Christmas commuters are being warned to expect delays
Travel disruption is expected on the UK’s roads and rail networks on Christmas Eve due to high winds.
While Sunday is set to be unseasonably mild for many, strong winds are expected in Scotland, parts of northern England and the Midlands.
The AA has warned of “lengthy” traffic jams, and told people to prepare for longer journeys.
Met Office yellow weather warnings are in place for parts of the UK.
Rail disruption is anticipated in some areas, including major engineering works at Paddington and King’s Cross in London, and weather-related cancellations.
A number of train operators are expecting crew shortages due to sickness on Christmas Eve, which could lead to the cancellation of trains, National Rail said.
Sunday morning saw an “exceptionally mild start” to Christmas Eve, the Met Office said, and there is a chance Sunday could be the warmest 24 December on record.
The warmest Christmas Eve previously recorded was in 1931, when a high of 15.6C was reached in Scotland.
But despite unseasonably mild conditions, there is still a chance the weather could disrupt travel plans.
A yellow weather warning for wind stretching down eastern England from the Scottish border to the Midlands is in place until 22:00 GMT.
A separate wind warning covers most of Scotland until midnight.
The Met Office has said people in those areas should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, while the rest of the country could see showers.
Heavy rain is expected in northern and central Wales until early evening.
Commenting on the high winds forecasted for parts of the UK, meteorologist Liam Eslick said: “People should make sure to leave more time, especially in exposed areas – it could affect rail networks and ferries.”
“People travelling on roads should take care and stay away from high-sided vehicles, and for people who are at home and are going for walks, stay away from coasts,” he said.
The RAC has advised motorists to travel before 11: 00 or after 18:00 if possible to reduce the chances of being stuck in long queues.
Edmund King, from the AA, said people should expect delays, and urged people to prepare supplies including food and jackets.
“Check your tyre pressure, check your oil, check your windscreen washer fluid,” he said.
Some localised rail disruption is expected across the UK, including:
- From Christmas Eve, London’s Paddington Station is closed for four days, while there will also be no long-distance train services from King’s Cross.
- West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway said they were expecting disruption due to “the combined impact of a surge in sickness absence, associated shortage of train crew and the impact of the recent storms across our network”.
- ScotRail said weather-related disruption to some routes was expected until the end of Sunday.
- Northern said it was operating reduced services across the north-west “due to traincrew unavailability”, adding it was expecting “significant” disruption.
- Chiltern Railways advised passengers to travel as early as possible and to anticipate some cancellations and alterations due to a “shortage of available train crew”.
- The East Coast Main Line was expected to be disrupted between Newcastle and Edinburgh until 15:00 GMT due to damage to overhead electric wires.
There have already been travel delays this week, with strikes in France causing cancellations on the Eurostar and Storm Pia also leading to disruption.
Are you impacted by travel disruption this Christmas? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.
