by Hugh Grant is among the many drivers stuck in heavy traffic on the A3 in west London for up to five hours.
While the M25 is suffering from the usual bank holiday weekend congestion, the A3 had a particular problem all Friday afternoon when the British actor took to Twitter to beg TfL for some clarity on the chaos.
National Highways has warned of delays of up to 120 minutes on the A3 northbound between the A244 junction at Esher and the A309 junction at Chessington.
In the interest of safety, we had to close two lanes of the A3 up to the Tolworth underpass due to emergency repair works. Unfortunately, there are still major delays. We are monitoring the situation and note that traffic is moving, however slowly. We apologize for the delay.
— TfL (@TfL) May 24, 2024
One frustrated motorist cheekily tweeted: “Thank you for ruining Friday for thousands of people today. He spent more than 4 hours stuck in traffic on the A3, with no workers to be found at all! Unbelievable.”
Earlier, two lanes of the motorway were closed due to a crash involving a car and a motorbike on the M25, causing long delays for drivers.
Just after 4pm, Transport for London reported severe delays on the Elizabeth line. Mechanics at Ilford are currently fixing a signal failure.
Follow the latest updates below…
An overhanging branch has caused rail chaos between London St Pancras and Luton
18:34 , Anthony France
Trains between London St Pancras International and Luton may be canceled or delayed.
A tree branch caught on overhead power lines at St Albans means some lines are blocked.
Submissions are expected until 8pm.
A Network Rail team is on site making plans to remove the branch.
Angry driver on A3 blocked in London for ‘more than five hours’
18:20 , Anthony France
One motorist said he was stuck on the A3 in London for five hours.
Musawir Idrees posted an emoji showing his exasperation on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the words: “Stuck on #A3 traffic for the last 5 hours. Roadworks.”
Mad actor Hugh Grant got stuck on the A3 with his children for three hours
17:10 , Anthony France
Notting Hill and Love star Hugh Grant complained he was stuck in a car on the A3 with his children for several hours.
The actor, 63, posted to Transport for London on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Any chance of news on the A3 near Tolworth?
“Now entering the third hour of a traffic jam that must stop. And there is still a long red line ahead of us. And no exits. Children in the car.”
TfL responded: “In the interest of safety, we have had to close two lanes of the A3 up to the Tolworth underpass due to emergency repair works.
“Unfortunately, there are still significant delays. We are monitoring the situation and we note that the traffic is moving, however slowly. We apologize for the delay.”
Hello @TfL Any chance of an update on the situation on the A3 near Tolworth.? Now entering the third hour of almost non-stop traffic jam. And there is still a long red line ahead of us. And no exits. Children in the car.
— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) May 24, 2024
Transport for London reports significant delays on the Elizabeth line
16:25 , Will Math
Transport for London has reported ‘serious delays’ on the Elizabeth line.
Mechanics at Ilford are currently fixing a signal failure.
Traffic into Essex with the M25 lane closed
16:12 , Will Math
There are currently delays on the M25 clockwise from J27 M11 to J28 A12 (Brentwood Roundabout / Brook Street).
Lanes are closed due to a construction area.
Traffic increases as the bank holiday weekend approaches
16:09 , Will Math
Traffic is increasing on the M25 as drivers look to make their way ahead of the long weekend.
Much of the M25 is now congested and long queues are seen especially in the Surrey and Potters bar areas.
Lane closures are in place clockwise from J21A A405 North Ring Road (St Albans) to J23 A1(M) J1 (South Mimms). There are also long queues into Essex and Kent around the Dartford Crossing.
There are still delays on main roads
15:23 , Will Math
There are delays on the M25 anticlockwise from J8 A217 Brighton Road (Reigate) to J6 A22 (Godstone). Travel time is 20 minutes with lane closures after J6.
There are still significant delays on the A3 heading to London from the A243 Hook Road (Hook Junction) to Tolworth Roundabout. Traffic is back up to the Esher Exit while Highways crews complete works.
Lanes are now open on the M25 near Kinleathar
14:36 , Will Math
The collision on the M25 clockwise between junctions 9 and 10 has now been cleared and all lanes are open.
However, delays of up to 45 minutes are still in place and there are around five miles of traffic jams.
‘Airports’ busiest day since 2009′
14:32 , Will Math
Aviation analytics company Cirium said Friday was the busiest day of the year for UK airports since October 2019, with more than 3,150 flights departing.
A total of 8,486 flights are scheduled to depart between Saturday and Monday, representing more than 1.5 million seats.
The most popular international destinations are Dublin, Amsterdam, Palma, Alicante and Malaga.
More than 20 million car trips to be made this weekend
14:29 , Will Math
Motoring services company the RAC has predicted that more than 20 million leisure journeys will be made by car between Friday and bank holiday Monday.
Friday is probably the worst day to travel, as the start of the long weekend coincides with the start of half term for many schools.
Transport analytics company Inrix has warned that journeys on the M25 clockwise between Junction 7 of the M23 and Junction 21 of the M1 are expected to be delayed by more than 90 minutes late on Friday evening.
Two lanes closed on the M25 near Leatherhead
14:25 , Will Math
Two of four lanes are closed on the M25 clockwise between J9 (Leatherhead) and J10 (M3) for a broken down car.
Recovery is on the way.
There are delays of up to 45 minutes on the way in and around five miles of traffic.
2 (of 4) lane closed on the #M25 clockwise between J9 (#Leatherhead) and J10 (#M3) because of a broken down car.
Recovery on the way.
Delays of up to 45 minutes on the way in, approx. 5 miles of congestion. pic.twitter.com/q9DLXiT1zN
— National Highways: South East (@HighwaysSEAST) May 24, 2024
A good service is now operating over the ground
14:22 , Will Math
Part of London Overground was suspended on Friday but is now operating a good service.
Transport for London said there were significant delays between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction. But these have now been cleared.
‘There could be more traffic on the M20 this weekend’
13:43 , Will Math
National Highways has warned drivers to allow more time if they are traveling in Kent this weekend.
With the contraflow in place, there could be more traffic on the M20, the agency said.
“Allow extra time for your journey,” the tweet said.
One lane closed on the M25 near Staines
13:17 , Will Math
One lane is closed on the M25 in the opposite direction due to a lorry with a changed tyre.
The motorway is affected immediately after J11 (A320 St Peters Way (Chertsey)).
There is congestion at J13 Staines, westbound over the M3. In lane one (of four).
Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction are expected to be affected until 2pm
12:55 , Sami Quadri
A train fault on Clapham High Street means all lines are affected.
As a result, trains running between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction may be canceled or revised.
The disruption is expected to continue until 2pm.
Serious delays on London Overground
12:16 , Sami Quadri
London Overground between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction is heavily delayed due to a faulty train earlier on Clapham High Street. All other routes have good service.
The vehicle hits a bridge at Waterloo, which slows it down
11:25 , Will Math
Trains in and out of London Waterloo have been delayed after a vehicle hit a bridge.
The disruption is expected until 2pm.
All lines are open.
“Train services to and from this station may be cancelled, delayed or revised,” National Rail said.
The routes affected are between London Waterloo and Windsor & Eton Riverside / Shepperton / Chessington South / Hampton Court / Alton / Guildford / Weybridge / Dorking / Reading / Basingstoke / Salisbury / Haslemere / Portsmouth & Southsea / Portsmouth Harbor / Weymouth / Exeter St Davids: and also London Waterloo circular services.
All lanes are now open on the Epping section of the M25
10:20 , Will Math
All lanes are now open on a section of the M25 which was partially closed following an accident.
Two lanes have been closed following a collision between a car and a motorcycle in the opposite direction between J27 (M11/Epping) and J26 (Waltham Abbey).
Delays of less than 10 minutes remain in place.
Part above ground suspended
10:11 , Will Math
Part of the Overground is suspended on Friday, Transport for London said.
From 10.10am there is no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction and a faulty train has been fixed at Clapham High Street.
All other London Overground routes are well served.
Crash delays the M25
10:07 , Will Math
A crash involving a car and a motorbike on the M25 has closed two lanes of the motorway, causing long delays for drivers.
Queues are building along the anti-clockwise stretch from junction 27 for the M11 and Epping and Junction 26 for Waltham Abbey.
Two hour delays on the A3
09:58 , Will Math
National Highways has warned of two-hour delays for drivers on the A3.
There are around three miles of congestion as road crews respond to TfL works in west London.
The agency tweeted that delays are being experienced between the junction of the A244 at Esher and the A309 at Chessington.
