Travel news live: Christmas getaway weekend delays after M25 crash and 80mph wind weather warnings in place

Heathrow Airport said a “small number of flights” were canceled on Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.

A spokesman said: “This will ensure that the vast majority of passengers can still travel safely as planned.

“We know how important travel is at this time of year and we have extra colleagues at our terminals to support people on their journeys.

“We urge passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information on their flights.”

Rail travelers across Britain are facing delays and cancellations as a combination of staff shortages and bad weather disrupt timetables.

In south-east England, Great Northern and Thameslink are apologizing to passengers for “service cancellations and changes” due to “driver shortages today”. Rail operators connect Cambridge with London, Gatwick Airport and the south coast.

Northern passengers in North West England will experience mass cancellations on Sunday, with all trains disrupted on six routes including Blackpool South to Preston and Oxenholme to Windermere.

The rail operator said: “We have seen higher cancellation rates in the North West recently and we are sorry for that. The main reason is the availability of train staff, especially on Sundays, which are contractually outside the working week.

In Scotland, connections from Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig and from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and Wick are subject to speed restrictions due to high winds. Some rail replacement buses will run.

Douglas Cairns, from Transport Scotland, said road, rail, air and ferry services were “all likely to be affected by the conditions” with longer journey times, cancellations and bridge restrictions possible.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said its Saturday 7.45pm ferry service from Douglas, Isle of Man to Heysham, Lancashire has been canceled due to “forecast adverse weather”, along with the 2.15am Sunday service from Heysham to Douglas .

CalMac, which operates ferries to the west coast of Scotland, said possible disruptions and cancellations could affect every scheduled service for Saturday.

The RAC urged Christmas Day commuters to “be patient” on the roads and highlighted the M25, M4 and M5 as “critical points” for delays.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Anyone who’s traveling now, I look at the maps, you’ve got quite a long way to go for the most part.

“But we expect things to develop during the morning… If you’re packing now, this is a good time to travel. This morning the core is around 11 o’clock and between four and six in the afternoon, that’s the main time we expect the traffic to be heavier.”

Asked if there were any particular points of delay that the RAC was concerned about, Mr Dennis said: “Yes, I wouldn’t say concerned. I think people will get used to it well, where they won’t be able to break all the cones and open all the lanes.

“Obviously there are parts of the northern part of the M25, part of the M4, the M5, a lot of routes that people are using for the types of journeys that will be going on in the lead up to Christmas where they just can’t open all the lanes back up again. So he has them in mind.

“What we tell people is just be patient. These are the trips that are important to us at this time of year. Just don’t expect to get there the moment your sat nav says it will. Give yourself some time to ease up and get there safely.”

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “We will start to see high pressure in the south of the UK bringing calmer and much milder conditions than Christmas Eve.

“Christmas itself will be cloudy for most, although there may be clear or sunny spells in some eastern areas of the UK, most likely in eastern Scotland.

“We could see some light rain over the hills in the west, and more persistent rain is possible for NW Scotland, but overall it will be a fairly cloudy, uneventful day.

“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look remarkably mild for the time of year, especially in the north.

“East and north-east Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”

Weather warnings as the wind has kicked in across much of the UK as millions of people head out for Christmas.

Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong winds The Met Office predict a wet and windy weekend for many.

The AA predicts 23.7 million motorists will hit the road on Friday, making it the busiest day on the roads since the group began keeping records in 2010.

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The Met Office has warned of severe coastal storms, and other regions of the UK will experience heavy showers and thunderstorms on Saturday.

A post on X read: “Windy Saturday morning with strong NW coastal storms and risk of damaging NW Scotland later.

“Rain moves southeast with cooler and clearer weather, followed by a mix of sunny spells and heavy showers, possibly with hail and thunder.”

The RAC estimates that seven million journeys will be made on major roads over the weekend, excluding everyday traffic.

Congestion hotspots are predicted to be in both directions from the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and M3; M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton-Almondsbury junction in Bristol on the way down the M5.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With the weekend bringing a mix of strong winds with heavy and sometimes wintry showers, it will make many of the estimated seven million car journeys quite a grueling experience.”

British Airways has canceled at least 26 flights to and from London’s Heathrow Airport. According to the airline’s website, domestic departures to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester have been banned, along with European connections to and from Barcelona, ​​Munich, Rome and elsewhere.

BA’s two return journeys from London Heathrow to Dublin have been cancelled, putting further pressure on fares to the Irish capital. With places tight – and the main Holyhead-Dublin ferry service out of service for at least three weeks – fares are rising.

The last seats on the only available British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dublin, at 8.30am, appear to have been sold at £462, with no seats left on the route all day.

Three Ryanair flights from Gatwick to Dublin are selling for £500 or more, while others are available for £260.

The Dutch airline KLM canceled one return trip from Amsterdam to Heathrow, and the Swiss airline from Zurich did the same.