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Christmas travel latest: 'Wet and windy' weather poses further disruption; Rishi Sunak spotted shopping at London station

Millions are hitting the road for their Christmas getaways, with drivers urged to set off at specific times to avoid the worst of the traffic. Elsewhere, planes and trains have been cancelled, with yellow weather warnings in place in England, Wales and Scotland after Storm Pia.

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We're bringing our live coverage of travel disruptions to a close.

Before you go, here is a recap of today's developments:

  • Passengers are subject to 90-minute waits at the Port of Dover after a full day of delays;
  • 'Wet and windy' weather in the lead up to Christmas could cause further travel delays on road, rail, air and ferry services;
  • Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was spotted buying mince pies 'for key workers' from an M&S store in Kings Cross station in London;
  • An estimated 13.5 million journeys by car are expected to take place across the UK between today and Christmas Eve on Sunday, the RAC says;
  • Drivers were urged to travel before 11am or after 6pm where possible to reduce the chance of getting stuck in tailbacks.
'Last-minute getaway trips' could face disruption

As we reported earlier (see our post at 6.27pm) the forecast over the Christmas period is expected to be wet and windy across the UK.

With weather warnings in place until the early hours of Christmas Day, RAC Breakdown has warned of what this could mean for travellers hoping to get away for a festive break.

"With this latest weather warning affecting a large area of Scotland and parts of northern England, there is the chance travellers鈥� last-minute getaway trips could be disrupted," Rod Dennis, RAC spokesperson said.

"If trains are significantly delayed people are more likely to shift to the roads which could add to already exceptionally high traffic volumes. "

An estimated 13.5 million journeys by car will take place across the UK between today and Christmas Eve on Sunday, up 20%, the RAC said.

That is a 20% increase on the three days before Christmas Day last year.

"For this reason, we urge drivers to be on their guard for debris in the road, including branches and possibly even trees, especially along more rural routes," Mr Dennis continued.

"Gusty conditions can also make driving more difficult, so it's advisable drivers reduce their speed and stay focused on the road ahead."

90-minute wait and 'limited toilet facilities' at Dover ferry terminal

P&O Ferries have warned passengers at the Port of Dover of an approximate 90-minute wait, as delays to get onto a service continue.

It warned of "limited toilet facilities" and recommended passengers bring refreshments to make their wait more comfortable.

The company has been updating customers regularly throughout the day who have faced hours of delays to travel to Calais in France. 

Apologising for the delay, the company added that it is working hard with authorities to "improve the situation and would like to assure you that you will be accommodated on the next available departure once at check in".

'I don't think I've ever have had a smooth train journey'

Passengers travelling through Euston station faced delays today after Storm Pia caused travel chaos yesterday.

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the station and not allowed on to the platforms.

Network Rail said it expected delays throughout the day as services recovered and many passengers headed to the station after an overnight stay in hotels.

Joe Burns, 22, and Jimmy Dingwall, 25, were travelling to Liverpool for Christmas on the 10.43am train.

They said they saw the news on Thursday and thought they were not going to be able to travel, but their train was on time this morning.

"I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever had a train journey which has gone smoothly," Mr Burns, a student, said.

Below are pictures taken at Euston station earlier today...

A66 closed in both directions in Cumbria due to 'serious collision'

The A66 is closed in both directions in Cumbria due to a serious collision, National Highways say.

The closure is in effect between the A595 south at Bridgefoot and A595 north at Cockermouth.

National Highways adds that approaching traffic is being diverted via local routes.

Delays between Edinburgh and Glasgow after train passenger taken ill

Disruption is expected until 8.30pm between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street after a passenger was taken ill on a train.

National Rail warned passengers that trains may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes. 

The passenger was taken ill at Airdrie - a town in North Lanarkshire just outside of Glasgow.

Services that run between Airdire and Balloch will now start and finish at Coatdyke, National Rail said.

M4 reopened westbound after earlier crash

Earlier (see our post at 2.34pm) we reported that the M4 was closed westbound in Berkshire after a crash between junction 10 and junction 11, near Reading.

National Highways said all lanes on the road reopened just before 4pm. 

It warned of a mile of congestion leading up to the area, but there have been no updates since to suggest there are any further delays. 

Watch: Woman documents over two-hour wait for Eurotunnel

A woman who has been stuck trying to board the Eurotunnel from France to the UK for more than two hours has reached out to Sky News. 

Jasmine said she joined queues at the border in Calais at 2.40pm local time (1.40pm UK time) and was still stuck at border control at 4.52pm local time (3.52pm UK time).

She said the next train expected for departure to Folkestone was 6.39pm local time (5.39pm UK time).

Below are two videos Jasmine took documenting her delay.

The first was taken when she first joined queues:

And the second when she was just a few cars away from crossing border control:

'Wet and windy' run-up to Christmas could cause disruptions to travel networks

For those set to travel over the Christmas period, it is important to consider the weather conditions. 

The Met Office has said it will be a "wet and windy" run-up to the 25 December, with a number of yellow weather warnings in place. 

Rain warnings are scheduled to come into force on Saturday and Christmas Eve across the west of Scotland, northwest England and Wales. 

Warnings for wind have been issued for Sunday and into the early hours of Christmas Day, mainly in the north of Scotland and the northeast of England.

Gusts are expected to reach 60mph in the area near the Pennines, which the Met Office waned could disrupt transport networks.

The warning in the northeast of England comes into force on 8am Christmas Eve and lasts until 10pm. While in the north of Scotland the warnings are in place from 12pm on the 24th until 3am on the 25th.

"It'll be a damp start to Christmas Day for many, though the best of any drier weather is likely in the afternoon as weather fronts gradually move to the south and east," Steven Keates, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said.

"However, the far southeast may hold on to the persistent rain the longest through the day."

Below is the Met Office's extended forecast for the entire festive period...

Stark differences at London's biggest airports

In lighter news, one passenger, who left Nottingham at 9.30am this morning to get to Heathrow Airport, has been in touch with Sky News to say there was "no traffic at all".

Lee Johns said he arrived at the airport in west London at 4pm ahead of his 9pm flight to the Philippines. 

Having left extra time in case of bad traffic, Mr Johns said the journey from Long Eaton took less than two hours.

Snapping a picture of the terminal, the airport looked empty, with relatively few queues at check-in desks.

Meanwhile, at London's Gatwick Airport, the departure lounge is extremely busy. 

Pictures sent by Sky News producer John McGivern show crowds of passengers as they await their flights.

He said the terminal was "very busy" but there were plenty of staff manning security to make sure passengers won't be waiting too long to get through.