Bank holiday travel: The busiest roads and how to avoid peak congestion
Almost 18 million car trips are expected to take place across the UK this weekend, with the south east and south west expected to have some of the worst congestion.
The RAC, which issued the alert, urged drivers to set off as early as possible or 'be prepared to spend longer in traffic'.
'More traffic on the roads will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns, especially if the sun makes an appearance and people decide on the day to visit popular destinations," RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader Nick Mullender said.
'We're expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the south east and south west regions, which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups."
Transport analytics company Inrix has predicted the following roads will face the most severe congestion, this Bank Holiday weekend:
The M5 between Bristol and Devon, particularly the stretch from junction 15 north of Bristol to junction 23 for Bridgwater.
The M20 in Kent, between junction 7 near Maidstone and junction 3 (Addington Interchange) and between junction 1 at Swanley and junction 5 at Aylesford.
It is not just motorists that will be affected; some major rail routes will also be closed for engineering work.
Services between London King's Cross and Peterborough will not operate on Sunday, disrupting journeys by LNER and Lumo on the East Coast Main Line.
Avanti West Coast will operate a reduced and amended service to and from London Euston.
No services will operate between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International between Saturday and Monday.
Affected Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry services will be diverted, extending journey times, while London Northwestern services will run to and from Birmingham International only.
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