Christmas getaway chaos as busiest travel day of the year sees 16MILLION Brits hit the roads & AA issues rare warning
MORE than 16million Brits are set to hit the road in the coming hours – seeing the AA issue a rare warning.
Today is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year, as the masses make their way to see their loved ones for Christmas.
Traffic jams are already starting to form on roads across the UK, as queues snake through the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras International.
There was gridlock on the M25 close to the Bluewater shopping centre this morning, and dozens were seen racing through London‘s Euston Station, too.
Around 10am there was said to be an hour-long wait at the Port of Dover for those travelling out of the UK.
P&O Ferries said on X: “There is an estimated wait time of 60 mins to reach border control after entering the port.
“There are limited toilet facilities, we recommend stopping en route.
“Please come prepared with refreshments to make your wait more comfortable. Thank you for your patience.”
Photos show rows of cars halted as they approached the port to make their way through border control.
It’s expected 16.4m drivers will get behind the wheel today, with motorists warned not to travel after 6pm.
The anticipated chaos has seen the AA issue an Amber Traffic Warning – especially with weather warnings in place, too.
The organisation rarely puts out a warning, but it said it anticipated there would be congestion today.
AA president Edmund King said: “While Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December look set to be the busiest travelling days, the unsettled weather forecast could lead to additional delays so drivers should drive to the conditions and slow down where necessary.”
The Met Office has issued a number of yellow weather warnings for parts of the country today.
Forecasters warned the winter weather will likely start setting in as Brits start preparing for their festive celebrations.
Three yellow warnings are in place across the country today and three are in place tomorrow.
Rain warnings today cover the west coast of Wales and much of the west coast of Scotland north of Glasgow.
The Met Office warned there’s a chance of flooding, which could cause travel chaos.
Forecasters have also placed snow and ice warnings on the north east coast of Scotland.
The snow and ice could make roads dangerous, and forecasters warned motorists should take care behind the wheel.
There is also a chance public transport could be impacted.
Tomorrow the rain warning remains over Wales, while wind warnings are in place for much of Scotland and east coast from Newcastle upon Tyne, down to Hull and inland to Manchester.
Forecasters say there’s a chance the gusts could cause issues with transport, and homes and buildings could be damaged.
They also warned that coastlines could be dangerous, and there’s a chance people walking on the shores could be injured by crashing waves.
Christmas Day morning is set to be neither merry nor bright for most, with rain across parts of England and Wales.