Thunder warning at start of the staycation

A WARNING for thunderstorms on what promises to be one of the busiest days of the year on the roads of the Westcountry was issued by the Met Office yesterday.

The yellow warning ,which covers the whole of Devon and Cornwall, came into effect at 8pm last night and runs until 10pm today – just as thousands of holidaymakers are expected to be on the roads heading West on what promises to be a bumper staycation summer.

The RAC has urged motorists to check their cars before setting out on long journeys this weekend.

THUNDERSTORMS could make today’s great summer getaway a nightmare on the roads, traffic experts have warned, as the summer holidays get underway.

This year is predicted to be the busiest in decades for the South West, with Devon and Cornwall top of the holiday list for thousands of travellers denied the chance to go abroad by the pandemic.

Today is expected to be one of the busiest on Devon and Cornwall’s roads, with schools breaking up for the summer and people heading West. Some 11.5million leisure trips are expected to be made by car over the weekend. There is a weather warning for thunder and high winds.

The rush to get away began on Thursday for families whose schools broke up early. The RAC said around 2.6million leisure trips were made by drivers on Thursday and around 2.3million yesterday. They warned journey times are likely to be severely affected, with traffic monitoring website Inrix predicting a 29% increase in delays, compared to typical July travel times.

The RAC and Highways England are urging everyone still prepared to brave the incredibly busy conditions to make sure theirs cars – and anything they might be towing – are up to the task.

With so many cars only having been driven short distances during months of travel restrictions, the risk of breaking down on a long journey increases considerably.

Checking tyres, oil, coolant and screenwash levels will be more important this summer than ever and could make the difference between drivers getting safely to their holiday destinations or being broken down at the side of a busy road.

Data from transport analytics experts indicates that the usual pinch points on the road network are expected to be particularly busy this weekend.

Jams are predicted on sections of the M25, the A303 in Wiltshire where it passes Stonehenge, and then on other stretches where dual carriageways go down to two lanes.

The M1 in the East Midlands and the M4 west of Newport in South Wales are also expected to be busy.

The M5 through Somerset and into Devon is also likely to be busy and potentially slow-moving at times. Routes to the Lake District and the south coast are also braced for large numbers of vehicles

Separate figures released by the RAC last week indicate the summer of 2021 is likely to be the busiest in years.

Just 7% of UK drivers say they expect to take a holiday elsewhere in Europe this summer, down from 10% who said this when questioned in April – with a third of those still hoping for a foreign trip saying they will holiday in the UK instead if they have to.

RAC Breakdown spokesman Simon Williams said: “We seem to have all the elements of a perfect storm on the UK’s roads this summer – with millions of drivers having already planned their staycation trips, plus the very real prospect of huge numbers more booking last minute if their foreign travel plans end in tatters because of Covid travel restrictions.

“After the hot weather last weekend, the scene is really set for an incredibly busy few weeks on the country’s roads, whether that’s on

We’re expecting the number of people needing our help to rocket SIMON WILLIAMS, RAC BREAKDOWN

motorways or on smaller, minor routes that take people to popular tourist destinations by the coast or in the countryside. It’s never been more important to plan ahead to avoid the busiest times.

“With the roads likely to be so busy, we’re expecting the numbers of people needing our help to rocket, but it’s not too late to reduce your chances of breaking down. This is why we can’t stress enough how important checking tyres, oil and coolant levels is.”

Road rescue organisations are standing by for record callouts.

Traffic on the M5 before the pandemic. Heavy rain is forecast for today, which could make the roads more challenging