Brits hoping for sunny Bank Holiday getaway are struck by chaos as 16 MILLION drivers hit the road ahead of rail strikes
BRITS heading home from their Bank Holiday getaways have been warned they may hit travel chaos.
Around 16million drivers were expected to hit the road this weekend after the promise of sunny weather.
And while much of the country woke to sunshine this morning, the Met Office warned it won’t be around for long.
Rain is forecast to start teaming down across the country tonight – and will likely soak Brits tomorrow.
The wet weather is likely to impact travel, after 16m motorists were thought to have hit the roads on Friday.
It comes as rail is also impacted – with cancellations expected and strikes on the way.
This morning Network Rail warned there would be no trains until later today between Colne and Blackpool North.
The transport giant also said trains between Lydney and Gloucester could be delayed or cancelled.
The RAC said Bank Holiday Monday’s train drivers overtime ban – set to see hundreds of services cancelled – will force more people into their cars.
RAC’s Rod Dennis said: “People are concerned about rail strikes, so some of those rail journeys planned for Monday will end up on the road instead.”
Meanwhile 487 rail engineering schemes costing £75million will also see major disruption.
The west coast mainline – the busiest route in Britain – will have no trains from London or Glasgow on Sunday, with services slashed on Saturday and Monday.
Other works will hit journeys near Liverpool, Crewe, Wigan, Coventry, Cambridge and Southampton.
Network Rail‘s Anit Chandarana said: “We know people want to travel by train and not by replacement bus.
“We do our best to fit as much work as we can into these closures to minimise the impact on passengers and freight customers.”
10,000 trains and two million passengers’ journeys are set to be cancelled by ASLEF train drivers’ strikes at 16 operators on May 7, 8 and 9, analysis of rail industry figures indicates.
And an overtime ban, which sees services axed at the last minute, runs from Bank Holiday Monday on May 6 until May 11.
Network Rail said: “Some operators will not run any services on strike days, and the overtime ban may lead to short-notice cancellations.”
Heathrow passengers face passport control delays in the run-up to the holiday weekend as 300 Border Force staff strike from Monday to Thursday.
‘Mixed picture’ weather
Heathrow said: “Longer queue times may be experienced.”
Ferry passengers are set for 60-minute queues at Dover as up to 15,000 cars sail to France over the extended weekend.
It comes after Ryanair was forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to French Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes.
The budget airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement that the EU Commission needs to protect routes flying over France while such walkouts are taking place.
When it came to the weather, the Met Office warned a “mixed picture” was on its way.
Some parts will see plenty of sun while others will be overcast, although temperatures will be warmer than average when it pokes through the cloud.
The Met Office said highs of 20C are expected compared to the 17C average for this time of year, but where cloud persists 14C to 15C is more likely.
‘Hottest days’ this year
A Met Office spokesperson said: “In the places that stay dry, the sunny temperatures will be a little above average – generally on the warm side in the sunshine.
“We’re looking at a mixed picture across the UK again: largely fairly cloudy skies across the northern half of the UK again, but I’m more hopeful as the day goes on the cloud will break a bit.”
Monday’s forecast was less certain in southern counties.
England and Wales should be largely dry with some sunny spells and a few scattered showers.
Heavy rain could moves across Scotland and northern England in the afternoon.
The UK was hit with thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in the week before the long weekend
But Wednesday and Thursday were the hottest days of the year so far.
A peak temperature of 23.4C was recorded in Santon Downham in Suffolk, while in Scotland, the mercury hit 22.1C in Kinlochewe and Achnagart in the north Highlands.
Met Office's five-day forecast
Today:
Often rather cloudy in the north with some showery rain, heaviest across Scotland. Outbreaks of rain also affecting parts of southwest England and Wales. Warm sunshine and isolated showers elsewhere.
Tonight:
Cloudy in the north with outbreaks of rain and heavy showers later. Showers fading in the south, although staying damp in the southwest. Mist and fog under any clear spells.
Monday:
A rather cloudy start in the north with some brighter spells and heavy showers developing. Sunny spells further south with heavy showers and thunderstorms through the afternoon.
Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Showers fewer in number and less heavy on Tuesday. Staying mostly fine and warm through the middle of the week, though some rain far northwest at times.