Thousands of travellers hoping to reach home for Christmas have had to organise last minute alternatives, as flights, ferries and trains have been cancelled across the UK, while drivers face traffic chaos on motorways.
National Highways is reporting severe congestion on multiple roads across the country, including the M6, M5 and M25.
It said the M1 has now reopened although drivers were still warned of delays after emergency services were called to a van fire there on Monday morning.
More than 100 flights at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, were cancelled on Sunday. Dozens of ferry routes in Scotland and Ireland were not running due to the bad weather, while rail passengers faced chaos as Northern cancelled all trains on 11 routes.
Snow over the weekend also caused chaos on the M62, with one lane closed, as millions have taken to the country’s motorways ahead of Christmas.
More snow is expected towards the end of December, with the Met Office forecasting ice, sleet and snow is set to hit the north of the country and perhaps also central areas.
However, conditions are expected to improve this week after the widespread disruption caused by the “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion. The forecaster is currently predicting a “grey Christmas” with some sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
Wind speeds hit 82mph over weekend as temperatures fell below freezing
The strongest wind speed over the weekend was 82mph recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and the South Uist Range in the Outer Hebrides, according to the Met Office.
The weekend’s lowest temperature was recorded at Killylane in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, where the mercury fell to -0.4C on Sunday.
Andy Gregory23 December 2024 19:00
Extra sailings between Scotland and Northern Ireland after ferry cancellations
Space for vehicles and passengers on ferries across the Irish Sea is scarcer than in any previous festive season.
The main link between Great Britain and the island of Ireland, from Holyhead to Dublin, is closed due to damage caused by Storm Darragh.
Many families were planning to circumvent the closure by using the ferry from Cairnryan to either Larne or Belfast in Northern Ireland.
But on Sunday 22 December almost all of those links were…
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