An astonishing video showed flight EZY52FR from Faro in Portugal coming into land in torrential conditions before at London Gatwick Airport. The flight on an Airbus A320 circled around West Sussex then landed successfully on the second attempt.
READ MORE -. READ MORE -Britain's getaway was hit by Storm Nelson today as busy roads were deluged by torrential rain, trains were delayed by high winds and planes had to abort landings.
DFDS had to cancel some ferries from Dover to Calais and Dieppe to Newhaven, while Thameslink warned rail passengers that the winds could delay trains. Services between Bournemouth and Weymouth in Dorset had to run at reduced speed. The busiest route is expected to be the western section of the M25 between the M23 for Gatwick Airport and the M1 for Hertfordshire. Journeys on this stretch from 4pm are expected to take over two hours, which is more than twice as long as usual.
Journeys could also be delayed due to extra border security checks by the French after the concert hall attack in Moscow last Friday that killed more than 130 people. The forecast had an impact on London , with Kew Gardens closing early at 3pm due to the conditions, along with parts of Bushy Park and Kensington Gardens.
The southern section of the West Coast Main Line will be closed between Good Friday and Easter Monday, with replacement buses replacing Avanti West Coast trains in some areas Rose Mallard, 50, a smallholder from near Bideford in north Devon, said: 'To wake up to see the snow settled and a beautiful blue sky was a gift.'
Yellow weather warnings for rain and strong winds were issued across parts of Northern Ireland and the south of England respectively.
Train companies said they will operate as many services as possible but there will be regional variations, with some areas having no services on strike days, while those that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual - typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Aslef has staged a series of strikes since the dispute started 20 months ago, arguing that drivers have not had a pay rise for years, despite many working through the pandemic.
Today's weather warning, issued by the UK Met Office , predicted road, rail, air and ferry disruption, as well as cuts to electricity and mobile phone networks. 'The strong winds will be accompanied by heavy, squally showers with the possibility of hail and thunder in some locations. Forecasters said showers are due to become 'more scattered on Saturday and Easter Sunday' when it should 'feel warmer in the sunny spells and lighter winds'.
European temperatures for Easter Saturday Advertisement Bristol, which predicts 30,000 holiday trips on Easter Sunday alone, advised: 'If travelling with Easter eggs, passengers are advised to keep any chocolate treats in your cabin baggage and to make sure they're easily accessible as they may need to be opened for a quick check.'
Tourist board VisitEngland said around 11million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2billion boost to the economy. On Good Friday, the lengthiest delays are expected to be between 11am and 3pm, meaning drivers are advised to set off as early as possible in the morning or wait until later in the afternoon.
'Lengthy queues can be expected along routes to the usual hotspots like the West Country, the Lake District and the south coast, especially during the middle of the day when most people make trips.' Meanwhile the AA said Easter Saturday is expected to be busiest day of the holiday period, with at least 18.5million taking to the roads.
'Before setting off on a long journey it's important to check your car. Take 10 minutes to check your oil, coolant and windscreen wash levels.' And in West Yorkshire, work will continue on the TransPennine Route Upgrade, with new tracks being laid around Huddersfield. This will mean changes to trains on routes such as Sheffield to Leeds and all trains to Huddersfield itself.
'There's never a good time to do the work we need to do but the four days of the bank holiday, when fewer people are travelling, give us the opportunity to do major work we couldn't do in normal weekend. The Easter bank holiday weekend and school holidays are always a popular time for travellers to take advantage of the extended national holiday.
My recommendation is always to plan ahead to find the best deals. This isn't always viable but if you're able to avoid last-minute bookings, you'll have more choice and be able to shop around for the best prices available.NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here There was also a visible police presence in the port after France increased security checks after last week's terrorist attack in Moscow.Today, residents living near the port said they want to see more done to mitigate the holiday traffic.
'More needs to be done. But I don't know what they can do. When it's blocked up, it's easy enough to get out but absolute nightmare to get back in. I will probably end up staying inside because of it.'
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