High winds and heavy rain cause Easter travel chaos

The great Easter getaway has led to misery for thousands of holidaymakers and travellers as storms and engineering work combined to cause havoc to journeys on the roads, railways, ferries and planes.

- JANE DALTON

Yesterday, Storm Nelson brought winds up to 74mph, leaving planes unable to land, and train and ferry services cancelled.

Snow fell in parts of southwest England and Wales, and temperatures dropped to lows of -1.2C in west Devon.

Yellow warnings for rain and strong winds, signalling transport disruption, were also issued for the south of England and Northern Ireland.

The travel chaos has been worse this Easter than in most years because the break fell close to the date of most schools breaking up, meaning more families were planning to get away.

The extreme weather forced some attractions to close as rain, sleet and hill snow spread north and eastwards.

In London, Kew Gardens closed early because of the wind and rain, along with areas of Bushy Park and Kensington Gardens. Dartmoor Zoo in Devon also shut, as well as some National Trust sites, including Mottisfont estate in Hampshire.

On one of the busiest travel days of the year, flooding in the west of England forced Great Western Railway to close various lines, including the main line from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads.

Between Swindon and Chippenham trains had to "take turns" to use the one available track.