What you need to know about the Easter getaway

Travellers in the South East are being urged to plan ahead for the Easter break as disruption is expected on the roads, railways, and at airports.

While many schools in Surrey and Sussex broke up for the holidays on March 27, most Kent schools finish on Thursday ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

The RAC predicted it would be the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022, despite the hike in fuel prices.

It added part of the M25 was expected to be a "congestion hotspot", including the junction for the M23 and Gatwick Airport.

Port of Dover is expected to be busy as Operation Brock begins on Thursday with a contraflow in place on the M20 to keep traffic flowing.

Motorists faced major delays on Thursday after a car crashed into the central reservation and a tree on the M23 in West Sussex.

Meanwhile, while the M25 is expected to be busy, National Highways isn't predicting peak times due to the variable nature of traffic levels.

A spokesperson said: "We know how important reliable journeys are over Easter, that's why we'll be lifting or completing roadworks along key routes wherever it is safe to do so - with traffic officers on patrol to help keep people moving.

"We also encourage drivers to take a few minutes before setting off to carry out their T.R.I.P. checks - Top up, Rest, Inspect and Prepare - to help avoid preventable breakdowns."

Some of the closures during this period include:

• East Sussex Highways is carrying out carriageway improvements on The Ridge West, St Leonards, between 7 and 15 April between 20:00 BST to 06:00 BST
• West Sussex Highways is carrying out resurfacing works between Worth Park Avenue and Balcombe Road, which started on 30 March and due to reopen on 9 April
• Kent County Council is working on Tourney Road, Lydd, and is due to finish on Friday
• UK Power Networks will be working on Marlborough Road, Ramsgate, from 7 April and due to finish on 14 April
• An ongoing South East Water project means Chapel Lane, Sissinghurst, will not reopen until 10 April

There are planned works on the railways throughout the Easter break, but the most disruption will be felt over the Easter weekend:

• Buses will replace trains between Herne Bay and Ramsgate from Good Friday until Easter Monday inclusive
• Buses will replace trains between Eastbourne and Hastings/Ore on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday
• Buses will replace trains between Orpington and Tonbridge on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday
• Buses will replace trains between Polegate, Eastbourne and Ore from Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive
• Buses will replace trains between Ashford International and Dover Priory, Barnehurst/Crayford and Dartford, and Slade Green and Gravesend on Easter Sunday
• Buses will replace trains between Clapham Junction and Barnes on Easter Sunday, affecting services between London Waterloo and Woking, and Clapham Junction and Woking
• Buses will replace trains between Littlehampton and Barnham/Chichester, and between Barnham and Bognor Regis on Easter Sunday
• An amended train timetable will be in operation between London Victoria and Arundel/Littlehampton, and between Brighton and Littlehampton on Easter Sunday

Over the Easter weekend, engineers will install over 820 yards of new track at Margate station and undertake repair works at a railway bridge in Broadstairs.

Maintenance and drainage works will also take place at Hildenborough, cutting onto the Chislehurst to Orpington/Tonbridge line which is prone to flooding.

A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said the airport's busiest day over the holidays is set to be Easter Sunday with 800 flights.

Barcelona, Malaga and Alicante will be the most popular destinations across the Easter period, they added.

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