Motorway will be closed for HOURS after fatal crash, sparking chaos

A major motorway has been closed down and is set to remain shut for hours following a fatal car crash which has sparked travel chaos for Brits who are racing to get home in time for Christmas.

The M2 in Kent is closed westbound after a black Volkswagen T-Roc collided with the central reservation before overturning.

Drivers have been warned the motorway, which connects Kent with London, will be closed for several hours while queues have also formed at airports and train stations across the country. 

Emergency services rushed to the motorway between Junction 5, for Sittingbourne, and 4, for Rainham, following a 'serious collision' near the Medway services. 

A woman in her 20s from the Faversham area in Kent died following the collision.

There were no passengers in the car or any other vehicles involved and her next of kin have been informed.

Witnesses including motorists with dashcam footage are being urged to come forward by police.

Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and National Highways Traffic Officers all attended the collision.

Earlier, the force said: 'Kent Police was called at 12.50pm on Christmas Eve following a serious collision on the M2 London-bound near the Medway services.

'The motorway is currently closed between Junctions 5 and 4 and is likely to remain so for an extended period of time. Officers are in attendance.'

The road is likely to remain shut throughout the day with drivers heading to London forced to find alternative routes.

A spokesperson for National Highways said: 'The M2 in Kent is closed westbound between J5 Stockbury Interchange and J4 Brooms Wood Interchange following a serious collision which has resulted in an overturned car.

'Kent Police are in attendance along with South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent Fire & Rescue Service and National Highways Traffic Officers.

'If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.'

The M27 will remain completely closed in both directions from Junction 9 to Junction 11.

Large queues have also formed at airports and train stations including Euston as people head home for Christmas.

Travel disruption will be exacerbated in the coming days with no trains running from London Liverpool Street and Waterloo stations between Christmas and New Years Day due to engineering works.

More cars will be forced onto the road with disruption between Cambridge to Cambridge North and Bury St Edmunds to Stansted Airport.

Christmas traffic was estimated to be at its busiest level in five years today with 4.2million getaways.

Roads and motorways will likely remain filled with cars, train services throughout the night, while train stations and airports will be packed.

Christmas Eve could be one of the most nightmarish days to travel home on as the RAC estimate there will be 4.2million leisure trips planned, the highest of any day in the seven days leading up to Christmas and the highest level since Covid. 

There are a total of 37.5million trips planned in the same period from December 17 to December 24.

This is the highest number since the RAC began recording data in 2013 and a huge increase of 8million more trips than last year's 29.3million.

At the same time, the AA predict there will be 22.7million cars driving home for Christmas today, causing even more chaos on the roads, though this is a slightly lower figure than on the five days leading up to it.

Road closures will also be another thorn in the side of drivers as major routes will be shut off starting today.

From Christmas Eve, the M27 will be shut in both directions between Junction 9 (Whiteley/Park Gate) and Junction 11 (Fareham East/Gosport) from 8pm until 4am on January 4. 

The RAC has set out the worst and best times to drive on Christmas Eve.

The most congested times will be 1pm to 7pm while the best times to travel will be before 11am.

A spokesperson for the RAC said: 'Traffic is expected to be heaviest on major roads between 1pm and 7pm, so our advice to drivers - especially those travelling longer distances - is to set out before this time if possible.

'Drivers should ensure their vehicles are road ready: checking tyres are free of damage; have plenty of tread and are properly inflated; and ensuring oil and coolant levels are correct.

'Headlight aim should also be adjusted according to the load being carried, to reduce the chances of dazzling other drivers. We're also expecting a rise in breakdowns as a result of the switch to colder weather.'

See the routes which are most likely to be congested today in our list at the bottom of this page. 

Avoiding the roads could also lead to running into more congestion on the rail network as vital several services are not running during the Christmas period, particularly from London.

Rail closures may force more people onto the roads too, spelling yet more misery for drivers. 

Passengers on trains are facing particular difficulties as services Great Western Railway (GWR) between Reading and Gatwick Airport will be disrupted today due to a shortage of staff.In a post on X, GWR said: 'Due to a shortage of train crew between Reading and Gatwick Airport the line is disrupted.

'Train services to and from these stations may be subject to disruption on all routes.

'Disruption is expected until 17:00.'

• Disruption between Reading and Gatwick Airport on GWR services due to staff shortages 
• No trains to or from Waterloo from Christmas Day until 28 December, and a very limited service to Waterloo until 4 January. 
• No trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and 6 January. 
• No trains between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport from Christmas Day until 5 January.
• No trains between Stratford and Liverpool St from Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
• No trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, 24 December – 2 January.
• No trains between Milton Keynes and Rugby between Christmas Day and 5 January.
• No trains between Preston and Carlisle, 31 December- 15 January.
• No trains between Carlisle and Lockerbie from 1 January and 7 January.

Airports are also bracing for an influx of Christmas travellers, particularly with the record number of getaways planned.

A total of 42,046 departures are scheduled from UK airports between 19 December and 4 January, according to data from Cirium, up 2 per cent from last year.

Thankfully, the busiest day has already come on Friday December 19 when 2,853 flights were scheduled to depart UK airports.

However, Christmas Day itself is becoming more and more popular as a flight day, with 889 flights are scheduled to depart UK airports - 10 per cent higher than last year's and 33 per cent higher than pre pandemic levels in 2019. 

The busiest days to travel from major UK airports is are as follows, according to UK Aviation News:

• Heathrow – 19 December
• Gatwick – 21 December
• Manchester – 21 December
• Stansted – 19 December
• Birmingham – 22 December
• Luton – 19 December
• Edinburgh – 22 December
• Newcastle – 19 December
• Bristol – 19 December

Worst congested roads in UK at Christmas 

• M27 closed between Junction 9 and 11
• 90 Queensferry / Forth Road Bridge (north of Edinburgh)
• M8 between Edinburgh and Glasgow
• M74 (Glasgow)
• M60 around the Trafford Centre – Greater Manchester
• M62 Simister Interchange – Near Manchester
• M1 around Meadowhall – Sheffield
• M6 J4-11 (M42–Wolverhampton) – West Midlands
• M5/M6 interchange – Near Birmingham
• M42 J3A–J8 (M40 to M6 interchanges) – West Midlands
• M1 J10–15a (Luton to Northampton) – East Midlands / South Midlands
• A34 Oxford to Newbury – Oxfordshire to Berkshire
• M25 around Bluewater – Kent (east of London)
• M3/M25 interchange – Surrey (southwest of London)
• M25 around Heathrow Airport – West London
• M4/M5 interchange – Near Bristol
• M4 around Cardiff and Newport – South Wales