Rail closures to cause Bank Holiday delays

The Bank Holiday getaway begins today with forecasters predicting dry bright weather across the UK but for thousands travelling to airports by train rail closures are expected to cause delays.

Heathrow airport expects to handle 620,000 passengers over the next four days until Monday with Gatwick handling 300,000 and Stansted 150,000 over the same period.

But Paddington station in London will be closed for important engineering work on Sunday forcing the cancellation of all services on the Heathrow Express between Paddington and Heathrow on that day.

The closure will also affect the travel plans of supporters returning from Cardiff after Saturday's FA Cup Final between London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.

For those staying at home, the weather was expected to stay mostly dry, with some showers and temperatures staying mainly on the cool side.

Neil Talboys from PA WeatherCentre said: "We will have plenty of dry bright weather everywhere.

We'll see some sunshine on most days but a good deal of cloud especially in the afternoon.

"We will also have light showers around the country but it is very difficult to pinpoint where they are going to be."

He added that southern England would be warmest with temperatures ranging from 55F (13C) to 61F (16C). The coolest spots would be along the east coast which would experience lows of 50F (10C) to 52F (11C).

Winds would be light with a northerly breeze along the east coast.

Further Railtrack work in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, will mean no Stansted Express trains will run between Liverpool Street station in London and Stansted airport in Essex on Sunday.

Coach services will replace the trains on this route and the Heathrow Express.

With thousands of London fans descending on Cardiff for the Cup Final on Saturday, extra trains have been put on and roadworks on key routes, such as the M4 and M5, kept to a minimum.

The Highways Agency said: "Supporters are advised to leave plenty of time for their journeys. It is recommended that vehicles are shared where possible and fans should aim to arrive at the stadium well before kick-off."

To add to the travel difficulties, train services across northern England will be hit by a 48-hour strike today on Arriva Trains Northern which is in a long-running pay dispute with members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union.

Two west of England events are likely to add to problems on routes west of London.

The Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire is likely to attract some 250,000 visitors this weekend.

In addition, about 45,000 music fans are expected to visit the Essential Festival - a major three-day music event in Bristol.

"With two sets of fans leaving London and heading to and from Cardiff at the same time as thousands of holidaymakers, the M4 and cities such as Bristol are going to be very, very busy," said

Simon Hawkins of AA Roadwatch.