Congestion as Easter getaway begins

3 April 2009 07:51pm

Many main roads were heavily congested as the Easter holiday getaway began.

Travel organisation Abta said around two million Britons were likely to head overseas this Easter.

And for those choosing to stay at home, forecasters predicted generally dry and sunny weather for the next few days with temperatures rising to 16C (61F) in parts of southern England.

The AA said Maundy Thursday was likely to be the busiest day on the roads and that 45% of people planned to take day trips over the holiday period.

By early afternoon on Friday, roads were getting packed as early-morning fog gave way to bright sunshine.

The Highways Agency reported congestion on a number of key routes including the M25 in Buckinghamshire and Kent, the M3 in Hampshire, the A1(M) in North Yorkshire, the A21 in East Sussex, the A27 in West Sussex, the A3 in Surrey and the A5 in Shropshire.

The most popular spots for those flying away for Easter included the Canary Islands, Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. Many are choosing to head for city breaks to European countries outside the eurozone, while Cuba and Florida are among the most-popular long-haul destinations.

Those taking to the trains over the holiday were warned to expect delays and cancellations on some routes, as Network Rail (NR) engaged in £55 million engineering works.

On the London to Scotland West Coast Main line, there will be no trains running between Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire and Rugby in the West Midlands from Easter Saturday until noon on Easter Monday. Services in and out of London's Waterloo and Liverpool Street stations will also be affected by engineering work.

The Association of Train Operating Companies said that from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday, a total of 10 million passengers were likely to travel on 64,000 train services - 5,000 more services than were run last Easter.

© The Press Association