LONDON VAUXHALL DEALERS

Thousands of people are lining the Thames in London for the Jubilee river pageant despite wet weather, as street parties get under way nationwide.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the Queen's barge lead a 1,000-strong flotilla.

The nautical parade, marking 60 years of her reign, promises to be the most spectacular in London for 350 years.

Prince Charles has joined a London street party in Piccadilly and concerts and events are taking place UK-wide.

Meanwhile, some people heading into London for the celebrations have been delayed because they have been unable to get on overcrowded trains.

The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and other senior royals will travel from Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge aboard a lavishly adapted royal barge - the Spirit of Chartwell - decorated with almost 10,000 cut flowers.

The spectacle, along a seven-mile stretch, will end six hours later when the last boat passes Tower Bridge.

The Thames barrier is being lowered to slow the river's flow. Some 20,000 people are expected to be in the boats of the flotilla, which will travel at 4 knots (4.6 miles) an hour.

Boats heading to the muster points at Hammersmith and Battersea bridges sounded their horns and were met with cheers from crowds on the banks as bells from churches sounded. A steady stream of rowing and paddle boats headed up to the front of the flotilla.

"They will set the pace and behind them will be the Queen... with what is called the VIP squadron, and behind that historic boats and passenger boats," said Richard Everitt, chief executive of the Port of London Authority.

Mr Everitt said a "safety hard shoulder" was being set up on the north side of the Thames so any boats that broke down or experienced problems could be assisted.

Vessels have to stick to a pre-arranged formation, keeping a boat's length apart from those in front of and behind them, because "if one boat starts to veer, they all will", said pageant co-ordinator Ian Welsh.

Adam Kerr, the skipper of a restored 19th Century Cornish fishing lugger, the Barnabas, sailed 400 nautical miles to participate, and predicted a "pretty colourful spectacle".

"I'm sure they're very worried about the security of boats crashing into each other. I think we'll be okay - we're a pretty well-controlled boat, good crew and nice engine to drive us along," he said.

The £10m cost of the event has been met by private donations but the security costs will be paid for by the taxpayer.

The anti-monarchy group, Republic, has said it will hold a demonstration against what it calls an unelected, unaccountable monarch.

BBC weather forecaster Carol Kirkwood said pageant watchers should wrap up with waterproofs and wind proofs amid temperatures of around 11C.

She said party-goers in most of England and Wales should expect cloud and the threat of rain, while Scotland and Northern Ireland would be dry with some sunshine.

Rainy weather was not enough to deter hundreds of people who camped out overnight along the Thames to claim the best spots to view the flotilla.

A collection of small ships used to rescue stranded troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940 will also take part, led by the Motor Torpedo boat 102, the flagship of the officer who co-ordinated the evacuation.

A boat carrying eight specially cast Jubilee bells will lead the water-borne procession, and churches along the river bank will return the peal as it passes. There will be 10 musical barges, carrying choirs and orchestras.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who will attend a Jubilee party in Downing Street, paid tribute to the 86-year-old Queen during an interview on BBC One's Andrew Marr programme, saying: "Her insight and her sharpness is extraordinary and I don't see any sign of her working less hard."

The BBC's Sangita Myska said there was a "huge crush" as well-wishers flocked to greet the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall at the street party in Piccadilly, central London, where 500 tables have been set up.

In other news:

• There are reports of people heading to Jubilee events having difficulties getting to London because of overcrowded trains. A BBC reporter says scores of people have been left on platforms on stations en route from Birmingham, with 150 unable to board a train at Banbury, Oxfordshire. Elsewhere, services out of Peterborough were delayed by over-running engineering works.
• BBC Big Screens will transmit live coverage of the pageant in 22 locations around the UK including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Middlesbrough

• The Big Jubilee Lunch initiative is encouraging people to share food with neighbours and friends in street parties and picnics.
• Thousands will watch the flotilla from Battersea Park, at a festival celebrating music, food and fashion from the past 60 years
• Morecambe, Lancashire, is aiming for the longest street party by beating the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) event held in Combe Martin, Devon, for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002
• Almost 9,500 road closure applications have been made across England and Wales, with Hertfordshire topping the street party list with 451 event licences
• Former RAF engineer Glenn Allison says he will realise a life's ambition when he takes to the skies in the cockpit of a Swordfish bi-plane for the flypast to mark the pageant's finale
• A third of all of Scotland's street party applications have been made in Edinburgh, where 10 official events are scheduled
• Jubilee events are being held across the Commonwealth. In the Arctic, explorers from Devon are holding a party. In New York, 10 UK-registered yachts will fly union jack spinnaker sails in a salute. In Afghanistan, troops at Camp Bastion held parties complete with bunting.

On Monday, a concert will be held in front of Buckingham Palace, ending with a firework display and more than 4,000 beacons are due to be lit in the UK and around the world.

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