low-lying areas are at risk of flooding after river levels rose to just below 11ft (3.3m).
06:22 16/04/25#Devon There is a tree down partially blocking the A3124 between Beaford and Town Mills. Please approach with caution. AW
— Devon Alert (@DevonAlert) April 16, 2025
@StagecoachSW @BBCDevon pic.twitter.com/DOsIHeyBng
Devon County Council’s highways team said it received reports of trees down on roads including the A396 in Bampton, the A3072 near Crediton, and the A375 in Gittisham.
The RAC warned that if the forecast heavy rain on Good Friday hits the South West of England and South Wales then there could be widespread disruption.
Good weather could make traffic worse, RAC says
12:42
There are already an estimated 74 million journeys planned over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend - but even more could be made depending on the weather.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said an estimated 6.2 million people are “undecided” on when they will travel for an Easter leisure trip, which means “any sign of sun” could spark “big jams”.
Met Office issues weather warning for tourist hotspots
12:23
,
Athena Stavrou
Britons hoping to escape to some of the UK’s top staycation spots for an Easter break have been told to expect disruptive heavy rain.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the south west of England on Friday, covering tourist hotspots including Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.
The forecasters warned that a prolonged spell of rain, some of it heavy, will likely cause difficult driving conditions and some disruption to travel as millions hit the road over the Bank Holiday weekend.
It said flooding of a few homes and businesses, affected bus and train services and some interruption to power supplies were possible.
The warning will come into effect at 6pm on Friday and remain in place until 9am on Saturday.
Airports set for busiest day of the year so far on Good Friday
12:00
,
Simon Calder
Easter marks the first really busy spell of 2025 for the UK's airports, with some locations including Birmingham expecting record passenger numbers.
The Independent has learnt the busiest days for some key airports are expected to be as follows:
- Bristol 18-21 April
- Edinburgh 20 April
- Gatwick 18 April
- Glasgow 20 April
- Liverpool 18 April
- Luton 18 April
- Manchester 18 April
A14 reopens after collision closes route for eight hours
11:35
Earlier this morning, a major collision closed a section of the A14 for several hours.
National Highways said the A14 westbound in Cambridgeshire was closed between J22 (Brampton) Interchange and J20 (Ellington) due to a serious multi-vehicle collision.
The section reopened shortly before 11:30am, after being closed at 3:27am.
The #A14 westbound is closed between J22 (#Brampton) and J20 (#Ellington) due to a serious collision.
— National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) April 17, 2025
Emergency services are on scene.
Delays building on approach so please allow extra journey time if in the area. pic.twitter.com/u6tSExHaJU
Disruption at Liverpool Lime Street
11:22
,
Athena Stavrou
A number of trains were cancelled and dozens more delayed at Liverpool Lime Street this morning.
Merseyrail services to and from Chester were disrupted after an earlier points failure at the station.
National Rail said though the lines have now reopened, disruption is expected until 11:30am.
Easter train journeys to be disrupted by more than 300 engineering projects
11:08
,
Athena Stavrou
Train passengers are being warned over disruption as Network Rail prepares to begin its Easter engineering work.
The Government-owned company said it will carry out work on more than 300 projects across Britain between Good Friday and Monday, causing a number of lines to be closed.
The most significant impact will be at London Euston which will have no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday.
Services on the West Coast Main Line between Saturday and Monday will start and terminate at Carlisle, with replacement buses serving stations to the north.
Platforms 1-8 will be closed at London Victoria, meaning no Southeastern trains will serve the station over the four-day bank holiday period.
Services will be diverted to London Bridge or London Cannon Street.
Engineering work in the Southampton and Brockenhurst areas will close various lines in the region.
How many people are expected to be on the road this weekend?
10:38
,
Athena Stavrou
The Easter bank holiday weekend is one of the busiest periods of the year for travelling on UK roads.
The AA estimated that 19.1 million people in the UK will drive on Good Friday, with 18.5 million hitting the road on Saturday and 18.2 million on each of Easter Sunday and Monday.
This means a total of 74 million journeys will be made across the weekend.
'Drivers may have journeys disrupted by heavy rain', says RAC
10:14
,
Bryony Gooch
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson has said that if forecasted heavy rain becomes a reality “many drivers may have their journeys disrupted as they set off for day trips and long weekends”.
She added: “It’s vital to plan ahead and be prepared for trips to take longer because of the wet weather and the expected getaway congestion.”
Ms Simpson said an estimated 6.2 million people are “undecided” on when they will travel for an Easter leisure trip, which means “any sign of sun” could spark “big jams”.
Yellow rain warning hits south west of England on Easter Weekend
10:13
,
Bryony Gooch
A yellow rain warning has been put in place across the south west of England on Good Friday and Saturday and traffic is set to amp up across the country.
The Met Office said the warning involved a “prolonged spell of rain, some of it heavy, will likely cause difficult driving conditions and some disruption to travel.”
Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are affected by the warning.
Dover departures running smoothly – but delays predicted coming back from Calais over the Easter weekend
10:07
,
Simon Calder
At 9am, the Port of Dover posted on X (formerly Twitter): "There is currently an approximate 10-minute processing time for tourists. The approach roads to the Port remain clear."
In previous years, Dover has been the scene of severe delays during the Easter holidays, as coaches converge on the UK’s main ferry port. Passport checks for France are conducted at the port before travellers board ferries.
But the chief executive of Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, told The Independent: “We've got all of our planning in place, we've done all of our traffic predictions, we've provided all that information to partners around the port, including Police aux Frontières, and they have stepped up.”
The failure of the European Union to introduce the entry-exit scheme as promised in November 2024 means journeys should be smoother, with no need for vehicle occupants to be fingerprinted or photographed.
The biggest problem faced by motorists is likely to be returning from France to Dover between Saturday 19 and Monday 21 April.
Last weekend queues of 90 minutes built up for the border formalities at Calais, where both French and UK frontier staff check documents before passengers board their ferries.
Further congestion may be triggered by European visitors to the UK being unaware that they now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit to visit. They will be able to apply for one on the spot, but this may increase delays at UK Border Control at Calais.
Good Friday set to busiest at almost all UK airports – with Heathrow-Edinburgh the top domestic route.
10:02
,
Simon Calder
All the leading holiday airports except Edinburgh have told The Independent their busiest day will be Friday 18 April; at the Scottish capital’s airport, Sunday will see the most passengers.
Edinburgh is the destination for the most popular domestic route, British Airways from London Heathrow. BA also takes the next three places, with links from Heathrow to Glasgow, Belfast City and Aberdeen.
Four of the top 10 routes serve Belfast (City and International). The Manchester-Heathrow route is expected to be busy from Saturday to Monday because of the closure of the southern end of the West Coast main rail line for engineering work.
Top 10 domestic routes 18-21 April (source: Cirium)
Heathrow to Edinburgh: 7,353 seats
Heathrow to Glasgow: 6,616 seats
Heathrow to Belfast City: 4,458 seats
Heathrow to Aberdeen: 4,178 seats
Stansted to Edinburgh: 4,128 seats
Stansted to Belfast International: 3,939 seats
Manchester to Belfast International: 3,867 seats
Manchester to Heathrow: 3,738 seats
Belfast International to Edinburgh: 3,711 seats
Gatwick to Jersey: 3,501 seats
Where will the worst traffic be over Easter? These are the predictions from The Independent
09:56
,
Simon Calder
The AA and RAC agree the busiest day over the Easter spell will be Thursday 17 April, with 19.8 million motorists in their vehicles at some stage of the day. Good Friday looks almost as busy. Easter Sunday will see the lightest traffic.
The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said the government is “lifting 1,127 miles of roadworks over Easter and cracking down on disruptive street works to make journeys to see loved ones as smooth as possible”.
But the RAC predicts a “hat trick of hold-ups” on Thursday 18, Friday 19 and Saturday 20 April – marking the busiest Easter weekend since busiest since 2022, which was the first full escape after the Covid pandemic.
For holiday journeys within the UK, The Independent has used data from previous years to predict the heaviest traffic on four key arteries:
- M6 north of Birmingham, especially Preston and beyond as holidaymakers head for Blackpool and the Lake District.
- M5 southwest from Birmingham to Bristol and Exeter
- A303 southwest through Wiltshire
- M25 particularly between the M23 and M40 junctions to the southwest, and the Dartford Crossing to the east.
Dublin leads all other destinations for British travellers heading abroad for Easter
09:53
,
Simon Calder
Dublin is way ahead of cities worldwide as the leading destination for Easter travel from the UK, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
During the Easter weekend, 11,282 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports, with more than two million seats.
Good Friday is projected to be the busiest day of the weekend, with 2,949 departures – an average of one flight taking off from a UK airport every 30 seconds.
More flights will be going to Dublin than anywhere else. Almost 70,000 passengers are heading for the Irish capital between Good Friday and Easter Monday – more than those going to Paris, Madrid and Rome combined.
In the top 30 compiled exclusively for The Independent, Amsterdam takes second place. The Irish and Dutch capitals are followed by the three most popular Spanish airports – Alicante, Malaga and Palma – and, in sixth place, Dubai.
Faro, the gateway to the Portuguese Algarve, appears at seventh. Tenerife and Barcelona are eighth and ninth respectively, with Paris CDG taking 10th place.
Spain is by far the most popular destination, taking five of the top 10 spots,The remainder of the top 30 provides some intriguing revelations. Turkey is well represented, with Antalya at 11 and Istanbul at 16. The second Turkish Riviera airport, Dalaman, takes 25th spot.
The top long-haul destination, Dubai, has almost 50 per cent more capacity than New York – the only US city to appear, in 12th place. But British travellers take Manhattan well ahead of Berlin; the German capital has barely half as many departing seats and appears at 26th.
Met Office warn of 'disruptive' rain on Good Friday as travellers plan their journeys
09:43
,
Bryony Gooch
Steven Skeates, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, has said there will be “changeable weather for many” during the bank holiday weekend.
An area of low pressure could bring “heavy and possibly even disruptive rain” on Good Friday for parts of south-west England, Northern Ireland and South Wales, he added.
Warning issued over Easter travel disruption as millions plan getaways
09:22
,
Athena Stavrou
Drivers have been warned to expect to face delays to their journeys this weekend as millions are expected to hit the road for an Easter getaway.
People planning on travelling on major routes such as the M6 at Birmingham and around the Blackpool area, the south and western section of the M25, the M5 at Bristol and the A303 in Wiltshire have been advised to prepare for congestion.
The AA estimated that 19.1 million people in the UK will drive on Good Friday, with 18.5 million hitting the road on Saturday and 18.2 million on each of Easter Sunday and Monday.
