Dire warning for motorists as Christmas 2025 anticipated to be busiest ever on UK roads | EUROtoday

Britain’s roads are set for the busiest Christmas getaway on report, with tens of millions of automobiles anticipated to hit UK roads within the days main as much as 25 December.

The AA predicts that Friday will see the height, with roughly 24.4 million automobiles travelling throughout the UK.

Meanwhile, the RAC estimates a staggering 37.5 million leisure journeys by automotive are deliberate between Wednesday and Christmas Eve, marking the best determine for this era since their information started in 2013.

Transport analytics firm Inrix predicted there might be lengthy delays on a number of main routes on Friday.

Many drivers leaving city areas for his or her Christmas break will compete for street area with commuters.

On Saturday and Christmas Eve, drivers are being warned the worst hold-ups might be between 11am and 7pm.

Among the anticipated Christmas getaway visitors hotspots are:

– The M25 clockwise from Junction 15 to Junction 19, and from Junction 23 to Junction 28.

– The M4 eastbound from Junction 29.

– The M6 northbound from Junction 5 to Junction 10A, and from Junction 18 to Junction 24.

– The M1 northbound from Junction 22 to Junction 26.

– The M60 clockwise from Junction 7 to Junction 18.

The AA mentioned roads are anticipated to stay busy into the beginning of subsequent week.

Christmas Eve is anticipated to see a slight drop in journeys to 22.7 million, with an estimated 18.3 million automobiles on the street on Christmas Day.

The RAC forecast that December 24 would be the busiest day for leisure journeys over the festive interval, with 4.2 million of these journeys.

The AA’s figures are based mostly on a survey of greater than 10,000 of its members, whereas the RAC’s estimates comply with a nationally consultant survey of two,191 UK adults.

Both organisations extrapolated the responses to the 34 million registered automobiles within the UK.

In addition to the standard mixture of journeys for last-minute buying and household visits, between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of respondents planning to drive within the run-up to Christmas Day mentioned they are going to achieve this for work, the AA ballot indicated.

The survey additionally urged most drivers are staying native, with the bulk not aspiring to journey greater than 50 miles.

Adding to the problem would be the closure of the M27 motorway in each instructions between Junctions 9 and 11 from 8pm on Christmas Eve till 4am on January 4 for main works, affecting journeys between Southampton and Portsmouth.

Shaun Jones, AA knowledgeable patrol, mentioned: “It’s beginning to look a lot like traffic.

“Our advice is simple: plan ahead, check your route and allow extra time.

“Patience will be your best present this year.”

RAC cell servicing and repairs group chief Nick Mullender mentioned: “With record numbers predicted to be taking to the roads this Christmas, journeys have the potential to be Grinch-worthy without some careful planning.

“The week before Christmas is one of the few times of year when most of the UK hits the road simultaneously, with 2025 looking to be the busiest getaway period since our records began.”

National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and main A roads, mentioned it is going to “remove as many roadworks as we safely can so everyone can get where they need to go this Christmas”.

Engineering work by Network Rail will result in extra stress on the roads – significantly following Christmas Day – with a number of of the UK’s busiest railway traces disrupted.

Projects on a number of sections of the West Coast Main Line will have an effect on journeys to and from London Euston from December 27 to January 4, in addition to journeys between Scotland and north-west England from New Year’s Day to January 14.

Elsewhere on the community, there might be no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and January 2.

No companies will run between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport between Christmas Day and January 5.

London Waterloo, one of many UK’s busiest stations, might be closed to trains between Christmas Day and December 28, and can have a diminished timetable between December 29 and January 4.

In Scotland, there might be no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, between Christmas Eve and January 2.

Some 95 per cent of Britain’s railways might be unaffected by engineering work, Network Rail mentioned.

But, as common, your entire community will shut down on Christmas Day.

Most operators may also run no trains on Boxing Day however a handful can have a really restricted timetable.

UK airports predict their busiest Christmas getaway in historical past.

The Civil Aviation Authority mentioned passenger numbers for December are forecast to exceed the report 22 million seen final yr.

Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is making ready for greater than seven million passengers to journey by way of its 4 terminals this month.

The Port of Dover estimates practically 30,000 automobiles will embark on outbound sailings in the course of the festive interval, with visitors peaking between 6am and 1pm from Friday to Sunday.