20m set for holiday jam chaos

BANK holiday journeys are expected to take up to twice as long as normal as an estimated 20million of us hit the roads this weekend.

Travellers are being warned by the AA not to set off until 7pm on Friday or early on Saturday to avoid the worst of the traffic.

A combination of the usual holiday rush, sunny, warm weather and schools on half term will lead to gridlock on many roads, experts have warned. Traffic analysts Inrix says driving from Manchester to Blackpool is likely to take 1 hour 40 minutes instead of 48 mins and from Heathrow to Brighton almost three hours instead of 1 hour 44 mins.

Those who let the train take the strain will have Bank Holiday engineering works to cope with, along with 24-hour strikes at Arriva Rail North on Thursday and Saturday.

Although warm weather is expected all weekend, with a high of 82F (28C), it will be sticky and humid rather than dry and pleasant, with a risk of heavy downpours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

But forecasters Meteogroup add: ‘There will be better weather in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it should stay mostly dry.’