Poppy site visitors urged to plan their trip carefully

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the sea of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London? Then be sure to plan your trip carefully.

As millions of people continue to flock to the memorial, officials are warning of severe overcrowding at the site.

Last week, people were urged to postpone their visits due to overcrowding during the school half-term holiday. Words: PA

But despite pupils across the country returning to schools this week, Transport for London (TfL) said there remained a "large pedestrian presence" around the Tower of London today.

Up to four million people are expected to visit the installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which was created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins.

By Armistice Day on November 11 there will be 888,246 ceramic poppies planted, one for each British and colonial death during the conflict which began 100 years ago.

A spokeswoman for Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the site, said today: "It's still quite busy so we're advising visitors to plan their trips carefully.

"We're encouraging people to visit earlier in the day, before 10am, or later in the day, after 6pm."
Phil Hufton, London Underground's chief operating officer, said Tower Hill station near the memorial had been "extremely busy" and occasionally the station was being closed on police advice.

TfL has urged visitors to the Tower of London to travel to nearby Tube stations Aldgate or Aldgate East or take the DLR to Tower Gateway.

Commuters have also been asked to consider travelling to London Bridge and then walk, cycle or take a bus. Motorists have also been advised not to drive in the area.

Historic Royal Palaces said the final poppy will be planted at the memorial on November 11.

Eleven thousand volunteers will then begin removing the installation from November 12, culture minister Ed Vaizey said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, donations during the Royal British Legion's London Poppy Day soared by 25 per cent on last year - with £1.25 million raised in just 12 hours.

Prince Harry welcomed actress Barbara Windsor and war veterans as they called into Buckingham Palace to mark the event last Thursday.

A number of businesses opened their trading floors to collectors in London's Canary Wharf district, with one person donating £1,000 for a pair of cuff-links and another paying £600 for a paper poppy.

Charles Byrne, director of fundraising at the Royal British Legion said: "The generosity of Londoners has been outstanding and I'd like to thank everyone in the capital for showing their support for the armed forces community. We asked London to dig deep and they certainly did, resulting in a 25 per cent increase on last year's total raised.

"The Royal British Legion created the Poppy Appeal to help those returning from the First World War.
A century on from the start of that conflict, we're still helping today's armed forces families in much the same way, whether coping with bereavement, living with disability, or finding employment."

The Royal British Legion has mounted a campaign to get Joss Stone's Poppy Appeal single No Man's Land (Green Fields of France) to number one on Remembrance Sunday. The organisation is hoping to raised £40 million by November 11.