Heathrow strikes, rail and road delays set to hold up Easter holidaymakers

Travellers warned to expect extensive rail, air and port delays on bank holiday weekend

One roads expert says 'Good Friday will be a bad Friday for drivers', after thousands became stuck at the Port of Dover in Kent at the weekend. PA

Those hoping to leave the UK over the forthcoming Easter weekend have been warned to prepare for delays on the roads, at ports and in airports.

It comes after the Port of Dover declared a critical incident at the weekend, when thousands of people were held up by long delays due to immigration controls.

In some instances, schoolchildren were stuck on coaches for up to 16 hours at the port as officials struggled to process the high volume of traffic.

On Monday, port authorities launched a full review into what went wrong to ensure “improvements are made” in time for the Easter weekend, which is expected to be one of the year's busiest for travel.

Matilda Midgley was stuck on a coach for hours as she travelled with other schoolchildren from Yorkshire in northern England on her way to Italy to go skiing.

“We were stuck for hours,” she said.

“At one point the coach driver was told the delays were taking 16 hours. More than 300 coaches were sent to wait in a service station.

“We were all really excited about going skiing for the first time but the delays at the port meant we lost a day of our trip. It was really unfair. Surely they should have expected all the traffic and been more prepared.”

The port’s chief executive Doug Bannister told Sky News that the “post-Brexit environment means that every passport has to be checked” at Dover before passengers can travel on to France.

The government admitted on Monday that the delays were due to more checks taking place following Brexit.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, the UK’s largest network of independent travel agents, said: “It’s distressing to see the whole scenario that’s played out at Dover this weekend and hugely disappointing for those that are trying to get away for the Easter period.

“We always knew it was going to be a busy period for ports and airports and, whilst mitigation measures were put in place, it is clear that the Brexit impact has not been adequately planned for.

“Since the UK left the EU, the need for passports to be stamped and checked by French authorities — which is done at Dover — has created a bottleneck at the port and is a major contributor to the delays that have been experienced.”

Even those looking to fly this weekend are being warned to expect chaos as security staff at Heathrow Airport are taking part in 10 days of strike actions, which will last until Sunday.

The protest action has already led to a number of flights being cancelled.

“Unite has confirmed a strike among two groups of Heathrow security officers,” Heathrow Airport said. “The airport will remain open and operational but the strikes may affect the journeys of some passengers planning to travel during this period.

“On strike days, passengers will only be allowed to travel through security with two items of hand baggage [carry-on baggage].

“We expect the airport to be busy during this period.”

Transport strikes are also taking place in France and Spain throughout this month.

On Thursday, more strikes are taking place in France and Eurostar train services could be disrupted.

Last month Eurostar was forced to cancel more than 30 services on one of the strike days.

In the UK, more than 1,000 Passport Office staff are also striking until May 5 from offices in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport.

Ahead of the Easter bank holiday this weekend, drivers are already being warned to expect severe queues on the roads as 17 million leisure trips by car are predicted to be made.

Major roads in south-west England and some in the Home Counties are likely to experience the worst congestion on Friday, according to the RAC and transport analytics company Inrix.

More than double the normal traffic levels are predicted for the A303 westbound near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, the M5 south between Bristol and Bridgwater, and the M25 anticlockwise between Hertfordshire and Surrey.

Queues are likely to be lengthened by engineering work on the railways, including the closure of London Euston station. This will affect those travelling between Manchester and the capital.

Rail bosses have urged passengers to travel on either side of the long weekend when possible due to the disruption at Euston, which is a knock-on effect of works at Watford junction, a major rail hub in the north-west of London.

In addition, the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow will be temporarily suspended due to line upgrades, affecting travellers arriving to or departing from Heathrow Airport.

James Dean, Network Rail’s west coast south route director, said that the upgrades will “transform” the wider network and result in “fewer delays and extra capacity”.

“We know there’s never an ideal time to close the railway, so I’d like to thank people in advance for their patience ahead of this complex project,” he said.

“With Euston closed for four days, my best advice is, if you can, travel either side of the bank holiday.”

A survey of 2,400 UK drivers commissioned by the RAC suggested 2.7 million car journeys have been planned for Friday and Easter Sunday by drivers embarking on day trips or overnight stays.

Saturday and Easter Monday are expected to be slightly less busy, with 2.3 million separate getaway trips on each day.

“With many people keen to make the most of the double bank holiday this Easter weekend, we’re expecting the customary jams across parts of the road network to make this Good Friday a bad Friday for drivers, especially those who are planning on covering longer distances,” RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said.

“Traffic volumes could be even higher if the Sun chooses to make a welcome appearance.

“The South and West are the areas to watch as they’re home to some vital roads responsible for carrying vast numbers of people to the holiday destinations of the west country.

“Our advice to anyone heading that way is to get on the road as early as possible on Good Friday, or travel on a different day entirely.”

National Highways will temporarily remove more than 2,250km of roadworks on England’s motorways and major roads by 6am on Thursday until next Tuesday.

Inrix transport analyst Bob Pishue said delays would still take place.

“We expect a large jump in holiday driving, with most congestion occurring on major roads around urban areas and popular destinations,” he said.

“Nationwide, we anticipate travel times during the holiday weekend to increase about 25 per cent compared to normal.

“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic.”

Major engineering works on the nation's rail network is also expected to cause headaches for passengers.

Network Rail is carrying out more than 600 engineering projects.

No trains will run to or from London Euston between Good Friday and Easter Monday as the West Coast Main Line will be closed up to Milton Keynes Central.

This will disrupt Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services, and Caledonian Sleeper trains will use London King’s Cross.

Track and signalling modernisation work on some lines into London Victoria means Southern and Gatwick Express services will not call at the station during the bank holiday weekend.

Some trains will be diverted to London Bridge.