The scramble to get away for Easter got underway yesterday despite the wet and windy weather – but Britain could be plunged into travel hell today when 17 million cars are expected to hit the roads. Experts say a perfect storm of strikes in France, coupled with rail and road works across the UK, threaten to turn Good Friday into a misery for millions.

Travellers were warned to set off very early to avoid the predicted pandemonium on the roads.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With many people keen to make the most of the double Bank Holiday this Easter weekend, we’re expecting the customary jams across parts of the road network to make this Good Friday a Bad Friday for drivers, especially those who are planning to cover longer distances.”

Perennial pinch points set to send drivers to distraction include the M25 around London, the M60 near Manchester, the M6 in north-west England and the M40 through Oxfordshire.

The Bank Holiday traffic is expected to peak tomorrow, but Easter Sunday could see one in seven Britons visiting friends and family.

And, while Easter Monday is set to be a wet one, 12½ million cars are still set to hit the roads.

Anyone heading to the Continent via ferries from Dover will be fearing a repeat of last week when some were stuck in traffic without food or water for 16 hours because of bottlenecks and slow border checks.

The strikes in France were already causing chaos for people trying to beat the rush yesterday.

Long queues formed at Dover, early morning Eurostar services were halted and airlines were forced to cancel flights to, from and over France as air-traffic controllers joined the industrial action.

British Airways grounded 20 flights that would have used French airspace.

The disruption is a continuation of the violent opposition to plans to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64.

It saw last month’s Royal visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla to Paris and Bordeaux called off.

And yesterday France suffered a Black Thursday general strike, after union leaders Sophie Binet and Laurent Berger walked out of talks with Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.

It is thought two million British holidaymakers plan to head overseas for Easter. Travel trade organisation Abta said demand was highest for mainland Spain, the Canary and Balearic Islands, the Algarve, Madeira, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Greece and southern Turkey.

Figures from aviation analytics company Cirium revealed more than 10,000 flights are scheduled to leave UK airports by Easter Monday – up 11 percent on last year, but 13 percent below the pre-pandemic 2019 Easter figure.

Heathrow Airport will see the largest number of departures, followed by Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester. Passengers were already facing long check-in queues at Manchester’s Terminal 3 yesterday.

It was a stark reminder of last year’s Easter airport chaos, caused when the aviation sector failed to recruit and train enough staff to cope after Covid travel restrictions were lifted.

Abta chief Mark Tanzer said: “The Easter weekend is one of the busiest of the year for the travel industry and, for some, this will be the first overseas break since the start of the pandemic.

“Millions of holidaymakers will be heading off for some much-needed warmth and sunshine after weeks of overcast and rainy weather at home.”

But he warned: “The getaway for Easter is also one of the busiest times of year on the roads, so leave extra time to get to your air or seaport.

“And, if using public transport, check for engineering works.”

Meanwhile, experts advised anyone planning to hit the roads across Britain to prepare for the journey.

The AA’s Tony Rich said: “Our workload is up, but lots of call-outs were easily preventable.

“We’ve put more patrols on duty, but drivers can help themselves –and everyone else – by doing the simple checks as breakdowns cause traffic jams.”

The wet weather hasn’t helped either. Tony said: “Our patrols attend around 20 percent more pothole-related breakdowns in heavy rain, as many holes are covered by standing water.

“If a vehicle strikes a pothole, the cost of wheel, tyre or suspension damage can run into thousands of pounds. So slowing down, or safely avoiding large puddles could save you time and money.”

Network Rail will be using the Easter weekend to carry out a programme of more than 600 works.

It said more than 95 percent of the network will be unaffected, but London’s Euston station will be closed for four days, hitting West Coast main line passengers.

Network Rail chief Andrew Haines said: “Our Easter engineering programme has been carefully planned so the majority of the rail network will remain open.

“However, some routes will be affected, so please remember to check before you travel.”

Train users will be hoping this Easter won’t be anything as bad as last Christmas when RMT union members downed tools and staged a yuletide walkout.

Railways shut down between Christmas Eve and December 27 and Eurostar was forced to cancel all 43 trains on Boxing Day.

That meant 20,000 travellers hoping to travel to the Continent had their festive plans derailed.

But whatever happens this weekend, there is some good travel news on the horizon.

This summer 35 million overseas visitors are expected to touch down in the UK, which means the economy could be boosted by as much as £30billion.

Tourists from the US, Canada, the Gulf, France, Germany and Spain top the list of international travellers heading here.

Next month, millions are expected to arrive to soak up the pomp and pageantry of the Coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Visit Britain chief Patricia Yates said: “All eyes are on Britain this year and by telling the story of our dynamic destinations and diverse culture, along with a warm British welcome, we’re inspiring visitors to discover more, stay longer and explore year-round, supporting local businesses and economies.”

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