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Easter getaway congestion begins Easter getaway congestion begins
(about 2 hours later)
Traffic jams have been building up as the Easter Bank Holiday weekend getaway gets under way. Motorists have been facing major traffic jams as the Easter Bank Holiday weekend getaway gets under way.
Two people died in a crash on the M6 near Alsager in Cheshire causing huge tailbacks for northbound vehicles. Drivers on the M1 northbound out of London, the M60 in Greater Manchester and the M42 east of Birmingham were all facing long delays.
Motoring group the RAC said traffic was likely to be double its usual levels during the day. The UK's airports have also been busy, with a record 2.5m Britons planning to spend Easter abroad.
The UK's airports are also expected to be extremely busy, as thousands use the opportunity for a long weekend to travel abroad. Heathrow dealt with 212,000 passengers on Thursday, making it the airport's busiest day of the holiday period.
The airport operator BAA said it was expecting 600,000 passengers to travel from Gatwick alone from Thursday to Tuesday. The airport operator BAA said it was also expecting 600,000 people to travel from Gatwick from Thursday to Tuesday.
Further delays BAA warned that passengers would need to be aware of the continuing baggage restrictions.
BAA warned passengers would need to be aware of the continuing baggage restrictions.
Air travellers are still banned from carrying liquids in containers larger than 100ml in their hand luggage, BAA said.Air travellers are still banned from carrying liquids in containers larger than 100ml in their hand luggage, BAA said.
There are no limits on the size of containers of liquids in baggage to be checked in, it added.There are no limits on the size of containers of liquids in baggage to be checked in, it added.
The RAC predicted that congestion would peak at about 1500 BST, as workers battled to start their long weekend early. AA Roadwatch said the height of road congestion had been on Thursday afternoon, with traffic easing into the evening.
The group says journeys will take about 60% longer than a non-holiday Thursday, with the M25 around Heathrow and the M5 in Bristol being congestion hot-spots. However, motorists on the M60 in Greater Manchester were still facing jams anticlockwise between J24, Denton Island and J23, Ashton Under Lyne, because of a serious accident later in the day.
Accidents caused further delays, with the M50 in Gloucestershire closed southbound between junctions two and four and the M74 in South Lanarkshire closed between junctions nine and 10. Crash causes delays
Drivers were also stuck in jams on the M42 east of Birmingham after a crash between a car and a motorcycle between junctions 7 and 8 at around 1645 BST.
Two people died in a crash on the M6 near Alsager in Cheshire which also caused huge tailbacks for northbound vehicles on Thursday morning.
A spokesman for AA Roadwatch said: "The worst was in the afternoon, with the busiest areas on the routes out of London, such as the M25 and the M1.
"Although Friday should be quieter, Monday evening could be quite bad as everyone plans to come home after the break at the same time."
HAVE YOUR SAY I'll be taking advantage of the four day weekend with a spot of deep sea fishing Robert, London Send us your commentsHAVE YOUR SAY I'll be taking advantage of the four day weekend with a spot of deep sea fishing Robert, London Send us your comments
On the railways, Virgin Trains is running three extra services out of London to cope with demand. The AA said it expected to deal with 11,000 breakdowns by the end of Thursday.
On the railways, there were delays to Virgin Trains services through Lichfield Trent Valley on the west coast main line as well as Central services around Birmingham and First Great Western services from London to Slough, Berkshire.
Engineering work is planned for sections of lines on a number of routes during the Easter holiday period.
Temperatures are expected to hit highs of 20C (68F) in London on Thursday and Friday - as hot as Marrakesh in Morocco, and hotter than many Mediterranean resorts.Temperatures are expected to hit highs of 20C (68F) in London on Thursday and Friday - as hot as Marrakesh in Morocco, and hotter than many Mediterranean resorts.
The whole of the UK is expected to experience its fair share of sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-teens in most places.The whole of the UK is expected to experience its fair share of sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-teens in most places.