Worst bank holiday traffic in a decade predicted for this weekend

Motorists could face the worst bank holiday congestion in a decade, transportation analysts Inrix has claimed.

A combination of possible rail strikes and the potential for warm weather is expected to cause an increase in the number of vehicles, Inrix said.

The company – using data from previous August bank holiday weekends – has estimated that holidaymakers are likely to begin their journeys from Friday morning onwards, causing congestion to increase by 7.7% before 1pm.

Inrix added that thanks to external factors, traffic levels could be up to 20% more than normal nationally and could double in the worst locations.

Tailbacks and delays of 90 minutes are expected on the M25 over the course of the weekend, while those heading towards the west country are also expected to be hit with 90 minute delays as they head into Bristol on the M5.

“This bank holiday could see the worst congestion in recent years. A perfect storm of conditions will lead to increased traffic as “carmageddon” blights the long weekend,” said Greg Hallsworth, UK traffic analyst at Inrix. “With some uncharacteristically good weather forecast and potential rail strikes, holidaymakers could find roads gridlocked far more than usual. We have already seen delays of up to 90 minutes during the bank holidays earlier this year but we could see delays of more than 120 minutes for some of the worst affected roads this weekend.”

The top 11 hotspots to avoid and alternative routes over both bank holiday weekends are: