Record 5.6m to hit the road for staycation bank holiday
TRAFFIC chaos has been predicted on what is shaping up to be the busiest August bank holiday Friday on record, the RAC said, as 5.6million Britons prepare to hit the road for long weekends.
Tourist hotspots are bracing for a wave of people holidaying closer to home with the pandemic putting many off travelling overseas.
Thunderstorms have been forecast to hit parts of the UK and two police forces urged travellers to plan their trips ahead as they warned of increased demand on emergency services. Figures from RAC Breakdown showed that 5.6million people are due to take a leisure trip on Friday, the highest on the comparable day since 2015 when it began tracking the data.
Overall, it expects 18 million journeys to take place across the weekend, 1.8million more than last year.
Rod Dennis, a spokesman for RAC Breakdown, said: “Friday could turn out to be the busiest day on the roads, with potentially record numbers of people on the move – either heading away for a day trip or long weekend, or returning from a staycation. Even more so than ever this year, drivers appear to be all too aware that this is the last bank holiday before Christmas in most of the UK, and are desperate to enjoy some time away with autumn just around the corner.”
He advised drivers to check their tyres, oil and coolant levels before setting off, to avoid a breakdown.
The Met Office issued weather warnings that conditions over yesterday and today could cause localised flooding and travel disruption.
Alex Burkill, a meteorologist, said the weather could lead to “really quite treacherous driving conditions” as a yellow warning was in place for most of South Wales and southern England.
The warnings were issued in the wake of storms Ellen and Francis hitting the country in the space of a week, with gusts of more than 80mph.
Meanwhile, police in Devon and Cornwall said emergency calls had remained at record levels in August with a 13 per cent increase compared with last year. Glen Mayhew, the assistant chief constable, advised tourists to book accommodation before setting off. He added that the force is working to support tourism and make up for revenue lost over lockdown.
“Sadly, we have seen tragedy on the coastline, and I want to remind people to respect the water and to use beaches where we have lifeguards,” he said.
Police in Dorset made a similar plea, warning that the levels of anti-social behaviour and public order offences are “entirely unacceptable and cannot go unchallenged”. Assistant Chief Constable Sam de Reya said Covid-19 “has not gone away” and reminded travellers of the rules around face coverings.