Warning for getaway chaos as 16m to hit roads, rail workers announce strike & Heathrow braces for ‘busiest Xmas EVER’

BRITS are braced for winter getaway chaos with 16million set to hit the roads, rail works striking and Heathrow preparing for the “busiest Christmas ever”.

The festive season may bring goodwill and cheer but millions of travellers heading abroad and cross country could face severe delays.

Heathrow Airport has said it is preparing for its busiest ever Christmas Day.

The West London airport expects the number of passengers travelling through its terminals on December 25 to be 21 per cent higher than on the same day last year.

It also predicts that passenger numbers for the month as a whole will exceed the previous record of 6.7 million in 2023.

The airport made the forecast after confirming it served 6.5 million passengers last month in the “busiest ever November”.

Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “This year has been all about providing high levels of service for record amounts of passengers at Heathrow, and November was no different.

“As we embrace the festive season, our focus remains on ensuring smooth, joyful journeys – whether it is helping passengers get away for Christmas to reunite with their loved ones, or making sure cargo reaches its destination on time.”

Meanwhile, those travelling by rail may also face delays after West Coast train managers voted to strike for three days over the Christmas period.

The RMT union said that walkouts have been scheduled for 22, 23 and 29 December for Avanti services after rejecting the train company’s proposals for “rest day working arrangements”.

Train managers usually work a 41-hour week but due to staff shortages can be asked to work on their days off – but the RMT said that the current arrangements were “unacceptable”.

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said that at “one of our busiest and most important times of the year” customers “will now face significant disruption because of these strikes“.

Rail services on all three days are expected to be limited.

A revised timetable for 22 and 23 December will be made available on Saturday 14 December.

Around 300 train managers are expected to join the walkout.

Drivers travelling over Christmas have been warned to check their preferred route before setting off – with delays expected at five major motorways.

It is expected that some 16 million cars will take to the roads on December 23 and Christmas Eve.

Brits could be forced to queue for hours, while demand for electric vehicle charging stations is set to soar.

As the festive period gets ever-closer, the M1, M5, M6, M60 and M25 are all expected to be hit by severe traffic – especially on the final weekend before Christmas.

And according to experts, electric car owners could be the ones most affected by this increase.

Adrian Fielden-Gray, the Chief Operating Officer for Be.EV, has warned EV drivers that the upcoming mass exodus could see EV chargers located at motorway service stations much busier than usual.

Research suggests there are close to 300,000 new EV drivers on the roads this year, meaning motorists may find themselves battling for bays.