Empty London! Photos show Oxford Street, Bond Street and London Paddington deserted as thousands stay home to celebrate Christmas following a week of shopping and travel chaos
- Oxford Street, which has been full of Christmas shoppers this week, is almost completely empty of people
- Bond Street and Piccadilly Circus are also a lot quieter today, with only a few people pictured milling about
- Public transport isn’t running in the capital today with no train services available and the streets deserted
Advertisement
The streets of London are deserted today, with thousands of residents staying at home to celebrate Christmas.
It is marked contrast to earlier in the week, when throngs of people flooded Oxford Street and other shopping centres in the capital for some last minute Christmas shopping.
Oxford Street is one of the busiest roads in the capital, with thousands of people visiting everyday and tourists flocking to it on a daily basis.
But the road, along with Bond Street and Piccadilly Circus are a lot quieter today, with only a few people pictured milling about.
Thousands also used London’s many stations to make their journeys home the week, but there were no signs of any carnage today with Paddington station laying empty.
The station is closed until Saturday due to Network Rail carrying out track and overhead wiring improvements at Southall, plus Crossrail upgrades.
And public transport isn’t running in the capital at all today with no train services available and only a limited number set to run tomorrow.
Piccadilly Circus looks almost deserted on Christmas Day in London, as people stay home to celebrate and mark the festive day
Oxford Street, which was thronged with shoppers in the busy period leading up to Christmas Day, also appears to be deserted
Drivers are also less likely to face congestion on the roads this Christmas, with the big day falling on a Wednesday, according to the AA.
The motoring organisation says the mid-week Christmas Day means visits to family and friends could be more spread out than normal.
Christmas Day is likely to be one of the quietest days for traffic as just 33 per cent of motorists say they will be making a journey.
Ben Sheridan, of the AA, said: ‘Check the traffic reports before you leave and try to travel when it’s quieter if you can, or consider taking a different route to beat the jams.
A handful of people can be seen milling about Oxford Street, though with public transport not running, a large presence is unlikely
London’s Paddington Station, which serves the West Country, South Wales, Thames Valley and Heathrow airport, is empty of trains and people
Though no trains are running at all today, Paddington was closed earlier because of major engineering work over the holiday period on the railway line between Paddington and Slough
Bond Street, also home to shops that attracted throngs of Christmas bargain hunters and one of the busiest streets in London, is also empty today
A statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel looks out over London’s Paddington Station which is empty of trains today
‘The good news is that Christmas falling mid-week may help to spread journeys out. We still expect peaks in traffic as the staggered getaway from work and school is followed by last-minute shopping trips on Saturday, but visits to friends and family are more likely to even out over the week.’
Major upgrade works are also taking place at London King’s Cross, as officials take advantage of the quiet stations.
The majority will be carried out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – when most of the rail network is shut down every year – but there will also be limited trains from the station during the morning of December 27.
An estimated five million UK holidaymakers are embarking on an overseas break during the festive period, according to a travel trade association.
It reported strong booking numbers for short-haul winter sun destinations such as the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Morocco, Turkey and Egypt, while the long-haul market has seen high demand for Dubai and Goa.
Geneva is a popular destination for those seeking a more traditional Christmas experience, with favourite locations for spending New Year’s Eve abroad including Amsterdam, Dublin and Berlin.