The slow road to summer! 2.7million drivers hit the roads on Frantic Friday as families head on holidays with hour-long queues at Dover, Heathrow terminal evacuated and chaos on trains
Some 2.7million leisure journeys were being made on the roads today, according to RAC estimates - with motorists warned to avoid heading out before 7pm tonight.
Many families were on the move after the schools broke up for summer, but there was disruption for those travelling to London Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.
Areas of Heathrow's Terminal 3 were evacuated this morning while a fire alarm was investigated, which passengers said had caused huge queues at passport control.
In Essex, drivers on the M11 were warned of seven-mile queues after it was blocked in both directions near Stansted after two crashes between junctions eight and nine.
Those heading to Gatwick were hit by train chaos after a points failure at Haywards Heath impacted services operated by Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink.
Other disrupted rail services included LNER between Retford and Newark after a train hit an obstruction on the track; and the Mildmay line in London due to defective track.
Great Western Railway trains between Castle Cary and Westbury were affected by a points failure; while four Hull Trains services were cancelled due to Aslef strike action.
Areas of Heathrow's Terminal 3 were evacuated this morning while a fire alarm was investigated, which passengers said had caused huge queues for passport control
At Heathrow today, passengers complained of queues after a fire alarm at Terminal 3 just after 11am led to a temporary evacuation being carried out for safety reasons.
Arriving passenger Christina Warren tweeted: 'Landed at Heathrow an hour early but there was a fire alarm so the line for passport control is literally backed up literally the entire terminal because of a fire alarm going off.'
Natalie Berg, who tweeted a photo of the queues, said on X: 'Nearly two hours and line has barely moved at Heathrow. Just been told immigration and baggage reclaim has now reopened so hopefully on the move soon.'
And another passenger in the terminal wrote: 'Fire crews investigating incident in baggage hall at Heathrow T3 mean security birder is currently closed. Very long queue already.'
A Heathrow spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'Following an earlier fire alarm evacuation in parts of Terminal 3, the incident has now been stood down. We apologise for any disruption caused to journeys.'
Passengers were later allowed into the baggage reclaim hall to collect their bags and get on their way.
Meanwhile drivers in Kent were at a standstill as they queued to use the Port of Dover after holidaymakers and freight lorries descended in large numbers.
The vehicles were moving very slowly through Dover from the A20, and down Jubilee Way towards the port.
An update from Port of Dover said the traffic into the port was causing delays of around an hour.
A traffic control system was in place, and one traffic warden told an eyewitness that they had received a lot of verbal abuse from drivers.
Doug Bannister, chief executive at the Port of Dover said his organisation has been 'preparing for a busy summer' and have brought in measures to 'minimise disruption'.
He said: 'We know how vital it is to keep things moving, not just for holidaymakers but for our local community too.
'That's why we've boosted staff levels, strengthened traffic management, added welfare facilities and introduced AI-powered forecasting - all to minimise disruption and ensure both residents and travellers have the best possible experience during this busy season.'
The Port of Dover said it was expecting nearly 40,000 cars this weekend and more than 270,000 in the next six weeks.
The RAC revealed on Monday that a larger number of drivers than ever before were expected to head off on holiday at some point this week, rather than wait until the weekend to get away.
But the first getaway weekend will also be busy with 2.7million journeys planned on 'Frantic Friday' today.
Following this there will be a 'Saturday Scramble' tomorrow as the largest number of journeys on a single day - 3million - is set to take place.
An extra 2.7million trips are expected on Sunday, and 4.6million more at some point over the weekend, bringing the total number of journeys this week to 26.9million.
The M40 northbound between J12 for Gaydon in Warwickshire and the M42 exit at J3A in the West Midlands could see major delays.
Queues are also likely on the M1 northbound from J12 to J16 in Northamptonshire; and on the M4 westbound from J22 for the Pilning Interchange near Severn Beach across the Prince of Wales Bridge to J26 for Newport.
The M1 northbound from J22 near Leicester to J26 for Nottingham, near the Peak District, could face 40-minute delays.
Queues of 50 minutes along the M25 anticlockwise from J4 for Sevenoaks to the Dartford Crossing are also likely.
The RAC and Inrix are jointly urging those setting off at the weekend to travel as early or late as possible – with traffic set to be at its worst through the middle of the day.
Anyone going away today or on Sunday was encouraged to try to start their trips before 10am or after 7pm, while Saturday drivers were told to consider heading out before 10am.
RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said tomorrow is expected be the 'single busiest day for summer traffic with many drivers travelling long distances to get to their holiday destination'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Maya Jama shares slew of loved-up snaps with footballer boyfriend Ruben Dias as she enjoys 'work and play' getaway
Maya Jama has shared some loved-up snaps with footballer boyfriend Ruben Dias as she continues to enjoy balancing 'work and play'. The Love Island host, 30, found the time to post on Instagram between her busy schedule as she spends time between Mallorca and London. She posted a carousel dump from the last week which involved behind-the-scenes of filming and enjoying a holiday with the Man City player and their pals. In a post, she told fans: 'Work & play balancing [sparkle emoji].' In the slew of snaps, Maya looked incredible in a body-hugging dress, where she stood outside of the Love Island villa. She was later seen dancing away with her boyfriend as they watched the sunset on a boat trip together. The new couple cuddled and posed for a selfie where they looked happier than ever. When she wasn't booked and busy filming, the TV star enjoyed relaxing in the pool, sharing images of her in the water. She also switched off with some yoga in the mornings, with a stunning sea view from her room. Maya made sure to include some sexy bikini pics too, showing off her incredible curves. The couple recently enjoyed a holiday to Ibiza where they packed on the PDA. The presenter captioned the post: 'La isla de la magia' which translates to 'The Magic Island' and smitten Ruben quickly commented with a love heart emoji. Maya has been dating Ruben for several months and recently confirmed their romance on social media. The pair have appeared to have gone from strength to strength with the sportsman flying out to Spain to support Maya while she is filming Love Island. As she shared an album of fun snaps soaking up the sun, Ruben also shared some moments with Maya. Alongside the post Ruben confirmed his love for the star and penned: 'Sun, love, crocodiles, some fits and one advice.' And Maya appeared to approve of his sweet declaration as she commented with a love heart and fire emoji. The couple are believed to have met after the stunner caught the Portuguese player's eye when they met at the European Music Awards (EMAs) in November. Their romance was finally confirmed after they were seen packing on the PDA at KSI's Baller League event in April.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
How to make Great British Railways a success
Before Labour ministers choose slick slogans for their new state-run trains they should recall Henry Ford's words: 'Nothing happens until somebody sells something.' Contrary to what some in the rail sector and Whitehall seem to think, rail services cannot exist without their passengers — what they want and what they are prepared to pay. A herculean effort to win more customers from the airlines and road users is essential. Britain's railways are at a watershed. Under privatisation, passenger journeys almost doubled. By the 2010s, private franchises were running three times as many trains between London and Manchester as the old British Rail (BR) had in the early 1990s. During the two decades between privatisation and the pandemic, passenger journeys increased by 107 per cent and services by 32 per cent. Passenger satisfaction in Britain was higher than for any other major European railway. Revenue increased by 145 per cent in real terms, compared with only a 16 per cent rise in operating costs, and £14 billion of private investment went into improving the train fleet. • Ministers heading for union clash in bid for hi-tech rail travel Privatisation introduced innovations in marketing, ticketing and operational efficiency. The volume of rail travel in Britain rose to a level not seen since the 1930s, on a network half the size and with a very good safety record. The pandemic was devastating for rail. It wasn't just that train travel collapsed during the lockdowns, requiring subsidies of £20.5 billion in 2023-24 prices) to cover losses. People's travel and working behaviour changed, probably for ever. Traditional flows of revenue from business travel, first class and five-day commuter season tickets, particularly in London and the southeast, have fallen away. In the year to March only 13 per cent of journeys were made using season tickets, compared with 34 per cent before the pandemic. Even though passenger numbers are close to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, revenue is still down by £1.4 billion, at 89.1 per cent. Passengers are paying less to travel outside the old peaks. The taxpayer continues to cover an unacceptably high annual subsidy of £12 billion for a sector that only delivers 2 per cent of all journeys taken by the public. Consequently, ministers must now prioritise growth as they prepare to introduce the bill to create the state-owned Great British Railways (GBR), almost 80 years after Clement Attlee first nationalised rail. Without a ruthless focus on what passengers want alongside a demand-led model, a spiral of decline — higher subsidy and fares — could easily take root. GBR risks being a solution in search of a problem and morphing into the ghost of BR unless ministers develop a viable long-term vision. New research from the Centre for Policy Studies highlights four key areas which, if supported, would deliver more passengers, more income and better services for passengers. • Great British Railways 'won't be run by civil servants' First, ministers should support a mixed model across the intercity high-speed network so GBR trains faces competition from non-subsidised 'open access' operators. For 25 years this model has successfully delivered passenger growth and satisfaction on the East Coast Main Line between London, the northeast and Scotland. It has meant better services, more routes, faster trains and cheaper tickets while also bringing more passengers to the route. This has led to new, popular rail operators entering the market, which has pushed the dominant, government-run train operator, LNER, to deliver better services for its customers. European railways that have copied this successful model have seen a 40 per cent increase in passengers and fare reductions of between 20 and 60 per cent. Second, GBR should not regulate itself, especially as the white paper proposes taking key sector powers away from the independent Office of Rail and Road. In no other regulated sector does the dominant market operator also control and deliver key elements of its own regulation, such as decisions on market access and charging. This could have huge implications for growth, open access and more rail freight. Only last week the environment secretary slammed the water companies for 'marking their own homework' and pledged to end 'operator self-monitoring'. But there is a risk that this will become the case on the railways. Third, GBR must adopt an unforgiving focus on making train travel as easy, cheap and user-friendly as possible, not least when designing a new GBR ticketing app to replace those of existing train companies. In addition to competing with popular ticketing sites it must be designed by the world's leading retail software companies rather than civil servants. GBR should deliver a 'Rail Miles' loyalty scheme, which is years overdue and could be linked with purchases made in the hospitality and retail sectors. • The Times View: Prejudice against private train operators is misguided Fourth, the vast 52,000-hectare railway estate can and must generate much more income. Commercial and residential development, renewable energy generation, light parcel freight, health hubs at stations alongside a higher-quality retail offer are all underused sources of income. We must learn from countries such as Japan, where railways earn at least one third of their revenue from non-ticket sources. Rail can and must be at the centre of Britain's industrial, employment, housing and regeneration strategies. The ghost of BR hangs over GBR. But if the passenger is put first and proven models are embraced then the future could be very different. Rail might not get another chance. Tony Lodge is a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies and author of Rail's Last Chance, published today by the CPS
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Heroic Lionesses to hold open-top bus parade in huge homecoming party after lifting Euros trophy
THE heroic Lionesses will celebrate their Euros win with a homecoming party in just days after defending their title. The team, who beat Spain on penalties to secure victory in a nail-biting final on Sunday night, will parade on an open-top bus in central London on Tuesday. 3 3 Starting at 12.10pm, the bus will drive past fans along The Mall before ending with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace at around 12.30pm. England's historic win saw them become the first English side to win a major tournament on foreign soil. It also saw them defend their 2022 Euros title, having beaten Germany 2-1 in the previous final at Wembley Stadium. The homecoming celebration on Tuesday will be broadcast live across the BBC, ITV and Sky between 12pm and 1pm for those who can't make the historic event. Former Lioness right-back Alex Scott will present the free-to-attend ceremony, which will feature the Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. DJ CharStape will also perform live music before Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses take the stage for a special European Championship winners trophy lift presentation. FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham said: "Our history-making Lionesses are Champions of Europe for the second successive time, and have become the first England Senior team in history to win a tournament overseas. "We are so proud of all of the players, Sarina and the support team who have all been part of this incredible achievement. "They have all worked unbelievably hard and we know the nation shares our pride." Countless fans had made the trek to Basel for the final, kitted out with England merch and flags as they roared the team to victory. Fans go wild as England beat Spain on penalties to win Women's Euro 2025 final Bullingham added: "The victory celebration in London on Tuesday will give England fans an opportunity to celebrate with the players, and be part of history. "We've had amazing support from our fans both in Switzerland and at home throughout the tournament, and we look forward to celebrating together and creating some lifelong memories." Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Lisa Nandy said: "The Lionesses' incredible win has done our country proud. "Now, we have the chance to cheer these heroes home at their homecoming parade. "The Lionesses didn't just set out to win the tournament, they wanted to change society." Sunday's final was full of twists and turns, with England falling behind in the 25th minute to a header from Mariona Caldentey. However, the Lionesses roared back with a header of their own from Alessia Russo in the 57th minute to equalise the game. The teams then tussled back and forth throughout the rest of normal and extra time before a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. Ultimately, two heroic saves from Hannah Hampton allowed star player Chloe Kelly to fire home the winning penalty, securing victory for the Lionesses. The tournament had not been without its battles, with England having to twice come back from goal deficits in previous rounds to make their way to the final.
