Travel nightmare as rail and Tube closures hit bank holiday

Travellers are likely to struggle to get around London this bank holiday weekend amid rail and Tube closures and expected jams on the roads caused by sports events.

Eight Tube lines, including the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines and the DLR, will have large sections of track closed.

On the National Rail network, routes through Euston and Liverpool Street will suffer, while of the 25 national rail companies, only Grand Central has no planned disruption over the weekend. Virgin Trains said it called off planned engineering works in a bid to help struggling air passengers.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: "It's disappointing to see the number of replacement bus services over this bank holiday weekend."

Roads around Wembley stadium and Twickenham are expected to be congested. Twickenham hosts the Aviva Premiership final between Leicester and Saracens tomorrow and then the Barbarians play an England XV on Sunday. Wembley will see Manchester United clash with Barcelona in the Champions League final tomorrow night.

A Met Office spokesman said Londoners should expect cloud and patchy rain over the weekend with temperatures of about 18C.

Predictions of a damp bank holiday come as the clean-up begins after yesterday's storms.

Damage in London included a large tree uprooted in Vauxhall that narrowly missed causing serious damage to a block of flats.