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Travel chaos took hold on Saturday night as people rushed out of London before the introduction of Level 4 restrictions.
Traffic data showed that traffic jams were increasing within and around London, and train prices were increasing with increasing demand.
Also, train tickets were quickly selling out. As of 7pm on Saturday night, there were no trains available online from various London stations, including Paddington, Kings Cross and Euston.
Images taken at London’s St Pancras station showed passengers flowing across the concourse to board trains heading north.
Travelers were told that social distancing “will not be possible” due to the volume of people on board, and that those who feel “uncomfortable” should not stay on the train.
Harriet Clugston, a passenger, said that people on board the trains had tried to secure space for themselves, but there was not enough space to do so.
“As expected, the train is packed,” he wrote on Twitter.
“The ad on Tannoy says that social distancing ‘will not be possible’ due to the volume and to be turned down if you are not comfortable with it.
“People have tried to ensure social distance by placing [bags] in the seats, but other passengers ask them to remove them because the train is so full. “
One woman, who did not want to be identified, said she and her partner had made a “split decision” to take their young son to his parents’ home on the coast.
“We just made the decision to leave based on the fact that my parents told them to come, and we couldn’t bear the thought of there being no fresh air and a little kid going crazy over a small apartment for the foreseeable,” she told the Press Association.
Reports from Anectdotal suggested that the motorways leading out of London were packed with drivers on their way to overcome the new restrictions.
Some people were driving to leave their recently restricted areas for a long period of time, while others were leaving to spend the last few hours with no level 4 anywhere.
Izzy, 22, of Bristol, said she wanted “the security of being home for Christmas” and that her parents had come looking for her before the restrictions went into effect.
“I have a slight nervousness that they might block the roads or something that prevents me from going home,” he told the Press Association.
Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that all areas in the east and south-east of England, including London, that had been at level 3 would enter the newly defined level 4 starting at midnight.
Level 4 effectively returns residents to the rules in effect during the national shutdown.
Those on Tiers 1, 2, and 3 can now only blend in with other households for a Christmas celebration on December 25 instead of the longer stretch initially planned by the government.
Additional reports from the Press Association
