Bank holiday travellers face delays

DRIVERS will face congested roads as millions move off on a bank holiday weekend promising to be a mixture of sunshine and showers.

The Highways Agency has completed a number of roadworks and suspended others over the holiday, but works remain on some key routes.

The AA and traffic information company Trafficmaster have predicted that as many as 17 million cars could take to the roads over the weekend, with numbers swelled by a series of sporting events, music festivals and air shows.

Those staying at home are likely to experience cooler and wetter weather than of late.

The Highways Agency said 180 miles of roadworks on England's motorway and major A-road network would be completed by tomorrow, with a further 145 miles of works being suspended until Tuesday.

For safety reasons a number of works will have to remain in place. These include a section of the M1 in Northamptonshire, part of the M40 in Bicester in Oxfordshire, a northern section of the M25 in Hertfordshire and part of the M5 near Gloucester.

The AA and Trafficmaster said there would be a busier-than-usual evening rush-hour tomorrow and more jams on Saturday.

Areas expected to be particularly busy include:

:: All sections of the M25, especially both ways between junctions 12 and 17 west of London near Heathrow Airport

:: The M1 in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire

:: The M6 in the Midlands, the M5 in south-west England and the A303 heading west

:: The M4 westbound from west London to Newbury in Berkshire and the section going into Wales.

Another traffic information company, Inrix, said journeys that would normally take 60 minutes on a Friday are likely to take 90 minutes tomorrow.

A survey by the RAC showed that Saturday is likely to be the busiest day of the holiday period, with around 3.5 million motorists on the move.

By Peter Woodman, Press Association