Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n- Breakdowns, not crashes, are the biggest Easter road risk \u2014 71,254 recorded in Spring 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mini Eggs are a documented choking hazard \u2014 Cadbury carries an explicit warning for under-fours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Chocolate poisoning in dogs rises 50% at Easter every year<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Easter is the first BBQ weekend of the year \u2014 fire services issue annual warnings for a reason<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Holiday booking fraud peaks around Easter \u2014 victims lose an average of \u00a31,937<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Empty homes over four days are a predictable target; garden tools left out add to the risk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Check Your Car Before You Leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Over 19 million trips<\/a> are expected on Easter Friday alone. The most common way those journeys go wrong isn’t a collision \u2014 it’s a breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSpring 2025 recorded 71,254 breakdowns<\/a> on motorways and major A-roads \u2014 up 25.6% since 2022. Around one in six drivers admit they rarely check their car before setting off. A motorway breakdown means an average two-hour delay and up to \u00a3229 in recovery costs without cover. The majority are avoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe TRIP Check<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
National Highways issues a pre-Easter reminder every year around four checks they call TRIP:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Top-up \u2014 fuel or charge, oil, and screen wash<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Rest \u2014 plan breaks every two hours; driver fatigue is a consistent factor in serious collisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Inspect \u2014 tyre pressure and tread depth. Legal minimum is 1.6mm, but 3mm is the safer threshold. Tyre failure is the single most common cause of motorway breakdowns<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Prepare \u2014 check your route, note any engineering works, and make sure insurance and breakdown cover details are accessible before you set off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When to Travel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The 3\u20135 pm window on Good Friday is consistently the most congested and collision-prone period on UK roads across the whole year. If you have any flexibility on departure time, leaving before midday or after 7 pm makes a measurable difference. Drink driving spikes specifically around Easter bank holidays \u2014 if you’re mixing driving and social plans over the weekend, plan how you’re getting home before you go out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recommended Reading: Crime Across UK Cities<\/a> \u2014 useful if you’re travelling somewhere unfamiliar this Easter<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FINAL-GL-banners-1313-524-62.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Chocolate Hazards People Miss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Easter fills UK homes with more chocolate than almost any other time of year. Two specific hazards from that \u2014 one affecting young children, one affecting dogs \u2014 spike directly and predictably every Easter, and both are more serious than most people realise until they’re in the middle of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mini Eggs and Young Children<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mini Eggs have been linked to child deaths in the UK.<\/a> Cadbury carries an explicit warning that they are not suitable for children under four. The hard shell is the problem \u2014 unlike softer sweets, it doesn’t compress if lodged in an airway, which makes standard first aid harder to apply. The same risk applies to Maltesers, Smarties, and any small, hard, round sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe practical rule: anything that passes through a \u00a31 coin is a potential choking hazard for a toddler. For under-fours, break Mini Eggs and similar sweets into pieces before giving them. Sit children down to eat as movement significantly increases the risk. And read the NHS choking guidance<\/a> before the weekend, not when you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn egg hunts: walk the area beforehand, clear ground-level hazards, and keep a count of every egg hidden so you know when the hunt is actually complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chocolate and Dogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Kennel Club reports a 50% spike in chocolate poisoning cases every Easter; nearly a fifth of all annual claims fall in March and April. Most dog owners know chocolate is toxic in theory; fewer know how little it takes in practice. According to Vets Now, a 270g bag of Mini Eggs can cause toxicity in a medium-sized dog. As few as six can affect a small breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chocolate isn’t the only Easter hazard for dogs. Hot cross buns contain raisins, currants, and sultanas, all of which can cause kidney failure, with no established safe dose. Daffodils and tulips are toxic if ingested. Foil wrappers from Easter eggs can cause intestinal blockages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning can take up to 24 hours to appear. Don’t wait to see how a dog gets on, call your vet immediately and use the Vets Now free toxicity calculator<\/a> to assess the dose. If you’re running an egg hunt, keep dogs out of the area and account for every egg before letting them back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FINAL-GL-banners-1313-524-60.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBBQ and Outdoor Fire Safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Easter weekend is the traditional start of BBQ season in the UK. It’s also when fire services across the country issue their first outdoor fire warnings of the year because the first outdoor cook of the season carries a disproportionate risk. The equipment hasn’t been used since last summer. People are less practiced. Children are around an unfamiliar heat source. And disposable BBQs are being used more than at any other point in the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue<\/a>, which covers some of the UK’s most popular Easter caravan and coastal destinations, reported multiple avoidable fires from disposable BBQs over Easter 2025. The specific risk: people treat them as disposable once the flames go out. The coals hold heat for hours. They have started fires in wheelie bins and on dry grass long after the food was eaten.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBefore You Light Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n- Place the BBQ on flat, stable ground away from fences, sheds, overhanging trees, and garden furniture<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Never use a disposable BBQ on a wooden deck or directly on dry grass<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Keep water or sand nearby \u2014 for cooling down properly at the end, not just for emergencies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Never use lighter fluid on lit coals, and never start a bonfire with petrol or paraffin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Once You’re Done<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n- Disposable BBQs and ashes need to be fully cold before disposal. This takes several hours, not minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Never put warm ashes in a wheelie bin or plastic bag<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Glass bottles left on dry grass in sunlight can start fires through refraction. Take them inside or bin them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you see a fire in open countryside or grassland, call 999 straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.get-licensed.co.uk\/get-daily\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FINAL-GL-banners-1313-524-61.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHoliday Booking Scams Peak Around Easter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Easter is one of the biggest travel booking windows of the year, and fraudsters time their activity accordingly. Holiday booking scams account for around a quarter of all reported fraud in the UK. Victims lose an average of \u00a31,937 per incident, and in 2024, UK holidaymakers lost over \u00a311 million to travel fraud in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What makes Easter specifically high risk is the timing pressure. People booking last-minute make faster decisions and are more likely to rely on search results rather than platforms they’ve used before. Scammers build urgency into that window deliberately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How They Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The most common version involves fake accommodation listings \u2014 families arrive at properties that don’t exist \u2014 or near-identical clones of legitimate booking websites ranked high in search results during peak booking periods. Artificial urgency is built in: “only two rooms left,” “price rises tonight.” One pattern worth knowing: 18\u201334 year-olds are statistically the most scammed age group, not older generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red Flags<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n- Being asked to pay by bank transfer \u2014 no legitimate platform requires this<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Deals that feel urgently cheap or time-limited<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- URLs that look almost right but aren’t (e.g. booking-com.net rather than booking.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Pay by credit card where possible and check for ATOL or ABTA protection on any package deal. If something goes wrong, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and contact your bank immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leave Your Home Secure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A four-day predictable absence is one of the most reliable conditions for opportunistic burglary. Easter is one of the most consistent of those windows \u2014 particularly in areas with large student populations, where entire streets empty out when term ends. A row of obviously unoccupied houses is a meaningfully different risk than a single empty one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before you leave:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Lock all doors and windows, including ones you rarely use<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use timer plugs on lamps to suggest occupancy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Ask a neighbour to collect post (a visible pile of unread letters is a clear signal)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hold off on posting holiday photos until you’re back<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
One thing that often gets missed: put away garden tools before you leave. Easter is the first major gardening weekend of the year, and tools left out are a theft risk in their own right. But more importantly, they give someone the means to force entry elsewhere on the property. Sheds and garages are targeted specifically because of what’s stored in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check Your Car Before You Leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Over 19 million trips<\/a> are expected on Easter Friday alone. The most common way those journeys go wrong isn’t a collision \u2014 it’s a breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spring 2025 recorded 71,254 breakdowns<\/a> on motorways and major A-roads \u2014 up 25.6% since 2022. Around one in six drivers admit they rarely check their car before setting off. A motorway breakdown means an average two-hour delay and up to \u00a3229 in recovery costs without cover. The majority are avoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n National Highways issues a pre-Easter reminder every year around four checks they call TRIP:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 3\u20135 pm window on Good Friday is consistently the most congested and collision-prone period on UK roads across the whole year. If you have any flexibility on departure time, leaving before midday or after 7 pm makes a measurable difference. Drink driving spikes specifically around Easter bank holidays \u2014 if you’re mixing driving and social plans over the weekend, plan how you’re getting home before you go out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recommended Reading: Crime Across UK Cities<\/a> \u2014 useful if you’re travelling somewhere unfamiliar this Easter<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Easter fills UK homes with more chocolate than almost any other time of year. Two specific hazards from that \u2014 one affecting young children, one affecting dogs \u2014 spike directly and predictably every Easter, and both are more serious than most people realise until they’re in the middle of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mini Eggs have been linked to child deaths in the UK.<\/a> Cadbury carries an explicit warning that they are not suitable for children under four. The hard shell is the problem \u2014 unlike softer sweets, it doesn’t compress if lodged in an airway, which makes standard first aid harder to apply. The same risk applies to Maltesers, Smarties, and any small, hard, round sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The practical rule: anything that passes through a \u00a31 coin is a potential choking hazard for a toddler. For under-fours, break Mini Eggs and similar sweets into pieces before giving them. Sit children down to eat as movement significantly increases the risk. And read the NHS choking guidance<\/a> before the weekend, not when you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On egg hunts: walk the area beforehand, clear ground-level hazards, and keep a count of every egg hidden so you know when the hunt is actually complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kennel Club reports a 50% spike in chocolate poisoning cases every Easter; nearly a fifth of all annual claims fall in March and April. Most dog owners know chocolate is toxic in theory; fewer know how little it takes in practice. According to Vets Now, a 270g bag of Mini Eggs can cause toxicity in a medium-sized dog. As few as six can affect a small breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chocolate isn’t the only Easter hazard for dogs. Hot cross buns contain raisins, currants, and sultanas, all of which can cause kidney failure, with no established safe dose. Daffodils and tulips are toxic if ingested. Foil wrappers from Easter eggs can cause intestinal blockages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symptoms of chocolate poisoning can take up to 24 hours to appear. Don’t wait to see how a dog gets on, call your vet immediately and use the Vets Now free toxicity calculator<\/a> to assess the dose. If you’re running an egg hunt, keep dogs out of the area and account for every egg before letting them back in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Easter weekend is the traditional start of BBQ season in the UK. It’s also when fire services across the country issue their first outdoor fire warnings of the year because the first outdoor cook of the season carries a disproportionate risk. The equipment hasn’t been used since last summer. People are less practiced. Children are around an unfamiliar heat source. And disposable BBQs are being used more than at any other point in the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue<\/a>, which covers some of the UK’s most popular Easter caravan and coastal destinations, reported multiple avoidable fires from disposable BBQs over Easter 2025. The specific risk: people treat them as disposable once the flames go out. The coals hold heat for hours. They have started fires in wheelie bins and on dry grass long after the food was eaten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you see a fire in open countryside or grassland, call 999 straight away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Easter is one of the biggest travel booking windows of the year, and fraudsters time their activity accordingly. Holiday booking scams account for around a quarter of all reported fraud in the UK. Victims lose an average of \u00a31,937 per incident, and in 2024, UK holidaymakers lost over \u00a311 million to travel fraud in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes Easter specifically high risk is the timing pressure. People booking last-minute make faster decisions and are more likely to rely on search results rather than platforms they’ve used before. Scammers build urgency into that window deliberately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common version involves fake accommodation listings \u2014 families arrive at properties that don’t exist \u2014 or near-identical clones of legitimate booking websites ranked high in search results during peak booking periods. Artificial urgency is built in: “only two rooms left,” “price rises tonight.” One pattern worth knowing: 18\u201334 year-olds are statistically the most scammed age group, not older generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pay by credit card where possible and check for ATOL or ABTA protection on any package deal. If something goes wrong, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and contact your bank immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A four-day predictable absence is one of the most reliable conditions for opportunistic burglary. Easter is one of the most consistent of those windows \u2014 particularly in areas with large student populations, where entire streets empty out when term ends. A row of obviously unoccupied houses is a meaningfully different risk than a single empty one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you leave:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing that often gets missed: put away garden tools before you leave. Easter is the first major gardening weekend of the year, and tools left out are a theft risk in their own right. But more importantly, they give someone the means to force entry elsewhere on the property. Sheds and garages are targeted specifically because of what’s stored in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe TRIP Check<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
When to Travel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Chocolate Hazards People Miss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mini Eggs and Young Children<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Chocolate and Dogs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBBQ and Outdoor Fire Safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before You Light Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Once You’re Done<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHoliday Booking Scams Peak Around Easter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How They Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Red Flags<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Leave Your Home Secure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n