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| 'Busiest day' for Christmas holiday getaway | 'Busiest day' for Christmas holiday getaway |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of people are expected to take to the roads, railways and air for what is expected to be the busiest day for Christmas travel. | Thousands of people are expected to take to the roads, railways and air for what is expected to be the busiest day for Christmas travel. |
| Heathrow Airport is preparing for some 123,000 passengers to fly out. | Heathrow Airport is preparing for some 123,000 passengers to fly out. |
| More than 200,000 people are expected to cross the channel on the Eurostar and ferries. | More than 200,000 people are expected to cross the channel on the Eurostar and ferries. |
| The getaway comes amid warnings of disruption following heavy rain across the country on Thursday, with more than 90 flood warnings in place. | The getaway comes amid warnings of disruption following heavy rain across the country on Thursday, with more than 90 flood warnings in place. |
| Several people were rescued from vehicles and trains were cancelled around the country. | Several people were rescued from vehicles and trains were cancelled around the country. |
| The Met Office expects more rain overnight on Friday and the Environment Agency has issued more than 280 flood alerts and about 90 flood warnings. | |
| Many road works have been suspended, the Highways Agency says, and the number of railway replacement services is said to be fewer than last year. | Many road works have been suspended, the Highways Agency says, and the number of railway replacement services is said to be fewer than last year. |
| Around the country's airports, Heathrow will handle a further 114,000 departures on Sunday and 88,000 on Christmas Eve. | Around the country's airports, Heathrow will handle a further 114,000 departures on Sunday and 88,000 on Christmas Eve. |
| Works suspended | Works suspended |
| From Friday until 3 January, a total of 700,000 will be leaving from Gatwick airport, 320,000 from Manchester, 300,000 from Stansted, 125,000 from Luton, 116,000 from Birmingham and 75,000 from Glasgow. | From Friday until 3 January, a total of 700,000 will be leaving from Gatwick airport, 320,000 from Manchester, 300,000 from Stansted, 125,000 from Luton, 116,000 from Birmingham and 75,000 from Glasgow. |
| And between Saturday until the end of Christmas Eve, 52,000 will fly from Edinburgh airport and 56,000 from Bristol. | And between Saturday until the end of Christmas Eve, 52,000 will fly from Edinburgh airport and 56,000 from Bristol. |
| Some 160,000 people are due to travel to the continent on Eurostar trains. | |
| On the roads, the Highways Agency said more than 250 miles of road works will have been completed before Christmas. | On the roads, the Highways Agency said more than 250 miles of road works will have been completed before Christmas. |
| Also, a further 57 miles of works will be suspended between Friday and 2 January, but works remain in place at 19 locations covering nearly 100 miles. | Also, a further 57 miles of works will be suspended between Friday and 2 January, but works remain in place at 19 locations covering nearly 100 miles. |
| These include the M4 between junctions 10 and 11 at Reading in Berkshire, the M25 at junctions 5 and 6 near Godstone in Surrey and the M5 between junctions 19 and 21 near Bristol. | These include the M4 between junctions 10 and 11 at Reading in Berkshire, the M25 at junctions 5 and 6 near Godstone in Surrey and the M5 between junctions 19 and 21 near Bristol. |
| John Curtin, of the Environment Agency, said people should look out for the risk of flooding as they travel over the weekend. | John Curtin, of the Environment Agency, said people should look out for the risk of flooding as they travel over the weekend. |
| "With a very busy travel weekend coming up, we would also ask that people check their route before travelling, and remember not to drive or walk through flood water," he said. | "With a very busy travel weekend coming up, we would also ask that people check their route before travelling, and remember not to drive or walk through flood water," he said. |
| The RAC said it had about 9,000 call outs due to breakdowns, mainly weather related, in the 24-hour period from Thursday morning to Friday morning. | |
| Rail disruption | |
| According to National Rail, a number of train services have been affected because of the weather. | |
| Trains are cancelled between Ellesmere Port and Hooton near Chester until further notice, with a replacement bus service running, and trains between Crewe and Chester are also cancelled because of flooding. | |
| A landslip in Stirling, central Scotland, means buses are replacing trains between Bridge of Orchy and Crianlarich. | |
| Floods near Uttoxeter and Stoke-on-Trent have also caused rail disruptions, while there are delays between Derby and Nottingham and East Midlands Parkway. | |
| Services between Liskeard and Looe, and Brighton and Haywards Heath are also affected, with replacement buses in operation. | |
| Are you travelling on what is expected to be the busiest day for Christmas travel? Send us your getaway experiences using the form below. | |
| Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | |
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