- Ferry passengers travelling to Europe from the Port of Dover face two-hour waits at French border checks, with 18,000 travellers expected this bank holiday weekend, making Saturday the busiest day so far this year.
- The delays are attributed to the new EU Entry-Exit System (EES), which requires manual processing of UK travellers' fingerprints and photographs at the eastern docks as the full automated system for cars is not yet operational.
- Across the UK, 23.4 million car journeys are anticipated on Friday, with traffic blackspots expected on routes to east coast destinations, the M4 towards Wales, and the M6 towards the north-west coast, peaking on Friday and Saturday.
- Rail travel will also be disrupted by strike action affecting West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services, alongside significant engineering works on the East Coast Main Line, between Newport and Bristol Parkway, and on Thameslink services through central London.
- The bank holiday marks the start of half-term for many schools, leading to a surge in demand for short-haul sunshine holidays in destinations like Spain and Italy, with a heatwave forecast for parts of southern England and the Midlands, potentially reaching 33C on Monday.
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