May Day! Bank holiday travel chaos as passengers blast 'crazy' 3am queues at Manchester airport...before 10 MILLION ...

Hundreds of holidaymakers have been pictured in 'crazy' 3am queues at Manchester Airport with lines for check-in desks stretching 'out the door' - as ten million cars are expected to hit the roads today as Britain heads home after the bank holiday.

Travel experts have already warned that Monday will be 'the busiest day of the long weekend', with at least 3.3m individual leisure journeys alone, while thousands return from bank holiday getaways. 

The chaos is also worsened by £70million of rail engineering works taking place across the UK network today.

Passengers at Manchester Airport have described the early hours scenes as 'an absolute disgrace' and a 'shambles' as the airport tries to recover 'after the most damaging two years in the industry's history'.

It comes after passenger numbers plummeted during lockdown, leading to financial issues resulting in more than 2,000 redundancies at the airport.

But as demand for travel surged as Covid restrictions were lifted, the airport has been left with huge staffing shortages and is frantically trying to hire hundreds of new employees to combat delays.

Hundreds of passengers pictured queuing outside Manchester Airport's Terminal 1 at 3.26am this morning amid ongoing issues at the airport

Passengers queuing to go through security, with passengers taking to social media to share their frustrations amid the staffing shortages

Bank holiday traffic pictured on Friday as millions travelled for leisure days out, but travel experts have warned that today will be even busier

The scene at Manchester Airport at 4.03am, with hundreds of passengers queuing for check-in desks on the final day of the bank holiday

Lengthy queues at Manchester Airport, where bosses have already warned that issues and delays will stretch into the summer 

And the airport has admitted it is 'unfortunately some way short of where we need to be' as it advises passengers to arrive three hours before their flights.

Passengers were today queuing out the door as early as 3am, with pictures showing hundreds lining up for bag drops and to get through security.

A spokesperson said today: 'We are aware some customers faced longer waiting times than we would like at different stages of their journey through Manchester Airport this morning, and apologise for any inconvenience.

'We are still advising passengers there could be longer queues than would normally be the case as we, and our partner airlines and handling agents, continue to recover from the pandemic.

'Those travelling through Manchester should arrive three hours before their flights and ensure they are familiar with the latest security rules to help avoid any unnecessary delays.'

The airport also said security queues 'did not exceed 40 minutes' and attributes some delays to 'passengers turning up earlier than their airline's check in desks opened', despite advising holidaymakers to arrive early.

A spokesperson added that 'IT issues experienced by TUI' also added to a slower check-in processes in Terminal 2.

Thousands of families will be making return trips following bank holiday getaways today, meaning issues may worsen at the airport today.

It was a similar story at Birmingham Airport today, where passengers reported delays of up to 'three hours' at security.

The airport is also suffering from staffing shortages amid the increase in demand for travel, with pictures showing frustrated passengers in lengthy queues within crowded halls.

A spokesperson said: 'We had a busy start today with 15,000 customers due to fly out of BHX. Queues were long but managed and moving. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding.

'As always, our message to departing customers is: Help us help you keep queues moving by removing any liquids, gels, pastes and electrical items from your bags before our security x-ray scanners.'

Stranded passengers stuck queuing to get through security at Birmingham Airport today, amid similar staff shortages to Manchester

A long queue of passengers at Birmingham Airport today. A spokesperson said it had a busy start to the day with 15,000 passengers expected

Meanwhile, the RAC warned that 'Monday could turn out to be the busiest day of the long weekend' on the roads, despite concerns over rising fuel prices.

And AA spokesperson Tony Rich told The Sun: 'Although Monday's weather will be mixed, 10 million vehicles are expected across leisure outings, normal trips and work purposes.

'People want to enjoy themselves after Covid, and May Bank Holiday is a traditional day out.

'Coastal routes, beauty spots, shopping areas and local events will have congestion.'

Stretches of the M6, M25, M3, M20 and A303 around Stonehenge could become congested. 

The M40 was closed for several hours and a man hospitalised today after crashing his car through the central reservation near Banbury, Warwickshire.

A stretch of the motorway had to be closed in both directions as an air ambulance landed at the scene.

Meanwhile, a village in Somerset has been brought to a complete standstill as locals drive en masse to the North Somerset Show.

Families have reported abandoning trips to the event after becoming submerged in gridlock traffic and travelling just a handful of metres in more than an hour. 

It comes after the M4 outside Heathrow Airport was brought to a standstill on Sunday afternoon after a ten-year-old girl was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition following a serious 'multi-vehicle' crash.

She remains in a critical condition today, the Metropolitan Police has said, while a further four people were also hospitalised.

Stranded motorists were pictured leaving their vehicles as an air ambulance landed on the busy motorway.

But those looking to avoid the roads are also likely to be impacted by rail engineering works continuing across the UK today.

No trains will be running on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central due to various works, while no Southern Rail services are running to or from London Victoria.

And passengers returning to Gatwick Airport will be affected by an amended timetable in operation between London Bridge, Brighton and the airport.

No services will run between Finsbury Park and Moorgate in London, while a bus replacement services is also in operation between Stansted Airport and Waltham Cross.

A points failure has blocked all lines between Westbury, Taunton and Yeovil Pen Mill in Somerset, while routes between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads have been impacted after a Great Western Railway service crashed into 'several cows' on Sunday.

More than 95 per cent of the rail network will be unaffected by the work taking place, though, according to Network Rail. 

It comes as most of Britain is set for a mild but dreary Bank Holiday Monday amid cloudy skies and showers.

Forecasters said today 'will not be a scorcher but it will not be a washout' with temperatures of up to 18C (64F) in England and 16C (61F) in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - and rain most likely in western areas.

Today will bring a mostly dry and bright morning for many parts with some spells of sunshine, but fair-weather cloud and showers will then develop throughout the day along with a gentle breeze in coastal areas.