Easter travel and weather: Dover ferries delayed as getaway begins

Dover ferries have been delayed due to rough weather as the Easter break gets into full swing.

There were reports of long queues at Dover on Friday lunchtime as vehicles faced a two-hour wait to be processed.

The stormy weather which contributed to the delays last night is expected to ease, but dozens of flood warnings and alerts remain in place across England.

A record number of people are expected to fly this weekend, with 2.6 million leisure car trips expected on Friday.

Around 11 million people in the UK are planning a trip this Easter, according to tourist board Visit England.

Drivers have been warned that journeys could take twice as long on some routes.

A survey by motoring company RAC and transport analysis company Inrix suggests that 14 million road journeys could be made at the weekend.

A weather system dubbed Storm Nelson by Spanish forecasters brought wet and windy conditions to Northern Ireland and southern England on Thursday, with many rail operators and airports reporting disruption.

However, conditions are expected to improve on Good Friday and over the rest of the Easter weekend, according to BBC Weather presenter Chris Fawkes.

In Dover, there are reports of long lines of vehicles waiting to board the ferries. Officials said the current border processing time for tourists is about two hours.

Ferry company DFDS said all its services were delayed “due to early strong winds across the Channel”.

Drivers at the port face a wait of two hours at a time, and that could increase to two and a half hours at peak time even with the right resources in place at the border.

French authorities in Dover have stepped up border controls after the country’s terrorist threat level was raised following the Attack on the Moscow concert hall.

Eurotunnel told the BBC it was putting in extra shuttles and staff to cope with the expected high numbers.

Airports and airlines are expecting “record” passenger numbers for this time of year as holidaymakers head abroad for the weekend.

Manchester Airport said it was preparing for around 320,000 passengers this weekend, 8% more than the equivalent last year.

Glasgow Airport said it would have extra staff in place for “three exceptional weekends in advance”.

The planned engineering works could cause disruption for some rail passengers, including at London Euston – one of the UK’s busiest rail stations – which will be largely closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Trains between London and East Anglia, and services to and from the capital via the West Coast Main Line are expected to be affected by the works, Network Rail said. warned.

The UK will see a mix of sun and rain, with the potential for some heavy rain and hail, although temperatures will remain close to average.

While there are no weather warnings in place, 35 flood warnings and 183 flood warnings have been issued in England. from the Environment Agency.

Throughout Saturday and Sunday, some rain is expected, but it is unlikely to be as widespread.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Harris said most could expect a “fairly typical spring weather mix” – however, more persistent rain could return to England and Wales on Monday.

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