Christmas getaway disruption clears slowly as M25 crashes and Tube strikes loom

London's Christmas getaway ran into trouble on 22 December as transport operators worked to clear a backlog caused by an unexpected strike by Eurotunnel French site staff the previous day, according to [1]. The stoppage, combined with weather damage to overhead lines out of Euston, led to at least 30 Eurostar trains being cancelled on 21 December, the report states. Services resumed on the morning of the 22nd, with Eurostar promising six extra trains between Paris and London St Pancras through the weekend — an additional two services each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to [1]. Passengers were still queuing in their hundreds at St Pancras as the backlog cleared, with unsettled weather adding to the disruption, the source says. Euston services had also resumed after Network Rail repaired the damaged overhead wires. On the roads, a crash on the M25 caused long delays around Enfield at Junction 25, according to [1], on what the report describes as the last working day before Christmas Day — a day when leisure traffic was competing for space with commuters and business trips. By mid-morning, two separate incidents were causing hold-ups on the M25 clockwise: one lane closed after an accident at Junction 31 near Lakeside/Purfleet, with congestion stretching back to Junction 30 at the Mardyke Interchange, and a broken-down van blocking a lane further north between Junctions 25 and 26 near Enfield, according to [1]. Delays were also reported approaching Heathrow on the M4 spur road, and on the North Circular, though both were described as comparatively short — around 10 and 15 minutes respectively, per [1]. Separately, London Underground workers announced a week of strikes in January in a long-running pay dispute, according to [1]. RMT members voted "overwhelmingly" to take industrial action over a 5% pay offer, with the strike week set to begin on 5 January. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is quoted in the source saying Tube workers who bring "vast amounts of value" to the London economy would not accept "modest below-inflation offers" while senior managers were "raking it in". Transport for London said it was "disappointed" by the announcement, with a spokesperson quoted in [1] calling its pay offer "the most we can afford" while keeping the network "safe, reliable and sustainable", and urging RMT to re-engage to avoid disruption in the new year. Adding to the day's woes, the District line was reported part-suspended for a second consecutive day, with no service between Parsons Green and Wimbledon while engineers fixed a faulty track near Putney, according to [1]. Valid tickets were being accepted on London buses in the meantime. Nothing here points to anything beyond seasonal infrastructure strain — a strike backlog clearing, standard M25 collision delays, and a familiar pay dispute resurfacing. The material gives no indication of wider economic or market significance; this is routine housekeeping rather than a story with legs beyond the holiday period. What to watch next: whether talks between TfL and the RMT before 5 January head off the announced January strike week, and whether Eurostar's extra weekend services are enough to fully clear the Christmas backlog.