BRITS are warned to only travel by train unless absolutely necessary tomorrow, as thousands of RMT union members go on strike.
Some 40,000 workers under Network Rail plan to ditch their stations on Wednesday, alongside 14 operators, it has been reported.
Only 20 per cent of train services will run on Wednesday, therefore Brits have been urged to avoid travel at all costs on this day.
This could cause disruptions for the Women's Euro 2022 semi-final, which is being held in Milton Keynes.
Simultaneous walkouts and chaos will cripple Britain's transport infrastructure during the first official week of summer holidays for most schools.
Traffic jams swamped the Eurotunnel car terminal in Folkestone, Kent, after part of the M20 was shut to park 600 lorries.
It was a knock-on from the nightmare that gripped the Port of Dover on Friday and Saturday with ferries struggling to clear the freight backlog.
Ferry operator DFDS told Dover passengers that there were "queues of around an hour" for French border checks this morning as they issued travel advice.
They advised passengers to "allow a minimum of 120 minutes before your departure to complete all controls" amid reports queues had eased.
In a further blow to Brits, Ryanair will also strike this week.
Read our travel delays live blog below for the latest news & updates…
- Lauren Lomas
Port of Dover hanging on ‘knife edge’
Holidaymakers have been warned the Kent port is on a “knife edge” as the country’s travel mayhem entered its third torturous day.
A “critical incident” was declared at Dover on Friday, with holidaymakers told to arrive six hours early for ferry queues lasting up to five hours.
A ramp up of post-Brexit border checks and French authorities’ understaffing checkpoints have been blamed for the hold-ups.
Local authorities have now urged ministers to handle the issue as a “national problem” instead of the “sticking plaster” approach.
- Lauren Lomas
Brits queue for hours at UK airports – just as school holidays start
Almost a million holidaymakers were expected to leave the UK on flights this weekend.
Long queues could be seen at Heathrow and Bristol airports.
And Manchester and Stansted also struggled with an influx of arrivals.
Social media was awash with complaints of lost luggage not being recovered.
One holidaymaker at Manchester told us: “We were packed in like sardines. It was mayhem.”
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Little-known Universal Credit rule could see you fly home from holiday EARLY
Sun seekers are jetting off on their jollies despite the travel chaos, but this mistake could see your benefit payments cut or stopped all together.
If you’re planning on going abroad for any length of time you must tell the Department for Work and Pensions about your plans.
If you don’t report this, you could see your claim stopped or reduced, and you might have to cut your holiday short.
You can go for a holiday for up to a month – but you still need to stick to the conditions of your claim, which involves looking for a job.
How you report a change in your personal circumstances depends on what benefit you are claiming.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
More queues at Dover as fears of ‘vulnerable summer’ grow
Queues are building at the Port of Dover amid fears that the severe disruption seen in recent days could return to Kent throughout the summer.
Ferry operator DFDS told passengers that there were “queues of around an hour” for French border checks on Monday morning, and to “allow a minimum of 120 minutes before your departure to complete all controls”.
P&O Ferries wrote on Twitter: “The queues have picked up and it is taking approximately one hour to clear passport control.”
Passengers were forced to wait for several hours on Friday as bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching for miles marred the journeys of tens of thousands of families at the start of the school summer holidays.
This was blamed on a staffing shortage at French border control and a serious crash on the M20 motorway.
- Lauren Lomas
AA warns travel chaos to jam Britain’s roads during warm months
Head of roads policy at the AA Jack Cousens shared his worries that delays will last throughout the warm months.
He explained: “We are concerned that we could be in for a repeat of this congestion across the summer.
“Drivers due to use both Dover and Folkestone to head into Europe on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday mornings between now and the reopening of schools may see a repetition of these delays.”
- Lauren Lomas
New rail map shows only half of services will run this week
RAIL bosses have unveiled a new map of misery showing how only half of Britain’s network will be open this week.
More than 50,000 railway staff will walkout in the biggest dispute on the network in 33 years.
A map shows the lines which will continue operating in and out of London during the affected dates.
- Lauren Lomas
More queues at Dover as fears of ‘vulnerable summer’ grow
Queues are building at the Port of Dover amid fears that the severe disruption seen in recent days could return to Kent throughout the summer.
Ferry operator DFDS told passengers that there were “queues of around an hour” for French border checks on Monday morning, and to “allow a minimum of 120 minutes before your departure to complete all controls”.
P&O Ferries wrote on Twitter: “The queues have picked up and it is taking approximately one hour to clear passport control.”
Passengers were forced to wait for several hours on Friday as bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching for miles marred the journeys of tens of thousands of families at the start of the school summer holidays.
This was blamed on a staffing shortage at French border control and a serious crash on the M20 motorway.
- Lauren Lomas
Passengers in Folkestone ‘treated worse than cattle’
Passengers at Folkestone said they were “treated worse than cattle” while stuck in their cars for up to 21 hours this weekend.
The gridlock was blamed on the decision to shut a 24-mile stretch of the M20 due to Operation Brock.
Kent Police effectively turned the roads into a car park for thousands of lorries in an attempt to ease congestion – which seems to have backfired.
The AA branded the entrance to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone the “hotspot of holiday hell”, warning drivers to “be prepared”.
- Lauren Lomas
Transport for London reviewing long-term funding settlement
Transport for London (TfL) says it is reviewing a draft proposal from the Government for a long-term funding settlement.
TfL has been operating on a series of emergency short-term funding deals since falling into financial trouble during the pandemic.
Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said the long-term funding – if agreed – would provide much-needed certainty for those in the nation’s capital.
He said: “Since keeping London moving through the darkest periods of the pandemic we have been making the case to Government that there can be no UK recovery without a London recovery and that there can be no London recovery without a properly funded transport network.
“We are grateful for the support we have received so far, and maintain we have met every condition that has been set by Government as we have worked towards agreeing a multi-year funding settlement that would give certainty to London and to the tens of thousands of jobs across the country that are directly linked to TfL.”
- Lauren Lomas
Holidaymakers warned ‘long way to go’ before Dover backlog cleared
Holidaymakers and residents have been warned there is a “way to go” to clear the backlog at Dover with a “very busy” day expected but port authorities expressed relief at improved levels of French border staff.
Some 10,000 cars were expected at the port on Saturday, with more than 13,000 passengers said to be “on their way” before 10am.
Scenes of gridlocked roads and bumper-to-bumper cars seen on Friday were repeated as travellers, some of whom got out of their vehicles to stretch their legs while traffic was at a standstill, endured more lengthy waits.
Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister indicated that five to six-hour delays could still be the case on Saturday, which was already expected to be a busier day than Friday.
This is one of the busiest periods for foreign travel from the UK as most schools in England and Wales have broken up for summer.
Chaotic scenes at the port have prompted Foreign Secretary and Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss to blame France for “entirely avoidable” delays, calling on officials there to “build up capacity at the border to limit any further disruption for British tourists and to ensure this appalling situation is avoided in future”.
- Lauren Lomas
Port of Dover hanging on ‘knife edge’
Holidaymakers have been warned the Kent port is on a “knife edge” as the country’s travel mayhem entered its third torturous day.
A “critical incident” was declared at Dover on Friday, with holidaymakers told to arrive six hours early for ferry queues lasting up to five hours.
A ramp up of post-Brexit border checks and French authorities’ understaffing checkpoints have been blamed for the hold-ups.
Local authorities have now urged ministers to handle the issue as a “national problem” instead of the “sticking plaster” approach.
- Lauren Lomas
Brit fined £426 for making simple mistake on holiday
The 42-year-man was visiting Rome's Piazza di Spagna during his Italian break.
However, he was caught by Rome police officers when he dipped his feet in the fountain to cool off.
Not only is this banned, with the strict fine, but he was also issued with a temporary ban from returning to the area, according to local media.
A number of holidaymakers have been fined for jumping into Rome's fountains in recent months, after the country struggled with temperatures as high as 40C.
While tourists can use the free drinking water fountains at the landmarks, going into them is banned.
Click here to read more!
- Lauren Lomas
The best flight-free holidays so you can avoid the airport MADNESS
The cancellations, lost luggage and a sizzling British heatwave that caused runways to melt has created carnage at UK airports in recent weeks.
And that chaos looks set to continue with easyJet boss Johan Lundgren admitting he “can’t guarantee” passengers won’t suffer more disruption this summer.
- CRUISE: Scandinavia, sailing from Southampton, the Princess Cruise voyage will take you on a culinary tour of Scandinavia, stopping in Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark
- STAYCATION: Norfolk, Sample some from any of the seaside restaurants (it’s guaranteed to be good), but not before hitting the waves for a surfing lesson. After busy beach days, have a soak in the cottage’s free-standing tub or stick on a film in front of the fire – if it’s not too hot!
Click here to get some more pain free, plane free holiday ideas!
Little-known Universal Credit rule could see you fly home from holiday EARLY
Sun seekers are jetting off on their jollies despite the travel chaos, but this mistake could see your benefit payments cut or stopped all together.
If you're planning on going abroad for any length of time you must tell the Department for Work and Pensions about your plans.
If you don't report this, you could see your claim stopped or reduced, and you might have to cut your holiday short.
You can go for a holiday for up to a month – but you still need to stick to the conditions of your claim, which involves looking for a job.
How you report a change in your personal circumstances depends on what benefit you are claiming.
Click here to read more.
Brits queue for hours at UK airports – just as school holidays start
Almost a million holidaymakers were expected to leave the UK on flights this weekend.
Long queues could be seen at Heathrow and Bristol airports.
And Manchester and Stansted also struggled with an influx of arrivals.
Social media was awash with complaints of lost luggage not being recovered.
One holidaymaker at Manchester told us: “We were packed in like sardines. It was mayhem.”
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Striking train drivers’ union branded ‘selfish and cruel’
A train drivers’ union has been branded cruel for going ahead with a strike during the Commonwealth Games.
Aslef’s walkout will blight the event in Birmingham, according to West Midlands Mayor Andy Street.
Union boss Mick Whelan has been urged to call off the strike next Saturday — also the first day of England’s football league season.
Mr Street said: “This is a selfish, cruelly timed and cynical manipulation of a landmark national event.
"I urge Aslef to step back from the brink and rethink this heartless decision.”
Up to 1.2million are expected to attend Games events, which begin on Thursday.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Heathrow Airport’s flight cap ‘will last until after OCTOBER half-term’
The airport's cap on flights will last until after the October half-term, it was reported last night.
Airlines are believed to have been told by Britain's biggest airport it will curb flights until October 29 due to staff shortages.
The decision could cause significant disruptions into the autumn – coming off the back of a summer of hell at Britain's airports.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Passengers in Folkestone ‘treated worse than cattle’
Passengers at Folkestone said they were “treated worse than cattle” while stuck in their cars for up to 21 hours this weekend.
The gridlock was blamed on the decision to shut a 24-mile stretch of the M20 due to Operation Brock.
Kent Police effectively turned the roads into a car park for thousands of lorries in an attempt to ease congestion – which seems to have backfired.
The AA branded the entrance to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone the “hotspot of holiday hell”, warning drivers to “be prepared”.
- Lauren Lomas
Travel warning as airport luggage chaos could last MONTHS
Brits have been warned travel luggage chaos could last MONTHS as bags today piled up at Gatwick Airport.
Suitcases were today abandoned by travellers returning to the Sussex airport after they waited for them for more than an hour.
Families desperate for a summer holiday have this weekend faced travel chaos with massive queues at airports and to get on ferries from Dover.
And the nightmare is feared to be just beginning with chaos and confusion over luggage gripping UK airports in the first summer holiday since 2019 not hampered by Covid restrictions.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
Travel warning as entire SUMMER of chaos looms
Brits have been warned to expect an entire summer of travel chaos as the Channel Tunnel crumbles under the pressure of high demand.
The undersea route linking the UK to France has been dubbed the "hotspot of holiday hell" as vehicles were backed up bumper to bumper.
Holidaymakers have been warned the Kent port is on a "knife edge" as the country's travel mayhem entered its third torturous day.
A "critical incident" was declared at Dover on Friday, with holidaymakers told to arrive six hours early for ferry queues lasting up to five hours.
A ramp up of post-Brexit border checks and French authorities' understaffing checkpoints have been blamed for the hold-ups.
Local authorities have now urged ministers to handle the issue as a "national problem" instead of the "sticking plaster" approach.
Click here to read more.
- Lauren Lomas
M20 closed to non-freight traffic between junctions 8 & 9
National Highways reopened the coastbound M20 between junctions 9 and 11 in Kent shortly after 1am on Monday.
But the motorway remains closed to non-freight traffic between junctions 8 and 9 as part of Operation Brock, which is in place due to the difficulties at Dover.
There were also long queues on the roads approaching Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal over the weekend.
- Lauren Lomas
Ryanair Spain strikes start today – find out if your flight is affected
The airline is bracing itself for four days of strikes this week, starting this week.
Strikes will last until Thursday, July 28 as part of an ongoing argument over pay.
Ten Spanish airports will be affected, including Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Palma, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela and Ibiza.
A Ryanair spokesperson previously said the action was "poorly supported" and called by unions representing "tiny numbers" of staff.
They also said they expected "minimal disruptions" during the walkouts.
Click here to read more!
- Lauren Lomas
Strike date round-up
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association – July 27
Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains – July 30
RMT – August 18 and 20
- Lauren Lomas
TUI issues holiday warning for Brits heading abroad
TUI has issued new travel advice for Brits heading abroad this week.
Planned rail strikes are taking place across the UK – which is likely to lead to problems for holidaymakers heading to the airport.
The strikes are taking place on July 27 this week with more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail walking out.
TUI has since advised travellers to find alternative ways to get to the airport to avoid missing their flights.
They said on their website: “We’d like to remind customers of a planned national train strike on Wednesday 27th July which is likely to affect services into airports across the country throughout the day and into Thursday 28th.
“If you are heading on holiday on either of these days please plan ahead and make alternative plans to get to your departure airport if necessary. We’d also recommend allowing extra time for your journey.”
- Lauren Lomas
EasyJet strikes start this week – find out if your flight is affected
EasyJet strikes are taking place in Spain this week, with three airports set to be affected.
Cabin crew staff are expected to walk out from Friday, July 29 until Sunday, July 31.
Around 450 workers expected to take part in the walkout, in a dispute over pay.
It will affect flights at Barcelona's El Prat airport, as well as Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.
EasyJet has said that it plans to run all of its flights regardless of the strike, but admitted some journeys could be affected.
Click here to read more.
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