Christmas getaway chaos as shoppers heading out on last-minute trips spark gridlock on roads

Brits heading home for Christmas face being stuck in gridlock as shoppers head out on last-minute trips.

Consumers flocked to shopping centres and high streets across the UK on Monday with traffic jams blighting shopping hotspots.

Major shopping centres and main roads have suffered the brunt of the traffic, but Christmas falling on Wednesday means drivers have had more time to space out their journeys, the AA says. 

It comes as Brits are preparing for a ‘grey Christmas‘ this year with no prospect of any snow amid ‘extremely mild’ temperatures later this week.

Conditions across the country are expected to improve this week following what was a wet and windy weekend for many – the Met Office says no weather issues should contribute to travel disruption on Christmas itself.

Yesterday saw passengers face airport chaos, as 80mph winds left Brits stranded in Portugal after their easyJet flight from Madeira to Gatwick was cancelled. 

Heathrow cancelled around 100 flights on Sunday due to strong winds, while the runway only reopened in Belfast this morning after overnight chaos when a plane was damaged in a ‘hard landing’.

On the rail network, isolated incidents are causing mayhem in some parts of the country, with disruption between Ely and Norwich, Ayr and Kilwinning/Kilmarnock, London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street and Dartford, London Victoria and Gravesend.

There are also delays through Basingstoke and Portsmouth and Southsea stations.

Traffic chaos on the M5 motorway on Monday afternoon

Shoppers pack out the Bullring in Birmingham on Monday

Shoppers queuing outside a butchers in Newbury to collect their Christmas orders on December 23

Passengers at Kings Cross faced an extremely busy station on Monday as the Christmas getaway got underway

Today is expected to be the coldest day of the week, with temperatures of between 5C and 6C across the east of England, though it will be warmer further west. 

Average temperatures of around up to 13C are expected on Christmas Eve, while on Christmas Day this is set to drop to between 11C or 12C, the forecaster added. 

In some places, however, the mercury could reach as high as 13C on Wednesday, making it hotter than the Greek island of Corfu as well as Rome and Istanbul. 

Boxing Day is expected to remain fairly cloudy, while Friday is set to be another chilly day with temperatures of around 7C and 8C across parts of England. 

While this week may not bring the white Christmas some had hoped for, there is a good prospect of snowfall in the new year. 

And isolated areas in Scotland are still expected to see a white dusting, which snowboarders and skiers were taking advantage of at Cairngorm Mountain this morning. 

Next week is expected to be colder, with more showery conditions that could bring snow into the northern and central areas of the UK. 

Passengers wait for their trains at Euston railway station in central London on Monday

Drivers were stuck in long traffic jams as they headed home for Christmas. Pictured: The M5 on Monday afternoon

New Street in Birmingham was packed out with last-minute Christmas shoppers

Travellers queuing at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 on Monday, December 23

Brits are preparing for a ‘grey Christmas’ this year with no prospect of any snow amid ‘extremely mild’ temperatures of between 11C or 12C  later this week

Cookie the cockapoo dog enjoys a run around in Peterborough as temperatures are expected to rise from today

Flights were cancelled at airports across the UK due to strong winds on Sunday, with all flights grounded on one runway at Belfast City Airport

Cookie and her owner took advantage of the mild December weather, although snow is expected in the new year

Skiers and snowboarders who were making the most of the snowy conditions at Cairngorm Mountain on Monday

Major roads have seen gridlock since the weekend, although the AA does not expect any major delays

People takes photos of the colourful sky before sunrise at St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the North East coast of England on Monday morning 

While this week may not bring the white Christmas some had hoped for, there is a good prospect of snowfall in the new year (File image) 

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: ‘We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west.

‘Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

‘In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix.

‘We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are.

‘Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.’

A Met Office forecast added: ‘Around the turn of the year, it looks more probable that colder, more showery conditions will likely make at least some ingress into northern and perhaps central areas, bringing a risk of some impacts from ice, sleet and snow. 

‘Widely mild at first, perhaps exceptionally so in some places, but temperatures probably return to nearer normal by early January. 

‘Throughout, any clearer spells overnight may lead to localised frost and fog.’

Pretty skies at dawn on a cold morning in the countryside on Friday December 20

Aerial view of road crossing Rannoch Moor in winter snow, Scottish Highlands on December 18

It comes after a ‘perfect storm’ of adverse weather conditions and road congestion led to widespread disruption during the Christmas getaway.

‘Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.’

Today roads in England are seeing some delays due to accidents and vehicle fires.

Traffic on the M6 halted completely between J41 and J42 due to an overturned vehicle, while the M1 was closed between J22 and J23 due to a vehicle fire.

A collision on the M5 in the Worcester area also added to people’s journey times – although the AA said a lengthy getaway period has helped matters.

An airport was forced to enact emergency procedures on Sunday after a plane’s nose wheel collapsed as it landed in Belfast. There were four crew on board and no passengers when the ‘hard landing’ occurred on Sunday afternoon.

The incident triggered emergency procedures at Belfast City Airport and forced the runway to close for the rest of the day.

In a statement on social media early on Monday, the airport confirmed the affected runway ‘has reopened and is operating as normal’.

Heathrow Airport confirmed around 100 flights had been cancelled on Sunday and passengers were advised to check with their airline before travelling.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: ‘Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled (on Sunday). This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned.

‘We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.’ 

This weekend’s severe weather wreaked havoc on the UK’s roads, ferries and rail services and left millions of travellers facing disruption. Pictured: Travellers at Heathrow airport ahead of Christmas

A busy terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport as people have experienced delays overnight as they try and head away for the Christmas

The airport was keen to stress the vast majority of flights were operating as normal.

Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands were also cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes were axed.

Disruption continued as people were ferried to Ireland on alternative routes after the temporary closure of Holyhead port in an effort to get people home for Christmas, a Welsh Cabinet Secretary said.

The busy ferry port in Anglesey, North Wales, was forced to close following damage during Storm Darragh and is not set to reopen until January 15 at the earliest.

All ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead are currently cancelled, upending travel plans for thousands in the festive season.

But alternative sailings to Ireland have been taking place this weekend amid high winds and challenging conditions.

The strongest wind speed during the weekend was recorded at 82mph in Kirkwall on Orkney and the South Uist Range.

Meanwhile, the weekend’s lowest temperature was recorded at Killylane in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, where the mercury fell to minus 0.4C on Sunday.

Belfast City Airport’s had to close their runway on Sunday afternoon after an Aer Lingus plane suffered an emergency incident while landing during strong winds

Pictures showed the aircraft on the side of a runway with three fire engines positioned nearby

The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers would hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million had been expected on Saturday. 

It predicted slightly fewer than 23.7 million to hit roads on Friday which was expected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.

The RAC estimated seven million leisure trips would be made on major roads during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic.

Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a ‘grey Christmas’, rather than a white one.