Storm Nelson and rail works make Easter holiday miserable

The massive Easter holiday has brought misery to thousands of holidaymakers and travelers as storms and construction work wreak havoc on road, rail, ferry and plane travel.

Storm Nelson brought winds of up to 74 mph, preventing planes from landing and train and ferry services being cancelled.

Snow fell in parts of southwest England and Wales, with temperatures in west Devon falling to -1.2C.

Yellow warnings for rainfall and strong winds have been issued in southern England and Northern Ireland, indicating traffic disruptions.

Travel chaos is worse than usual this Easter, with more people leaving as the holiday approaches the end of most schools.

The extreme weather is forcing some attractions to close as rain, sleet and mountain snow spread north and east.

In London, parts of Kew Gardens, Bushy Gardens and Kensington Gardens closed early due to wind and rain. Some National Trust sites including Dartmoor Zoo in Devon and Mortisfonte Gardens in Hampshire have also been closed.

Flooding in western England has forced the Great Western Railway to close a number of lines, including the main line from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Between Swindon and Chippenham, trains must “take turns” using an available track.

There are also delays and cancellations between Swindon and Bristol Avenue, Westbury and Weymouth, Reading and Taunton, Hinton and Chippenham

Rail passengers are being warned to avoid traveling around the Easter weekend as London Euston University is closed throughout the weekend for track improvement works.

There will be disruption to the main line west of the capital on Sunday morning due to urgent works.

Drivers are being warned that 14 million vehicles are expected to travel this bank holiday weekend, causing major delays. The RAC warned that journeys by car could take twice as long as usual.

A spokesman said: “With Easter coming earlier than usual at the start of the school holidays, this could spell disaster for holidaymakers.”

The M25 London Orbital line, the M5 southbound and parts of the M3 between the M25 and the South Coast are facing congestion.

Around 20,000 vehicles are expected to pass through Dover between Thursday and Thursday Easter on Monday.

But strong winds forced ferries to be canceled or delayed. On Thursday, DFDS canceled some flights from Dover to Calais and Dieppe to Newhaven.

The Port of Dover warned passengers that the English Channel was “rough and rough, with strong south-easterly winds of Category 6”, not far from gale force winds.

Flights were also delayed as the plane struggled to land.

Dramatic footage shows an easyJet flight swaying on the runway before aborting its landing at Gatwick Airport. The plane landed 10 minutes later.

The Met Office recorded peak wind speeds of 74mph at Berry Head, Devon. Forecasters extended the wind warning to cover the entire south coast from Cornwall to Kent to Suffolk, with strong gusts expected until midnight.

The Met Office warned there was a “low likelihood” of injuries and life-threatening injuries from strong winds and large waves, as well as possible hail and lightning.

Oli Claydon from the Met Office said: “The weather conditions are now really turning into an area of ​​low pressure which will bring some very strong winds and rain.”

The next few days are expected to be cold and drizzly, but “sunny and breezy”, with temperatures reaching up to 15C in west London and 14C in Manchester on Sunday, which are typical for the time of year.

More than 600 border guards at Heathrow Airport will go on strike for four days from April 11, which could cause chaos among families returning from the Easter holidays.

The strike by PCS union members coincides with one of the busiest days for arrivals at Britain’s largest airport.