ROYAL wedding fever is gripping Hampshire with thousands expected to flock to the capital to share in Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day.

Train operators and bus companies have laid on extra services to cope with demand to get to London for Friday’s Royal Wedding.

South West Trains has doubled train lengths from four carriages to eight, increasing capacity from 500 to 1,000 people.

They will be running a Saturday service, as opposed to their usual Sunday service on bank holidays, which means two trains an hour from Southampton as opposed to one – and running later in the evening with the last train set to leave Waterloo for Southampton at 1am.

Company spokesman Corinne O’Loughlin said that with all the roads around Westminster closed for security, people travelling from the south into Waterloo station would be better placed than most rail or coach visitors to make their way to Westminster Abbey which is only a ten minute walk away.

National Express said that so far in the 24 hours before the wedding they have 37 coaches leaving Portsmouth and Southampton for London, the first one on the day from Portsmouth at 1.45am then from Southampton at 3.55am, 5am, 6.35am and 8am but they expect this figure to rise by the end of the week.

The company said it has laid on extra coaches and has closely monitored demand for travel into the capital as thousands of people booked months ahead of the big day and hundreds are expected to make their plans this week.

A National Express spokesman said: “Thousands of people from across the country will be travelling by coach to Westminster Abbey on Friday for this great national occasion.

“The demand for the event has been great and we are preparing to put on extra coaches as people make the most of the bank holiday break.”

A spokesman for the AA said it was difficult to estimate how many people would drive to London for the big day, but market research showed that of people surveyed in the Meridian area, which includes Hampshire, a quarter said they were going away and of that 12 per cent were going less than 100 miles.

He urged drivers to plan ahead where they will park and what the charges for that day will be.

“I think drivers have got to realise there’s going to be a lot of people going into London, you have got to find somewhere to park securely,” he said.

• How are you celebrating the royal wedding? Are you having a street party, a garden party or a community event? Let us know – contact newsdesk@dailyecho.co.uk or ring 023 80424522.

• We also want to see pictures showing how you celebrated email them to picdesk@dailyecho.co.uk including your name and contact number.