Christmas traffic and travel LIVE as trains cancelled, motorways closed and ferry delays

The Christmas getaway begins for millions of people today as they travel to spend the festive period with loved ones.

People travelling by car have been urged to use the roads before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.

The closure of two major motorways has led to traffic disruption;. The M62, which has now reopened, had been closed for hours near Rochdale following a fatal crash overnight. A 19-year-old man was killed in the incident.

The M20 in Kent remains closed in the coastbound direction between junctions 8 and 9 due to Operation Brock, which involves organising a queue for freight traffic during disruption to cross-Channel services.

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Rail disruption also remains following following the chaos caused by strong winds and Storm Pia on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Port of Dover in Kent said it is taking about 90 minutes to process cars with pre-booked tickets.

The delay has been caused by a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed on Thursday due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers

We will have all the major traffic and travel updates and announcements from across the UK throughout the day in our love blog below.

The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Christmas Eve.

It covers large swathes of northern Scotland from midday on Sunday until the early hours of Christmas Day.

People should expect travel disruption, damage to buildings and power cuts, the Met Office said.