Drivers warned of 'crescendo of cars' during Bank Holiday getaway
The North West will be one of the hardest hit areas
Drivers are being warned to expect long delays as millions of people embark on bank holiday getaways this weekend.
The RAC said it expects 16 million motorists to make a leisure trip by car between Friday and Monday.
Transport analytics company Inrix warned that journeys on most major routes across the South and South West will take an average of 50% longer than usual on Friday afternoon.
Parts of the North West, East Anglia and South West are likely to be hardest hit by traffic returning home on Monday.
Drivers wanting to avoid the worst congestion are being urged to travel before 9am or after 5pm throughout the bank holiday period.
The RAC said that since coronavirus travel restrictions ended the number of drivers planning leisure trips during Early May Bank Holiday weekends is "well above" the previous average of 14 million.
It commissioned a survey of more than 3,000 UK motorists which suggested 39% of those driving over the long weekend will spend a day with family and friends, 14% intend to go shopping and 8% have planned a short break with loved ones.