Pile-ups on the roads and trains crammed

Motorists found themselves caught in jams on the roads today as the great Christmas getaway descended into chaos.

Worst-hit was the busy M40 where a fatal multiple pile-up - caused by dense fog - resulted in gridlock.

In accident number one a car went out of control on the motorway towards the end of the morning rush.

Before emergency services managed to clear the scene three lorries crashed into the wreckage.

One person - believed to be one of the truck drivers - was certified dead at the scene, near Banbury. One lane of the M40 southbound was closed to traffic, creating long, slowmoving tailbacks for motorists striking out for the holidays.

A lorry fire brought further delays to the M25 near St Albans, said travel data firm Trafficlink.

Another car accident sparked gridlock on the A13 between Rainham and the M25, causing extensive delays for those heading eastbound out of London.

By lunchtime the knock-on effect as travellers turned to trains caused huge overcrowding on services out of the capital.

At Euston station passengers scrambled for the last remaining seats on trains heading to the north of England and Scotland. Virgin West Coast Main Line, which runs, services from Euston and GNER East Coast Main Line, which operates from King's Cross, reported their trains already "very busy" with not many seats available.

The message from the two companies was the same: "We will do what we can, but today and tomorrow is our busiest time and we are already very heavily booked."

Virgin Trains said it was having to cope with record number of passengers and laid on seven extra trains - an additional 4,800 seats. It said it was lifting restrictions on saver tickets for today and tomorrow.

But passengers trying to reach Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Newcastle faced more major problems in switching to the trains. Many long-distance services late this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon are already fully booked.

For those switching to Eurostar trains to Paris and Brussels and spokesman said: "We are very busy but we do have some seats still available. They are going fast."

The Eurostar spokesman said 12,000 passengers have already booked to leave the UK today and a further 16,000 tomorrow.

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander was branded a " parttime" minister by the Tories as it emerged he had left London at the height of the travel crisis.

Despite tens of thousands of people facing travel disruption, Mr Alexander chose to keep an appointment to launch a new £20 note in Scotland.

His decision prompted outrage and the Tories accused him of having a warped sense of priorities.

Shadow Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said it was disgraceful the post of Transport Secretary was a "part-time job".

"Douglas Alexander is being asked to look after transport, be Secretary of State for Scotland and to run Labour's campaign for next year's Scottish elections. It is no wonder the transport system is very much an afterthought for this Government," he said.

Mr Alexander was reportedly planning to stay in Scotland but - after questions about his plans from the Evening Standard - it emerged he is now travelling back to London tonight.

The majority of other Cabinet ministers are understood to have stayed in London until the official start of the Christmas holiday tomorrow evening.

However, Mr Alexander had firsthand experience of the travel problems when after his own flight was cancelled and he had to get the overnight sleeper train from London to Glasgow.

Travel warnings

ROADS
Major roadworks in the South-East include:
M11 Jct 7-8, near Stansted Airport
M1Jct 6a-10, near Luton
M25 Jct 25, Holmesdale Tunnel. Lane closure on eastbound entry slip and westbound exit slip
A2: Darenth
M25 Jct 2, near Dartford
A2070 Jct 10, near Ashford
A21, Medway viaduct
M25 Jct 7-8, night closures
M3 Jct 4, eastbound all lanes near Camberley
M4 Jct 4, M4 spur near Heathrow
M40 Jct 4/A404, slip roads and gyratory near High Wycombe

RAIL
58 hour shutdown of the entire rail network from late Christmas Eve until 6am on Wednesday 27 December
Over the whole Christmas week there is a reduced service on the mainline serving Gatwick
Over the same period there are engineering works on the East Coast mainline between Doncaster and York, and on the West Coast mainline between Rugby and Stafford
Passengers are advised to check on www.networkrail.co.uk

TUBE
No Tube service on Christmas Day and a reduced service on Boxing Day

BUSES
Some special services running on Christmas Day and reduced services on Boxing Day