Millions take to roads ahead of windy Easter weekend
Millions of travellers are taking to the road ahead of a windy Easter weekend with Storm Dave forecast to bring gusts of up to 90mph.
Travel trade organisation Abta estimated that two million people from the UK will travel abroad between Good Friday and Easter Monday, and the RAC predicted it will be the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022.
National Highways said it will lift 1,500 miles of roadworks from its network of motorways and major A roads in England between Thursday and Easter Monday to ease journeys.
However, thousands of Easter train journeys will be disrupted as Network Rail carries out more than 270 upgrade projects across Britain.
This includes a six-day shutdown on the West Coast Main Line starting on Good Friday, meaning no intercity services will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes.
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for wind covering north Wales and much of the west Wales coast, as well as parts of northern England, the whole of mainland Scotland and the north of Ireland from Saturday into Sunday.
The warning covering northern England and Wales will be in place from 5pm on Saturday until 7am on Sunday while the north of Ireland will be covered by a warning from 2pm on Saturday until 2am the following day.
Forecasters warned there is a chance of “injuries and danger to life” from flying debris while the strong winds may also cause some damage and travel disruption.
The Met Office said: “Whilst some uncertainty remains in the exact track and shape of Storm Dave, a spell of strong southwesterly winds is expected. Gusts of 50-60 mph are expected fairly widely with 60-70 mph in more exposed locations. The strongest winds are expected during Saturday evening where there is a small chance of gusts of 70-80 mph briefly.”
Scotland will be hit by the strongest gusts, which could be up to 80-90mph for a short time in exposed locations. A yellow warning of wind will be in force across mainland Scotland from 6pm on Saturday until midday on Sunday.
A yellow warning of snow, valid from 3pm on Saturday until 3am on Sunday, has also been issued for north-west Scotland where some places could see 10-20cm.
Forecasters said that southern parts of the UK will not feel the impact of the storm.
Oil prices – which have a significant effect on the cost of wholesale fuel – have soared in response to Iran’s stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The RAC said the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts on Wednesday was 184.2p, up 29% since the war started on February 28.
Average petrol prices have reached 153.7p per litre, a rise of 16% over the same period.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “For those driving on the continent this Easter it is a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.
“If pump prices are high here – and indeed they are – then in many parts of Europe they have gone through the roof, including in France.
“It might seem counterintuitive, but filling up at Dover rather than in Calais could be the wise option.”
UK holidaymakers jetting off to the European Union are being warned to expect two-hour delays on arrival as countries are ramping up the deployment of a new border system.
The EU’s Entry Exit System involves people from third-party countries such as the UK having their fingerprints registered and photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries, mainly in the EU.
Trade body Airports Council International said the latest data collected from airports across Europe shows a “continued deterioration in waiting times at border crossing points”.
Delays are “regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times, with some airports reporting even longer queues”, it added.
EasyJet said it is preparing for its busiest Easter getaway, with up to 16,000 flights from UK airports during the two-week school break.
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