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, ferries and at airports.

Term time finished for most schools on Friday and most go back on 22 April.

Gatwick Airport says it expects the Easter holiday to be its busiest period of the year so far, while the RAC estimates 21million car journeys will be made over the first weekend alone.

The M25 is expected to be busy, particularly around the junction for the M23 and Gatwick Airport, with congestion also likely at the Dartford crossing.

Many people will be taking advantage of the long Easter weekend, with bank holidays on Friday 18 April, and Monday 21 April.

The worst delays in the South East are expected to be on Friday and Saturday as schools break up, but roads will be extremely busy throughout the break.

Bank holiday Monday, 21 April may also be busy, with travellers returning after the long weekend which coincides with the end of the school holidays.

The M25 near Gatwick, and the Dartford Crossing, are expected to be some of the busiest routes.

The RAC is urging people to travel before or after peak times.

The Operation Brock contraflow system is in place on the M20 between junction eight (for Maidstone) and junction nine (for Ashford), affecting traffic heading to the Channel ports in Kent. There also a 50mph speed limit.

Traffic levels are being monitored by National Highways and the system will be removed once the risk of delays has passed.

Drivers can check with National Highways for updates on their journeys.

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

• There will be no trains between Epsom and London Bridge
• Trains between Littlehampton/Eastbourne and London Victoria will instead run to London Bridge
• Services normally running between Reigate and Victoria will only run between Reigate and Redhill
• Buses will replace trains between Eastbourne and Hastings while track is renewed and a new level crossing is installed at Pevensey
• Buses will replace trains between Canterbury West and Ramsgate while landslip prevention work takes place. Some trains will be diverted to additionally call at Thanet Parkway

Passengers should check with their rail operator for updates.

A traffic system for lorries queueing on the M20 to cross the English Channel via the Port of Dover is in place over the entire Easter holiday period.

Lorries heading to Dover will queue on one side of the M20, while the other carriageway is split for other traffic to use, in both directions.

The system is in place between junctions eight and nine on the M20 to act as a "pressure valve" to minimise congestion in the surrounding areas.

Car passengers have been advised to allow plenty of time for their journeys, but to arrive no more than two hours before their scheduled sailing time.

Drivers have been asked to travel to the port using main routes only, to avoid causing congestion in residential areas.

Passengers should check with the Port of Dover for updates.

A major change for travellers is that they no longer need to remove electrical items or place liquids in plastic bags when passing through security at Gatwick.

The airport said passengers could now leave liquids and electronics, such as laptops, in their cabin bags while going through security.

Liquids, including creams, gels, pastes, sprays and aerosols, can be taken through security in containers of up to 100ml.

As normal during busy periods, passengers are urged to arrive when check-in opens, - typically three hours before a long-haul flight and two hours before short-haul.

Passengers can check with their airline and Gatwick Airport for updates.

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