BRITS have been warned to brace for the worst weekend of traffic in EIGHT YEARS as train stations are set to shut this Easter weekend.

Motoring body the AA warned essential maintenance at many of Britain's major train stations will force 27.6million drivers onto the roads.

Experts predict the travel mayhem across the country will last from Good Friday until Easter Monday causing misery for millions.

And drivers were told to travel today to avoid gridlock. It comes ahead of a 22C scorcher tomorrow.

Engineering works including for HS2 will close London Euston to all services from tomorrow to Monday.

The closure will affect hundreds of thousands planning an Easter getaway because Euston, based in Camden, North London, is Britain's fifth busiest station and the busiest inter-city railway.

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It connects the capital to the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland.

This means the west coast railway line will be shut throughout the Easter weekend between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central.

This poses a major headache for Liverpool and Manchester City fans travelling down for the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.

Customers planning journeys between Euston and Scotland have now been advised to travel either side of the long weekend.

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All tubes from Victoria and Euston stations will also be closed from Friday 15th to Monday 18th April.

While all Southern Railways trains between Victoria and East Croydon have been cancelled over the weekend.

This will spark chaos for passengers trying to get in and out of Gatwick Airport.

On top of that, the London Underground Piccadilly line that goes out to Heathrow will be suspended over the Easter weekend.

There will also be replacement buses for the train journeys that have been suspended between Liverpool Street Station and Stansted airport.

The airport is expecting its busiest time since the beginning of the pandemic, an estimated 1.3 million passengers are due to travel through the airport over the Easter weekend.

On the roads, the traffic information provider Inrix highlighted several likely congestion hotspots.

These include the M6 north between junction 26 (Orrell interchange, Greater Manchester) and junction 36 (the Lake District).

While the M25 clockwise from junction 8 (Reigate Hill interchange, Surrey) to junction 16 (Denham interchange, Buckinghamshire) could also be a hotspot for travel chaos.

The A303 near Stonehenge, Wiltshire, is also going to be a major pinch point for Brits scrambling to get to the West Country for Easter.

The busiest single day on the roads over the bank holiday weekend is expected to be Good Friday.

'BUSIEST FOR MANY YEARS'

RAC traffic spokesperson Rod Dennis said: "After two years of relatively quiet Easter bank holidays on the roads, our research suggests a return to traffic levels that are much more typical of this time of year.

"It’s very possible this weekend could turn out to be one of the busiest for leisure journeys for many years.

“Add in the impact of disruption on the rail network and one of the biggest fixtures of the sporting calendar taking place this weekend, and you have all the ingredients needed for problems on the roads. "

He went on, advising: "Checking oil and coolant levels, as well as tyre pressure and tread depth, can drastically reduce the chances of a breakdown.

"We’d urge every driver planning a trip in the coming days to put aside some time to do this – it could make the difference between a straightforward trip or one stuck at the side of the road.”

It comes after Brits were warned of long airport queues over Easter due to staff shortages.

Airport Operators' Association CEO Karen Dee said: "Airports have been preparing for this for some time, but at peak times passengers may not have the experience they are used to.

"Airports are working hard to recruit more staff in a very competitive labour market and are working with the UK government to resolve any delays in the necessary checks before staff can start work."

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Shortages emerged after airports and airlines were put under financial pressure from the pandemic, with many staff losing their jobs.

British Airways passengers have experienced a lot of travel chaos in recent weeks due to a series of IT failures.

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